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Behavioral Data is Driving Revenue Roles in Law Firms
Published in the Legal Intelligencer
By Jennifer O’Donnell, Esq., Peter Johnson, Esq., Elle Walch and Adrien Maines
Companies continue to look for more targeted ways to maximize time, win business, and meet client needs. Rapid Behavioral assessments are proven to be an excellent tool for corporate growth in three ways: quickly assessing attorney strengths, leveraging data to maximize your training investment, and analyzing training and coaching to expose gaps.
In the dynamic landscape of modern law firms, the pursuit of growth is the constant driver. This was highlighted at the Legal Marketing Association Southeast Regional Conference, which was held on 9/11-13, 2024, in Charlotte, NC. Traditional strategies, such as networking events and public relations initiatives, have long been staples of business development. However, the increasing complexity of the legal industry demands a more precise approach to stay competitive, refine training and coaching strategies, maximize time spent on business development, and meet clients’ evolving needs.
While the goal is to create a firm where revenue generation is a collective effort, misaligning talent or neglecting proper coaching can significantly waste time and resources. To truly maximize potential, it’s crucial to place individuals in roles that suit their strengths and provide them with the targeted support they need to excel. This strategic approach not only enhances individual performance but also drives overall firm growth and efficiency.
Assessing Attorney Strengths and Opportunities Quickly
When billable hours are your product, pulling attorneys away from client work can be challenging. However, firms see the need to make an investment in learning more about the roles lawyers are best suited to help feed the growth of a firm. Rapid behavioral assessments take little time and provide data used to make quick decisions. Traditional personality and behavioral assessments, while long-standing tools in the business world, often fall short in delivering actionable insights. Modern organizations need more than just data; they require clear guidance on optimal role placement, targeted training and coaching strategies, and effective team compositions.
Leveraging Data to Maximize Your Training Investment
Behavioral assessments have gained traction recently as firms seek to identify individuals with the skills and attributes needed to generate revenue. These platforms can quickly give firms an informational leg up on placing attorneys in the right revenue-generating roles. They can quickly identify strengths and opportunities that feed training and customized continuing education.
Analyzing Training and Coaching to Expose Gaps
Analyzing training and coaching programs is vital for exposing and addressing performance gaps within a firm. Research underscores that thoroughly evaluating these programs can reveal discrepancies between current skills and required competencies, leading to more effective coaching programs. As an example, an attorney may be an outstanding business developer and excellent in front of the media. However, a behavioral assessment tool many expose they are not ideal as a closer. This data helps firms decide to pair this person with someone who demonstrates traits of a closer, complimenting their natural skills and making both people more efficient at bringing in business.
As anther example, a firm may spend $50,000 to send 20 people to a conference. But if their behavioral traits do not indicate they are a strong fit for lead generation and closing deals, chances are the ROI for the $50,000, will fall markedly short.
In today’s competitive legal landscape, law firm are looking to maximize business development and growth while keeping attorneys engaged with client demands and billing hours. Firms must embrace data-driven technologies to fuel efficiency and remain competitive. By leveraging behavioral assessments and other data-driven tools, they can improve employee performance and enhance client satisfaction. As the legal industry continues to evolve, the firms that can effectively harness the power of data will be best positioned for long-term success.
Jennifer O’Donnell is the chief marketing and business development officer at Segal McCambridge. Peter Johnson is the president of Law Practice Consultants and a former managing partner of a midsized Boston law firm. He was inducted as a Fellow in the College of Law Practice Management. Elle Walch is a practice development manager at Holland & Knight and Adrian Maines is a partner at Promova, an online behavioral assessment platform that helps companies generate revenue.