LEGAL SERVICES AND LEGAL PRODUCTS

Buying goods and buying services are entire continents apart from the perspective of the manufacturer of the goods and creator of the services. Even CEOs of companies that have goods and services business in their offering staff them differently, operate them differently, sell them differently and know that different measurements and tactics MUST be used to make a service business successful and a goods business successful.

This intro is necessary to make it clear that you, the lawyer or the law firm, are in the services business so you should prepare your mind as such, find out how services are sold across other services business such as hotels, financial services, accounting firms and know what makes services business thrive or not.
You now have the basic tools to 'market' your brilliant work.

Understanding the following differences:

1. Pitches for selling goods move buyers to make the decision immediately so if you walk out of the office without the order you know what just happened. Selling services pitches usually have the purchase decision is rather distant from the marketing effort.

1. With selling goods, the goods stay after the sale and the sales person goes while selling your legal services, you stay with the client all the time. So you have shorter response time.

2. One person can usually make the decision to purchase goods but the decision to buy services is made by a group of people which means attending to more people and having more meetings to secure the business.

3. Selling goods can be seen and the track record is clear plus goods come off an assembly line so the next box of noodles will be just like the last box. With selling services each engagement is different and competent work can only be certain after the lawyer has been engaged and work has been done. So trust is the major item being sold and bought in every transaction.

These three items have meaningful implications for the working law firm and for its financial and professional aspirations.
Problems with law firm growth or marketing usually suggests that the law firm is working without the benefit of these facts.