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"Even the most senior and experienced partners, including myself, benefited from the invaluable techniques and tactics we learned from Craig’s marketing training process. He has the ability to help every professional gain self-confidence and become a marketing star." |
T"As the Managing Partner of Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner (then an AmLaw 200 national law firm), I needed to find a marketing professional to motivate and direct the efforts of our partners in offices across the United States. Craig and his team introduced his sales training process, designed specifically for professional services, to my somewhat skeptical partners. We started with a small pilot group of lawyers. After just one year, the handful of participating attorneys added $2 million in new revenues to the firm’s income. It was a significant return on investment which attracted attention within the partnership.
This initial success was followed by another training group. After year two, the combined training classes were contributing over $6 million in new revenues, and a broad group of new clients, to our law firm. One of my partners had been pursuing work from a major big box retailer for over a decade without success. With Craig’s guidance, the lawyer succeeded in finally landing the client, and subsequently contributed $600,000 in annual revenues from new real estate transactional work.
Even the most senior and experienced partners, including myself, benefited from the invaluable techniques and tactics we learned from Craig’s sales training process. He has the ability to help every professional gain self-confidence and become a marketing star."
- Peter Brown, Esq., Principal, Peter Brown & Associates PLLC
New York "Lawyer of the Year" in Information Technology Law, The Best Lawyers in America (2015, 2016, 2018)
"In my experience, most lawyers really struggle with marketing their practices and bringing in clients. Craig was very helpful in substantially increasing my book of business in just over a year. And while his method was built for introverted attorneys who despise the idea of selling their services, it's also effective for someone in my position at the time: a relatively new partner with a book of business, but who wanted to increase that book in order to provide for my family and increase my job security.
I've worked with other sales and marketing directors at some of the largest firms in the country. The BIG difference between Craig and his peers is that he gave me actual, sensible processes which I liked doing (and continue doing today), which the clients liked receiving, that cost almost nothing, and that started paying dividends almost immediately. Using Craig's "Expanding Your Network From Your Desk" process, I quickly grew a heavy duty network of over 150 new prospective real estate/transactional clients (retailers, developers, private equity sources, etc.), and referral sources, while simultaneously increasing my knowledge of the trends impacting real estate.
I would recommend Craig in a heartbeat -- and not just to lawyers. Any accountant, doctor, or salesperson, in general, would benefit greatly from his coaching."
- Barry Lapides, Esq., Partner, Berger Singerman, Miami, FL
"I've hired many VPs and Chief Marketing Officers during my various tenures heading up Newsweek, Supercuts, JAMS, and Citibank's retail branches in the U.S. and Asia. Craig Levinson truly separated himself as one of the most creative strategists I've ever hired for that position. He walked into a difficult job at JAMS. He was tasked with overseeing marketing and sales for 150 neutrals (arbitrators, mediators, etc.), most of whom were former U.S. federal judges who had retired from the bench, at age 65 or older. Imagine getting a presidential appointee -- treated like royalty for most of his or her career -- to start marketing, much less selling, at that career stage.
To Craig's credit, however, he found the early adopters, and more importantly, he identified a lack of certain sub-niche 'brands' within the ADR marketplace. One example was his work with Judge Scott Snowden. Judge Snowden joined our most competitive office (San Francisco) from the Napa Superior Court; he didn't come to JAMS with a built-in client base, as do most of the federal judges. Upon discovering that Judge Snowden owned a vineyard, however, Craig immediately called me and said, 'Wine, and agribusiness in general, are huge industries. Who's the Wine Neutral?' I shrugged my shoulders, as did everyone in the office, because, as Craig suspected, there was no one who had yet claimed that mantle. Four months later, after Craig had built Snowden's marketing plan around wine industry disputes, and used his PR connections to secure a feature in the San Francisco Chronicle, the judge owned that brand in the state of California. Nine years later, Judge Snowden is the most prominent Wine/Agribusiness neutral in the country.
There are a lot of different ways to build a practice -- at various entry points along the marketing and sales spectrum. In the increasingly competitive world of Law, and the other professional services, strategic creativity is everything. I highly recommend Craig Levinson for any firm or individual struggling to build a sustainable client base. Craig just sees the marketplace through a very different lens, and he creates winning solutions in areas that the vast majority of executives and professionals just can't seem to penetrate."
- Steve Price, Retired CEO, JAMS and Supercuts/Former Publisher, Newsweek, Newport Coast, CA
“Craig's process showed me how easy it is to 'get found' by clients outside my geographic footprint (Dallas). Using one of his techniques, I 're-purposed' a Securitization panel I moderated, in a way that motivated the panelists to forward the reprint to their clients and contacts. Soon after, I was hired to arbitrate a Securitization case in San Francisco. I asked counsel how they discovered me and why they chose to pay for travel expenses, when they could have hired someone locally. She told me that one of my panelists had forwarded the reprint to her. Upon reviewing it, the attorneys all agreed that it was worth the additional expense because 'I knew the (Securitization) language already; and didn't have to be brought up to speed.' But for Craig's process, these clients would have never even heard of me, much less chosen me over a bevy of acclaimed arbitrators right in their backyard.”
- Arbitrator and Mediator/Former Judge, Dallas, TX
“Why do I care how lawyers pursue business? Because, as in-house counsel, I’ve been fending off clunky pitches from lawyers and law firms since the 90’s — ninety-nine percent of which strain credulity, reek of self-interest, and completely waste my time. So, I hope you can understand when I applaud Craig and the fact that, finally, someone has created a system that teaches lawyers to stop pitching their wares and instead start proving themselves valuable to me before my need to hire counsel arises.
In this brave new legal world, we (and many companies like us) are reducing the overall 'pie' of legal work for outside firms. As an unfortunate result, some lawyers have been forced to look for new professions, and many more are properly anxious about their uncertain future. Lawyers who plan to stick around for the long haul need steady books of business to survive, yet those who continue to sell in a traditional manner are seeing their business slip away, at least from guys like me who are sick of the incessant pitching.
The only lawyers getting my business these days are the ones who have embraced a client-focused discipline like the one taught in Craig's system. If there’s a better investment for a lawyer these days, I haven’t seen it.”
- General Counsel, Leading Aviation Company, Portland, OR
This initial success was followed by another training group. After year two, the combined training classes were contributing over $6 million in new revenues, and a broad group of new clients, to our law firm. One of my partners had been pursuing work from a major big box retailer for over a decade without success. With Craig’s guidance, the lawyer succeeded in finally landing the client, and subsequently contributed $600,000 in annual revenues from new real estate transactional work.
Even the most senior and experienced partners, including myself, benefited from the invaluable techniques and tactics we learned from Craig’s sales training process. He has the ability to help every professional gain self-confidence and become a marketing star."
- Peter Brown, Esq., Principal, Peter Brown & Associates PLLC
New York "Lawyer of the Year" in Information Technology Law, The Best Lawyers in America (2015, 2016, 2018)
"In my experience, most lawyers really struggle with marketing their practices and bringing in clients. Craig was very helpful in substantially increasing my book of business in just over a year. And while his method was built for introverted attorneys who despise the idea of selling their services, it's also effective for someone in my position at the time: a relatively new partner with a book of business, but who wanted to increase that book in order to provide for my family and increase my job security.
I've worked with other sales and marketing directors at some of the largest firms in the country. The BIG difference between Craig and his peers is that he gave me actual, sensible processes which I liked doing (and continue doing today), which the clients liked receiving, that cost almost nothing, and that started paying dividends almost immediately. Using Craig's "Expanding Your Network From Your Desk" process, I quickly grew a heavy duty network of over 150 new prospective real estate/transactional clients (retailers, developers, private equity sources, etc.), and referral sources, while simultaneously increasing my knowledge of the trends impacting real estate.
I would recommend Craig in a heartbeat -- and not just to lawyers. Any accountant, doctor, or salesperson, in general, would benefit greatly from his coaching."
- Barry Lapides, Esq., Partner, Berger Singerman, Miami, FL
"I've hired many VPs and Chief Marketing Officers during my various tenures heading up Newsweek, Supercuts, JAMS, and Citibank's retail branches in the U.S. and Asia. Craig Levinson truly separated himself as one of the most creative strategists I've ever hired for that position. He walked into a difficult job at JAMS. He was tasked with overseeing marketing and sales for 150 neutrals (arbitrators, mediators, etc.), most of whom were former U.S. federal judges who had retired from the bench, at age 65 or older. Imagine getting a presidential appointee -- treated like royalty for most of his or her career -- to start marketing, much less selling, at that career stage.
To Craig's credit, however, he found the early adopters, and more importantly, he identified a lack of certain sub-niche 'brands' within the ADR marketplace. One example was his work with Judge Scott Snowden. Judge Snowden joined our most competitive office (San Francisco) from the Napa Superior Court; he didn't come to JAMS with a built-in client base, as do most of the federal judges. Upon discovering that Judge Snowden owned a vineyard, however, Craig immediately called me and said, 'Wine, and agribusiness in general, are huge industries. Who's the Wine Neutral?' I shrugged my shoulders, as did everyone in the office, because, as Craig suspected, there was no one who had yet claimed that mantle. Four months later, after Craig had built Snowden's marketing plan around wine industry disputes, and used his PR connections to secure a feature in the San Francisco Chronicle, the judge owned that brand in the state of California. Nine years later, Judge Snowden is the most prominent Wine/Agribusiness neutral in the country.
There are a lot of different ways to build a practice -- at various entry points along the marketing and sales spectrum. In the increasingly competitive world of Law, and the other professional services, strategic creativity is everything. I highly recommend Craig Levinson for any firm or individual struggling to build a sustainable client base. Craig just sees the marketplace through a very different lens, and he creates winning solutions in areas that the vast majority of executives and professionals just can't seem to penetrate."
- Steve Price, Retired CEO, JAMS and Supercuts/Former Publisher, Newsweek, Newport Coast, CA
“Craig's process showed me how easy it is to 'get found' by clients outside my geographic footprint (Dallas). Using one of his techniques, I 're-purposed' a Securitization panel I moderated, in a way that motivated the panelists to forward the reprint to their clients and contacts. Soon after, I was hired to arbitrate a Securitization case in San Francisco. I asked counsel how they discovered me and why they chose to pay for travel expenses, when they could have hired someone locally. She told me that one of my panelists had forwarded the reprint to her. Upon reviewing it, the attorneys all agreed that it was worth the additional expense because 'I knew the (Securitization) language already; and didn't have to be brought up to speed.' But for Craig's process, these clients would have never even heard of me, much less chosen me over a bevy of acclaimed arbitrators right in their backyard.”
- Arbitrator and Mediator/Former Judge, Dallas, TX
“Why do I care how lawyers pursue business? Because, as in-house counsel, I’ve been fending off clunky pitches from lawyers and law firms since the 90’s — ninety-nine percent of which strain credulity, reek of self-interest, and completely waste my time. So, I hope you can understand when I applaud Craig and the fact that, finally, someone has created a system that teaches lawyers to stop pitching their wares and instead start proving themselves valuable to me before my need to hire counsel arises.
In this brave new legal world, we (and many companies like us) are reducing the overall 'pie' of legal work for outside firms. As an unfortunate result, some lawyers have been forced to look for new professions, and many more are properly anxious about their uncertain future. Lawyers who plan to stick around for the long haul need steady books of business to survive, yet those who continue to sell in a traditional manner are seeing their business slip away, at least from guys like me who are sick of the incessant pitching.
The only lawyers getting my business these days are the ones who have embraced a client-focused discipline like the one taught in Craig's system. If there’s a better investment for a lawyer these days, I haven’t seen it.”
- General Counsel, Leading Aviation Company, Portland, OR
Review of virtual online sales and marketing training co-created by, and co-starring, Mr. Levinson (4.3 out of 5):
http://www.rainmakervt.com/technolawyer-smalllaw-review-of-rainmakervt/
"You can learn more about the people behind RainmakerVT and their basic philosophy in a free video without signing up for the service. In the video, the founders explain their premise that most lawyers hate business development (sales and marketing), partly because law schools don't teach it, and partly because selling is antithetical to the core personality of most lawyers. Levinson describes how, as a practicing lawyer, the anxiety and stress of a task he hated and hadn't mastered became paralyzing — until he discovered a better way. I could definitely identify with those statements. Since I started my solo practice, I have loved working with my clients, but the process of finding those same clients not so much."
http://www.rainmakervt.com/technolawyer-smalllaw-review-of-rainmakervt/
"You can learn more about the people behind RainmakerVT and their basic philosophy in a free video without signing up for the service. In the video, the founders explain their premise that most lawyers hate business development (sales and marketing), partly because law schools don't teach it, and partly because selling is antithetical to the core personality of most lawyers. Levinson describes how, as a practicing lawyer, the anxiety and stress of a task he hated and hadn't mastered became paralyzing — until he discovered a better way. I could definitely identify with those statements. Since I started my solo practice, I have loved working with my clients, but the process of finding those same clients not so much."
