Graduation Year

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

D.B.A.

Degree Granting Department

Business Administration

Major Professor

Dahlia Robinson, Ph.D.

Co-Major Professor

Grandon Gill, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Christos Pantzalis, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Richard Tarpey, Ph.D.

Keywords

collaboration, existing clients, legal industry, MPPSF

Abstract

What does it truly cost to acquire a new client? Managing Partners (MP) of Multi-Practice Professional Service Firms (MPPSF) have been asking themselves this question for years, mostly to no avail. The questions that should be deliberated are whether there exists an alternate method of acquiring new business in a more efficient, effective, and productive manner” and “whether such a procedure exists within the MPPSF that has not yet been fully developed? Neither of these questions can be determined until the following fundamental question is answered, namely whether and how does cross collaborative and service-sale ambidexterity sales occur within an MPPSF? To address that research question in this study, the researcher first examines the relationships between the rates of cross, collaborative, and service-sale ambidexterity selling among Shareholders demographics in MPPSF.This study examines the foundational bases of those individuals within MPPSF who are most able to increase cross/collaborative/service-sale ambidexterity selling within MPPSF that would allow MPPSF’s to expand practice group services to existing clients. The study identifies internal firm factors which presently exist among multi-general practice corporate firms which can be leveraged to build a cross/collaborative/service-sale ambidexterity selling platform. The study utilizes a single method approach with demographic and financial data from four, two hundred (200+) plus professional, state based MPPSF within the legal industry, who are strategically located throughout the United States. The participating firms were chosen because of the numerous practice groups with the firms themselves, their location throughout the United States to ensure appropriate representation as well as the relationship with my present firm providing the participating firms the confidence to provide the necessary data for this study. The study documents that there are key identifiable internal and external considerations common to all participating MPPSFs, therefore potentially providing all MPPSFs the foundation to develop internal programs to build revenue and profit growth opportunities within their existing clientele. As the study demonstrates, the independent/predictive variables which firms should focus on in the development of their cross/collaborative/service-sale ambidexterity selling platform should include those shareholders who have been with a firm for a long period of time who work in offices with a large number of professionals in distinct practices groups. Additionally, in the development of these cross/collaborative/service-sale ambidexterity selling platform, MPPSF’s should allocate resources to Equity Shareholders and those long service shareholders within the firm who practice in the Corporate and Tax practice group.

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