Pictured above: (l-r) Weightmans' marketing intern
Jennifer Fisher, Nigel McGinnity, Managing Director of Certainty
which sponsored the awards, Head of Business Development Lorraine
Walsh, President of the Law Society Linda Lee, Business Development
Manager Martine Duma, Business Development Executives Lucy
Donaldson and Chris Thomas and Business Development Manager Peter
Abbott
It was enthusiasm and commitment to moving Client Relationship
Management to the top of the agenda which secured Weightmans'
Business Development Team the trophy in the Excellence in Marketing
& Business Development category at last week's Law Society
Excellence awards.
The Business Development Team fought off competition from five
other candidates including Magic Circle firm Allen & Overy,
after having delivered impressive CRM and business development
results on a very modest budget.
Partner Elaine Chapman was also recognised for her contribution
to the law after the judges Highly Commended her efforts in the AWS
Legal Business Woman of the Year category. Only last month she was
crowned Best Woman Solicitor Managing a Medium-Sized Practice by
the Association of Women Solicitor's - making her 21st year in law
one to remember.
The Law Society Excellence Awards set out to promote hard work
and it was exactly that, coupled with a healthy portion of
enthusiasm, which led Weightmans' Director of Marketing, Sarah-Jane
Howitt and her team to victory. But according to her, the real
triumph is in knowing that 80% of the firm's partners now consider
CRM to be 'highly important'.
"There was an urgent need to invest in retaining some of our
best clients and we knew that it would take more than just doing a
good job. To secure a 100% retention rate was an outstanding result
- the icing on the cake after months of hard work by the whole
team." said Sarah-Jane.
The team had managed to create and implement a CRM programme in
the space of only a few months. Even more impressive however is the
return on investment from a £1000 CRM budget:
Nearly 70 clients are now managed through Weightmans' CRM
programme
Client satisfaction has been independently rated at 8.1 out of
10
100% client retention rate at retender with four major panels
successfully renewed
An increase in fees of more than £1million for the firm's
top nine clients
Sarah-Jane added: "The CRM programme has revitalised
relationships with a number of clients, and internally it has
boosted confidence and highlighted the value of the whole Business
Development team.
"We are all delighted to receive this award and now that we know
it works, everyone is keen to continue the CRM success."
In addition to Sarah-Jane, the shortlisted team comprised Head
of Business Development Lorraine Clancy, Business Development
Managers Martine Duma, Peter Abbot, Peter McPartland, Business
Development Executives Chris Thomas and Lucy Donaldson.
The annual Law Society Excellence Awards took place at Old
Billingsgate in London on 21 October.