Henry Ford famously said, “Nothing happens until somebody sells something.” In law firms, we might add that nothing happens until somebody buys something. And for buying to occur in this context, two boxes need to have been checked. First, a relationship with the seller must have been initiated, and second, that relationship must have been sustained until a need for outside counsel emerges.
Those two steps in the law firm sales process — opening doors and advancing relationships — are, to me, the most important ones. Fail at either of them and, quite literally, nothing happens.
For many professionals, these steps are uncomfortable. And it’s not just lawyers. Yes, according to research by Dr. Larry Richards, founder of LawyerBrain LLC, lawyers tend to have higher skepticism, lower sociability, and lower resilience than the general population, but that does not mean that they cannot sell. My experience as a CliftonStrengths (Gallup) coach has demonstrated that these attributes (I hesitate to call them weaknesses) are offset by other attributes (I certainly will call them strengths) that smart people like lawyers can substitute in to get the job done. Business professionals at law firms, sometimes thought to have more positivity and indefatigability, encounter the same difficulties. Fact: opening doors and sustaining relationships is just plain, hard work, with plenty of failures en route to successes, and virtually nobody — zero business staff and zero lawyers — actually relishes reaching out cold to someone unfamiliar or facing months of disciplined follow-up with uncertain outcomes.
For decades, experienced professionals have known that one important antidote to this discomfort is research. Done properly and thoroughly, it helps sellers deeply understand the client’s business and anticipate needs that outsiders will be called upon to address. Understanding, for instance, a company’s regulatory exposure, competitive pressures, leadership changes, financing events, litigation risks, or expansion plans provides legitimate business reasons for reaching out. An executive transition, a new lawsuit, or entry into a new market transforms initial contact from cold calling into client service, and follow-up becomes a continuation of a relevant conversation rather than a generic “checking in.”
Historically, uncovering these insights required significant manual effort: reading trade publications, tracking filings, conducting financial analysis, monitoring press releases, reviewing CRM systems, and so forth. This work yields valuable information that makes it more palatable for sellers to request a first meeting and to follow up over time. However, because this research traditionally has been a manual exercise, it is time-consuming and inconsistent. Few lawyers will do this work themselves, and even talented business development teams are rarely resourced enough to support everyone who needs that level of preparation.
That’s why the emergence of generative AI is such a profound development for sales purposes. AI enables firms to scan vast amounts of information quickly and surface meaningful developments that many now call “signals” — alerts that something material has changed that represents a risk or opportunity to the buyer of legal services and therefore a defensible, legitimate business reason for outreach on the part of the seller.
Many platforms are emerging. Kaitongo is one I admire because of its comprehensive approach. Founded in 2018 as an insights platform, the company has evolved into a law firm-specific AI-powered “BD Assistant,” reducing manual research time from hours to minutes. I have begun using it, in addition to other platforms, in my sales-process and sales-execution assignments. Kaitongo does more than identify actionable signals; it drafts emails or structured talking points based on the triggering development, making the seller’s job even easier. Large firms are well underway with explorations of its capability, and smaller ones should consider its potential to effectively operate as an outsourced BD function.
To be clear, AI and signals technology do not replace the need for humans to be fully in the game, sending messages, making calls, requesting face-to-face conversations, and those actions still will produce a bit of trepidation. But AI and signals-identification will go far in reducing anxiety and improving results both for lawyers and business professionals. It feels like helping, not harassing, and that’s a much better foundation on which to build a sales program.
LawVision’s Business Development, Sales & Growth team advises law firms on the creation and implementation of sales processes, the use of AI within those processes, and the AI-enabled outsourcing of the law firm sales function. For more information, contact Steve Bell at 202.421.5988 or sbell@lawvision.com.
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