The fourth fact lawyers should know to develop new business is You must plan advances. The concept of a sales “advance” comes from Neil Rackham’s SPIN Selling system, which is based on the most systemtic real world research ever conducted on the sales process. According to Rackham’s web page, “more than half the Fortune 500 train their salespeople using sales models derived from his research.”
When Rackham analyzed 35,000 sales calls over 12 years, he found that “In major account sales, fewer than 10 percent of calls actually result in an Order or a No-sale.” The other 90% of sales calls should be classified as successful only if the sales person gets an advance: “A specific action taken by either party that moves the sale forward ” such as scheduling another meeting, getting introduced to someone new, or providing a list of references. (For more, see The SPIN Selling Fieldbook, p. 42)
One big mistake that novices often make is they try to push for too much, too soon. Successful rainmakers are experts at judging what advance can realistically be achieved at any stage, and getting it. Which creates a natural progression to actually getting new business.
When a client says we should talk again, but does not specify a date or time, that is not an advance, because there is no specific action. Rackham calls this a “continuation” and considers the meeting unsuccessful. It does not mean that the sale is dead, but it does mean that you are not making progress.
Great sales people succeed because they plan every sales call, and strategize how to get the largest possible advance. Rackham’s book provides examples and guidance of how to brainstorm possible advances before a meeting, and then select the one that is likely to lead to the greatest progress. This takes effort and practice. But the ability to consistently get advances is often the difference between success and failure.
In Rainmaking Made Simple (page 100), Mark Maraia provided a slight different definition of an advance, specifically for lawyers: “An advance has three elements: (1) a commitment (2) to take action (3) in a definite time period.” For complex legal matters, the advance often involves getting a meeting with others who may be involved in making the decision.
Any lawyer who feels that she has enough meetings with potential clients, but that they are not getting far enough, would be well advised to read Maria’s chapter on how to “Avoid Random Acts of Lunch.” It explains how to prepare for every business development meeting by writing down the needs of the person you will meet, a few questions to ask, and the advance you would like to achieve.
As Rackham summed it up: “If there was just one piece of advice we could give to people to improve their selling, it would be this: Plan your calls… Do you know exactly what outcome you hope to achieve?...Plan what to ask, not what to tell.” (From the SPIN Selling Fieldbook, p. 171)
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