Last Updated November 24, 2023

Marketing to Lawyers: Navigating the Minds of Professional Skeptics

If there has ever been a market segment that is nearly impossible to persuade, it’s attorneys. They are trained, and I’d even say, conditioned to find objections. They look at the other side of all claims and arguments. In fact, many are drawn to the profession because they are contrarian by nature.

And now, here you are, all prepared, or so you think, to sell to this group of professional skeptics a product that you believe they won’t be able to pass up. You’re thinking if only you can just get in front of them. More than likely, you’ve diligently prepared to sit down with this potential lawyer-customer in the same way you would for any other B2B sales meeting.

This is where many vendors start. And this is a huge mistake.

Research this Market – THOROUGHLY

You must sufficiently research this exacting target audience. If not, the valuable time you’ve invested in pitching your company’s CRM program or onboarding process will be completely wasted.

And, by research, I mean:

• Turn over every imaginable stone. For example, if you sell web design, understand the law firm’s compliance issues and what they can and cannot legally and/or ethically do. Even with something as simple as a website, lawyers have guidelines that they have to follow. Show you’ve done your homework.
• Prepare for every obstacle. Know what your competitor has that’s better than yours. Know the limits and advantages of the free tools you may be competing with. Know whether the law firm has already been your company’s customer and why they stopped using your tool, etc.
• Have an answer for all possible sales objections, including budget, authority, need, already using a competitor, lack of buy-in, timing, etc.

Establish Which Type of Lawyer You Want to Target

There are well over a hundred different areas of law. And the needs of each type of lawyer and law firm vary. Real estate lawyers’ interests differ from those of divorce lawyers, environmental lawyers, and personal injury lawyers. So, test your theories to ensure they will work for the type of attorneys you’re targeting.

That said, despite the number of differences, there are a few common traits that you must keep in mind when selling and marketing to lawyers – as shown in the following infographic:

Lawyers have a very short wick for bullshit, so make sure you have all of your “i’s” dotted and your “t’s” crossed before scheduling an appointment to sit down with any attorney to promote your tools or services. They’ll be prepared . . . even without having prepared; it’s just who they are. Make sure you are more than ready.

Happy marketing,

Stacey Mathis

P.S. Do you have any strategies or tips for marketing to lawyers? Please share them in the comment section below.