It sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it? Encourage first-time clients to hire you again, occasional clients to hire you more often. A plan that helps you increase revenue and decrease the expense and effort of attracting new clients–what lawyer or firm wouldn’t think that’s a good idea?
Maybe lawyers who think the whole idea smacks of commercialism, leaving a bad taste in their mouth. Maybe lawyers who see this as appropriate for a retail business, not a professional. “Are coupons and discounts next?”
Me? I say, “it depends”. It depends on how you do it.
If you announce the launch of a ‘client loyalty plan” and promote the idea to your clients and prospects and to other professionals, you might be playing with fire. If you quietly embrace the idea, and carefully and selectively implement it, you might be onto something big.
When a client gives you more business or otherwise demonstrates their patronage by providing you with referrals, testimonials, endorsements, invitations, and introductions, when they mention you in an article or quote something you said or mention something you did in their newsletter, when they hire you again for the third year in a row, when they invite you to speak at their networking event, why not acknowledge this and yes, reward them?
Maybe return the favor and introduce them to someone they should know. Maybe hold off for another six months or a year on fee increases your other clients are getting because they’ve been with you a long time. Maybe provide them with an extra service you ordinarily charge for, or promote their business or event in your newsletter.
Or maybe volunteer (i.e., without being asked) to write a recommendation for their child’s college application, because they are a valued client.
Show people you appreciate them. That’s the kind of client loyalty plan every lawyer should implement.
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