How to Pitch a Prospective Client.

• Author: Murray, Michelle
• Position: CHECKLIST

Preparing your attorneys for a successful pitch is one of the most important ways you can impact the business development process. Preparation begins long before the actual pitch takes place. Attorneys' legal skills are presumed --it's their sales skills that will make or break the pitch.

A winning pitch takes the form of a conversation that builds a relationship and understanding with the prospect. Here are tips to help your attorneys succeed.

1 Articulate Your Value Proposition

What is the firm's value proposition? Well in advance of any pitch, the attorney must be able to, in a few short sentences, articulate why a prospective client should trust them to provide legal services. This is the opportunity to differentiate your firm and team from the competition. This may include sharing successful results or a specific certification that is relevant to the engagement.

2 Know Your Stuff

Resources like LinkedIn, Zoominfo or even a simple Google search will help the attorney to better know the prospect and to find common ground (for example, perhaps they went to the same school or both volunteer in pro bono activities). Always remember to review the company website, understand the industry and search recent news. Determine the company's strengths and weaknesses so that your attorney presents a plan to enhance the former and alleviate the latter.

3 Study Your Competition

Research your competition--the other law firms the prospect is using or has used in the past. How do you stack up in terms of industry experience, subject matter expertise or geographic reach?

4 Prepare Meeting Questions

Sometimes it is obvious that your attorney will be meeting with decision makers, while other times it isn't so apparent. Find out in advance who will be attending the meeting, and provide the attorney with biographical information and some well-designed questions to help determine who makes the decision to hire outside counsel.

5 Practice the 85/15 Rule

Pitch meetings should take the form of a two-way conversation. Generally, the attorney should speak about 15 percent of the time, letting the client speak the most. Practice active listening to identify challenges and opportunities. Find out what is keeping your prospect up at night, as well as where their...