The question: lawyers in my firm need business development training. We had a bad experience a few years ago, and they're reluctant to try again. How do I present the need for training and manage their objections?

• Author: Hirsch, Stewart
• Position: Ask the Authorities

Jonathan R. Fitzgarrald

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"This is nothing. This is nothing! Did you ever shoot in Italy? Try three Italian starlets wacked out on Benzedrine and grappa. This is a walk in the park ... piece of cake!" Dustin Hoffman's character, Stanley Motss, in "Wag the Dog."

Although the thought of reviving a failed attorney training initiative seems insurmountable, try suggesting the use of a fake war to cover up a sex scandal. In the 1997 movie, "Wag the Dog," Robert De Niro plays a Washington spin doctor who, days before a presidential election, distracts the electorate by hiring a Hollywood film producer, played by Dustin Hoffman, to construct a fake war.

Throughout the movie, Hoffman perceives every challenge as an opportunity to produce results. As marketing professionals, we too must adopt a can-do attitude and take on challenges one act at a time.

Act One: Identify a reputable consultant/training program. Your "producer" credits are at stake so choose wisely. Act Two: Choose a pilot group of 10 attorneys who need training and respect you. Act Three: Meet with each individually. Explain how the training will benefit them, and resolve any roadblocks they surface. Final Act: Get them to commit. Ten committed attorneys and your recommendations are enough for management buy-in.

Jonathan R. Fitzgarrald directs the business development program at Los Angeles-based entertainment firm Greenberg Glusker. He is president-elect for the L.A. Chapter and serves on LMA International's Education Committee.

Mary Hendrix

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First, find out what went wrong. Discover the goal(s) for the training and determine any disconnects. For example, perhaps management was thinking long-term results, and the participants wanted immediate benefit. Were the right participants in the program, and were they grouped properly? That is, were the participants all associates, partners, women or mixed. Was the grouping right for the training and its goals?

Next, talk to the lawyers and drill down on the "why" it was a bad experience. Too much sales? A trainer without knowledge of the legal market? Did the program address what the participants wanted to learn? Did the participants get support (time, money, administrative) to be successful in their efforts?

Then, prepare to articulate the value of training. Build internal support with lawyers and management that want training, and present a proposal in a thoughtfully organized, well-designed written...