LSSO Executive Profile Q&A
Beth Cuzzone, Vice President of Growth Marketing
You’ve led growth efforts inside a law firm and now at Intapp. How has that change in perspective influenced your thinking about what firms need to grow?
Moving from a law firm to a technology company didn't change what I believe drives growth. It changed how clearly I see what gets in the way.
My view was shaped by a law firm that got it right early – who was an early adopter of client teams and client interviews. Those programs mattered, but the real difference was what the firm valued. It put as much currency on internal relationships as on client relationships. Partners knew their colleagues. Associates were part of the conversation. People invested in building trust with each other, and they made a point of learning how other lawyers had helped other clients.
And the rainmakers? They were the best of all at this. They understood the nuances of how the firm could help a client, including well beyond their own practice or office. They didn't just know their own work – they knew the whole firm's. That's what made the difference.
Now I sit on the technology side; here's what excites me: technology can make the kind of firm-wide knowledge that used to live in a handful of people's heads available to everyone. Firms no longer have to depend on a few rainmakers who happen to know everybody and everything. They can build that advantage on purpose.
The firms I see making real progress are the ones that pair technology with the human work: knowing each other, trusting each other and sharing what they know. That combination is what turns ambition into action.
What's something you think is often misunderstood about legal sales and business development?
That business development is about selling.
Winning new business matters, of course. But, the best business developers I've known aren't necessarily the best sellers. They're the best listeners. The best problem solvers. The best connectors.
Business development is something you do with a client, not to a client.
It's also not the job of one department or a handful of rainmakers. Everyone who touches the client relationship has a hand in growth.
And we make it so complicated! Elaborate plans, sophisticated processes, beautiful frameworks. Meanwhile, the most powerful moves are often the simplest: picking up the phone, asking a thoughtful question, making an introduction, doing what you said you'd do.
Relationships aren't built with pitches and proposals. They're built through consistent, intentional behaviors, one small moment at a time. There’s some compelling research that supports “Activator” behaviors in law firms out there worth reading/learning about.
You’ve written extensively about client listening. What separates firms that collect feedback from those that use it to meaningfully improve the client relationship?
What happens after the conversation.
I think client listening is one of the most underused growth strategies in professional services, and it has nothing to do with surveys. Too many firms treat feedback as a research project: gather the data, produce a beautiful report, circulate it, move on.
The firms that get it right treat listening as a relationship strategy and a catalyst for change. They ask real questions. They're willing to hear uncomfortable answers. They put what they learn in front of the people who can act on it. And they close the loop with the client by saying, "We heard you. Here's what we're doing differently because of what you told us. Nothing builds trust faster. It shows respect, accountability, and commitment, all at once.
And please, don't stop at satisfaction. The most interesting questions look forward:
What's changing in your business? What's keeping you up at night? Where could we be helping you that we aren't today? Listening shouldn't only tell you how you've done. It should show you how to become more valuable tomorrow.
You’ve described a sales culture as one in which everyone understands how their role contributes to client growth and client experience. What does that look like in practice, and how can firm leaders reinforce it?
First, let's retire the idea that a sales culture means turning everyone into a salesperson. That's not what it is, and it's a big reason the phrase gets pushback in law firms. A healthy sales culture is a client-centered culture, one where everyone understands that their actions shape relationships, loyalty, and reputation.
Think about who touches a client's experience: the associate who anticipates the question before it's asked. The billing professional who resolves an issue with care. The assistant who makes a client's day easier. Every one of those moments counts.
In practice, that means sharing client intelligence across teams, encouraging introductions, collaborating across practices and recognizing the people who contribute to a relationship, even when they're not the ones who originate the work.
Here's the part leaders sometimes don't want to hear: if you say collaboration matters but only celebrate individual origination, you're sending two very different messages. People believe the one they see rewarded.
Leaders reinforce culture through what they model, measure, recognize, and reward. Give people the skills, the confidence, the permission, and the incentives, and watch what happens. Culture isn't what we say we value. It's what we consistently encourage and reward.
What’s one small shift in mindset or behavior that can make a meaningful difference in building relationships and growing business?
Swap "What can I sell this client?" for "How can I help this client succeed?" It sounds simple, but it changes everything.
When you're truly curious about someone's business, their challenges, priorities, and ambitions, you ask different questions and you listen differently. You start finding ways to create value even when there's no revenue attached.
Maybe it's an introduction to someone outside your firm. Maybe it's an insight, or help navigating a tough situation. Maybe it's just remembering something that matters to them and following up. Those small moments build trust, and trust creates opportunity.
One more habit: follow through. You'd be amazed how much differentiation comes from simply doing what you said you'd do.
What advice would you give someone earlier in their career in legal sales, service, or business development?
Five things, and I'll start with the one that matters most.
You helped found LSSO more than two decades ago. What need were you trying to address then, and where do you see the greatest opportunity for the organization today?
In 2003, we couldn't even say the word "sales" in a room full of law firm professionals without people squirming. Plenty of organizations supported legal marketing, but nothing existed as a professional home for the Legal Sales and Service Organization's core disciplines: sales, service, and client relationships.
We wanted to build a community for people who believed growing a law firm took more than traditional marketing. That it took a deep understanding of client needs, intentional relationship building, stronger service delivery, and a willingness to approach growth differently. Twenty-plus years later, many of those challenges are still with us, but the opportunity is so much bigger. Clients are more sophisticated. Competition is fiercer. Technology and AI are reshaping how firms work. Expectations for client experience and collaboration have never been higher.
That's why I'm so excited about where LSSO can go: a community that brings together sales, service, business development, client experience, innovation, and technology – a place to learn, share practical ideas, develop future leaders, and challenge conventional thinking. Most of all, I want LSSO to be where people don't just trade ideas, but build the skills, relationships, and confidence to put them into practice.
We started LSSO because sales and service deserved a stronger voice in the legal profession. Now we get to help shape how the profession grows.
If you want to build that future with people who get it, come join us.
About Beth
Outside of work, Beth is first and foremost a proud mom – a role that has shaped her life more than any professional title or accomplishment. An adventurer at heart, she loves hiking, exploring new places, and taking early morning walks along the beaches of Cape Cod, year-round, as long as the temperature stays above 20 degrees! Whether she's connecting people, exploring a new destination, or enjoying a sunrise by the ocean, Beth believes in the power of relationships, the importance of laughter, and making time for the people and experiences that matter most.