Greetings!
October signals the launch of the fourth quarter and law firms should be on the lookout for an increase in vendor sales calls to boost existing services or adding new ones—including account check-ins from your legal research reps.
While you should always be cautious anytime your rep calls unexpectedly, this time of year requires more due diligence. After all, it’s not likely a salesperson will call at the end of the quarter and ask, “How can I help you reduce your research costs next year?” They have bills to pay just like the rest of us and that means they need to do their job and sell. However, that doesn’t mean you need to buy.
When your rep reaches out to you between October and December, good chance they’re making the final push to boost revenue before the books close. Prepare yourself by reviewing some of the more common sales pitches.
Sales Pitches to Watch For
- Your existing books are out of date, cancelled, or soon to be discontinued and need to be replaced.
- Expand your current package so you have access to everything and can be “more efficient.”
- If you have a print subscription, the recommendation to add digital access, or the reverse, add print to your digital subscription.
The above pitches can be difficult to rebut because they could seem somewhat logical. However, it’s worth noting that a canceled set of books doesn’t necessarily mean the information is obsolete. Like textbooks, new versions are sometimes produced just to increase publisher revenue. You also don’t need access to “everything” the vendor has to offer when it comes to legal research services. You may already subscribe to more than you need as it is. If you’re worried that some of these pitches might actually apply to your law firm, do your homework before you commit to any long-term agreements, so you’ll know with certainty you actually need the services.
The other approach to watch for involves your contract renewal. As part of the final quarter push, sales reps will often approach you about your contract, especially if you’re within, or close to, the renewal period.
Common Contract Renewal Pitches
- “Bonuses for renewing your contract early that aren’t all that beneficial: extra services you probably don’t need or print materials that aren’t relevant to your practice.
- Limited time offers that push you to renew quickly without giving you much time to review the contract.
- Reduced rates that expire after a certain time period and don’t actually save you money over the life of the contract.
The final quarter is tough on everyone and sales reps particularly have high pressure to perform before year-end. Be wary of friendly calls from your rep this time of year. When in doubt, do extra research on their offer or enlist help to parse out exactly what they’re offering and if it benefits your firm.
Legal Counsel Consulting has the resources to evaluate contracts to assure competitive pricing.
If there is any way I can help or if you would like to schedule a brief conversation, please feel free to contact me.
Best regards,
George