Everyone and Anyone is a Potential Influencer

A recent interview with the General Counsel of a global insurer reminds us that everyone can influence who gets the next matter. His comment was simply, “Every law firm has ‘team players’ on their website. I remember the kid who used to be hiding in the bushes as I rode my bicycle down the sidewalk and he’d jump out and knock me off my bike—early days of bullying. And, when that type of lawyer walks into my office, I know it and he’s not a team player.” When asked what he meant and if he could be more specific he said “If you come into my office and don’t say hello to my assistant or members of my team who are sitting in the office or conference room with me, we are done. Team means everyone on your team and on our team. Unless you are the only lawyer in the world who can do what you do, then it’s important to remember that everyone at my company is part of our team and they all deserve respect. Further, I expect to see our outside counsel respect their team. If people on your team come to a meeting with you, they should have a role in communicating with our team—that is what I mean by respect.”

A good reminder, and here’s a simple chart that shows all the connections your firm has with clients. Everyone at the firm deserves respect and that will transcend to clients and create a culture of collaboration and client service among the practitioner and support teams. Everyone counts and everything speaks! There are a lot of people connecting to the firm’s clients every day. Thank them for their good work in helping you help your clients.

Silvia Coulter and Nancy Brooks are CoFounders of BizDevGals. They are sales and marketing experts and helps firms with driving revenue, leadership and team development, sales training and coaching.