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Leaders in Legal Business
Business Development, Coaching, and Sales Silvia Coulter1
Law Vision
Director
Firms are faced with many challenges from a mature and changing industry. While some may say
disruption is now happening to the legal industry, it’s been slow and steady for 20 years and is now approaching
the tipping point. Law firms have been challenged to find new ways to maintain profitability; to increase
responsiveness, throughput, and consistency in the deliverable work product; and to keep the fees reasonable.
This brings us to today, which is a fiercely competitive legal landscape where we see three types of firms:
1) “Leaders” — those firms that are well managed and are making notable changes in the way they
lead, manage, compete, and retain and grow talent and clients;
2) “Followers” — those firms that may be well managed but are still trying to manage change by
consensus and wait until others show the way before they realize they need to do things
differently; and lastly,
3) “Sanders” — those firms with their heads in the sand and that (for unclear reasons) are frozen in
time, afraid to make the necessary changes to meet the market demands and the changing
competitive landscape.
The Leaders know that focusing on the client is one
key way to retain and grow revenue. Hiring business
professionals who are experienced at guiding the firms’
revenue growth sales strategy is essential if a firm wants to
make the leap from firm-focused to client-focused and from
Follower to Leader. The sales and marketing professionals
may be very good resources to help a firm achieve the next
level of profitability.
One operational area of today’s firms is the sales and
marketing group, which focuses on marketing, business
development, and sales.
To clarify the difference between sales, business development, and marketing, here are some definitions.
The term sales describes the process of pursuing a specific revenue opportunity. It is this face-to-face relationship-
building activity that will help build new business from existing clients and new clients, or direct contact with the
end buyer(s). Direct selling in the legal industry has become competitive and strategic.
Business development is a “softer” side of sales and generally includes those activities that support sales
efforts such as RFP writing and responses; proposal writing; client relationship management support tools
(databases that keep track of contacts); and internal support of the lawyers’ sales efforts and needs, including BD
coaching and training. In short, business development is closer to marketing than it is to sales on the spectrum.
The terms are used interchangeably by some professionals to avoid the negative connotation they perceive the
word “sales” may have. Business development managers support lawyers who are often in direct contact with the
end user of the legal services.
1 Silvia Coulter is one of the world’s leading law firm sales strategy consultants. Read more about her work and background at
www.lawvisiongroup.com/consultants/silvia-l-coulter/ or contact her in the U.S. at 978-526-8316.
35
Business Development, Coaching, and Sales Silvia Coulter1
Law Vision
Director
Firms are faced with many challenges from a mature and changing industry. While some may say
disruption is now happening to the legal industry, it’s been slow and steady for 20 years and is now approaching
the tipping point. Law firms have been challenged to find new ways to maintain profitability; to increase
responsiveness, throughput, and consistency in the deliverable work product; and to keep the fees reasonable.
This brings us to today, which is a fiercely competitive legal landscape where we see three types of firms:
1) “Leaders” — those firms that are well managed and are making notable changes in the way they
lead, manage, compete, and retain and grow talent and clients;
2) “Followers” — those firms that may be well managed but are still trying to manage change by
consensus and wait until others show the way before they realize they need to do things
differently; and lastly,
3) “Sanders” — those firms with their heads in the sand and that (for unclear reasons) are frozen in
time, afraid to make the necessary changes to meet the market demands and the changing
competitive landscape.
The Leaders know that focusing on the client is one
key way to retain and grow revenue. Hiring business
professionals who are experienced at guiding the firms’
revenue growth sales strategy is essential if a firm wants to
make the leap from firm-focused to client-focused and from
Follower to Leader. The sales and marketing professionals
may be very good resources to help a firm achieve the next
level of profitability.
One operational area of today’s firms is the sales and
marketing group, which focuses on marketing, business
development, and sales.
To clarify the difference between sales, business development, and marketing, here are some definitions.
The term sales describes the process of pursuing a specific revenue opportunity. It is this face-to-face relationship-
building activity that will help build new business from existing clients and new clients, or direct contact with the
end buyer(s). Direct selling in the legal industry has become competitive and strategic.
Business development is a “softer” side of sales and generally includes those activities that support sales
efforts such as RFP writing and responses; proposal writing; client relationship management support tools
(databases that keep track of contacts); and internal support of the lawyers’ sales efforts and needs, including BD
coaching and training. In short, business development is closer to marketing than it is to sales on the spectrum.
The terms are used interchangeably by some professionals to avoid the negative connotation they perceive the
word “sales” may have. Business development managers support lawyers who are often in direct contact with the
end user of the legal services.
1 Silvia Coulter is one of the world’s leading law firm sales strategy consultants. Read more about her work and background at
www.lawvisiongroup.com/consultants/silvia-l-coulter/ or contact her in the U.S. at 978-526-8316.
35
