Legal Innovation Spotlight 41 - Transforming Law Firms into Client-Driven Businesses with Darryl Cross
In this episode, Ted sits down with Darryl Cross, US Executive Sales Coach at Norton Rose Fulbright, to explore how law firms can innovate in business development while maintaining a client-focused approach. Darryl shares his unique perspective on coaching lawyers in sales, breaking down the barriers of skepticism and autonomy that often hinder business growth. This conversation is packed with valuable insights on transforming law firms into thriving, revenue-driven enterprises without sacrificing the professional integrity that defines the legal industry.
In this episode, Darryl shares insights on how to:
- Adopt a client-centric sales mindset
- Overcome lawyers' skepticism toward business development
- Foster collaboration across offices and practices within a global law firm
- Integrate sales methodologies into the daily work of lawyers
- Balance risk management with innovation
Key takeaways:
- Focusing on a small group of key clients, prospects, and referral sources, and dedicating most of your effort to them, is a highly effective approach to business development.
- Lawyers may resist traditional sales tactics, but reframing sales processes using familiar legal skills like discovery and due diligence can make business development more natural and effective.
- Having an internal sales coach with access to firm data and financials can significantly improve cross-practice collaboration, client service, and overall business growth.
- Running a law firm with a business mindset—focusing on revenue and profitability—provides the resources needed for investments in DEI programs, professional development, and broader community contributions.
About the guest, Darryl Cross:
Darryl Cross, US Executive Sales Coach at Norton Rose Fulbright, brings over 25 years of legal industry experience. A pioneer in in-house coaching for law firms, he blends sales methodologies with professional services to drive growth. Previously, he was part of the Sales and Leadership Academy at Amazon Web Services and held senior roles as a law firm CMO and VP of Performance Development at LexisNexis. Known for shifting mindsets to a client-centric business approach, he focuses on enhancing lawyers' sales skills and building scalable programs. He is the author of Cultivating Excellence: The Art, Science, and Grit of High Performance in Business and also volunteers as a girls' high school rugby coach.
“When you are better at generating revenue and have a sales methodology, it allows you to pick and choose the work you want and the work that's most beneficial to the client.” – Darryl Cross
Connect with Darryl Cross:
Website: https://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrylcross/
Connect with Ted Theodoropoulos:
Website: https://getinfodash.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tedtheo