Prospecting Skills for Associates: How You Can Turn a Prospect Into a Client

All lawyers "sell" all the time.  Marketing/selling is both conscious and unconscious. When we make it conscious, as a means of creating an unconscious connection with potential clients we have yet to meet, we have a better chance of succeeding.  That's a powerful message when so many lawyers seem to be waiting for "things to come back."  The world of passively waiting for business will never return.  Today's marketing requires answers to two questions:  1) Do you know who your potential clients are?  2) How do you reach out to them?

The answer to question one is simple.  Create a profile of your ideal client and develop a marketing strategy that focuses on this target, not everyone.  Focus on the demographics, occupation, location, financial and other characteristics of clients who will give you the work that you want.   Such a marketing approach defines what your practice really is (or should be) and who best can use those services.  This can change over time, depending on how your skills and interests evolve, how the economy is doing, and many other factors.  Learn where to find your target market and think about how you can best reach them to let them know that what they need is within your scope of abilities. 

That leads to question two, and a more complex answer.  Building relationships with potential clients is a marathon, not a sprint, and it starts with getting into the public eye.  There are many ways to do this:  for example, by attending lunch or bar association functions, "blawging" (either individually or on behalf of the firm), and contributing to client news updates.  Writing articles in trade or legal publications is another key strategy.  Social networking on LinkedIn, by inviting business associates in your target market to be part of your contact network, is an excellent option.  In all this, keep visibility foremost and avoid getting lost in the message.  There is no "one size fits all" tactic, the only limits are your creativity and time availability.

Social networking Internet sites are becoming part of lawyers' marketing efforts, but personal contact at meetings, on the phone and through hand-written notes will remain effective outreach tools. Personal contact is the differentiating factor that gets a lawyer noticed. Differentiation is often the way to get attention. Getting attention is a cornerstone of marketing. And marketing is the basis of educating your prospects that you exist and that you can assist them.

Make sure that your tactics are in tune with your target.  For example, if your target audience is not focused on frequently using the Internet and searching the web, then blawging may not be worthwhile for you.  Your best tactic instead may be attending industry trade shows and association meetings.  By researching and targeting the right event, you can meet more prospects in one day than might otherwise be possible in months.  Physically being at these meetings of potential clients demonstrates knowledge of their business, understanding of their concerns, and seriousness about offering solutions. At a trade show, emphasize meeting others.  You are not "selling," you're conveying your interest in building a business relationship.

The beauty of prospect-based marketing is that an associate can, at review time, make a convincing argument:  "This is what I've done to promote myself and promote the firm."  Go on the offensive, demonstrate the number of articles and blog posts and presentations you've done, and show how many people you've reached.  Show that you read your prospects' key industry publications and web sites to know what concerns them, that you are calling on prospects and referral sources who are having a tough time business-wise to say what you can do to help. Targeting prospects who can provide desirable work that fits the firm's capabilities shows that you think like a partner. Both you and the firm benefit when these prospects become your clients.

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For more insight on this topic, please go to  The LawBiz Forum  and see the information on: "Blogging Policies and Best Practices for Lawyers and Law Firms" ; "Internet Marketing: Keeping a Human Presence in a Digital World" .  Also, view Ed Poll's Legal Pad Video Post, "Free Advertising,"