No, You Don't Want to Be Selling in This Tough Market - You Need to Do Non-Selling Sales

 Face it, the marketing-selling process consumes expensive resources. So, it’s no wonder that the brandname experts such as McKinsey & Company are full of systems how to approach that  more efficiently as well as effectively. Currently one system is about identifying where clients/customers are on their “purchasing journey,” then get right in there and sell when they’re in the “ready to spend” phase.

EXIT THE COMPETITION OF THE SELLING GAME

But that still gets you locked in the game of selling. For law firms, what we think of as “selling” is becoming increasingly competitive as demand normalizes, M&A is down, and IPOs remain stalled.

Isn’t it smarter to exit selling. Instead, try out non-selling sales. That is a great fit with the reality that Americans hate to be sold to.

THE ALWAYS BE THERE FUNDAMENTAL

This is the second Law and More article on non-selling sales. The first explained the non-selling sales secret of nurturing the strength of weak times.

Here let’s focus on the second principle for non-selling sales. That’s The Always There Continuum. The Creative Resources Group points out that the traditional sales approach parachutes in most of the resources into the “ready to spend” phase. At the time, the Group hammers, “It may seem rational, but it’s hurting your business.” That’s because clients/customers “feel” the abrupt drop-off in attention. The solution” Establish a consistent level of attention. That is, Always Be There.

A MYSTICAL PULL FORCE

Here is the classic example of how that can play out:

“’I assume he doesn’t sleep,’ says the General Counsel [of a giant financial firm]. ‘Somehow, he’s always available when I call, and he has this great talent for making you feel like you’re the only client he’s working with.’” That’s a quote from SuperLawyers.

The “he” referred to is the iconic rainmaker Brad Karp, chairperson of Paul Weiss. Like former Disney CEO Bob Iger, Karp mystically creates a pull force. They listen. They withhold judgment. They help others to become smarter – or at least feel that way.

Essentially the business comes to them. Of course, there are some logistics. And afterward there is the hard work of delivering what clients/customers expect.

NON-SELLING SALES DURING 2008 -2009 CARNAGE

During the worst of times for law firms – 2008 -2009 – one business development tool which had been effective was directly from the non-selling sales playbooks. Chairpersons and partners picked up the phone. They reached out in a very human way. That was simply asking those on their networks how they were doing. No sneaking in sales pitches. What was palpable was their thereness.

CIRCLING BACK TO DALE CARNEGIE TEACHING AT THE YMCA

None of this is new. It’s been out there in America since Dale Carnegie began teaching a human-resources course at the New York City YMCA in 1912.. Then he packaged those fundamentals in a book: How to Win Friends and Influence People. When I left the Fortune 50 and hung out a shingle I enrolled in a introductory Dale Carnegie course with Michael Francoeur. That was to make the transition from being a corporate player to a human being who was there for others.

Connect with Editor-in-Chief Jane Genova at janegenova374@gmail.com. Now and then she does freelance assignments for professional service firms such as Paul Weiss. She had been a graduate assistant in Dale Carnegie Systems.