How law firms can overcome client loyalty challenges and grow their business

In episode 18 of the Empowering Law Firm Leaders podcast, Matt Dixon, co-author of “The Activator Advantage” and a leading expert in sales, business development, marketing, and client experience, shares his insights on how law firms can enhance their business development efforts, overcome client loyalty challenges, and win more new business.

We explore the strategies and mindsets required for modern law firms to level-up their business development including identifying what type of business developer you are and the habits that may be holding you back.

In this conversation we cover:

• The five business development profiles
• The three key behaviours of activators
• The importance of connecting internally and externally
• Creating value for clients
• The role of generosity and curiosity
• How to build an activator firm

The inspiration behind “The Activator Advantage”

The inspiration for “The Activator Advantage” stemmed from an eye-opening experience at a professional services firm’s annual partner retreat. During a presentation, Matt recalls how he was interrupted by a managing partner, highlighting that the audience did not identify as salespeople and found the sales process foreign. This moment underscored the need for research specifically tailored to the professional services sector, leading to the launch of the Rainmaker Genome Project. This project aimed to understand what top rainmakers do differently in a changing client buying environment.

Reflecting on this experience, Matt shared, “I learned the hard way that until I had something that was truly relevant to the doer-seller world of professional services, I should probably avoid partner retreats until that time.”

Two years and 3,000 partner-level interviews later, the outcome is the story of the The Activator: a top-performer, across the professional sector, who takes a radically different approach to business development.

The five profiles of business developers

The research identified five distinct profiles among professionals: experts, confidants, debaters, realists, and activators. The confidant, the most common profile among lawyers, focuses on building deep client relationships and delivering excellent work. Matt explained, “The confidant’s view is that if I deliver great work, if I bend over backwards for my clients, if I’ve got a very deep relationship, then I’ve effectively built a moat around my client relationship that makes it impossible for a competitor to steal that business from me.”

Experts are deep specialists who rely on their reputation to attract clients but often get pulled into reactive, RFP-driven business. Debaters challenge clients’ thinking and enjoy reframing their understanding, while realists focus on being truthful and transparent about costs and timelines.

Activators, the most successful profile, are super connectors who proactively bring new ideas to clients and collaborate extensively with colleagues. “Activators are the ones who are constantly thinking about how they can help their clients and colleagues. They are proactive, collaborative, and always looking for new opportunities. They see business development as an integral part of their role,” Matt explained.

The three key behaviours of activators

Activators exhibit three key behaviours that set them apart from other business developers: commit, connect, and create.

Commit

Activators maintain a consistent approach to business development, carving out time each week for these activities. This consistency ensures they have a backup plan in a world where client loyalty is less certain. Matt noted, “Activators have what we like to call kind of a metronomic or rhythmic consistency to their business development. They’ve carved out time, if not every day, then at least every week to do business development.” This commitment to regular business development activities helps activators stay on top of their game and ensures they are always prepared for new opportunities.

Connect

Connecting both internally and externally is a crucial behaviour for Activators. They build and manage their professional networks thoughtfully, ensuring they have a robust external network. Internally, they collaborate with colleagues to leverage the full capabilities of their firm. Matt emphasised, “Activators know the stickier relationship is the one where you shift the focus of loyalty from loyalty to me, as a partner, to loyalty to the “we” of our firm.” By fostering strong connections within the firm and with clients, Activators create a network of support and resources that enhances their ability to deliver value.

Create

Activators proactively create value for clients by bringing new ideas to them before they recognise a need. They engage in “pay it forward” work, understanding that unpaid efforts lay the groundwork for future paid work. Matt shared that Activators recognise that, “Billable work pays my bonus this year. It’s the unpaid work that lays the groundwork for my bonus next year.” Activators focus on delivering business value, trust value, and personal value. Personal value involves understanding what is important to the client beyond the scope of paid work and finding ways to support their personal and professional goals. This approach ensures clients think of them even when not engaged in paid work.

Internal connections: Internally, activators collaborate with colleagues to leverage the full capabilities of their firm. They recognise that their colleagues are valuable resources and view them as extensions of their own expertise. Matt emphasised, “By fostering strong internal connections, Activators can bring the best of their firm’s capabilities to their clients.”

Within client organisations: Activators create connections at all levels within a client’s organisation, ensuring a strong relationship that can withstand personnel changes. They understand the importance of building relationships not just with key decision-makers but also with other stakeholders within the organisation. Matt noted, “Activators create zippered connections from top to bottom within the client organisation. This means they have relationships with multiple people at different levels, ensuring that the relationship remains strong even if there are changes in personnel.”

Creating value for clients

Activators focus on delivering three types of value: business value, trust value, and personal value. Business value involves providing tangible benefits that directly impact the client’s bottom line. This could include cost savings, efficiency improvements, or revenue growth.

Trust value is built through consistent, reliable performance and transparent communication. Activators are honest about what they can deliver and set realistic expectations. Matt noted, “Clients appreciate when you are upfront about potential challenges and costs. It builds trust and shows that you are looking out for their best interests.” This trust is further strengthened by the activator’s willingness to go above and beyond, even when it doesn’t immediately benefit them financially.

Personal value involves understanding what is important to the client beyond the scope of paid work and finding ways to support their personal and professional goals. This could include offering career advice, making valuable introductions, or providing resources that help the client succeed in their role. Matt explained, “Activators take the time to understand their clients’ personal and professional aspirations. They look for ways to add value that goes beyond the immediate business relationship.”

The role of generosity and curiosity

“Generosity is about creating a non-commercial value exchange. It’s about doing things for your clients that aren’t directly tied to billable hours but that build goodwill and trust,” Matt explained. Activators are willing to invest their time and resources in activities that may not yield immediate financial returns but that strengthen the client relationship. Matt noted, “Activators are the ones who will go out of their way to help a client, even if there’s no immediate benefit to them. They understand that these gestures build a foundation of trust and loyalty.”

Generosity also involves recognising and celebrating the successes of clients. Activators take the time to acknowledge their clients’ achievements and milestones, reinforcing the sense of partnership and mutual respect. This genuine interest in the client’s success further solidifies the relationship and ensures that clients view the activator as a trusted ally.

“Curiosity is about asking the right questions and really listening to the answers. It’s about understanding what makes your clients tick and what their biggest challenges are,” Matt shared.

Activators are not satisfied with surface-level information; they seek to uncover the underlying issues and opportunities that may not be immediately apparent, without fear that they may not have the answer to their worry or challenge. Matt emphasised, “Activators are quite comfortable with saying, ‘This is not my area, but tell me a little bit more about that, because I’m pretty sure there’s somebody in my firm that will have a perspective on this’. They are confident to know the admission that they are not the expert in that area actually builds a lot of trust and credibility with their client.” Curiosity also fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement. Activators are always looking for ways to enhance their knowledge and skills, staying abreast of industry trends and developments. Matt noted, “Curiosity is what keeps Activators ahead of the curve. They’re always learning, always asking questions, and always looking for ways to improve.”

Leveraging the Activator Approach in your law firm

Activators, the rainmakers of law firms, exhibit three critical behaviours: commit, connect, and create. These behaviours, along with a generous and curious approach, help Activators build an engaged and trusted network that is strategically worked and nurtured.  

By combining Activator individuals with a supportive environment that encourages their behaviours and mindsets, law firms can enhance their business development efforts, build stronger client relationships, and achieve greater success in the future.

Watch the full interview with Matt Dixon now to discover more advice and guidance on adopting the Activator Advantage to level-up your business development. You’ll also hear Matt’s exclusive advice on building an Activator firm and the key steps needed to level-up your business development.