“ABC. Always Be Closing.” Anyone who has watched Glengarry Glen Ross will probably hear Alec Baldwin’s voice as they read that. I first came across ABC over 20 years ago during sales training at Bloomberg. Much of what I learnt back then has stayed with me and, in fact, so much of it is now ingrained in the way I approach business development that I probably don’t consciously think about where it came from.
ABC is one of those lessons, although all these years later I have come to interpret it rather differently. Because if there is one thing I would not recommend to lawyers, it is spending every waking moment trying to close the sale. Nobody wants that lawyer at lunch.
But there is something in ABC that I think law firms can learn from. For me, “always be closing” is not about constantly asking for work. It is about making sure an interaction goes somewhere.
So, what are you closing?
This is where law firm business development gets interesting, because the “close” does not have to be the instruction.
It might be getting the meeting, agreeing to speak again, being introduced to somebody else in the business, or discovering that the GC is struggling with something your employment team happens to know rather a lot about. It might be an invitation to an event, a coffee when you are next in the same city, or simply leaving someone with a reason to remember you.
Eventually, yes, the close might be the mandate. But there are usually quite a few closes before you get anywhere near it, and I think this is where lawyers sometimes stop one step too early.
The great meeting that goes nowhere
I have seen versions of this countless times. A lawyer meets a prospective client, they have a great conversation and there is clearly chemistry. The client talks about their business, what is happening internally and perhaps even some of the challenges they are facing. The lawyer comes back delighted.
And then nothing happens.
Three months later, someone asks what happened. “They haven’t instructed us.”
Well, no. We disappeared.
Having a good meeting is not, on its own, business development. You certainly do not need to leap on the person the following morning with, “Lovely seeing you yesterday. Do you have any legal work for me?” Please don’t. But you do need to think about what happens next and whether there is a natural reason to continue the conversation.
That is where the business development actually starts.
Good BD creates momentum
Business development is not a collection of isolated meetings, lunches, conferences and LinkedIn connections. It is a continuum, and the best business developers are very good at keeping relationships moving without making people feel as though they are being “business developed”.
If someone tells you they are expanding into Saudi Arabia, remember it. If a client mentions a regulatory issue that is keeping them awake at night, send them something useful. If you meet someone interesting at an event, follow up while they still remember who you are. If a client moves company, keep the relationship. If you make an introduction for someone, find out how it went.
And if you pitch and don’t win, don’t assume the relationship is dead. “Not now” and “not ever” are two very different things.
None of this is particularly revolutionary, but it is remarkable how often it doesn’t happen. There is a skill in maintaining momentum without forcing it, and that distinction matters.
Not every interaction needs an agenda
There is, however, an important caveat to ABC. Not everything has to lead immediately to something else, and good business development should never feel transactional.
Sometimes you should send someone an article because you genuinely think they will find it useful. Sometimes you make an introduction because two people should know each other. Sometimes you congratulate somebody on a promotion without mentally calculating their future legal spend.
That is called being a normal human being and, somewhat inconveniently for anyone looking for a clever BD formula, being a normal human being is actually rather important in business development.
People know when every interaction has a hidden agenda. The point of ABC is not to manufacture a next step where there isn’t one. It is to recognise one when there is, and then actually do something about it.
The mandate is often the last close, not the first
Law firms understandably put enormous attention on the visible opportunities: the pitch, the proposal, the panel appointment and the tender. But by the time a client actually has a live instruction, much of the decision-making may already have happened.
Do they know you? Do they like and trust you? Do they associate you with the problem they now need to solve? Do you understand their business? Have you demonstrated that you are useful before there is a fee attached?
If the answers are yes, the final “close” can feel surprisingly easy. If the first time you become interested in somebody is when you discover they have a piece of work, you are probably already late.
This is why some of the best business development happens when there is absolutely nothing to sell. You are building familiarity, relevance and trust before the mandate exists, so that when it does, you are already part of the client’s consideration set.
And yes, sometimes you actually have to ask
There is another side to this. Lawyers can occasionally become so determined not to appear “salesy” that they go too far in the opposite direction. They have the meetings, build the relationship, demonstrate their expertise, take the client to lunch and follow up beautifully, and then wait patiently for somebody to read their mind.
Sometimes there comes a point when you should ask for the work.
That does not mean being aggressive or awkward about it. If a client has a problem you can solve, it is perfectly reasonable to say so and to explain how you can help.
Good business development is not passive. There is a difference between building relationships and simply having lots of nice lunches.
ABC, law firm edition
So, over 20 years after first hearing it in a Bloomberg training room, I still rather like ABC, just with a slightly different interpretation.
Always know what the next natural step is. Follow through. Listen for the things that matter. Give people a reason to remember you and keep good relationships moving. And when the time is right, don’t be afraid to ask for the work.
Because good business development isn’t about relentlessly chasing a close. It is about creating enough relevance, familiarity and trust that, when there is something to close, you are already in the right place to do it.
Alec Baldwin might not approve, but I suspect your clients will.