Selling skills for non-sales people

Many senior lawyers and other business professionals were not trained to promote their services to new and existing clients. Some even reject current thinking that it is now an expected core competency of staff at every level to new win business. Frequently we hear senior people saying that "if they had wanted to be a salesman they would have gone into sales long ago". Learning some of the basics of persuasive negotiation can make a massive difference to the ultimate success of an individual and their business. One minimum outcome is learning how to avoid inadvertently putting your clients off, by saying things that disrupts the possibility of your firm being appointed. At best you are going to learn some highly effective techniques that are going to significantly increase your fee earning ability.

Most successful people in your business may have already been allocated responsibility to win new business as a part of their service contract. Competition may be perceived to be tough. Client expectations increase year in, year out. Your marketplace is changing. This well defined process for winning sales allows you to get closer to your clients' needs. It empowers you to present a compelling case to win their contract. It forces you to stand tall above the competition. Followed closely you are going to win more long term business relationships - generating more profitable work from the right types of businesses.

Your new strengths and abilities

• Targeting the right decision maker in the first place.
• Organisational skills being used to keep track of the good leads.
• Quickly building rapport with people who may be unlike yourself.
• Actively listening to what the client really needs.
• Making your client more successful - that's bound to result in a financial return.
• Knowledge of how buyers think and make decisions.
• No more disbelief in your inability to sell or influence.
• Facilitating sales meetings that generate decisions rather than experiencing frustrating delays and uncertainty.
• Knowledge of what not to say during sales meetings.
• Asking the right killer questions at the right opportunities.
• Attaching clients' values to your product/service at the right moments.
• Skilled 'objection' handling and deal 'closing'.
• Using a toolbox of techniques to attract more profitable deals.

Did you know?

• 1. One of the biggest risks in non-sales staff attending client presentations is in knowing what not to say and when it's important to shut up. It is easier to put clients off than to win new business...
• 2. Sales people waste 80% of their time on people who are not going to buy from them.

Who would benefit?

As it is now an expected core competency of everyone to win new clients, all staff would benefit.