Practice / Industry Team Strategy Lawyer Coaching Marketing Video Rule number one? It s all about the client! When your services align with the needs of prospective clients, there is opportunity. That s what I help firms and lawyers build on. OVERVIEW VISION FOR CLIENTS 1 TEAMS BUILD SUCCESSFUL TARGET TEAMS 2 LAWYERS COACHING FOR THE REAL WORLD 3 LEADERS LEAD WITH PURPOSE AND A PLAN 4 MARKETING COMMUNICATION MATTERS EVERY TIME 5 VIDEO CONTENT THAT CONNECTS 6
OVERVIEW SERVICES: TEAMS LAWYERS LEADERS MARKETING VIDEO VISION FOR CLIENTS With 17 years of law firm client development management and practical process experience, I work with a select group of law firms and lawyers with specific needs to grow their client base, improve their process, and have the best opportunity to increase revenue. As you serve your clients, I serve mine. Your satisfaction with my service and your results are paramount. This critical work is collaborative. The ongoing conversation is built on cooperation, communication, respect, and trust. In addition to my 17 years in-house for three law firms as a national marketing manager and Director of Client Development, I have more than 25 years of experience in marketing and creative communications, including as an award-winning video creator and producer. CLIENT VALUE I like working with lawyers. Understanding the professional environment and attendant pressure lawyers face every day helps me build successful relationships within a firm. My objective is to add value where my services meet specific identifiable needs for law firms and lawyers. CLIENT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES Teams Build practice group, industry, and client teams from the ground up, or kick-start an existing team, focused on a plan with specific client and revenue growth objectives. Lawyers Enhance client development skills through coaching lawyers who want to improve their process and grow their business. Leaders Help leaders build a clear strategic vision for business development, including practice and industry teams that are fully aligned with the firm's business growth plan. Marketing Help align marketing communication messages and develop targeted content, across the firm s platforms and through key media platforms, that support the goals of the firm. Video Create video content featuring your lawyers that brings focused messages demonstrating core competencies and elevating trust to clients, targets, and referral sources.
TEAMS BUILD SUCCESSFUL TARGET TEAMS SERVICES: Team Development Research Identification of targets Planning Implementation TEAMWORK SHAPES FUTURE SUCCESS The purpose of business development teams is to increase revenues, identify new client opportunities, and build sustainable loyalty in both existing and prospective clients. Identify the best prospects. Invest time and money smartly in things that truly matter. Share the responsibility for targeted business development. RIGHT TEAMS RIGHT STUFF Teams can be created for practice areas, industries, and key clients. Lawyers and Leaders Teams include relevant lawyers in a particular area, and a leader, who has the will and time to best lead the team. Commit Each team is committed to grow a firm s client base and increase revenue based on the firm business strategy. Act Each team member is willing to do the things identified as critical to success of the team. TARGETS DRIVERS SOLUTIONS (TDS) TDS is a process that helps identify the best client opportunities for teams and lawyers. Targets are prospective clients whose needs align clearly with a firm s services. Drivers define the alignment criteria between client needs and firm expertise. Solutions are a firm's deliverables that meet the most important needs of a client. DO IT. TOGETHER. A successful team effort is built around a smart plan and a relentless commitment to succeed. Easy to say, harder to do. The reality is that business development teams fail as often as they succeed. Those that succeed are the ones that make a long-term commitment to build and execute a smart plan. And they don't give up, get distracted, or get "too busy." A thoughtfully built plan in the hands of a refuse-to-fail team opens the door to new clients, revenues, and retention.
LAWYERS COACHING FOR THE REAL WORLD SERVICES: Coaching Research Identification of Targets Planning Follow-up OPPORTUNITY TO EXCEL Successful professional athletes, executives, and others engage specialized coaches. The coach is not to change everything the athlete does, rather to help them do it better, more consistently, and with greater efficiency of effort. For a lawyer, client development success requires thoughtful planning, targeted effort, and the will to execute consistently. These are among the things with which a business development coach can help an individual lawyer. COACHING PROCESS Data Start with a base of information about the lawyer s practice, professional interests, expertise, track record, clients, and goals. Targets Identify targets, including prospective and existing clients. Coach and lawyer work together to build a plan that helps the lawyer align expertise with the best opportunities. Action Lawyer and coach meet once a month to review accomplishments and challenges, and identify key action items for the next 30 days. TARGETS DRIVERS SOLUTIONS (TDS) TDS is the key to identifying the best client opportunities for both individual lawyers and practice/industry focused teams. Targets are prospective and existing clients whose needs align clearly with a lawyer's expertise. Drivers define the alignment criteria between client and the lawyer. Solutions are a lawyer s focused deliverables that meet the most important needs of a client WIN WITH WILL A significant potential obstacle to success for lawyers who have a smart business development plan is frequently the will to go out and do it. To generate the will to act, a lawyer must make business development a priority and a personal mission. Working with a business development coach can help a lawyer put order and purpose around their plan, and instill consistent confidence in their ability to succeed.
LEADERS LEAD WITH PURPOSE AND A PLAN SERVICES: Strategic Planning Organization Firm-wide Integration Accountability LEADERSHIP DEFINES THE OUTCOME Successful business development leaders at the executive and team level look ahead, think strategically, and work with lawyers efficiently and collaboratively. Leading well requires accurate articulation of the objectives for developing new clients and expanding existing clients. I work with executive leaders and team leaders to help identify clear business development objectives and, as leaders, to communicate and work effectively with team members to implement the plan to grow the client base and increase revenues. THE RIGHT LEADERS A key decision is successfully appointing team leaders. Effective team leaders should be identified, first, based on their experience and success in the practice or industry area. Equally important, however, is their ability and willingness to effectively do the work of the team leader. ACTIONS MEET EXPECTATIONS Lawyers in a firm want to know what their leadership expects and how the individual lawyer's business development efforts will be measured. It is important that executive leaders articulate goals, strategy, and measurement criteria clearly. Those guidelines should be based on reliable client data, including information about relationship contacts, types of work, revenue, business patterns, anticipated growth or decline, and more. A vital information source in this process, for example, is the key client interview. Client Interviews, conducted by the Managing Partner or other executive, give firm leaders insight into the quality and satisfaction level of a client and, most importantly, help identify that client s most urgent business and industry issues and opportunities going forward. This helps firm leaders identify their best growth opportunities with the client. Firm business development success is built on strong leadership. The accountability circle must be intentional and consistent to ensure the best outcomes.
MARKETING COMMUNICATION MATTERS EVERY TIME SERVICES: Strategic Messaging Content Development Platforms Implementation and ROI EVERYTHING COMMUNICATES SOMETHING Every lawyer and every law firm has a reputation. You work hard to make it a great one. A question we should all ask is, Who's in charge of my reputation? Me? Or my competition? Successful marketing communication builds, reinforces, and expands a firm s reputation and visibility. Whether it is advertising, public relations, website, blog, social media, presentation, paper, thought leadership, organizational involvement...well, as you can see, the list can get very long. In each component of the business development environment, marketing communications must be strategically driven and carefully planned to get the right messages to the right people at the right time DELIVERING THE MESSAGE More is not always better. We all get too many emails, phone calls, and posts, that are easily ignored. A focused communications plan helps a firm figure out the people for whom their messages have value, and which represent the best client development opportunities. COMMUNICATE WITH PURPOSE Everything a firm does, starting with its website, tells their story. Public relations, advertising, presentations, speeches, articles, marketing collateral, and website content all build on the story. How do you ensure that you are getting your message to the right people in a timely way? Focused Strategy A content plan, whose function is to connect each area of marketing communications to the business strategy of the firm, is the foundation. Each element of the plan helps tell the story of why a firm matters, and helps a viewer or reader see how a firm or lawyer can make a difference. Coordinated Effort An individual or a team assigned to act as drivers and gatekeepers for firm content, messaging, and quality of production helps ensure cost-efficiency and results. Measured Results ROI for marketing communications is challenging. However, while each measurement may be different depending on the objectives of a specific communication, it is important to find the best way to get a sense of derived value.
VIDEO CONTENT THAT CONNECTS SERVICES: Integration Plan Creative Development Write and Produce Distribution TARGETED CLIENTS WANT TO KNOW YOU Video, particularly through a firm s website and social media pages, is becoming essential to client development. Whether the video offers a prospective client the opportunity to meet a lawyer, or presents thought leadership or CLE training, it creates a personal connection with the prospective client. I bring a unique combination of skills to this area of marketing. Prior to my 17-year career in law firm client development, I wrote and produced video for broadcast, presentation and websites, and worked in professional creative communications for more than 25 years. I create video content with an insider s perspective. VIDEO FOR THE LONG TERM Developing a video plan as part of a firm s marketing communications strategy helps improve quality and cost-efficiency. Maximizing a production schedule helps get more content from each production session. It also lets lawyers plan their schedules and lessen the amount of time required. Like each marketing communications tool, good video is built around strong messaging in a visual context to which a viewer can relate. Strong content connects. SUCCESSFUL LAW FIRM VIDEO Every piece of video tells a story, whether it is introducing a firm or lawyer, providing essential knowledge and CLE training, or letting clients help tell your story by telling their successes. Key elements of the video story for law firms include three keys. Good Storytelling You have about three to five seconds to catch someone s attention when they hit the play button on a website video. And a few more seconds to get the viewer to stay with you. Even a short informational piece must tell a story that engages the viewer. High Production Value In the world of camera phones and selfies, the quality of your video content is expected to be as professional as the legal services a firm offers. Strategic Integration Successful web video should be seamlessly aligned with both the website and business experience you expect to deliver at every point of contact with clients and potential clients.
I appreciate your interest. I look forward to an opportunity to have a conversation about how we might work together. 214.542.5800 billbourland@icloud.com