It’s not a lawyer’s qualifications or reputation. It’s not how they describe their services, the value they promise, their fee and billing practices, the size of their client list, or the quality of their marketing.
All of these things are important. But clients will hire you more often based on one factor: their first impression of you.
When you meet them, do the things you say (and don’t say), make them believe you can help them? Do they like and trust you? Do you make them feel good about you, their case, their future?
Objectively, you may or may not be the best choice for them. You may not offer everything they need or want. But that’s not as important as how you make them feel and that’s primarily determined by their first impression.
It comes down to the things you say and how you say them. It’s the questions you ask, your body language, how you dress, how you greet them and how you treat them.
Do you talk more about them or about yourself? Do you try to impress them with your knowledge and experience or do you make them feel you care about helping them? Do they believe you respect them and truly want to help them or do they believe you’re doing what you have to do to get their business?
Yes, it’s complicated. There is no checklist for you to follow. You can’t learn everything you need to do in a book or a course. You learn it through experience, putting clients before cases, people before fees, and treating clients like you would like to be treated if your roles were reversed.
But learn it you must.
Because that first impression is crucial to your success.
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