When you are pitching business and you hear “you gave the best presentation….but, we hired the other firm,” what happened? You likely educated the buyer and someone else closed the business. Remember to stay in “sales mode.” This doesn’t mean one shouldn’t discuss solutions or ideas about how one would approach a new opportunity. Try to give a little and then ask a good open-ended or focused sales question and keep the buyer involved in the process. As soon as a decision-maker has enough information about how to best approach a project or what’s involved in a complex matter or learns keen insight into a litigation strategy, it’s fair game for anyone to close the business. Be sure to give a little and then get a little by asking good questions that facilitate the conversation in a direction that provides a next step for closing the engagement. Here are some good examples of what to ask prior to leaving these conversations:

What’s the next step from your perspective? (Then wait for the answer!)

When will you be making the decision to move forward with outside counsel?

How do you think our team fits in with the direction you are heading?

The more engaged a decision-maker is, the higher the chances of the firm closing the business. Stay in sales mode, ask for the business (even if there are other firms the buyer is interviewing, it’s important to ask) and confirm what your team’s next step will be to follow up with the buyer.