blog: behind the scenes.
how we help
lawyers at all levels and titles are busy solving complex problems and
managing a myriad of demands in high-stakes environments, often leaving little time and energy to think, let alone execute on business development and marketing.
if everything feels like it's ramping up as we head to summer, it's because it is!
if you are are lawyer and you are struggling with finding the time for marketing and business development, we can help with our 1:1 offering.
if you are the head of a marketing team and your team has upcoming vacations that you need to cover, we can help with our fractional services.
if you need assistance with creating business development workshops for your summer associates, we can help with programming.
stage shines in leveraging an empathic approach coupled with Big Law experience. With a dose of humor and the human touch, we tailor each project, request, and interaction to reach your goals (no matter how big or small).
marketing workshops
looking for fresh new voices to help deliver your upcoming workshops?
we got you. we also just so happen to be a woman-owned business.
plus, we have 55+ years of in-house Big Law marketing and businessdevelopment experience.
why does that matter?
we know how to support lawyers. we know what they are facing.
we know the pressures that marketing teams are under to deliver. let us help.
sampling of workshop titles:
Network Where You Are: Everyone Can Network
The Art and Science of Understanding the Client
Lawyer Love Hurts: Overcoming Rejection, Objections & Unresponsiveness
marketing assestment
when was the last time you assessed your marketing mix and culture?
do you have the right firm structure, processes, and marketing performance?
have you thoroughly examined your talent, strategies, tactics, and overall performance of your marketing function?
are you aware of your marketing team's strengths, weaknesses, and potential #opportunities?
our assessment is designed to help.
YOUR insights
OUR actionable recommendations
resulting in growth for your people and your business.
want a sample report? reach out.
we can't guarantee the assessment will make you leap for joy like Kathleen, but we promise it will propel you forward.
fractional marketing field guide
welcome to stage's fractional marketing field guide – inspiration credit Seth Godin.
flexibility:
in a world where rigidity hinders progress, embrace the power of flexibility. while some companies insist on minimum hour commitments, we do not.
fluidity:
picture a senior team capable of swooping in and out seamlessly on any project…from keeping the trains running to orchestrating strategic growth. we all know, those trains gotta run, Chambers is a hungry animal.
diversity of perspective:
in the realm of fractional teams, innovation reigns supreme. drawing insights from varied creatives, law firms, and macro marketing industry trends, we offer a treasure trove of ideas.
relationships rule:
in the grand theater [could not resist] of business, we recognize that, fundamentally, we are in the service business. relationships stand as the cornerstone of our services – where every interaction is a chance to build lasting connections.
the b-word | brand:
for some, the term "brand" is a vague notion. we understand its essence. to truly brand yourself or your firm, dive deep into a niche. specialization is more than a choice; it's a strategy. specificity fuels your journey towards a well-defined brand.
content is king, queen, and non-binary royalty:
step into the spotlight and stay there with content that harmonizes the heart of the firm and your human talent.
ROI:
in legal’s ever-evolving landscape [hello AI], monitoring is key. continuously evaluate your return on investment – identifying what drives growth and what should be jettisoned.
Seth said it best: “Offer the opportunity to have a discussion and invite people into a relationship. Talk about a possibility and give power back to them.”
challenge - TODAY: contact one relationship and invite them to have a virtual coffee or cocktail. start the conversation.
get to the heart of what your client wants
want to get to the heart of what your client thinks about a trend, topic, or new regulation?
to find out, we recommend an effective and often underused methodology: ASK THEM
Jennifer Ramsey’s collaboration with TreeHouse Innovation: how to have deeper conversations with your clients and win more work
Lawyers are client-centric by definition. They’re experts in their clients’ businesses and dedicated to meeting their needs.
Regardless of their industry, every client will be facing a huge array of challenges right now – from technological disruption, to sustainability, to shifting customer expectations, and more. So there are more potential ways for lawyers to help them than ever before – and new avenues for growth for law firms.
Here, Treehouse’s El Tong and Jennifer Ramsey from stage – a women-owned business development and marketing venture focused on relationships, revenue, and growth for legal services – share six tips to help lawyers have deeper conversations with their clients and identify other problems they can help them solve.
1. Go deeper with your research
Of course you’re already well-versed in your client’s business and their sector, but to take your conversation to the next level, adopt a mindset of curiosity. Go deeper with your research and try to find something meaningful about what they’re personally passionate about to talk about. What can you learn about their interests, both at work and beyond? What are they proud of?
Curiosity doesn’t come naturally to everybody, but you can train yourself to be curious by developing a habit of preparing in this way. Gather as much insight as you need to feel comfortable having a really good, open conversation. Remember, it’s not creepy to look at someone’s LinkedIn page – it’s a compliment!
2. Have an open conversation
It’s human nature to go into a conversation thinking about what you need to get out of it. But then you lead with bias from the get-go. You frame the conversation around what you need and when that’s your focus, opportunities to expand the conversation will pass you by. This is where curiosity comes in again.
Instead of starting with questions about specific business needs or projects you’re aware of, ask broader, more open questions, such as:
What’s on your plate right now?
What’s on the horizon for you in the next few months?
What’s most important to you at the moment?
You can then build on what they say and show your genuine interest. You might say:
That’s interesting, can you tell me more about why that matters to you?
I’m interested to learn more, why do you think you’re struggling with that?
Why is this such an important issue for you at the moment?
By asking why, you give the other person permission to share more deeply. They’re more likely to tell you what else is going on, which you probably wouldn’t have known about otherwise.
When you approach conversations in this way, you naturally start to build empathy and trust, which puts you in a great position to start looking for solutions to challenges together. Rather than ‘touchpoints’ the stage team coaches its clients to think of these interactions as ‘trustpoints’, as it’s trust you’re seeking to build.
You might worry that you’re going to cross a line by asking someone these kinds of questions, but it’s all about getting the tone right. Keep it light and conversational and demonstrate genuine curiosity, and people will feel safe to share.
3. Silence is a powerful tool
It’s very tempting when you ask somebody ‘Why’ to feel the need to suggest possible answers yourself. But try to hold back. If you jump in and say ‘Is this happening because XYZ’ you will immediately steer the conversation in a certain direction, and you will miss the chance to hear their gut response and may miss opportunities.
There may be silence while they think about their answer, but that’s OK. Hold your nerve and see what comes. People are generally quite forthcoming, and especially when they can tell that you genuinely care.
Active listening is a companion of curiosity – they go hand in hand. It’s not an exact science but aim to speak around 10% of the time in a discovery conversation, as your main job is to listen and create a great conversation experience.
4. Co-create the solution together
Now that you’ve developed a shared understanding of the challenge they’re facing, you can naturally start exploring what a good solution could look like.
It’s not about putting all your offers and services on the table, but instead discussing what might help. If you have ideas for solutions, put them out there in a general way, without inserting yourself into it – for example:
I wonder how it would feel if you could plan out your caseload for the next year?
I wonder if it would be useful if you had an easy way to understand how that regulation change will affect you – what do you think?
So you’re suggesting a solution that might help, but you’re not presenting it as a deal you have to sell. This allows you to test the water and see if this is something they’re actually looking for, and to build towards an answer. Continue to hold the curious approach you’ve taken so far, and explore together what they might need.
Remember that you don’t need to work it all out in one conversation. If you’ve built a genuine rapport, you will undoubtedly be invited back to chat again, and then you can put forward how you can help.
A great quote to keep in mind is from Maya Angelou –
5. Follow up
Never underestimate the power of a thank you note! Whether it’s handwritten or an email, a thank you note is always worth sending. It’s a great opportunity to summarize the main points you discussed, and confirm any actions you took away and when you will come back to them.
Quick follow-up is another ‘trustpoint’ and a great way to keep that door open for future discussions.
6. Remain curious
We give a lot of thought to the questions we ask at the beginning of a relationship, but we need to maintain that approach throughout because situations change.
Even when you think you’ve agreed on a solution for a client, keep talking to them as you develop it. Keep checking in and get their reaction to what you’re building. Ask them: How does it make you feel? Can you give me your gut reaction to it?
Too often people will put loads of time and energy into perfecting a solution, only to show it to a client and discover it’s not what they were expecting. Stay curious, keep asking questions, and you’ll land on a solution that gives you a happy client – and happy partners too.
6 business development tips to show gratitude this season
1. Call them. Old school style and ask them how they are connect on a personal level.
2. Gift them. Send them a token of appreciation.
3. Invite them. To a webinar, an event, or better yet, a 1:1 coffee, lunch, or dinner.
4. Offer them….insights on the legal landscape and how it will affect business and challenges.
5. Give them something free (that they actually want).
6. Thank them.
coaching collaboration with the Wellbeing @ Work (W@W) platform
Often, lawyers feel "existential dread" (a real-life client quote…) and stress often associated with marketing and developing business.
Lawyers are often "learners" who want to continuously improve and focus on improving their weaknesses instead of their strengths. In our 1:1 coaching, we work with lawyers across all levels to ask, "How can you use your strengths more intentionally?"
Still trying to figure out how to answer that question?
We map our client's 5 leading strengths to marketing activities - creating a personal roadmap to activate business development and sales activities confidently.
And for all those lawyers who love stats, according to Gallup, "People who use their strengths every day are 7.8% more productive in their role and three times as likely to say they have an excellent quality of life."
With our Wellbeing @ Work (W@W) platform collaboration, our goal is to mitigate stress by incorporating well-being into coaching. stage offers concrete coaching tools and a supportive consultative style.
top 3 podcast appearances
Looking for something to listen to as race towards the end of the year?
How about our top 3 podcast episodes?
🎤 Freeman Means Business (TM) with Susan C. Freeman. Amplifying Women's Voices Through Storytelling (with Kathleen). Listen here: https://bit.ly/3NxBhSj
🎤 Good2bSocial Podcast with Guy Alvarez. The power of a Sector-Based Approach. Specificity Drives Strategy (with Jennifer). Listen here: https://lnkd.in/eVwZW4iZ
🎤 Nexl This Legal Life. Not Another Legal Podcast with Ben Chiriboga. Beyond Business Cards - Authentic Networking (with Megan). Listen here: https://bit.ly/3TrfJut
