Cross-Selling Phobia? Turn Your Attorneys Into Successful Marketers

Most lawyers are not born salespeople. Even some of the toughest trial attorneys and savviest corporate dealmakers cringe at the thought of "pushing" additional services on valued clients. But cross-selling is essential if your firm is to capture all potential revenue and remain competitive. Here are some ideas for motivating your firm's attorneys.

Continuing Education

Before you involve lawyers in cross-selling, be sure they have the necessary experience and training. Train associates and partners about your firm's specialties and services — and which attorneys provide them — so they can easily identify cross-selling opportunities and promote the services effectively. A one-size-fits-all sales pitch is usually less effective with clients, so be sure to specify which services to promote and to which clients.

Practice makes perfect. You can help your associates and partners become better at cross-selling by having them roleplay real-life scenarios at department meetings. This will help prepare them for the types of situations they will encounter and give you the chance to evaluate their cross-selling techniques.

Motivation Strategies

Although there may be partners who struggle with cross-selling, associates will likely need the most help. An effective cross-selling program should increase associates' confidence and provide a supportive environment where they can try out new strategies and methods. It also should have a strong incentive system based on recognition and financial reward.

For example, include cross-selling objectives in associates' annual reviews. Make sure they understand such goals and how they fit into your firm's overall plan. Objectives should be specific (for example, the associate must participate in several pitches to clients with a partner) and you should work with them to develop a plan to achieve these objectives.

Similarly, cross-selling results should be tied to compensation. Be clear about your firm's method for calculating compensation — whether it involves a bonus structure or a merit-based percentage that is built into associates' annual increases. To foster cross-selling as a team effort, recognize the entire team's contributions. This may include dividing the bonus among all of the lawyers involved in achieving a cross-sale.

In addition to receiving monetary rewards, your associates will appreciate being recognized for their cross-selling achievements. So feature news about successes in your...