Acknowledge the Flying Pink Elephant – Promoting Value-Added Legal Services

At first blush, the mention of a law firm offering more than just legal services smacks of irony. During a presentation or sales pitch, clients may comment, either out loud or in silent thought, “I know you offer legal services, but what else have you got?” In a competitive landscape, value-added services may mean the difference between growing a business or watching it wither away.

Retailers call this important, client-focused feature “up selling.” In essence, the shopper, (or in this case, the client) comes to a seller for a specific need or item, and in the midst of meeting that need, you offer the client something more, perhaps something that at first, they thought they might not have needed, or thought they might have to search for elsewhere.

While this expectation may be unconscious or unspoken, it is always there, hovering like a flying pink elephant in the room. Your competitors know the importance of up selling, and so should your firm-then do it better.

Points to remember:

• Value-added service is as much an internal consideration as an external selling point. What have you done internally to develop skill sets that go beyond strictly legal advice?
• Is your firm promoting value-adds to existing clients? Use this tactic as a client-retention technique.
• Are partners and associates working together to promote extra services? If the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing, it’s time for a meeting of the minds.

Remembering these points can help your firm succeed in up-selling.

Source by Allan Colman