Santiago Sanmiguel
Founder at Derecho Rocks and Global General Counsel at ONErpm
At The Lobby, one of the topics that grabs our attention the most is learning from individuals who don’t have direct sales or marketing backgrounds, but still go out every day to sell their image, business, services, or products. In this episode, we had the opportunity to converse with a LAWYER and ask: how does a lawyer manage to sell their services? Santiago Sanmiguel, Founder at Derecho Rocks and Global General Counsel at ONErpm, answered this question and shared his story with us: the best thing is using education as a tool to sell when you are a lawyer.
What did Santiago Share?
To begin with, we delved into Santiago’s venture, Derecho Rocks: an entertainment law firm that provides legal counsel to cultural agents. In the commercial realm, they quickly identified that their target clients were individuals involved in creative spaces. However, this gradually narrowed down to the music industry due to an identified market opportunity.
A fascinating aspect of Santiago’s journey and his time at Derecho Rocks is how they shaped their business around the needs of their diverse clients, something he refers to as “projects of different levels”. What does that mean? By segmenting their market, he was able to create a model that allowed them to offer different services for each level. According to Santiago, one of these client segments consisted of individuals who couldn’t yet afford their services. Therefore, they needed to offer an educational phase for free. Why is this significant? Santiago decided to nurture these prospective clients at this level so that when they were able to pay for legal services, Derecho Rocks was on their radar.
What Commercial Skills Does a Person Offering Legal Services in the Entertainment Field Need?
Santiago began his response by providing important context: in the entertainment industry, people have many biases against lawyers, and not necessarily positive ones. The first skill required is the ability to build a trusting relationship to break down the barriers constructed by these biases. According to Santiago, the second skill, according to Santiago, is the capacity to simplify discourse to a level your client comprehends. The client isn’t necessarily seeking the entire theoretical explanation of why they need a specific legal resource; they want to understand in their own words what needs to be done. For Santiago, a significant skill is understanding that what a lawyer sells to their client is peace of mind, tranquility, “insurance”. Lastly, an important skill he emphasizes for entertainment lawyers is recognizing the value of creative work.
How to Market Yourself?
Santiago begins his answer with the statement: “being a freelancer is the point at which one needs to start marketing themselves”. He continues with a key theme: how to build trust. It’s essential to listen to the other person and genuinely understand their needs. And for this, negotiation skills need to be developed.
A commercial tool Santiago has employed is educational spaces, particularly his Podcast. As mentioned before, with these educational platforms, Santiago’s potential clients become familiar with him long before they require legal services. This establishes a strong foundation for a relationship of trust.
“I believe a salesperson is made. There are certain skills that some individuals might grasp more quickly due to their natural aptitude, but I believe all tools can be developed.”– Santiago Sanmiguel
According to Santiago, achieving this involves creating valuable content on social media. But, he adds a twist to the famous phrase; to him, it means “creating content that someone wants to share with their friends or family”. Making your social media content “gold dust”.
Another topic discussed with Santiago was how he has attracted various types of audiences through his social media. Initially, it was content aimed at potential clients, but over time, and to his surprise, it evolved into content for aspiring lawyers. This is undoubtedly a valuable resource for the entertainment legal industry. It presents a fresh face that appeals to the youth, who identify with Santiago’s language and learn from him.
Are Salespeople Born or Made?
In his opinion, salespeople are made. Certain skills might be grasped more quickly by some due to natural aptitude, but he believes all tools can be developed. Santiago’s advice is to identify educational sources and put in the effort to develop these skills.
To wrap up, we’d like to share Santiago’s recommendations for authors who have helped him acquire skills to “market himself”:
- Simon Sinek
- Dan Ariely
