INSIGHT: Attorneys Need to Use Personal Touches for Remote Business Development

No breakfast or lunch appointments, no business meetings, no in person contact at all. How are you to maintain your business development outreach efforts to clients and prospects? In this time of social distancing, attorneys must find creative ways to stay close with clients and colleagues.

Below we offer recommendations on remote business development tools and strategies that can help you nurture, and in some cases, strengthen your relationships with clients, customers and prospects.

Personal Outreach

Personal one-on-one outreach to your contacts is essential. The key is to call instead of email. Inquire about their personal well-being and that of their family. Ask if they need anything. This thoughtful connection will be remembered after the crisis passes. Remember, this is about relationship building, not sales.

Even better, emphasize that you are thinking about them by arranging to have a small, meaningful gift delivered to your contact. For example, if they like to cook, send a cookbook; if they are into sports, consider sending memorabilia or a highlight reel related to their favorite sport or athlete.

Ensure your client is open to receiving home deliveries. Alternatively, consider sending a digital gift certificate.

Share Resources

Your client is likely being inundated with information about the Covid-19 pandemic. The sheer volume of information being produced is overwhelming. Help your clients with the legwork by highlighting specific articles, videos, podcasts, etc. that you believe would be most relevant to their role and/or the operation of their company.

Send personalized, customized messages to clients and prospects with links to certain pieces of information. Be specific and let the client know exactly how the intelligence applies to their business or personal situation.

Build Connections

Host virtual, intimate “coffee meetings” with your clients. Use a video conferencing platform to talk with your clients “face-to-face.” Keep the meetings brief. These get-togethers may include various clients or contacts from the same industry or multiple people from the same company. Choose a topic of interest for the entire group to discuss and have a list of discussion points and questions at the ready to facilitate the conversation.

Identify synergies between clients and make introductions. Does one client have something another client needs? Are you able to send a client new business now?

Thought Leadership

Draft articles, posts and other publications. Have an idea for an article? Provide a brief summary to your PR/media team so they are able to shop the idea around to third party publications.

Consider hosting discussion forums, via conference calls, organized around a hot topic, industry concern, or other common theme.

Help clients strategize and plan for the reboot of daily operations after the pandemic. Consider how to assist clients now to help them rebound quickly after the crisis passes. For example, what should clients do now to manage distressed assets, make changes to their supply chain or take advantage of changing market trends?

Social Media

Identify and make new connections online. Additionally, identify contacts with complimentary roles or those who may be in the same industry and make virtual introductions to connect them to one another. Join existing groups or start your own group to network and share content, concerns and ideas. Share and comment on other posts.

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram can be used to share more personal content such as pictures or stories. Use Twitter to follow your clients’ companies and sectors to keep abreast of business strategies and challenges. Further, follow publications or reporters you are interested in speaking with or that may be relevant to your practice or industry.

This is a good time to review and update your online professional profiles to ensure they contain complete and accurate information.

Goodwill

Proactively provide status updates on current projects you are managing for a client or respond to one-off questions gratis. Offer audits or proactive risk management services or conduct training webinars for clients (live or pre-recorded for your contacts to access at their convenience).

Consider partnering with clients/referral sources to (virtually) provide counsel or other assistance to non-profits organizations. Philanthropy, of course, is desperately needed during these times -- and serves as an opportunity to build bonds with clients around community needs that are important to you both.

These are challenging times for everyone. Use these business development tools and resources now to ensure your clients remember your personal outreach efforts, online presence, thought leadership and assistance after we return to business as usual.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. or its owners.

Author Information

Rochelle Rubin is the director of client development at Haynes and Boone LLP and is responsible for the development, implementation and management of the firm’s client development strategies and programs. She has over 20 years of legal and professional services industry experience and possesses a unique combination of strategic, legal, operations, and technical experience.