Session on 4th of March 2025

“Sales gets a bad rap. People that were really successful weren’t doing traditional selling. They were having deep conversations with clients, understanding their problems and what they were looking to solve,” explains Alex Coupe, who leads sales at Legal Technology Hub, during a recent Platforum9 session. With over 35 years in sales and 22 years specifically in legal technology, Coupe offers valuable insights into creating more productive relationships between law firms and their technology suppliers.

From Enemy to Ally: Changing Perceptions of Sales

The legal tech landscape has evolved dramatically. “Customers are a lot smarter and looking at the marketplace from a position of much more knowledge,” notes Coupe. Gone are the days of simply requesting a demo and making a purchase decision.

Buyers now approach vendors with greater sophistication, but the perception of salespeople as adversaries persists. “From a buyer’s perspective, sales is often looked upon as the enemy,” Coupe observes. This misalignment creates friction in what should be a collaborative process.

The Consultative Approach

Coupe advocates for a consultative selling methodology that transforms the relationship: “We’re not actually selling, we’re problem solvers.” This approach requires vendors to act as trusted advisors rather than merely product representatives.

For law firms, this means engaging vendors only when they have:

• Identified a specific problem that needs solving
• Determined their budget parameters
• Verified that existing solutions cannot address the issue
• Researched alternatives in the marketplace

This preparation creates a foundation for meaningful engagement rather than wasting either party’s time.

Beyond the Purchase: Implementation and Success

The relationship between law firms and vendors extends well beyond the initial sale. “I speak to so many law firms who talk about having shelfware or bad adoption, or the challenges of change management,” Coupe shares.

Successful implementation requires law firms to tap into vendors’ experience: “Mr Vendor, because you have done this dozens of times, from an adoption perspective, from a change management perspective, how have other clients dealt with that? Can you help me make this a success?”

This approach benefits both sides – law firms get better results, while vendors secure testimonials and referrals for future business.

Making the Buyer the Hero

One of Coupe’s most insightful recommendations flips the traditional sales narrative: “If you make the buyer the hero of the story, then when the problem needs solving, they’re going to be calling you first.”

For law firms, this means being transparent about personal stakes: “This is really important for my profile in the firm. If we can achieve this, this is going to help me succeed.” This transparency creates a partnership where both parties are invested in each other’s success.

The AI Explosion and Market Confusion

The legal tech market has been transformed by artificial intelligence. “Nineteen months ago, there were 6 AI solutions in our directory. Now there are 80-odd, and that grows literally every day,” Coupe reveals.

This proliferation creates challenges for law firms trying to navigate options. “It’s being able to see the wood for the trees within the solutions and narrowing it down to specific use cases,” Coupe explains.

Industry-wide collaboration is emerging to address this confusion. Coupe’s team helped advise on the VALLS study that benchmarks AI tools against realistic law firm problems, allowing for more objective comparison.

Expectations and Communication

Perhaps the most practical advice Coupe offers concerns basic communication: “Set expectations and keep them. If you’re going to miss that expectation, just send a little note.”

When law firms disappear after initial contact, vendors naturally follow up persistently. “When you listen to buyers complain, they say, ‘They’re bombarding me with emails.’ Well, they’re doing that because you dropped off the face of the earth.”

For law firms looking to build productive vendor relationships, maintaining communication – even when decisions are delayed – creates goodwill and better long-term partnerships.

As Coupe concludes, with proper expectation setting on both sides, “There are very few surprises that you will have from that specific vendor.” In a rapidly evolving legal tech landscape, this foundation of clear communication may be the most valuable tool of all.