Why Don't Law Firms have a Sales Department?

Ask any businessperson what they believe is the key to success and they’ll tell you marketing” and “profitable customers.” 

Yet for many reasons...lawyers hate to "market" themselves.

Whether it's  due to billable hour demands, lack of training, distaste for “selling” or self promotion, or the organizational structures at many firms, the fact is that while many lawyers are good legal technicians, many fail at client development. 

And why should they spend their valuable time marketing? 

In you're were running a software development company, would you ask the engineers, the people who actually do the work, to sell?

While many firms have marketing departments to do marketing collateral, bios, seminars, etc. and other progressive firms have client officers who are tasked with making sure the clients are happy, very few if any, have salespeople.

In an era where law firms are looking more like traditional businesses, it may be time to make a leap and think about a salesforce that will be tasked and compensated for bringing in new business. This idea eliminates the risk that the new client belongs to a particular lawyer that they take with them when they leave the firm.

It also leaves the lawyers to do what they do best...win the case... so the client is really happy!