Retail car salespeople call them “laydowns” because they come into the showroom ready to buy. They don’t ask a lot of questions. They don’t haggle on price. They say yes to many of the “ups and extras”.

They show up, lay down, and make car dealers very happy. They’re happy, too because they get what they want and don’t have to fight to get it.

Lawyers love laydowns too. Clients who don’t shop around, “interview” you, or try to negotiate fees.

Admit it, that’s the kind of clients you want.

If you’re smart, most of your clients can be that way.

Interested?

The first thing you should do is to provide lots of information about you and your services so that prospective clients can do their homework before they contact you. On your website, in your presentations, in your handouts, explain what you do and why someone should hire you.

In addition, explain your terms. Spell out what you expect of your clients and what they can expect of you.

If clients see that you work on retainer only, for example, they’ll be much less likely to expect you to do the work before they have to pay.

Let this information weed out the hagglers, price shoppers, and trouble makers.

The second thing you should do is help prospective clients get to know, like, and trust you, again, before they talk to you. Invite them to sign up for your newsletter, for example, where you can build a relationship with them. When they’re ready to move forward, they’ll already know most of what they need to know and be all but ready to sign up.

The third thing you should do is to make referrals the foundation of your practice. Referred clients come to you pre-sold by the referral-giver, whether that’s one of your clients or another professional. Referred clients ask fewer questions and are less price sensitive. As a bonus, they are themselves more likely to refer.

If you do these three things, you’ll not only get more clients, most of those clients will be easier to sign up, easier to work with, and much more profitable.

There’s nothing better than referrals

I’m not the only one to point out that everything you do in your practice is marketing.

From the way you answer the phone to the invoices you send your clients. From the way you speak to prospects about how you can help them to the sincerity of your “thank you” notes. Even the way you conduct yourself with opposing counsel who might someday speak kindly about you or send you a referral.

It’s all marketing.

And because it’s all marketing, your day is filled with opportunities to build and develop your relationships and your reputation and grow your practice.

Every time you speak to someone or write something someone else will read, you have an opportunity to help people get to know, like, and trust you. Be aware of these opportunities and don’t squander them. Consistently give people a little more value or a little more insight into how you are different or better.

In the beginning, you may need to make a conscious effort to do this. You may have to ask yourself what you can do to go beyond the core elements of your job. You may have to remind yourself to take a few extra seconds to ask about a client’s children or to re-read your email before you send it to find a way to make it more personal.

Eventually, you will do these things automatically. They will be baked into your persona and your methods of operation. And eventually, you’ll begin to notice that good things are happening in your practice.

Most of your marketing can be done this way. The little things you do, in the moment, if done consistently and with sincerity and heart, will attract more clients, more referral sources, and more opportunities to get the word out about what you do.

This is how marketing used to be done. This is how most of your marketing can be done still.

Learn more ways to grow your practice here

Have you ever shared a waiting room with another lawyer who always seems to have new clients waiting for them? Do other lawyers in town get the big cases or clients that you’d like to get? Have you ever wondered why some lawyers always seem to be in the news?

They may have more energy than you or work at a faster pace. They may be willing to take more risks. They may have more time or more money or better connections. You may not be able to compete with these things.

So don’t.

Instead, use your unique self to market yourself.

Because nothing compares to you.

Put as much of yourself into your practice because you are unique. Nobody can compete with you because nobody is you.

I see many attorneys hiding their personality and style and sense of humor. They promote their services and tout their skills and experience when they should be promoting themselves.

Yes, clients want solutions to their problems. Your skills and experience are by no means unimportant. It’s just that what attracts clients in the first place, and what keeps them coming back and referring others, has little to do with your technical ability and everything to do with being liked and trusted.

Many of the attorneys you see with overflowing waiting rooms have figured this out. They aren’t necessarily better lawyers. They’re simply better at selling themselves.

Effective marketing starts with this