By Mike Schultz and John Doerr

Some time ago I knew two entrepreneurs, let's call them Sharon and Bill, who where starting a company. They were serious about making their venture a long-term success and thus needed to incorporate the entity. They also needed to draft a partnership agreement that would help prepare them for future success. Thus, they began the process of choosing a lawyer. And, unbeknownst to them, several lawyers were about to begin the process of selling legal services.

As their legal needs were relatively simple, Sharon and Bill did not need the legal services of a big, downtown law firm. They needed someone competent to help them get their paperwork in order in a clear and efficient manner so they could go about the business of getting a new company up and running.

They also desired to find a counselor who, in the true sense of the word, could not only act as the person who files legal documents for them, but who could offer them advice and counsel on business or legal matters as they arose. So Sharon and Bill went about interviewing lawyers; four of them, to be exact, which was three more than they wanted to interview. In the end, it was worth the time they spent.

Their first three interviews were with lawyers who they believed would all be able to serve their legal needs competently. To them, the lawyers' legal competency was not at issue. They could all do the job. Also, the lawyers' personalities were pleasant and personable. Some of them even had a bit of a sense of humor that came through even while they were busy selling legal services.

Each attorney made the same major mistake, however: they focused on the law and legal services they could provide, not on the entrepreneurs themselves. In effect, they were too busy using sales techniques and trying to sell legal services—doing a lot of talking—to focus on the entrepreneurs themselves.

In the first three conversations, each of which lasted an hour, possibly 5 minutes at the maximum was about the entrepreneurs: who they were, why they were starting a business, what they wanted to do with it, what their future goals were, etc. None of them even asked, “What are you looking for out of your relationship with your lawyer.” They all focused on, “What legal services can I provide (sell) you given my experience and the resources of my firm?” Though Sharon and Bill didn't know what it was yet, something about these three meetings kept them looking for something more.

In the fourth meeting, the lawyer opened the discussion, after brief pleasantries, with the question, “Why are you starting a business?” Over an hour later, the lawyer had probed deeply about the products and services the firm would offer, Sharon and Bill's planning process, the exploration the Sharon and Bill had done between themselves to make sure they were prepared for a long-term venture together, and a host of other topics. The lawyer challenged them and made them think, never once referring to himself, his experience, or his firm unbidden. It simply didn't feel like he was selling legal services at all.

At the end of the meeting, he said, “So how can I help you,” and left it at that. Sharon and Bill and the lawyer discussed a few technical, legal issues; issues the lawyer could now help them answer with a unique perspective on the entrepreneurs themselves and their business context. This part of the meeting did not even last ten minutes.

When Sharon and Bill left the meeting, they walked into the parking lot and said, pretty much on top of each other, “We've found our lawyer.”

Why? What did this last lawyer do that the first three lawyers did not?

The first three lawyers talked about the law and how legal choices might affect the entrepreneurs. The lawyers talked 85% of the time, the entrepreneurs 15%. The lawyers seemed to be trying to establish that they knew what they were doing and would be technically competent. They also wanted to share helpful knowledge with their potential clients.

The last lawyer sold the Sharon and Bill on the prospect of having a partner who was more interested in them, the entrepreneurs, than what legal business form they should choose. Selling legal services didn't seem to be his goal; being a good counselor did. He spoke for 15% of the time, the Sharon and Bill spoke for 85%. And he won the client.

Win More Service Customers

We all hear the advice, “when selling legal services (or professional services in general), focus more on customers as it will win you more of them.” I know of few people who would disagree with this statement. The difficult part of doing this is that you may need to talk less (and in many cases, a lot less), and not about yourself or your technical competency. No easy feat, but achievable nonetheless.

Regardless of whether you are selling legal services, accounting, consulting, or technology services, ask the right questions, ask a lot of questions, and listen to the answers. Most importantly, engage your potential clients as people, not prospects. In the end, your competency will come through loud and clear.