Top Lawyer Coach, LLC

5 Reasons Why Your Cross-Selling Campaign is FAILING

When it comes to marketing additional services in the firm - cross-selling is the name of the game. It's the easiest and most cost-effective way to GROW BUSINESS and KEEP CLIENTS HAPPY.

But cross-selling success hinges on many factors.

Here are the five biggest mistakes lawyers make when cross-selling.

1. Lack of knowledge.

Many lawyers isolate themselves inside their own firms and just don't know how to communicate they do to their partners.

Communication and knowledge are keys to understanding what others are doing inside the firm. Take the time to brainstorm with your lawyer colleagues about client needs and cross-selling opportunities.

2. "Me" focused.

Attorneys often take the wrong selling approach with clients. Clients grant their lawyers the courtesy of a meeting only to hear "let me tell you all about how good WE are at x and why you need y." This is "me-focused," not client-focused.

Your cross-selling approach should always be centered around the clients and their needs.

3. Lack of strategy.

To effectively cross-sell a client, a lawyer must be on the lookout for opportunities to expand representation. Spend more time strategizing with clients about future hurdles and opportunities.

4. Clients are in the dark.

Many clients are unaware of their law firms' breadth of experience.  Attorneys should make connections or personal introductions to other lawyers within the firm who may have the expertise to meet the clients' diverse needs.

5. Relationship hoarding.

Some lawyers are inclined to build, control, and protect portable client portfolios that can be taken to a new firm with lower risk of dispersed client loyalties. Not only is this selfish, partners become reluctant to cross-sell for fear of getting burned by someone leaving with their clients.

Cross-selling requires collaboration to ensure that  ALL the legal  needs of a client are fulfilled...and serviced by the lawyers in YOUR firm.

We miss valuable opportunities to cross-market when turf protection trumps TEAM WORK.

In the end, you must be confident in your ability to sell and confident in the services your partners provide.

Adapted from article Dos and Don't of Cross-Selling: The Best Way to Grow Revenue by Susan Saltonstall Duncan.