Practice Management

Behind Every Successful Law Firm is a Storyteller

By Tom Collins

We call them plans, brochures, beauty contests, sales pitches, ads, web sites, blogs, presentations, speeches, court appearances, briefs, letters, etc.  They are stories!  The greats in every field and every endeavor are great storytellers.  Stories sell products, move the populace, rally the troops, win games, sway juries and accomplish shared business goals.

When recruiting, you are telling a compelling story, one that helps the candidate visualize becoming a part of your law firm team. When you talk to a prospective client, winning their business will depend on the story you tell.  It is the story you tell that wins or loses your client?s case.  Your business plan will only succeed if it is a story that unifies your organization behind shared ambitions in pursuit of a common goal.

Peter Guber is a successful executive and a storyteller par excellence.  He also produced such movies as Rain Man, Batman and The Color Purple.  He understands the power of story and what it takes for a story to move and captivate people.  Writing for the December 2007 edition of the Harvard Business Review, he shares the ?Four Truths of the Storyteller?--?The stories that move and captivate people are those that are true to the teller, the audience, the moment and the mission.?   

The storyteller has to be the authentic thing or, as Guber puts it, ?their tongue, feet, and wallet must move in the same direction.?  The effective storyteller knows his or her own deepest values (what I call core beliefs) and reveals them in his story with honesty and candor. As the leader of Juris, I never tired of the opportunity to explain what the original nine members of the Juris team did when we got together that first time to agree on what we wanted Juris to become. We agreed that we wanted to be those nice people from Juris.  We wanted to be known for doing what we said we would do.  We wanted to be a company that liked its customers and was liked by its customers.  I love to explain how we came to realize that we weren?t in the computer business or even the software business.  Our business was about increasing the income and wealth of law firm owner?partners.  Understanding the business issues of a law firm became everyone?s mission.  Regardless of their role in Juris, each member of the team gained an expert understanding of law firm performance metrics.  Each knew what drove financial performance and each understood the friction points that lower partner wealth.  These things are all part of the Juris story. They are the Juris brand.  Without a story, you have no brand!

Guber notes that there is an implicit contract between the storyteller and his or her audience. One aspect of that contract is that the teller has to tailor the story to the expectations of those listening.  That same story of that first company-wide planning meeting of the Juris team can be told different ways as the interest of and implication to the listeners are considered in its telling.  What does the story mean to the listener?  There are different inferences to be drawn by the prospect employee, a potential business partner, or the prospect we want to add as a client. The storyteller shapes the story to emphasize and enhance its value for the audience.  It is the same story, but the audience changes and the storyteller has an obligation to make the audience a part of the story by shaping how it is told?to deliver its best value as seen through their eyes and as heard through their ears. Tailoring the story considering their interest and concerns makes the story true to that audience.  

Compelling stories are true to the moment. They are told to prove a point, to overcome an objective, to defuse a situation, to resolve a conflict, to clarify, to rally, to frighten and even to threaten. The artful storyteller shapes the story to fit the moment.  I?ve told the first meeting story many times.  It is the same story, but every time it is told differently?to fit the moment.  The moment can come in the middle of a heated discussion, before an audience of 300 managing partners, or during a dinner conversation with a client.  The moment is different and the storyteller fits the story to the moment.

The story must be worth telling--from the point of view of the person being told.  It must have value to the listener. To put it in Guber?s words, ?A great storyteller is devoted to a cause beyond self. That mission is embodied in his stories, which capture and express values that he believes in and wants others to adopt as their own.  Thus, the story itself must offer a value proposition that is worthy of its audience.?

What is most important here is to understand that they are not just plans, brochures, beauty contests, sales pitches, ads, web sites, blogs, presentations, speeches, court appearances, briefs, letters, etc.   They are stories!  How well those things serve you depend on how good you are as a storyteller. It is an art to be practiced.

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris®.  For information about Juris products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income contact Juris National Sales Center:

 877/377-3740, e-mail info@juris.com or go to www.Juris.com.

Full post as published by More Partner Income on December 07, 2007 (boomark / email).