Sing Your Own Praises!
In a recent article, I sang the praises of LTC4, the Legal Technologies Core Competencies Certification Coalition. Now, I want to share ideas and insights on how you might use your own efficiency achievements to give you a competitive edge in the marketplace.
THE CONTEXT
The economic crash of 2008 forever changed the way law firms conduct business. Once-powerful firms that held all the aces were forced to take a hard look at their operations, seeking more efficient, cost-effective ways to get their work done. On the other hand, their customers, who went through economic hardships of their own, became more cost conscious than ever and they have become savvy (ah ha! Savvy!) enough to ask challenging questions of the people who used to have all the power.
It is no longer enough for a firm to offer their clients the best legal minds. Today, firms must possess both legal and technical expertise. Simply put, the firms that will succeed must know how to effectively leverage technology to efficiently help clients achieve their goals.
Think about it from your clients’ perspective: Why should they pay top dollar for a superstar lawyer when half his time is spent trying to format a Word document? Sure, he may be brilliant, but why pay for technical inadequacies?
THE IMPROVEMENTS
Because you are a genius, your firm is already taking steps toward greater efficiency.
- You’ve run a technology audit and upgraded, purchased or removed devices and programs as necessary
- You’ve created a master list of all the skill sets required by different staff and departments to assure that everyone is using the same programs and protocols
- You’ve assessed each of your staff individually on those skill sets
- You’ve implemented the individualized and classroom-based trainings that will get everyone on the same playing field
Good job! (If you haven’t taken these steps, you’re not alone. Call me and we can break each of them down into do-able action plans!)
THE MARKETING ADVANTAGES
So now that handy LMS is spitting out certificates right and left as your attorneys and staff complete courses that prove their prowess in various tasks. How do you leverage these achievements to your advantage?
- Join LTC4 and seek certification: Law firm marketing directors, take note! A firm that is certified as efficient has a huge edge in the proposal process over less-qualified competitors. Who do you think clients will want to work with? The firm that can literally prove its efficiency prowess with a certificate from LTC4, or the firm that simply says, “We will give you more bang for your buck. Take our word for it.”
- Spread the word: Tout your efficiency achievements in blogs and articles.
- Make it personal: When your attorneys publish, have them include something about efficiency in their bio. (ie. “John Smith completes 5 continuing education courses each month to assure that he works efficiently to maximize his clients’ time.”)
- Include efficiency in proposals: Whether or not it’s requested, be sure to slip your efficiency goals and priorities into client proposals. You will stand out and you’ll cause the client to wonder, “What are these other firms doing to leverage more benefits out of my dollars?”
If you’ve used your efficiency achievements in other ways to gain a competitive edge, contact me and share your efforts. I’d love to learn more from you! Call me at 303-800-5408, or email me at Doug@savvytraining.com
ABOUT SAVVY TRAINING AND CONSULTING
Savvy Training & Consulting works with leading companies and technologies to deliver the most up-to-date training solutions and curricula to law firms. Savvy recently unveiled an award-winning Learning Management System (LMS) for law firms, SavvyAcademyTM, which delivers scalable training capabilities, reportable data down to the individual user and 24/7 support, all for a fraction of the cost of traditional LMS services.