How Power BI 📊 Transformed Sales Tracking for Law Firm ⚖️
Interview with:
Moshe Amsel / CEO / Profit with Law
Note: This article is adapted from the original video interview. While it captures the main points and insights, some wording has been modified for clarity and brevity.
Why the Sales Engine is Vital for Law Firms' Growth ⚖️
“For any business, the name of the game is bringing in clients. We always look at that revenue number as the barometer of how we’re doing. That’s really what keeps the engine running—getting clients in the door.”
The Challenges 🚧 Law Firms Face in Motivating Sales Teams
“Law Firms are unique in that they can’t pay commissions to salespeople the way other industries can. This means they often have confusing bonus structures that make it hard for salespeople to know what they need to do to succeed.
In one particular case, the firm had a team-level bonus system where it didn’t matter if one person made $5 and another made $1—they both got the same payout. This motivated the team as a whole but failed to motivate individuals.”
Tracking Sales Progress Before Power BI đź“ť
“Before we worked together, the firm relied on spreadsheets to track sales, and much of the process was manual. While some steps were automated, they still had to manually update the details of each sale. At the end of each month, bonuses were calculated using these spreadsheets, making the entire process cumbersome and time-consuming.”
The Problems with Manual Tracking ⚠️
“First of all, everyone on the sales team had access to the sheet, which always left room for human or even malicious error.
There was also no easy visual way to see how an individual salesperson was doing. Each salesperson had to filter through the entire sheet to find their numbers, which was cumbersome.
The old structure wasn’t individualistic, so they only cared whether the team hit a fixed number—once they did, everyone got the same bonus. This actually became demotivating over time.”
🤔 Do I Really Need Power BI? Why Existing Tools Aren't Enough
“As a Fractional CFO, I use various tools for reporting on financials, but they fall short when things get complicated, like with convoluted sales bonuses or marketing analysis. We needed a more customized solution—one that went beyond what out-of-the-box tools like QuickBooks could provide.
The challenge was how to create a visual tool that could help the firm make better business decisions while being efficient and cost-effective.”
Power BI Brings Clarity 💡 and Motivation to Sales Performance 🚀
“You and your team used Power BI to create an incredible tool. We now have real-time, up-to-date information available to the sales team. Just today, I was in a meeting where we used the tool to analyze sales performance.
One salesperson is only $20,000 away from unlocking the highest bonus—she’s motivated because she can see exactly how she’s doing.
Another salesperson, meanwhile, hasn’t even hit the minimum threshold yet. This visibility has been a game-changer; it motivates the right behaviors and will help save money on bonuses that were previously being paid to people who didn’t deserve them.”
From Hours ⏳ to Minutes: Automating Bonus Calculations
“The dashboard has automated the bonus calculation process. What used to take three to four hours each month now takes just five minutes. All the data is live, and after the last day of the month, everything is calculated automatically. It’s a huge time saver and has taken away a dreaded monthly task.”
The Agile Approach 🔄 to Building the Dashboard
“The way we worked together was ideal for me. I prefer to think on my feet, make changes on the fly, and get something into our hands to test.
Spending weeks at a drawing board isn’t my style. When I reached out to you, we had a tight deadline—11 days to get a dashboard in place. We had a working version by then, and a final version a few weeks later. The agile approach made that possible.”
Future Possibilities with Power BI đź“Š
“One area I’d love to explore is automating the separation of personal and business expenses. Currently, we have to do this manually, but if we could build a Power BI dashboard that identifies these categories automatically, it would simplify our process immensely.
Another idea is to better track marketing campaigns, especially linking spend to revenue generated over different time periods—something that out-of-the-box tools just can’t do effectively.”
Do You Recommend Power BI Consulting with Avi? 🤝🏼
“Absolutely! Even before working with you, I knew about your expertise in Power BI through our mutual business mentor. When I faced a tight deadline, I immediately thought of you. The work you’ve done has truly exceeded my expectations, and I see a big opportunity for us to keep collaborating. For anyone needing dashboards in Power BI, I highly recommend Avi and his team.”
