More about the primacy of ‘first impressions’

October 29, 2026 by
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I recently wrote about the importance of making a good first impression on prospective clients, and how it is fundamental to your successs in “closing” more clients. Today, I have some additional thoughts on the subject: 

  • Whenever possible, meet them yourself (instead of your assistant). Remember, the goal is to get them to like and trust you, and while you also want them to like and trust your staff and other members of your firm, it’s you they will hire and work with. 
  • Do it in person. Research shows that a face to face meeting is very different from a virtual meeting, online via Zoom, for example, “seeing”meeting” you via a recorded video, or as a member of the audience at a presentation. Meeting in person, one-on-one, allows you to shake hands, make eye contact, respond to their questions and body language with your own questions and body language, in a way that shows them you understand them and “feel” something about what they’re saying.
  • Ask how they found out about you. What caught their eye in your ad or post or website; what did the referring party tell them you? Their answers will help you connect better with them. 
  • Get to know them before you ask about their legal situation. Ask about their business and/or family. And, let them do most of the talking. It helps them relieve their stress and makes them more likely they will “like” you as a result.
  • Ask if they have talked to or worked with other lawyers about their situation (or others) before contacting you. If they had a bad experience with another firm, you want to know what happened so you can explain what you do instead.
  • Give them something: your card, a brochure, a copy of an article related to their situation. It shows them you’re prepared and professional and might create a psychological “debt,” i.e., feeling obligated to hire you or take the next step. 
  • When you talk about their case or situation (what you think, what you can do to help), look for opportunities to describe what you’ve done for other clients with the same or similar situation. It’s a gentle way of “selling” them, without pushing them. 
  • Focus the conversation on benefits, not features. Yes, tell them about your bona fides and experience with their type of business or case, but translate that into how that experienes benefits them. A good transitional phrase to use is, “What that means to you is…”.
  • Assume the “sale” (sign-up) but don’t push. You might ask if they’re ready to get started or if they have any additional questions before you get started, or hand them something to fill out where doing that is an indication of their readiness to take the next step. They know it’s their decision, of course, but will appreciate you letting them make that decision.

A final thought: make sure to introduce them to members of your staff or firm, especially if they are “nicer” than you. Let’s face it, sometimes lawyers focus too much on the legal issues or the work, and not enough on the clients. (Ask me how I know.) This is a simple way to borrow some of our staff’s likability and improve the client’s first impression.

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Filed Under: Client relations, Closing the sale, Law office management

Clients hire lawyers more often because of one thing

October 22, 2026 by
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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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Filed Under: Client relations, Closing the sale, Law office management, Marketing legal services

Send this email to your clients at the end of their case

September 10, 2026 by
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We just had some repairs done to our roof. After the job was done, we received a “thank you” email from the owner of the company. I’m sure you send a thank you email or letter to your clients at the end of their case. 

If you don’t, you might want to get on that. Many professionals don’t and it’s not only bad form, it’s bad for business. 

Clients want to be acknowledged. A short message, thanking them for choosing them (or hiring them again) goes a long way towards strengthening relationships with them, reducing “buyers’ remorse,” and fostering repeat business and referrals. 

It also helps you get better reviews. 

In his email, after he said “thank you,” the roofing contractor said, 

“You will be receiving an email in a few days asking for an honest review. We would love to get a 5 star review from you, but if for some reason you feel you can’t give us 5 stars then please contact us to make it right.”

What does this do? 

  • It tells the customer (client) another email is coming, so they expect it and are thus more likely to see it and respond to it;
  • It normalizes the review process by mentioning it without hesitation;
  • It “asks” for a 5-star review, making it more likely they will provide that instead of 4-stars (or something else):
  • It asks the customer to contact them if there’s anything they’re not happy about, which tells the customer they care about their work and their reputation and will take care of any issues or concerns, which can only lead to more repeat business and positive word-of-mouth about the company: and
  • It gets the customer to think about the work that was done–what was promised and what was delivered–which should lead to higher ratings and more detailed comments in client reviews.

One reason we chose this contractor instead of several others from whom we got bids was because he had more 5-star reviews and “better” comments than the others. 

Just saying. 

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Referrals, Reviews

Superman didn’t go to law school

August 25, 2026 by
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Superman had his Kryptonite, but otherwise, he could do almost anything.

But he didn’t know everything.

And yet our clients think we do know everything. Or think we should.

Which is why some lawyers avoid telling their clients they don’t know the answer to their question, or how to do something that needs to be done.

They don’t want to appear weak or inexperienced. They want clients to think they can do anything.

But that can be a mistake.

Clients know you don’t know everything. They know you are human. And they appreciate it when you don’t pretend to be something you’re not.

When you tell them you don’t know something, but also tell them you’ll find out, e.g., do some research or give it some thought, they respect your honesty and transparency. That builds trust and loyalty, which is always a good thing.

But there are limits.

Clients expect you to know certain things because you went to law school or have been practicing for a long time. You’re a lawyer, for darn sake, so you should know!

If you say, “I don’t know,” they might get scared or confused, right? So, what should do? Where do you you draw the line? How much should you “admit” you don’t know or can’t do?

Should you fake it? Give a partial answer and resort to the usual “it depends”? Tell them you’ll get started and get back to them?

The answer is, I don’t know. Because I don’t.

This is something you have to figure out and every situation and client and query is different.

If you don’t know the answer, if you need to do some research, think about it, or ask a colleague, tell them why.

Explain the issues, options, or complications. Explain why there is no simple answer, which is why you don’t have the answer on the tip of your tongue.

It’s okay to tell your client you don’t know, but make sure you explain why you don’t know.

And then, tell them you’ll find out.

Because it all comes down to showing clients you respect them enough to tell them the truth, as difficult as that might be sometimes, but you’ll do everything you can to protect them, advise them, and help them.

In the end, that truly is your super power.

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Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Client loyalty, Client relations

The danger of being too good at your job

August 11, 2026 by
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The client tells you about their problem, you ask a few questions and immediately know the solution. You have the knowledge, experience, and skills needed to do the job.

You’ve seen their issue many times before, handled this type of case more times than you can count, and want the client to know you know what you’re doing and can help them. 

You should tell them, right? Put their minds at ease and tell them what you can do.

Yes, but maybe not too quickly.

If you move too quickly, you might scare them. Make them think you missed something or are telling them what you think they want to hear. 

Slow your roll. Ask more questions, explain the options, the risks and deadlines. Talk about possible secondary issues; explain how long it might take. 

And reflect back to them what they’ve told you and what you think about that.

Because more than anything, the client wants to know you heard and understood them, and see them as individuals, not just another piece of business.

If you’re too quick to diagnose problems and present solutions, or you rush through the appointment, it can hurt trust. It can make it look like you didn’t listen, don’t care, or you offer one-size-fits-all services. 

Or rushing them to sign up because you need the work.

Yeah, don’t rush. Don’t push. Give them a day or two to think about it. Let them get back to you. 

You’re good at your job and know you can help them. Give them the time they need to come to that same conclusion. 

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Filed Under: Client relations, Closing the sale

Pulling is better than pushing

July 9, 2026 by
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There are times when you need to push a client to do something or stop doing something. There’s a deadline approaching, they’re dragging their feet and need to make a decision about something, new facts have come to light they need to consider but aren’t. 

Or they owe you money and you can’t continue working until they get current. 

You’ve told them, advised them, given them more time, but they’re not doing what they need to do. 

This isn’t just an issue with existing clients. It also exists with prospective clients who have a problem that isn’t going away. They need your services,  perhaps desperately, but don’t hire you, or apparently anyone else. You follow-up with them again and again but at some point, it’s clear they want you to stop. 

With clients, there is a relationship and you give each other the benefit of the doubt. With prospective clients, that dynamic doesn’t exist and the more you follow-up, the more they resist. Soon, things can get ugly.

Client or prospect, instinctively, or ethically, you want to push them. Remind them again, remind them more urgently, warn them, or otherwise push them to do what they need to do. And, it’s necessary and important, you should. The problem is, the more you push them, the more you run the risk of alienating them, or, in the case of getting them to pay you, appearing desperate. 

Not good.

You have to do what you have to do, of course, and if pushing them is what you have to do, you do it. But if you can, instead of pushing, it’s always better to pull. 

What does “pulling” mean? It means encouraging and suggesting and resasoning, not pressuring. It means building regular follow-ups into your management and marketing systems that, as much as possible, automate the process without making it look anything but reasonable and necessary. 

Instead of coming after the client or prospect and annoying them into compliance, you have a system that does most of the work for you, inviting, explaining, reminding, gently increasing the urgency and frequency of contact over time. 

It might also mean having someone else on your team contact them, someone who might be better at the job, but even just having a different person do the job could make all the difference.

If you don’t have to push, pull. Pulling makes you look like you know exactly what you’re doing and are doing it on their behalf. 

Pushing makes you look unprepared, adversarial, desperate. 

Nobody likes a pushy lawyer. Unless, of course you are that lawyer, you’re pushing the opposition on behalf of your client, and it’s working.

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Filed Under: Client relations, Closing the sale, Communication, Marketing legal services

Do you have a ‘client loyalty plan’? Should you? 

July 2, 2026 by
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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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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Law office management, Relationship marketing

Be normal

June 11, 2026 by
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News flash: lawyers are people. Human beings with personal problems, interests, and quirks. We have a lot in common with our bretheren (and sisteren) but we’re also different. 

Different personalities, looks, and styles. Which prospective clients notice, are attracted to, and remember. 

Which is why we all need to embrace our individuality and not try to be like everyone else. We need to be who we are, not who we think our clients want us to be. When we all look and sound alike, nobody pays attention.

We need to be who we are, but normal. Because clients don’t want to hire weirdos. 

Clients want an attorney who looks like an attorney. And sounds like an attorney. Professional, well-dressed, well-groomed, and well-spoken. 

Your headshot photo on your website and marketing materials needs to tell the world you know what you’re doing and are successfull doing it. The car you drive should tell the world you’re no slouch. How you dress, shine your shoes, and conduct yourself from the stage or speaking to clients and prospects and business contacts needs to fit an image that makes people like and trust you. 

You don’t have to hire a stylist or pay big bucks for a photo shoot. Just pay attention to the basics and don’t look like a slob. 

But don’t go the other direction, either. You don’t need $7,500 suits or $400 haircuts. Plastic surgery isn’t a requirement. You want to look your best but not look like you spend (your clients’) money recklessly. 

Perhaps the most important element to pay attention to is your writing. Your articles and blog posts, letters and emails, reports and memos, are often not only the first impression many people see of you, they live on the Internet for a very long. 

Write like a lawyer, but to be understood, not to impress. 

Spell-checking is a must. Grammar-checking and ai can help a lot. You don’t need to be paranoid about your writing or hire an editor for everything, but it couldn’t hurt to have someone look over your shoulder before you hit publish.

Lawyers are expected to write formally, mostly, use upper-and-lower-case words and complete sentences, avoid emojis, and do their best not to sound glib. But lawyers can also be familiar and informal, plain spoken, and down-to-earth. 

Don’t write like a professor or intellectual, unless you’re writing to professors or intellectuals. You can be warm and personable, and have a little fun with your words.

You know, normal. 

And if you want clients to feel comfortable with you and want to speak to you and work with you, you will. 

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Filed Under: Client relations, Communication, Content creation, Writing

Potty mouth

June 9, 2026 by
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The other day I started listening to a podcast about a productivity subject that interests me, but I couldn’t finish it. Not because the subject was dry or the content bad but because the presenter couldn’t seem to say anything without infusing it with curse words.

I just wanted to hear about the tools and the process, but every time there was another f-bomb or scatological reference, it was so distracting, I gave up.

I’m not a prude. I’m not strictly against cursing or rough language. But context matters, and when I’m listening to what is supposed to be a professional presentation, about a professional subject, I expect it to be done professionally.

This guy didn’t and it was off-putting. His manner of speaking made him look unintelligent and I judged the value of his content (that I didn’t stick around to finish) as unworthy of my time. It cost him a listener and potentional client.

I’m sure you understand this and don’t do what this fellow did. I know you are a professional and abide by professional standards.

So why am I telling you this?

To make a point about the importance of paying attention to what you say and do in front of clients and business contacts because some of them are judging you and the value of what you offer by what you say and how you conduct yourself.

It doesn’t mater how rough your audience might be, as professionals, we need to operate at a higher level.

Rule of thumb: if you wouldn’t say it in open court, don’t say it on stage or on YouTube.

But cursing is only one area we need to watch. I always have to look over my shoulder when I try to be funny and, too often, come off looking juvenile.

And, as I’ve mentioned before, politics is the third rail of interpersonal communication. Unless you have a political channel or have built your following based on who and what you support, or denounce, do yourself a favor and don’t go there.

Just don’t.

Religion? Lifestyle choices? Even something as seemingly innocuous as which celebrities you like and which ones you wish would stop talking, be careful.

There are a lot of opinionated people in the world and many are ready to “cancel” anyone who doen’t agree with them (especially lawyers, yes?), and you don’t need any of that.

This isn’t about pandering or being excessively timid. It’s about doing your job. It’s about knowing what’s important and what isn’t, and avoiding unforced errors.

I’m pretty sure nobody has refused to hire you because you didn’t curse enough or talk about politics enough. If you have a choice, and you always have a choice, don’t let anything get in the way of doing your job.

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Filed Under: Client relations, Communication, Content creation

It’s simple

May 12, 2026 by
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Building a successful practice isn’t easy. There are no shortcuts or hacks. Even if you have a lot of money and experience, even if you’re very good at what you do and have a great reputation, it takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (and years) to build the career and lifestyle I’m sure you want. 

Stop looking for the secret sauce. Success is complicated. 

But it’s also simple. 

Yes, you have to get a lot of things right, but most of those things are small and obvious. You probably do most of them already.

Treating clients like you would like to be treated if you were in their shoes, for example. Being nice. Patiently explaining things. Going the extra mile. 

Simple things like that. 

But there’s a catch. You can’t be complacent. You have to keep doing the little things and you have to continuously improve them. 

Professional services, after all. 

So, here’s your plan: 

Take inventory of every element in your marketing, client relations, and practice management. Brainstorm, talk to your employees and partners, and write down everything you do to get and keep clients and perform your services. Everything you do to attract them, get them to hire you, get them to return, and tell others about you. 

It might be things you already do well but it could also be things that need fixing, or things you don’t do at all. 

It should be a long list. Because success is complicated. 

Next, the part that’s simple. 

Choose something on your list you believe can be improved. Even a little. Because in any business, but especially in professional services, small, incremental improvements can make a very big difference. Attorneys work closely and directly with clients and those who can refer them, and little improvements get noticed. 

All those little improvements compound and help you grow.

So, pick something and work on it. Make it better. Do it faster. Help clients and prospects feel a little better about you and your office. 

Pick something you can improve and improve it. Then, look for something else and do that. 

That’s the plan. And you can start on it immediately. 

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Law office management, success
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