Unforced errors

July 17, 2023 by
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We needed some work done on our house and got a couple of bids. Company number one made a compelling presentation and a reasonable bid (compared to what we expected based on our initial research). Company number two had an even better presentation, and we went with them even though they had a significantly higher bid. 

NB: It’s not just about price or fees; you can get more customers or clients by doing a better presentation. 

One thing that made the difference is the way the salesperson at company number two followed up with us after his presentation. He called and texted and emailed and showed us he was at the top of his game. 

They did the work, and we’re happy with it. The building inspector who came out afterwards told us (without prompting) that the company had done excellent work. 

So, we’re happy. But puzzled. We haven’t heard from the salesperson or anyone else at the company since we authorized the job. 

Leaves you feeling like a commodity instead of a client. Slam, bam, thank you sucker. 

Anyway, not following up with us was a mistake. And not just because there’s a cooling-off period and we could have canceled the job if we got cold feet. Following up after the sale gives the company the opportunity to keep the customer happy and take a step towards creating a “lifetime” customer or client instead of just another entry in the ledger. 

We didn’t hear from them after the work was done, either. No calls to see if we’re satisfied or had questions. 

And that’s another mistake. 

To this day, weeks later, they don’t know if we’re happy. Or have other work we want to talk to them about. Or have a neighbor who might like to talk to them. 

Nothing. Not even a note thanking us for our business.

Or a request to provide a review or referrals.

If they had asked for a review, we might have mentioned that the building inspector volunteered that they did a great job. Thorough and tidy. Very reassuring to a prospective customer who sees that review. 

But now, because the company didn’t ask, no review. 

If this is how they operate on every sale, they’re missing out on a lot of additional business. A cautionary tale for anyone in a service business or profession. 

It’s so simple. Call the client after the work is done (or have an assistant do it), see if they have additional questions or concerns, send them some brochures or a referral card they can pass out to people they know, and if they’re happy, ask them to leave a review. 

The only thing worse than not doing some simple after-sale follow-up is what company number one did after they emailed us their bid. 

They did nothing. 

They didn’t follow up to see if we want to go ahead with them, had any questions, or needed help with financing. They didn’t ask if we went with another company and, if so, why. 

And now, weeks later, they haven’t followed-up with us to ask if we’re still interested (and hadn’t hired anyone). Or if we went with another company, had problems, and needed to talk to them about fixing it. 

Follow-up during the presentation process, after the deal is signed, and after the work is done. Or after the prospect doesn’t sign up. 

Never stop following-up. Because tthe fortune is in the follow-up.

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Filed Under: Closing the sale, Marketing legal services, Referrals Tagged With: ,

Build your email list offline

July 14, 2023 by
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It’s probably not the best way to get subscribers, but there are a couple of advantages. For one, it’s free. You don’t have to pay for leads or traffic or anything else. Just the paper on which the information about your newsletter (or whatever list you want to build), plus postage if you decide to mail them. 

Another advantage is you’re not competing with everyone else who is promoting or advertising their offer online. Thus, your message and offer will be more likely to stand out. 

Finally, depending on how and where your offer appears, it will inherit the implied endorsement of the person or place where prospects see it. 

For example, when a local business or professional puts your flyer, brochure, or card in their waiting room, it suggests to their customers or clients who see it that they know you and think you’re okay, resulting in more sign-ups than would occur without that implied endorsement. 

You can distribute your brochure, report, or flyer in the back of the room where you are speaking or networking, or on the table at trade shows and events in your target market. 

To start, put your flyers or brochure or flyer in your own waiting room. You have a captive audience who already know, like, and trust you (or soon will) and are more likely to sign up for your list with no additional prompting from you. You can also give extras to new clients, along with your business cards or regular brochures, and mail them to existing and former clients and business contacts.

One key to making this work is to offer a bonus to anyone who signs up for your newsletter or event. A free report, your ebook, a free consultation, or other bonus often results in a higher rate of response, just as it does online.

Offline isn’t likely to result in a flood of sign-ups compared to what you might see online, because it’s not as easy to scale. But if your flyer or brochure is well written and distributed through the right people, it certainly might.

It also might stimulate immediate inquires about your services from people who see your flyer and want to talk to you about their legal issue. Or referrals from folks who see your offer and pass it along to friends.

How to get more referrals without asking for referrals

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Filed Under: List building, Marketing legal services

How to handle difficult clients

July 13, 2023 by
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You have ‘em. Clients who nit-pick, micromanage, and demand things that aren’t part of the deal. They’re perfectionists, malcontents, or just a perpetual pain in the backside. What can you do?

Get rid of them. 

Well, that’s one option. But there are other things you can try before you show anyone the door. You probably already know everything on this list but, if you’re like me, just because you know something doesn’t mean you’re doing it and a reminder from time to time could be just what you (we) need.

  1. Put it all in writing. The nature and scope of the work, dates, goals, lists of steps, what they need to send you, and your authority with respect to making decisions, should be discussed, clarified, put in writing, and initialed. Because the best way to avoid problems later on is to spell out everything from the start. 
  2. Document everything. Every time you speak with the client, write down what was said by each of you (even if you’re not billing for that conversation). You don’t always have to follow-up with a written memo, but it can’t hurt. 
  3. Regular updates. You can avoid many issues by giving clients regular, detailed updates about what you’re doing, what happened, and what’s next. Keeping clients informed (and inviting their feedback) is one of the simplest and most effective ways to keep clients happy. And if they’re not happy, bring the issue to a head sooner (when you can fix it) rather than later (when it might be too late).  
  4. Listen. Sometimes, clients are having a bad day and take it out on you. Before you respond to a complaint or demand, repeat it back to them. When they hear what they’re saying, they might see the unreasonableness of their concerns and back off. And, if not, they’ll tell you more you can use to fix the problem.
  5. Validate. If they have a legitimate concern, before you respond, tell them you appreciate them for calling this to your attention (because you do; it helps you do a better job for them and your other clients). Also, let them know you take the issue seriously and will do what you can to make improvements. 
  6. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Take the blame for small things as a tradeoff for keeping the client happy. If it’s a billing dispute, eat the difference. If it happens again, have a talk with them, make sure both of you are on the same page, and be prepared to modify your retainer agreement and/or your office procedures. 
  7. Build a good relationship. The best way to avert issues and amicably resolve them if they occur is to do everything you can to get your clients to like and trust you. When they do, they’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and work with you to fix anything that seems broken. 

If you consistently do everything on this list, you should see fewer misunderstandings and complaints. But remember, it’s the complaints you don’t hear that cause clients to leave, or for things to get so bad you have to ask them to leave, so always encourage your clients to tell you what’s on their mind. 

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Filed Under: Client relations

A simple marketing plan

July 12, 2023 by
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It’s got to be simple or you won’t do it, right? At least not consistently. You can always do more if you want to, but if you’re pressed for time or don’t want to do anything else, this plan can deliver meaningful results. 

And I promise, you can do this. No matter how busy you are.

There are only 3 things you need to do:

ONE: CONTACT 2 PEOPLE A DAY

Again, you can do more but it’s better to contact 2 people a day, every day, than what you can, when you can, because when you do it daily, it becomes a habit, you get better at it, and your results compound. 

You can contact them by phone, text, mail, email, or a combination thereof. Or, if you roll that way, you can talk to them in person. 

Who do you contact? Your choice:

  • Existing clients
  • Former clients
  • Prospective clients
  • Business or professional contacts

In short, anyone who has or could hire you, provide referrals, or send traffic to your website. 

What do you say to them? That depends on who they are and how you know them (and how well). Some examples to ponder:

  • Welcome aboard (new clients, new subscribers, new seminar attendees)
  • Nice meeting you
  • How can I help you? (What do they need or want, besides legal services?)
  • Thank you (for hiring me, for your referral, for your review, etc.)
  • Just following up (with prospects, clients, and others you’ve talked to or communicated with, after a meeting, conversation, or consultation)
  • Here’s something I thought you might want to know (article, website, news story, a report, gossip)
  • Just checking in (see how they’re doing, say hello, find out about their family, client, business, etc.)

Okay, so that’s part one. Easy to do, but extremely effective. Try it for 30 days and you might be pleasantly surprised. 

TWO: A WEEKLY EMAIL

Send an email to everyone you know and keep them informed about the law, their market or industry, your new blog post or article, someone else’s blog post or article, or anything else you think will benefit or interest them. 

You don’t have to call it a newsletter. It doesn’t have to be long. It doesn’t have to be brilliant. You don’t have to sell anything or promote anything. But provide a link to a page where they can learn more about you and your services or event.

Tell them something, remind them to do something, warn them about something, share something, or tell them what you’re doing they might want to know. 

If weekly is too much, send it monthly. But send them something as often as you can.

Because no matter what you send, every time you show up in their inbox, you remind them that you’re still around and can help them and the people they know. 

THREE: 10 PAGES/30 MINUTES A DAY

You are your business, and your business is you. To become more successful, work on yourself as much or more than you work on your business. 

Read 10 pages of a good book. Listen to audiobooks or podcasts for 30 minutes. Watch videos, take classes, or talk to people who can teach you something you need to know. 

You can read about marketing, business, writing, speaking, negotiating, productivity, and the tools and resources for making what you do easier or better. You can also read about leadership, managing or working with people, history, creativity, and anything that inspires you.  

Professional development is important; personal development arguably more so.

Bonus tip: Take some of what you learn and put it in your weekly email. 

Okay, that’s it. A simple plan. Commit to doing these 3 things consistently. It may be (nearly) all the marketing you need to do.

For a more comprehensive marketing plan, get this

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan

Some can, some can’t; some will, some won’t

July 11, 2023 by
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No doubt you’ve figured it out: not everyone can and will send you referrals.

Some clients love you and are willing to help, but don’t know anyone with a legal issue requiring your services. Or they know people, but those people can’t afford your fees. Or they can, but your would-be referrer doesn’t have the skills or influence to make referrals happen. 

Put this on your list: 

“Teach my clients and contacts how to recognize my ideal client and how to refer them.” 

And then there are clients and contacts who know people who clearly need your legal services, and can afford you, and those contacts have the skills and influence to make those referrals happen. 

But they don’t want to. 

Maybe they have another lawyer they work with, or maybe they don’t know you well enough yet to trust you to do a good job for their contacts. 

Put this on your list: 

“Build more trust with my clients and contacts so that they are willing to send me referrals and introduce me to their contacts.”

Something else. 

Some people know people who need your help, have the ability to refer them to you, and they are willing to do so.

But they don’t. Why?  

Usually, it’s because they’re busy and it simply doesn’t occur to them. Or they don’t think you have enough work and don’t need or want more.   

Put this on your list:

“Make sure my clients and contacts know I appreciate referrals and want more of them.” 

Note that these people already know you and will read something you send them, and you can do that through the mail or email or in a newsletter.

You don’t have to talk to anyone if you don’t want to.

While you’re pondering this, imagine how much new business this can create for you and how much easier and less expensive your marketing will be when you get (a lot) more referrals. 

If that sounds good, start with this

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Filed Under: Referrals

It never stops

July 10, 2023 by
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You may not want to hear this, but here it is: lawyers sell legal services. 

Yes, you’re a professional and tiy are hired to provide professional services. No, you’re not a salesperson. But when a new client signs up, or an existing client hires you again, a sale has taken place, and you made that happen. 

And guess what? Selling doesn’t stop when they sign the retainer agreement. In fact, it never stops. 

You sell them on hiring you and then you sell them on staying with you.

You sell them on upgrading to your deluxe package or signing up for your monthly plan. 

You sell them on coming back to you after the initial case.

You sell them on giving you their other legal work. All of it, now and forever. (Or at least asking you about it so you can introduce them to other lawyers who can do the job).

You sell them on sending you referrals. And, once they’ve done that, on sending you more referrals. 

You sell them on introducing you to other professionals and influential people they know and work with. 

You sell them on providing you with reviews and testimonials, sending traffic to your site, promoting your events, and passing out your business card and brochure. 

And you sell them on having reasonable expectations about the outcome of their case (so you can exceed their expectation).

Of course, it’s not just prospects and clients you sell. You also sell insurance adjusters, opposing counsel, co-counsel, judges and juries, your client’s partners, directors and officers, and everyone else in your world. 

It’s all selling. And it never stops. 

And that’s a good thing because that’s how you build a more successful practice.

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Filed Under: Client relations, Increase your income, Salesmanship

Posture

July 7, 2023 by
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It’s not easy to define, but you know it when you see it. 

007 had it. He was unflappable. And unstoppable. You always knew that in the end, he would beat the bad guys and save the world, and no matter what happened, you’d never see him sweat. 

Your clients want that in you. 

Calm, cool, collected. Strong and confident, ready to save the day.

How can you convey that? 

Say less. Tell them how you can help them, but don’t try so hard. Let your deeds (and reviews) do most of the talking for you. 

Be willing to admit you don’t know everything, and don’t do everything yourself. You have top quality people who work for you or with you. You count on them and so can your clients. 

Don’t push, don’t convince, let the facts do that. 

Don’t react, respond. Your manner should display a relaxed intensity. Calm, cool, collected, remember? 

Don’t be a slob. 007 was always impeccably dressed. If he had a desk and an office, you know it would have been immaculate. 

Don’t talk about how busy you are. It makes you look needy. Instead, let them see a busy waiting room. And don’t always be available whenever they want to talk to you.

Don’t cut your fees. You’re the best and deserve to be paid accordingly. 

Don’t chase. You’re 007. Let ’em chase you. 

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Filed Under: Client relations, Image, Law office management Tagged With:

Why should I believe you?

July 6, 2023 by
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You’ve been practicing for thirty years? Handled thousands of cases? Have a billion dollars in settlements and verdicts? 

Impressive. But so what? Maybe you got that way by cheating your clients. You’re a lawyer and I’m scared. Just because you tell me you’re good and will help me doesn’t mean I’m ready to believe you. 

What’s that? You have reviews? Testimonials? Things other people say about the good things you did for them? Or for their clients? 

In their own words, not yours. Their stories, with enough details to convince me they’re telling the truth?

Much better. But hold on. I see other lawyers who also have good reviews. Maybe y’all only post the good ones and pay off the bad ones. 

The struggle is real. 

Hold the phone. I just remembered my friend hired you once and asked him about you. He said you did a great job for him. 

I know him. And trust him. Sign me up. 

Yes, there are other ways to get people to trust you. But these are the best. These are the ones you should focus on getting and deploying.

Number one, referrals from clients and from other professionals (whose clients have hired you). 

Number two, reviews and testimonials from your clients and endorsements from lawyers and other professionals who know you and your reputation.

Number three, articles (by you or about you) in prestigious publications, awards you’ve received from prestigious organizations, and presentations you’ve given at prestigious events.

If you say it, they can doubt it. If other people say it, it’s probably true. If someone they know and trust says it, it must be true. 

How to get referrals from other lawyers

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With:

How to get new clients to pay you more

July 5, 2023 by
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Actually, you can do this with existing clients, too. Anyone who is about to hire you or authorize you to do some work. Before you hand them the retainer or ask for the go ahead, ask them one more thing:

“Do you want fries with that?”

That simple question sells more fast food and it can sell more legal services. 

It’s called an upsell, and it’s an effective way to get clients to hire you to do more than they originally contemplated. 

It’s good for them, because they get something else they need but might have postponed. It’s good for you because you get paid more, but also because it’s one less thing to ask them about later. 

It works because the client is in “buying mode”. They’ve already decided to hire you for something and thus are more likely to hire you for something else. 

Instead of asking if they “also” want your additional service or add-on (your fries) you can ask if they want to upgrade their entire “purchase.” If you offer a basic service and a deluxe version, explain why they should consider the upgrade—the additional protection they get, the convenience of not coming back for more later, and, if (if you want), that they will save money by buying the package instead of getting all of your services separately. 

You could instead position the extra services or addons as a free bonus for electing your deluxe package.

Another option for you is to “cross-sell” instead of “upsell”. Bundle your other unrelated services, or the services of another lawyer in your firm, and give the client reasons to get everything at the same time.

Upsells and cross-sells are simple ways to get clients to pay you more (and be happy about it). 

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Filed Under: Attorneys fees, Closing the sale, Fees and Billing, Marketing legal services Tagged With:

5 slots

July 3, 2023 by
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So tell me, how much do you do on a typical day? How many tasks, appointments, or meetings? How many cases or projects do you work on? 

You want to do as much as possible, but you don’t want to burn out. 

You need a plan. 

Most people don’t plan effectively. They do the work that’s in front of them. They look at their calendar and task list, see what’s on deadline, think about their goals, and fill their day with as many tasks and appointments as possible. 

And end the day exhausted. 

They had a busy day. They got a lot done. But they aren’t running their business, their business is running them. 

If you ever feel that way about your practice, consider making a slight change. Instead of seeing what’s in front of you need to do each day, first decide how much you want to do. 

Pick a number. Not too much, not too few. Choose a number of “slots” to fill with work before you fill them.  

Slots first. Work second. 

Let’s say you choose 5 as the number of tasks you want to complete each day. That’s your upper limit. Maybe 2 or 3 are MITs (Most Important Tasks) and the others are less important. 

Whatever number you choose, it doesn’t include routine tasks you also do, such as clearing email, returning phone calls, and reviewing and signing routine letters and documents. 

A task is something that’s both important and takes a fair amount of time and energy to complete. More than a few minutes, anyway. In fact, you might specify that a task is anything that requires 30 minutes or more.

Of course, you can group small tasks, allocating 30 minutes for calls or for emails, for example. And yes, it’s a good idea to block out the time for this on your calendar. 

You can do the same thing with appointments and meetings. Decide in advance how many slots you allow each day. 

Maybe you allow yourself 2 tasks and 2 appointments each day. Or designate certain days for appointments, other days for tasks. 

The point isn’t how many tasks or appointment slots you choose, or when you do them. It’s that you decide how many slots in advance.

Planning this way keeps you from getting overwhelmed. You get your most important work done and have time and energy left to do anything else you choose to do. 

You run the practice instead of the other way around. 

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Filed Under: Productivity
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