Training Your Non-Attorney Salesperson: What Most Lawyers Miss
Most lawyers hire a non-attorney salesperson with high hopes—and then quickly realize they have no real system to train them. If you’ve ever stared at a new hire thinking, “Great… now what?”, you’re not alone.
In this episode of Crushing Chaos with Law Firm Mentor, Allison Williams breaks down how to train a non-attorney salesperson to sell legal services effectively, ethically, and consistently—without giving legal advice.
This blog unpacks the key takeaways from Episode 39 and gives you the blueprint to train your salesperson so they can confidently turn conversations into contracts.
Why Legal Sales Training Feels So Hard for Lawyers
Lawyers aren’t trained to sell—we’re trained to give legal consultations. That’s why training someone else to sell can feel uncomfortable or even overwhelming.
But your salesperson cannot do what you do in a consultation. They’re not there to answer legal questions. They’re there to guide the prospect toward a buying decision.
Allison reminds us: before you train someone to sell your services, you must understand your own sales process. Your salesperson may know how to sell, but only you can teach them how to sell your services, in your voice, using your firm’s values.
Start with a Script—But Teach the “Why” Behind Every Line
Yes, your salesperson needs a script. But a script alone isn’t enough.
A great script should:
- Outline the structure of the sales conversation.
- Clarify what should be said (and avoided).
- Explain the reasoning behind each part of the conversation.
Allison shares a story about a team member who tried to memorize everything word-for-word but struggled because she didn’t understand the “why.” Without context, employees become robotic—and robotic salespeople lose prospects.
Your goal isn’t to create a script reader. Your goal is to build a strategic thinker who can bring a prospect back on track when they drift off script—without sounding confrontational or dismissive.
Show Them the Process: Shadowing Done Right
Shadowing is one of the strongest tools for building a successful salesperson—as long as you’re modeling a real sales conversation.
This means:
- No legal advice.
- No Q&A marathons.
- No slipping into consultation mode.
Your salesperson must see:
- Good sales conversations that close
- Good conversations that don’t close
- Bad conversations (so they learn to spot the breakdown)
After each session, debrief immediately so the learning stays fresh. This is where theory turns into mastery.
Let Them Lead: Supervised Sales Conversations
Once they’ve observed you, it’s time to reverse the roles.
Your salesperson needs the experience of leading the conversation while you:
- Watch how they build rapport.
- Observe their pacing and tone.
- Track how they respond when prospects pivot off script.
- Evaluate how they handle objections.
Then—give feedback fast. Delayed feedback loses power. Real-time correction creates confidence.
Master Objections: Where Sales Are Won or Lost
Objections are not roadblocks—they’re information.
In Episode 39, Allison shares why 40–50% of your training should be objection handling.
Your salesperson must learn:
- The objections your firm hears most often.
- How to handle them early—before they appear at the end.
- How to track objections and look for patterns.
- How to bring prospects back into alignment instead of fighting them.
When your salesperson learns to identify objections early, they naturally close more clients—and they do it without pressure or persuasion tactics.
Bringing It All Together: Train the Skill, Build the Confidence
A trained salesperson isn’t built in a week. They’re built through:
- Clear scripting.
- A strong “why” behind every step.
- Observation.
- Practice.
- Real-time feedback.
- Objection mastery.
If you want a salesperson who closes consistently, ethically, and confidently, the training process isn’t optional—it’s essential.
Prefer to watch Episode 39? You can view it on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEscYfYq-ps
Or, if you’d rather listen, here are the links:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4x7WRUNMauW7YXioZPDKHs?si=HtihFanSQZq4D3vXSXmEmA
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hiring-a-non-attorney-salesperson-part-3-4-how-to/id1497474051?i=1000718285198
Ready to Turn Your Sales Process Into a Revenue Machine?
A trained salesperson can transform your firm’s revenue—and your freedom.
If you want deeper guidance on hiring, training, and optimizing a non-attorney salesperson, join us at the Law Firm Mentor Marketing and Sales Summit, where we go step-by-step into building a scalable, CEO-level sales engine.
Or take your next step right now: Book a discovery call and let’s explore how to build the sales systems your firm needs to grow.