Record Associates
Sales culture in professional services
6 October 2009
Read on....
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Take the long view

Case study

The law firm DMH Stallard set out four years to create a firm that would grow successfully and sustainably.  It defined the kind of firm it wanted to be and what it stood for. 

It wanted to differentiate itself from other firms and give its staff something tangible, valuable and engaging to set their stall out against.

Click here to read the case study of what they have done over the last 4 years to drive their sales culture.
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Record Associates helps firms to become a better and more confident sales team through:
  • Brand discovery and client research
  • Sales campaigns
  • Bid improvement
  • Pricing
  • Sales coaching and training
  • New product development
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Greetings!
 
The successful firms of tomorrow are challenging themselves today to rebalance their technical and client management cultures with one which places equivalence on sales.  Alas, 47% of professional services firms are unhappy or very unhappy with their firm's current sales culture*.
  
This newsletter considers three aspects to accelerate its development and provides a case study on one firm's journey.
 
* MDN Benchmarking Survey, Sept 2009
Moving away from "me too" selling
 
Buyers of professional service frequently state that firms look broadly similar to each other so buyers revert to a "risk minimsation" approach to selecting who they'll work with.  This lack of difference also makes it increasingly hard to sell (even by the very best). 
 
However the issue may not lie with a firm's brand per se - whether 'connected thinking', 'problem solving' or 'excellent client service' - but more in the way the brand is supported, as these are what sellers mostly use to convey 'value'.
 
Business tools, structures and processes like DealTrack, MMS Knowledge, CDC or DMH Direct provide concrete examples of the value firms offer.  They enable less confident sellers to discuss how the firm provides services which are value-add, brand aligned and tangible. 
Use sales 'campaigns' as a motivator
 
Encouraging staff to start the sales process requires them to have a reason to pick up the phone and an easy way to catch the attention of the client.  Subjects, issues or challenges that cause the client pain, uncertainty, hassle or anything else negative will provide a reason to call.
 
Team meetings are a good environment to brainstorm and discuss broad sectoral issues and there implications - this added understanding alone will build confidence.  Providing a supportive opportunity for them to practice on dummy clients is proven to accelerate contact rates.  And it gives them a chance to rehearse a "60 second commercial" and learn how to build rapport through the discussion - two fundamentals of selling.
Long-term planning
 
Rebalancing a sales culture is fundamentally about improving understanding, confidence and action.  Good habits, and the ability to practice them, must be instilled from an early age so 
change has to be aligned with a timeframe equivalent to the period between professional qualification and 'partnership'. 
 
By moving from tactical interventions to a strategic (5 year) plan firms can devote sufficient depth and staying power in areas of highest impact:
  • capturing quality information on the needs of clients and project/relationship performance
  • improving the understanding of selected senior individuals and entire cohorts of junior staff of the sales 'process'
  • practice, practice, practice
  • creating sales campaigns around value propositions which everyone in the firm can take to market

Aligning budgets to long term goals will drive change. One-off sales training, process improvement projects, off-site away days, etc are merely band-aids.