Dan Pink Talks Sales in the Law Firm.

PositionLMA NEWS

Best-selling author Dan Pink (danpink.com) has written a number of books on business, work and management, and during the 2015 LMA Annual Conference, his keynote presentation will demonstrate the new ways leaders are persuading, influencing and motivating others. Here, he tells Strategies his ideas on how to convince attorneys to embrace the business development process.

How can we convince a lawyer that "sales" is not a dirty word?

Shine a light on the things a lawyer--or anyone--already does. Litigators already sell to judges and juries. Corporate lawyers negotiate, which is a form of selling. Even in trusts and estates, a lawyer has to persuade, influence, convince and cajole. All are a form of selling, even if the lawyer doesn't use the "s-word" to describe it. Perhaps also point out that the alternative to developing business is not being in business at all.

How do we motivate them to develop new business?

Use two techniques. First, change the way the lawyer thinks about it. Sales today isn't about slapping backs and over-smiling. Those days are gone. It's now about need-finding and better understanding a client's business--things most lawyers should find more appealing and enjoyable. Second, start...

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