Chances are, your firm either has CRM or is considering an implementation in the near future. However, there is a unique paradox at law firms: oddly, the most effective salespeople (the lawyers) are reluctant to use a sales tool like CRM. For this reason, law firms develop creative workarounds to their pipeline challenges, some more effective than others.
We recently conducted a market-wide study examining the utilization, user experience, and ROI of CRM platforms. Although 73% of law firms have CRM, most of them estimate that less than 5% of lawyers actively use the software. As a result, law firms rely heavily on marketing and business development professionals to maintain CRM data, even though they are not in a formal sales role. This awkward attempt to create a bridge between the salesperson and the sales manager in a sale-averse culture boils down to a serious accountability problem in our industry. Even if you don’t expect your lawyers to interface extensively with CRM, you can use CRM data to provide insight and direction to their business development efforts.
In our study, we outline a series of best practices to improve CRM effectiveness at your firm. They include…
- Meet with your lawyers regularly (at least monthly if possible) to review their key clients, prospects, and referral sources.
- Incorporate CRM review into your business development coaching sessions. This helps to illustrate CRM’s ongoing value to growing their practices.
- Provide regular CRM training sessions so you can navigate the steep learning curve and encourage more widespread adoption.
