Worst Business Development Moves
By Y. Peter Kang
Law 360, Los Angeles (October 26, 2015, 5:42 PM ET)

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Fierce competition for work can tempt even the most conscientious law firms to exaggerate what they can do and trash-talk rivals in an effort to develop new business. But experts say those moves are among the worst approaches they’ve seen for bringing paying clients through the front door.

Here is an excerpt from the article where Steve Fretzin offers his view of CRM’s used in the legal industry.

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“‘Buying CRM Software Without Laying the Groundwork”

Customer relationship management software that tracks all interactions with current and prospective clients in a centralized database can be a powerful business development tool, but experts say asking lawyers to embrace it can be a difficult and often expensive endeavor.

Business development consultant Steve Fretzin of Sales Results Inc. recalls helping a law firm buy and install pricey, customized CRM software on 60 computers.

Not one employee ever used the software.

“It was a waste of a huge amount of money,” he said. “They didn’t get on board because it seemed like more work to them.”

The managing partners who authorized the installation of the new software failed to support its implementation and didn’t make it part of the firm’s culture, Fretzin said, which ultimately led to its failure.

Before adopting CRM software, Reed said a firm needs to consider its own culture and the workload of its attorneys.

“The last thing an attorney wants to do is learn a new piece of software,” he said.

There is a steep learning curve, and simply buying and downloading software does not account for the cultural shift that has to take place, particularly if it’s a big firm, he said.

Law360 is owned by LexisNexis Legal & Professional, a RELX Group Company

–Editing by Brian Baresch.

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