Business Development Specialist

Business Development Specialist

$80-100k/year

Overland Park, KS

The Business Development Specialist gathers and analyzes internal and external market data to develop actionable insights supporting firm business development goals. Business development goals include acquisition of new clients, growth of work from existing clients, and increased firm visibility among business owners, community leaders, high-net-worth individuals, referral sources, and other business development targets identified by the firm. Based on these actionable insights, the Business Development Specialist works with attorneys and the marketing team to develop systems and accountability measures supporting attorneys’ actions to develop new business and grow existing client work as part of the marketing team’s overall support of firmwide growth.

Reporting Relationships

The Business Development Specialist reports to the chief marketing officer and supports the firmwide marketing and business development efforts. Based in the firm’s Kansas City office, the Business Development Specialist will also regularly travel to firm offices in Topeka and Wichita for attorney meetings and events. This position is part of the firm’s marketing communications and business development team which supports firmwide marketing and business development activities.

Specific Responsibilities

Work with the chief marketing officer to develop and implement a business development plan complementing team and individual lawyer business development plans to build, develop and maintain current targeted client and prospect relationships identified as likely to lead to delivery of legal services.

Assist firm lawyers in creating and developing business development opportunities and skills, including presentations, community events, board memberships, networking, writing for publication and social media, and responding to media inquiries.

Work with chief marketing officer and in partnership with the firm’s business development/marketing committee and marketing team to develop and maintain a marketing/business development tracking process that monitors business development from prospect through client engagement.

Analyze existing firm data and externally obtained data to develop a comprehensive understanding of the firm’s practice areas and the opportunities for the firm within practice areas, geographic areas, and other market opportunities.

Build on, maintain, and grow the firm’s existing database of prospects for business development and practice growth, including opportunities with current clients for additional legal services, opportunities with new prospects and referral sources to introduce and grow the firm’s services; and enhancing and supporting distribution of firm marketing/business development materials

Draw on existing knowledge of the firm’s markets and build additional knowledge of the community’s centers of influence through research and relationships to supplement marketing database demographic and contact data.

Work with the marketing team to help plan, implement, and host special events, educational seminars and other business development activities, taking point on KC- and Topeka-based events as part of the marketing team’s support firmwide.

Maintain dependable attendance and punctuality.

Qualifications and Experience

Experience with using, developing, and maintaining databases with large datasets; helpful to have customer relationship management (CRM) experience

Experience deriving relevant business intelligence and actionable plans from data analysis

Experience in a customer/client-development role, with responsibility for building and maintaining relationships and helping bring in new and expanded business

Experience with Microsoft Office products (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Ability to read and write to proofread typed material for grammatical, typographical or spelling errors. Perform non-complex arithmetic calculations when verifying calculations on forms and documents; maintain records and filing systems at a level normally acquired through completion of high school or equivalent.

Bachelor’s degree in marketing or general business

Strongly preferred: Experience in a professional service setting, especially legal services

Preferred:

Experience with database software data and analysis

Experience with a customer relationship management (CRM) software

Personal Attributes

Self-starter with initiative; problem-solver; able to begin and complete projects without daily supervision or direction regarding tasks and responsibilities

Strong people skills; must have interest in and ability to interact comfortably and professionally with clients, prospects, executives, and firm lawyers and staff to build relationships for the firm

Excellent interpersonal and social skills; high emotional intelligence and maturity

An investigative and analytical mind interested in finding and leveraging existing or acquired data to benefit the firm

Professional, tactful, honest, respectful, courteous, cooperative, and client-centric spirit that works well with our firm culture

Strong verbal and written communications skills; ability to write for social media, web publication and external marketing materials

Technology-savvy and comfortable with learning and using a variety of business intelligence, database, CRM and related applications

Ability to work in a highly confidential environment and observe strict client and firm confidentiality

Strong attention to detail and understanding of the importance of data integrity

Ability to organize, prioritize, and follow through on numerous tasks and complete them under time constraints

Interpersonal skills necessary to communicate and follow instructions effectively from a diverse group of clients, attorneys and staff to provide information with ordinary courtesy and tact

Interpersonal skills necessary to communicate in-person, by e-mail and telephone to provide information with ordinary courtesy and tact

Working Conditions

Normal law office environment with little exposure to excessive noise, dust, temperature, and the like.

Ability to sit for up to 80% of the day working at a computer or using telephone.

Work occasionally requires a high level of mental effort and strain while producing a high volume of information while performing other essential duties.

Ability to retrieve and distribute print volumes, push and pull packages, and books weighing up to 40 pounds and ability to retrieve and replace objects from shelves of up to 8 feet high.

Work periodically requires more than 40 hours per week to perform the essential duties of the position; may include evenings or weekends to attend special events

Periodic travel to Wichita or Topeka offices for firm or community events or within KC-metro area for community events