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Coaching Advantage: A
Field Guide©
Building Coaching Programs that
Motivate your Lawyers to Act
Craig Brown
Silvia Coulter
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Sherpa
Guide
• Strong
• Also strong
• Knowledge of the terrain
• Also have knowledge of the
terrain
• Accustomed to high altitudes
• Loads they carry are
disproportionate
• Don’t always have the best
equipment
• Little credit for summiting
• Sometimes they point the
way and mentor but often
they simply porter
• Don’t porter
• Don’t carry others loads
• Have the best equipment
• Guide people to the top
encouraging them to carry
their own load
• Get credit for helping people
summit
A Certification Joint Venture
• LSSO and LawVision
• 2 days on site; 1 webinar and 1 coaching call
• Master Legal BD Coach Certification
Benefits of Coaching as a Guide
• Raise your profile at the firm
• Gain the trust of your lawyers
• Become a resource
• Know where to spend your time
• Move from reactive to proactive role
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Agenda
Sample Programming from the Certification
Program - Coaching Advantage: A Field Guide©
• Overcoming Objections to Business Development
• Getting Organized
• Dealing with Client Objections
• Building Partner Accountability
• Driving Next Steps
• Using Pipelines for Coaching Success
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Obstacles
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Time
• Is it a real objection?
– Masking other fears
• Get all obstacles out on the table and acknowledge them
• Can it be fixed?
– Habits
– Tools
– Organization
– Accountability
– Capacity & Leverage
• Does it matter?
– Address it and move on
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It’s Not Me
• Provide Empathy
– I understand
– May I ask you some questions?
• Understand Personality
– Questions
– First hand experience with this person
– Assessments
• Reassure
– You don’t have to be like (rainmaker x) to be successful.
– Everyone can bring in business – It’s about habits, not skill
– We’ll do it in a way that works for you
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Prepare for your First Coaching Session
• Review partner bio; client list; YTD numbers
• Send out a questionnaire and review the responses in
preparation for the meeting
• Send a meeting reminder one day prior to the meeting
• Have a folder with above information along with a
coaching checklist—what you will discuss each meeting
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Overcoming and Responding to Sales
Objections
• An old saying: “Selling starts when the customer says
no”
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Dealing with Objections and Leveraging for
Business
• Isolate
– Restate the objection and ask a clarifying question
• Validate
– Determine the source of the objection (if possible) and
validate. Is it a stall tactic or a valid objection?
• Negotiate
– Relate the objection to previously identified needs, gain
agreement when possible, restate how you/the firm
addresses the needs and ask if your response addresses
the concern.
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Case Studies and Common Objections
Sample Objection:
• Objection: Your firm’s fees are too high.
• Isolate: When you say “too high,” what specifically do
you mean? Cost of project? Cost of hourly rates?
Staffing?
• Validate: If pricing were not the issue, would your
decision be to work with our team?
• Negotiate: Let’s discuss your project and how we might
meet your needs for cost containment. What type of
pricing are you proposing?
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Another Objection……..
Sample Objection:
• Objection: We use another firm for our corporate work.
• Isolate: How many outside firms do you use for all your
legal work?
• Validate: Under what circumstances would you consider
using our firm for your corporate work?
• Negotiate: What type of project would you consider
giving us to demonstrate our ability to work with your
company?
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Brand Objections
Sample Objection:
• Objection: We are not familiar with your firm; our
board/CEO prefers we use XXX.
• Isolate: What specifically might we do to begin to build
confidence in our firm? OR
– What are your recommendations for who at ABC
Company we should meet to begin to build relationships
with our team?
• Validate: For mid-market deals, which other firms do
you most often work with?
• Negotiate: What sort of project would you consider
working with us on?
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When Partners Get off Track from Firm Expectations
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Don’t Get Stuck: There’s Always a Next Step
• Determine next steps based on what the prospect/client
is telling the lawyer
• Use assumptive selling skills to create a next step
• Follow the company through its web site; daily news;
investor relations
• Focus on activities as follows: 80% revenue
growth/20% marketing
• Use a tracking tool and a sales pipeline for best results
and to keep discussions focused
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Building Accountability into the Coaching Program
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Power of the Pipe
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Active document

Organize the interrupted
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Prompts for next steps

Tracks conversations and
next steps

Analyzes networks
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Drives relationship orientation

Drives Coaching Process
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Pipeline Report
Client or
Prospective Client
Stage
Next Steps
Probability
of Closing
Peoples United
5
N/A
100%
$
100,000
$
100,000
Tolland Capital
3
Call Ed
60%
$
50,000
$
30,000
Chase
5
N/A
100%
$
500,000
$
500,000
Chase- Litigation
2
Introduce Karl
50%
$
300,000
$
150,000
CSFB
4
F/U with Sally
90%
$
4,000
$
3,600
Union Bank
3
Review Proposal
60%
$
100,000
$
60,000
Ameriquest
2
Sch CLE Program
30%
$
25,000
$
7,500
Bank of NY
2
Send Case Strtgy
20%
$ 1,000,000
$
200,000
New Century
1
Sch Lunch
20%
$
200,000
$
40,000
Chicago B&T
1
Invite to game
10%
$
50,000
$
5,000
Treadwell Financial Group
1
Sch Meeting
$
-
Ventures US
1
Sch Lunch
$
-
SF Credit Union
1
Send Invite
$
-
TOTAL
Total$
Potential
$2,329,000
Total
Pipeline
$
1,096,100
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Stages: 1 = Opportunity; 2 = 1st Meeting; 3 = Proposal; 4 = Decision; 5 = Close
Pipeline Habit

Set a regular time to review
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Prioritize

Identify tasks

Act
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Guide Don’t Carry
Address Obstacles and Reluctance Up Front
Get Organized
Teach Relevant Concepts
Drive Accountability
Build Pipelines
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Questions? Comments?
Thank You for Joining Us
Silvia L. Coulter, Principal
LawVision Group
(978) 526-8316
[email protected]
Craig Brown
Law Firm Business Development Consultant
LawVision Group
(949) 369-9400
[email protected]
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