A Happy New CRM Year
The way to avoid causing a CRM 'revolution' at your firm and have a truly Happy CRM New Year is to forget about all of the sweeping changes you resolved to make. Instead, you need to make only one resolution…
The way to avoid causing a CRM 'revolution' at your firm and have a truly Happy CRM New Year is to forget about all of the sweeping changes you resolved to make. Instead, you need to make only one resolution…
Writing, speaking and other reputation-building or marketing activities are a great way to open the door for business development, but to be really successful, you have to walk through it. This door may lead to a lot of places, but…
Why do so many of our New Year's resolutions fail? Realistically it's not all our fault. We had the best of intentions. We really did. We just tried to do too much. We resolved to break all of our bad habits all…
When it comes to developing business, the goal is to make it habitual - and that requires finding activities that you enjoy. Fortunately, there are so many options that there really is something for almost everyone. The key is to…
So you resolve to make this the year to focus on CRM success. What a great New Year’s resolution. This will finally be the year that you'll roll the system out firm wide… in the first quarter. You’ll put training,…
The New Year is an excellent time for a lot of things: celebrating, planning, making resolutions you’ll break a month later. But it’s also a good time to ask yourself this question: what are you going to do to make…
It's that time again. We ring in the New Year. Pop the champagne cork. Watch the big ball fall. Catch a few fireworks. If we’re lucky, we may even get a smooch or two. Then the next thing you know it's one-one-one-one,…
This is the time of year for celebrating (or at least aspiring to) things like peace on earth and equality for all. In that spirit of the season, I’ve included this week’s holiday business development quote with a message from…
There is often no better way to develop business than getting face-to-face with Clients and prospects-- your CRM contacts. This may explain why so many law firms spend so much time and dedicate so many resources for events. While the types…
"Peace on earth Plenty of Clients will come to stay, when we live Christmas business development every day." This is a great (and slightly modified) holiday quote from Helen Steiner Rice – and it couldn’t be more applicable. To be successful…
When it comes to issues with firm communications, the CRM hammer hits these challenges, well... right on the head. CRM is an excellent tool for helping a firm plan and execute marketing campaigns and distribute all types of communications. First,…
As the holiday season kicks off, the sounds of the season are in the air and everywhere (including the almost unlimited commercials that make me want to hug my Tivo). After being subjected to a multitude of mundane messages and…
Law firms often have buckets of issues that are particularly ‘pointed’ and for which there may simply never be a substitute for the trusty (or some might argue rusty) old CRM hammer. These types of issues come in many varieties,…
There is probably no objective that law firms put more emphasis on achieving – or that they fail more frequently at than cross selling. This may be because many law firms or lawyers don’t really understand what cross selling is…
If we are going to think or talk about CRM as a tool, I think it begs the question: which tool would CRM be? In the wide world of tools, I think a lot of people would say that CRM…
Obviously focusing on referral sources is a really smart bet, but if you want to improve your odds for success, you have to be willing to up the ante and invest the time to educate them. To really improve your…
And yet, despite all the challenges in the past, people are still investing tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in CRM systems. In fact, in recent years, the worldwide CRM market revenue has actually grown 12.5 percent, according…
So why would you take the time to focus on referral sources when there are other business development activities you could be spending your time on? First, it’s often much easier to get business from a referred prospect. In fact,…
It’s easy to question the relevance of CRM now that there is newer technology on the market or because of the CRM implementations that failed to meet expectations in the past. What is more difficult is to take some responsibility…
Once you have determined to focus on referrals, the next step is to figure out how to make them effective sources for developing new business. Help them help you... literally. To actually refer you business, your referral sources have to…
It might appear that the development of all of this new relationship management technology could make the old CRM seem a little, well… tired. Let’s face it, it does seem like CRM has gotten a little long in the tooth.…
So what is the key to getting business from referral sources? First, like most everything else in business development: you need to give before you can expect to receive. If you want people to refer business to you, you should…
Law firm business development is all about relationships. So it is not surprising that there has been a continual and ongoing search for technology and tools to assist firms in discovering and leveraging these crucial relationships. For decades, the relationship…
We’ve all been in that fun place: at a cocktail party, sitting on an airplane or in the back of a cab and someone asks, “So what do you do?” How do you respond? While this conversation rarely takes place…
People often say that word of mouth advertising is incredibly powerful. We know this must be true because almost every survey of buyers of professional services ever undertaken suggests that a personal referral is always the primary driver of the…
So what do you do if you feel like you are drowning in CRM data quality problems and you just can't seem to get help from within your firm – or if you don’t have months to spend manually cleaning…
When I ask some attorneys to describe their ideal Client, I often hear, ‘one that pays.' This response is mildly amusing… but rarely true. Not every Client is a good Client. And what makes a great Client for one firm…
So how big a problem is data quality depression really? In the past, some firms neglected CRM data quality as a minor issue – to their detriment. In fact, poor data quality can become a serious problem, especially during an initial…
Effective business development starts with a plan. Without a plan, business development can become unstructured, unproductive and expensive – with limited or no return on investment. We commit random acts of golf or lunch – inviting the same people who…
Ultimately, at some point, you may realize that getting help for data quality depression is essential. Once a firm reaches a certain size, often around 100 users, a part-time data steward just can't keep up with the volume of data…
Like most things that are challenging – but can also be rewarding – business development success starts with a plan. To be really effective, you have to put together a strategy and plan that you can execute and measure success…
When it comes to data quality depression, it's important to know that you aren’t alone. There are literally hundreds of firms struggling with the same frustrations and issues. Often, the best thing you can do is to reach out for…
Finally, to take your personal value proposition up a level – to really connect with a potential Client – articulate characteristics that may be of particular interest to them. Discuss things that differentiate you or your practice. Describe a niche…
If your data quality depression doesn’t seem to be responding to conventional treatments, fortunately there are now some alternative treatments available. One treatment that has been particularly effective for some firms is outsourcing. If you aren’t able to hire full-time…
To really elevate your personal value proposition, begin by trying to articulate it in terms of Client needs. These needs can often open the door to new business. But remember that Clients typically have a hierarchy of needs – and…
While the bad news is that data quality depression may seem to be an epidemic, the good news is that it is treatable – and it's rarely contagious. The treatments vary depending on the symptoms and the causes. As a…
Your personal value proposition should be a brief and compelling statement that is designed to start off an (ideally) interesting conversation by defining the value you may be able to provide to the potential Client. Without providing value, business development…
If you think you may be suffering from data quality depression, it can be helpful to see a specialist such as a CRM data quality consultant who is familiar with its causes and effects – and who is expert in prescribing the right…
The potential remedy for your data quality depression will depend upon the underlying cause. To diagnose the cause of your underlying symptoms, you must first assess the situation and figure out exactly where it hurts. Potential pain points may include: …
While it may seem like a simple gesture, it’s amazing how much a handshake conveys to us. Those few seconds can potentially empower - or deflate - a new relationship. Through the ages, the handshake has been a means of…
Data quality depression has been described as an emotional state characterized by feelings of sadness, despair, and discouragement – often accompanied by a strong desire to bang your head against the wall… repeatedly. For your mental health, early detection is…
We've heard that smiling is contagious. Well, we now know that it’s not only true – it’s also good for business. A smile not only creates an upbeat and positive environment and conveys to the potential Client your interest, enthusiasm,…
For successful business development, your focus should always be on the Client - even when you first make eye contact.The impression you make begins the moment someone 'lays eyes' on you - so always look your potential Client in the…
Have you ever had a business development conversation with someone that didn't go exactly the way you expected? You talked... they talked... but you just didn't seem to communicate. This might be because either you, or the potential Client, were…
As with any stressful or strenuous activity, always be sure to visit your physician before beginning your CRM ‘workout’ regimen. For a CRM checkup, you’ll probably want to enlist the services of a CRM ‘specialist’ such as a consultant who…
Banish the Blackberry from Business Development If you want to be successful in building your business, the other 'B' that you need to banish - at least from Client meetings - is your Blackberry. Picture this: you and another partner…
After the purchase and implementation of a CRM system, we sometimes hear buyers or users say that they feel like they spent a lot of money and they aren’t getting the return on their investment. In many cases, this is…
If you want to be successful in building Client relationships, the key to successful business development, there are two B’s that you need to forever banish when dealing with Clients. The first one is the word ‘busy.’ Be Careful Not…