Existing clients are the best source of new business, but new clients matter, too – to replace those that leave and to support a firm’s evolving strategy. Historically, law firms have relied on prospective clients to find them, but today, more firms recognize that vigorous, intentional outreach also is essential. In an occasional series of posts about opening doors, I’ll share tips gathered from mentors and trial and error for accelerating the successful pursuit of new clients. We begin with the lost art of the voicemail message.
Even in the era of text messaging and AI, human-to-human interactions remain at the heart of law firm business development. Almost always, initiating new relationships at some point involves telephone calls and, within that domain, voicemail messages. This topic is rarely covered in law firm sales training, and yet, voicemails are an indispensable part of opening doors. Done well, they lead to face-to-face meetings, advance pursuits, and help close engagements. Poorly handled, they can bring a pursuit to an early demise. Here are some tips to improve the return:
Prepare. Write down exactly what you want to accomplish with a voicemail message, how to ask for it, and which words will communicate most effectively.
Use voicemail as a continuation, not a cold start. The most effective voicemail messages follow something concrete: an article, a referral from a colleague, a recent legal development, or an email, for instance.
Be time-efficient. Even the most patient listeners have limited attention spans, so make voicemails as compact and content-rich as possible. Keep them short; you always can circle back with more information in a second email message.
Be enthusiastic. Do the unnatural act of sitting up straight on the front of your chair and speaking through a smile. This communicates energy and enthusiasm through the telephone.
Sound human. In an age when prospects are inundated with AI-generated emails and automated outreach, a warm, specific, unmistakably human voice is a differentiator.
Rehearse the voicemail. Speak the message aloud to yourself a few times and leave a voicemail message on a friend’s mailbox to get a somewhat objective reaction to how it comes across.
Rehearse a live conversation. What if the recipient actually answers the phone? You’ve hit the jackpot, and it does happen on occasion, so be prepared for that eventuality. Proper handling of live phone discussions deserves its own tip list, which we’ll take up in a future post.
Set the stage for future follow-ups. Very few initial phone calls and voicemail messages produce immediate results. Great voicemail artists use their initial messages to earn permission for additional contact over time.
Be considerate. If the recipient wants to return the call, make it easy. Provide your name and phone number at both the beginning and the end of the message. And never use a speakerphone when leaving voicemail.
Pace yourself. Recipients of door-opening voicemail messages probably are hearing your name and the information for the first time. Don’t “swallow your words,” to borrow a phrase from theatrical training. Speak at a pace that allows them to understand every word.
Demonstrate persistence. Let the recipient know, subtly, that this is but one step in a series of thoughtful outreaches. You’ll be back!
Play the numbers. All experienced business developers know their voicemail success ratios, whether it’s one in five, one in 10, or some other ratio. The exact number matters less than understanding the math. If two prospective-client conversations are needed and the caller’s historical success ratio is 1:10, 20 voicemails are needed to reach the goal. Not a judgment on your sales talent; just a numerical fact.
By the way, even though this post primarily refers to analog activity, artificial intelligence can be used in nearly all the steps described above. We’ll cover that, too, over time in this series about opening doors.
With these principles in mind, here is an example of an effective voicemail message:
“Hi, this is Audrey Stein at Miller Mohr & Smith law firm. (234) 567-8900. I’m following up my email about a recent Tax Court decision that could significantly cut business personal property tax bills. My research shows that UR Manufacturing Company’s sophisticated manufacturing machinery makes it well-suited to reduce its taxes. May I have a few minutes to walk you through this? I’ll take the initiative to reach out again, but in the meantime, if you want to contact me, this is Audrey Stein from Miller Mohr & Smith. (234) 567-8900. Thanks very much! I look forward to speaking with you.”
This voicemail conveys enthusiasm, preparation, courtesy, clarity, brevity, persistence, understanding the business, and the desire to provide value. Not a bad first step in initiating a new relationship!
In future posts, I’ll describe additional small techniques (such as crafting captivating email subject lines) that can dramatically improve door-opening odds.
Meantime, which effective voicemail techniques have you observed, developed, and utilized? I’d love to hear from you, because we all can benefit from one another’s experiences and insights.
Steve Bell is a principal in the Sales, Business Development & Growth Practice of LawVision. He helps law firms develop disciplined sales processes, improve business development effectiveness, and build more predictable growth strategies, integrating AI where it strengthens human relationships. Steve is known for his career-long work in initiating and advancing new relationships. He can be reached at sbell@lawvision.com or 202.421.5988.
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