Client relations Archives - Page 26 of 39 - The Attorney Marketing Center

How to get clients to like you

August 27, 2014 by David M. Ward

I went to a doctor once who was highly recommended. One of the best in the area, I was told. When I got to his office and went up to the desk, I was handed a clipboard and asked for my insurance card.

No greeting. No smile. No eye contact.

I said something to her. Probably something like, “Would it hurt to say good morning?” Because that’s how I roll.

When I saw the doctor, he lectured me about not being abusive to his staff.

Guess what? I didn’t stay with that doctor. It didn’t matter how good he was at his job, I didn’t like him.

So there.

The question is, do your clients like you?

It’s not difficult to get clients to like you, even if you lean towards the grouchy side. But you can’t phone it in. You do have to make some effort.

Start by avoiding things that clients DON’T like:

Don’t make them wait. If their appointment is at 2 PM, 2:01 is late.
Don’t take phone calls when the client is in your office. That goes double if you bill by the hour.
Don’t brag. Clients want to know you’re good at what you do, they don’t want to hear you go on about it.
Don’t curse or use inappropriate humor.
Don’t delay billing. Don’t send vague bills. Don’t nickel and dime on costs.
Don’t fail to keep them informed about their case.
Don’t fail to call back when they leave a message.

There, that wasn’t hard was it? Pretty basic stuff.

Now a few things you should do:

Make sure your staff makes them feel welcome. Hello, is this on?
Smile. Firm handshake. Eye contact. Remember their name.
Talk about your weekend, but make it something they can relate to. You took the family to the beach, great; leave out the part about the yacht.
Show them you’re not perfect. Admit you’re a terrible cook or throw like a girl.
Be a good listener. Ask questions and let them talk. Take notes.
Talk about your kids and/or pets and ask about theirs.
Send thank you notes.

Yeah, it’s about treating people like you would like to be treated.

You’ve probably hired professionals who don’t get it. If you’ve ever had to wait forty minutes after the time of your appointment, you know what I mean. (Be honest, were you tempted to leave and send them a bill for your time?)

Anyway, don’t be that guy or that gal.

How to get clients to like you (and trust you): get this

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

Keeping clients happy is key to attorney happiness

August 11, 2014 by David M. Ward

Happy clients mean returning clients, referring clients, and clients who pay their bills.

All hail the happy client.

How do you make ’em happy? Surprise them.

According to research, it’s not positive outcomes that make people happy, it’s when those outcomes are unexpected.

If a client hires you and do the work they paid for, along with the usual level of care and concern (“customer service”), it is an even exchange. Money paid for services rendered.

When the client gets what they expected, they are satisfied, but no more. If you give them more than they expect, however, if you surprise and delight them, happiness ensures.

Look at the other way around. If you send a client your bill and they pay it, as agreed, you’re satisfied, right? You did the work and you got paid. NBD.

What if the client unexpectedly pays you a bonus. “Here’s an extra ,000, just because.”

Surprised? Yes. Happy? Hell yeah!

Okay, so how can you give your clients a positive experience they don’t expect?

Do the work a little faster. Send a bill for less than you estimated. Throw in work product they thought would cost extra.

Of course you can also surprise and delight them with customer service. They come to your office expecting to fill out a bunch of forms and then wait to see you. Instead, they see you immediately and learn they can fill out the forms at home. They expect you to talk all about yourself and how great you are. Instead, they find you asking about them and their kids. They expect you to bill from the moment they shake hands. Instead, you tell them the first visit is free.

Figure out what they expect and then surprise them with something better.

Start by making a list of the connection points clients have with you and your office. From the time they first see your ad or find your website landing page, they have expectations. What are they? What do they expect to read on your site? What do they expect about being able to contact you and ask questions? What do they expect when they call?

When a client gets a letter or a bill from you, what do they expect? Once the case is filed, what do they think will happen? When the case is over, what then?

Each interaction with you is an opportunity to surprise that client and make them happy. Start collecting ideas for each of those interactions.

How can you surprise them when they are in your waiting room, for example? They expect water, coffee, and soft drinks, right? What if you offered them a healthy fruit drink or a milk shake from the restaurant next door? They’ve got their kids with them and expect them to have nothing to do. You could provide toys and coloring books, but how about a separate play room and a designated employee to watch them while their parents are with you?

It doesn’t make much to give clients more than they expect because when it comes to dealing with lawyers, they don’t expect much. Look for opportunities to surprise your clients and keep them happy. They may not send you ,000 more than you billed, but you’ll be just as happy when they surprise you with two or three referrals.

More ideas for keeping clients happy: The Attorney Marketing Formula

Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations Tagged With: exceeding expectations

How to get more clients from your newsletter

July 23, 2014 by David M. Ward

When I launched my new ebook on KindleÂ recently I set up an email list for purchasers. If they subscribe, they get tips and other goodies from me related to the subject matter of the book (network marketing recruiting). They get value from me by being on the list. I get a mechanism for promoting my books.

It’s a small list right now, and that’s fine. Sure, I want lots of subscribers, but more than quantity, I want quality.

You should, too.

If you have a large list that’s not producing many inquires for your services (or buying anything else you’re selling or promoting), it’s because you’re focusing on building a list instead of building relationships. Relationships come from delivering value and engaging the people on your list. By finding out what they want to know or do and finding ways to helpÂ them.

A list of 50 people who love your content, and you, is worth far more than a list of thousands who barely know who you are.

When I say list I mean email list, not social media connections. On social media, your messages are fleeting. Most people won’t see them. They are public, so anyone mightÂ see them, and that makes your posts less intimate and special.

Email, on the other hand, is personal. Even though the same message is sent to many, that message isn’t out in the open for all to see. If someone wants to comment on a social media post, they have to consider that everyone else can see what they say (and who they are). With email, they can remain anonymous to everyone but you.

And with email, you are in control. Your list is yours. Facebook doesn’t determine who does or does not see what you write.

Yesterday, I sent my first email to the new list. I thanked them again for purchasing and told them the price would be going up in a few days, in case they want to let other people know. I encouraged them to leave a review. And then I shared a tip.

I’m starting to build a relationship with my list.

Note that everyone on your list may not be a prospective client for your services. They may have hired you before and not need you again, or never hired you because the crisis has passed. Or they might be a fellow professional who likes what you do. But everyone on your list is a potential referral source.

My list isn’t going to buy my book again, but they can tell many others about it. I’m pretty sure that if I continue to build a relationship with them, that’s exactly what they will do.

If you want to get more clients from yourÂ newsletter, getÂ this

Filed Under: Blogging, Client loyalty, Client relations, Communication, Email, Marketing legal services, Newsletters, Social media marketing

If your law firm were a sports team

July 18, 2014 by David M. Ward

Your clients want you to win. They are cheering for you and will celebrate with you when you win their case or favorably resolve their issue.

If you don’t win, they will be disappointed, but they will accept it, as long asÂ you put up a good fight.

I’m sure you do your best for your clients. You advocate and argue and try every angle. You stay in shape mentally, so you can perform at your peak. You come in early and stay late, to prep for the game. You give yourÂ clients your best efforts.

But do your clients know this?

Do you let your clients know everything you do for them? Can they see your effort?

When a sports fan watches a game, they see the players in action. They see them execute strategy, take the shots, and suffer the blows. You need to show your clients no less.

That means documenting everything. It means explaining everything. It means putting everything you do in context, so they can see why you did it one way and not another.

Legal services aren’t like dry cleaning. The client doesn’t just drop off the clothing and pick it up when it’s done. Legal services involve important issues and great expense. When a client hires your law firm, they need to see what they are paying for and they are paying for your effort.

Your clients can live with the fact that you didn’t score the goal. But they have to see you take the shot.

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

Send your clients to client school

July 7, 2014 by David M. Ward

Wouldn’t it be great if there was such a thing as client school? A place where clients would learn about the law and procedure, so they would understand what’s going on with their case and not have to ask you so many questions.

They would also get schooled on how to work with you: how to help you do a better job for them, how to contact you, what to send you, what is expected of them, and what to avoid. Client school would teach them about other services you offer and how they can benefit. They could learn about fees and billing, costs and retainers, and everything else a client needs to know.

No client school would be compete without a course on how to provide referrals. Clients would learn why sending you referrals helps them (i.e., it keeps your marketing costs low and you can pass the saving onto them, you don’t have to spend as much time marketing so you can give your clients more attention, etc.) and how it helps the people they refer (i.e., they get high quality help, they don’t have to spend time finding someone, they don’t take a risk of making a bad choice, etc.)

They would then learn what to do to make the referrals, i.e., what to say to their referrals, and/or what to email them or what page to send them to.

Client school would be great, wouldn’t it? Fewer questions, happier clients, more referrals.

So, why not start one?

All you have to do is put all of this information in writing, or record videos, and post everything on your website. You can put some or all of it in a password protected “clients only” area, or make it public so prospective clients can see all that you do for your clients. You can print transcripts and mail these to clients who prefer this, or put everything on DVD’s and give them to every new client.

You could have some of your staff record a video or two. Directions, where to park, office hours, and so on, or more substantive matters. They could do a walking tour of your office, or demonstrate the process for opening a new file. If appropriate, ask some articulate clients to record something.

More ideas? How about quizzes and a diploma for those who take all of the classes? How about things for kids, like legally themed pictures they can print and color, word search, crosswords, and so on?

Start with basic information. Add what you already have: articles, blog posts, recorded webinars or speeches, forms and checklists, reports and ebooks. Then, make a list of other areas you want to cover. Record one or two five minute videos each week. Don’t get fancy. Just talk into your webcam. Or put up a few slides and narrate them.

If you make some or all of this public, every time you do an update, notify your email list and your social media followers.

So, what do you think? Would you give this idea a passing grade?

For more ideas for your website, get this

Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Law office management, Online Marketing, Social media marketing

Striking a balance between accessibility and availability

July 3, 2014 by David M. Ward

At one extreme are lawyers who are always available. They give out their cell phone number to everyone, answer their own phone, and respond almost immediately to email. There is no buffer between them and the world.

At the other extreme are lawyers who are hard to reach and hardly ever available. Clients and prospects speak to intermediaries. If they want to speak with the lawyer, they make an appointment and it might be days or weeks before that takes place.

Always being available is neither good posture, nor a good way to value and manage your time. If you are always reachable, people will start to expect it. You don’t make your schedule, others do. Â It doesn’t allow you to focus on the most important people and tasks in front of you. And, if people can’t reach you when they want to, as they have come to expect, you will have disappointed them.

Some lawyers can (and do) successfully maintain the other extreme. They are very difficult to reach and are thus seen as successful and desirable. Not everyone can pick up the phone and speak to Donald Trump whenever they want to. You have to pass through the gauntlet before you get an audience with The Donald.

It takes the right practice area and clientele to pull this off, however, as well as a high degree of confidence. If you are inclined towards this position, do you establish these guidelines first, before you are busy and successful, or do you evolve into this persona when you’ve got the chops to prove it? Tough call.

For most lawyers, it’s probably best to strike a balance between availability and accessibility. Be reasonably accessible but not always available. Don’t give out your cell phone number to everyone, reserve that for your inner circle or perhaps also for your best clients. Don’t make people wait weeks to see you, but don’t tell them they can see you “any time this week”. (Give them a couple of open time slots later in the week.) Don’t ignore messages or turn everything over to intermediaries. Return messages in a reasonably timely manner.

Show people that you are accessible but that you value your time and are busy doing important work. Unless it is an emergency, they need to accommodate your schedule, and they may need to speak to someone else before they can speak to you.

Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Client relations, Image, Law office management, Productivity

How well do you know your clients?

June 24, 2014 by David M. Ward

When your clients like you, they tend to stay with you. And give you referrals. And send traffic. And say nice things about you on social media and review sites.

Yes or yes?

So, how do you get your clients to like you? One way is to show them that you like them. People like people who like them.

Yes or yes?

One of the simplest ways to do this is to show them that you remember some personal details about them. Like the names of their spouse and kids. Like their birthdays. Like whether or not they have pets.

When youÂ know your clients well enough toÂ remember these details, you tell them that you think they are important and that you care about them as people, not just bill-paying clients.

I got a call from a lawyer I haven’t spoken to in a couple of years. I asked him about his wife, by name. He didn’t say anything, but I’m sure heÂ noticed.

When you first meet with a new client, or a prospective clients, get them talking about themselves and take notes. Enter this information into your client database, and continue adding this kind of information, over time. The next time you speak with the client, have your database open and use this information during the conversation.

We are in the people business, you and I. We may sell products or services, or our problem-solving abilities, but what we really sell is ourselves.

Want to make your phone ring? ThisÂ shows you what to do.

Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Referrals, Relationship marketing, Salesmanship

20 hours a week marketing your law practice?

May 28, 2014 by David M. Ward

Email provider Constant Contact conducted a survey of 1,300 small business owners. They found that, “A small business owner â€” along with another employee â€” will spend an average of 20 hours per week on marketing.”

Does this sound like a lot?

The business owners weren’t selected at random. They were part of the company’s “Small Biz Council,” which suggests they weren’t your average small business because (a) they use email marketing, and (b) they areÂ part of a “Small Biz Council”.

Before you read further, how would you answer this question? How many hours per week do you spend marketing your law practice?

Your answer will depend on how you define marketing.

If you believe that “marketing is everything we do to get and keep good clients,” as I do, you will realize that marketing is deeply baked into our daily activities. It’s not something we put on our calendars and “do” once a week, we do it all day long.

Take client relations, for example. If you spend ten hours a week speaking with, or writing to clients, all of the little things you say and do (and avoid saying and doing) count as marketing. How you greet them–your smile, your handshake, offering them something to drink, cleaning up your desk before escorting them into your private office–it all counts.

Now how about the time you spend writing blog posts, articles, and newsletters, and time spent speaking and networking (including on social media)? You can also count the time you spend reading things you can use in your writing or in conversation with clients and prospects and referral sources.

You’re reading this post right now, either in your email or on my blog. Â In my book, time spent learning about marketing counts as marketing.

Are you adding this up?

Don’t forget the time you spend communicating with staff or outside vendors about your website, advertising, PR, or content creation.

Are you on any committees? Do you do any charitable work? The time you spend at meetings or playing in charity golf tournaments is at least partially marketing related since you are building relationships with people who can send you business or otherwise further your career.

So, you spend a lot more time on marketing than you thought. Now that you are aware of this, you can consciously improve your marketing.

The next time you meet with a client, think about how you can improve their experience. What else can you do or say? What can you give them?

Look at everything you do throughout your day and think about how you can do it better, faster, or more effectively. Because marketing is everything we do to get and keep good clients.

Want to get better at marketing your law practice? Here’s what you need.

Filed Under: Client relations, Law office management, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan

The lifetime value of one-time clients

May 19, 2014 by David M. Ward

I got an email from a marketing expert I follow who asked us if we would prefer to have a customer or a buyer on our list. What’s the difference? A customer is someone who buys something or hires you once and then goes on their merry way. They might come back, they might not. A customer, on the other hand, is someone who makes a custom of buying from you, “because of the trust, respect, and loyalty they have for you.”

So, customers are better than buyers.

Repeat clients are better than one-time clients.

Does this mean lawyers should only practice in areas where clients make a custom of hiring again and again? Should we choose business law, for example, with lots of repeat business, over consumer bankruptcy where the client might hire us once in a lifetime?

Not necessarily.

Someone who “buys” from you once and never again isÂ potentially just as valuable as someone who hires you frequently. They should be courted and nurtured. We should build relationships with one-time clients, even if they never hire us again.

The lifetime value of a client is only partially measured by the fees they pay us. There are many other ways they can deliver value and help our practice grow. They can provide

Referrals
Website traffic
Recommendations and positive reviews
Introductions to other professionals, meeting holders, editors, bloggers, etc.
Invitations to networking events
Feedback about our services (so we can make improvements)
Information about our target market or community
Likes, re-tweets, and sharing of our content
Forwarding our emails to others in our target market

They can send us business, help us build our list, and otherwise help us bring in more business. In fact, what a client does for us outside of paying fees could easily be worth far more than the fees they pay. In terms of referrals alone, some clients who never hire you again could be worth many times the fees generated from clients who hire you again and again.

In fact, someone who never hires you could be worth far more to you than someone who hires you repeatedly.

The lesson? Treat everyone as though they are your biggest client. Provide extras. Help them every way you can. And stay in touch with them, before, during, and after the engagement or case.

You never know what someone can do to help you.

The Referral Blitz is one way to get clients and contacts to help you build your practice. Click here for details.

Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, List building, Referral sources, Referrals, Relationship marketing Tagged With: lifetime value