Hockey great Wayne Gretzky was asked how he was able to get so many good shots on goal. After all, he wasn’t the only one on the ice. How did he get the puck so often?
“I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been,” he said.
Lawyers need to do that with clients.
Figure out where your clients will be and what they will be doing before they need your services, and get there first. All of the other lawyers “on the ice” are waiting until prospective clients go looking. You’ll already have the puck and they won’t have a chance.
What are your clients doing one month or six months before they hire you? What are they reading? Who are they confiding in? What are they doing?
Answer this question, and get your name in front of them before they decide to hire a lawyer.
If you handle divorce, for example, your clients are probably reading books and blogs and articles and watching youtube videos about property rights and custody standards. Create your own books and articles and videos and advertise on or write for sites that offer this type of content.
Your clients are probably talking to people, like counselors, tax advisors, financial planners, real estate agents, and business lawyers. These folks can send you referrals, so find them and network with them. Stay in touch with your former clients because their friends will talk to them and ask about their experience, and if they can refer them to a good lawyer.
You can also create generic consumer or business content. If you handle personal injury, write a report on how to save money on auto insurance. If you represent small businesses, write a report on how to negotiate a better lease. Promote your reports and build a list.
Help clients find you before they need you. Figure out where they will be and get there first.
