How to 'pitch' your legal services so that clients will 'catch'.

• Author: O'Connor, Brigid

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Congratulations! Thanks to a lot of hard work, you've finally nailed down the opportunity to pitch your legal services to a targeted, qualified client. Obviously, you want to make the most of this hard-won opportunity.

Solid presentation skills are essential to securing new business. Whether you are delivering the pitch or helping prepare for it, you understand that prospect meetings are both a vital marketing tool and a potential obstacle to success.

Successful pitches depend on two characteristics: likability and preparation.

Likability: Rapport and Resilience

Research demonstrates that when selecting a service provider --such as an attorney or law firm--decision makers are more receptive to those they like. At a certain level of achievement, expertise is assumed. Decisions are made on the basis of an existing or anticipated relationship.

Rapport--or the ability to build relationships on the fly and over time--plays a role in your likability. This is especially true in the area of professional services, where the product you are selling cannot be distinguished from you as a person.

The professional services offered by a lawyer are much more difficult to test drive than a physical product like a hair dryer. As a result, potential clients are looking for even the smallest clues to use in their decision making. They find these clues in seemingly silly places: handshakes, eye contact and initial small talk.

For those who do not find it easy to build rapport, tools such as matching and mirroring can play a role. However, you don't want to go overboard. Take your cues from the other person's facial expression, subject matter, tone, pace, formality and energy level in your attempt to connect during the prospect meeting--but always be authentic and sincere.

Nascent rapport can be damaged in numerous ways, including interruptions, disrespect and not listening.

As wordsmiths, many lawyers tend to leap ahead and start crafting their next comments when they should be listening carefully to the prospect. Frankly, it is something that everyone does. Remember that the spotlight should be shining on the client, not you.

The business pitch isn't for reeling off a list of the firm's features and benefits, hogging all of the allotted time. While it seems somewhat counterintuitive, the amount of time you talk versus the amount of time you listen during a client pitch is inversely related to your ability to secure new business.

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