Ugh, bad reviews. You don’t want to think about them, you just wish they would go away. But they don’t go away, you have to do something about them. 

There’s too much at stake if you don’t. 

Don’t do what one lawyer did. When a client accused him of scamming her, sued him, and posted a scathing 1-star review, the lawyer threated to sue her for defamation if she didn’t remove it. 

In response, the client updated her review and noted the threat. That’s when all hell broke loose.  

Her review was repeatedly upvoted and went viral. The lawyer started getting “random 1-star reviews harassing him from everywhere” and, according to the client, the lawyer became “a laughing stock”. 

Note to self: don’t become a laughing stock. It’s bad for business.

So, what is the best way to handle a bad review? 

Right, do your job and do it well so clients write 5-star reviews. 

Still, bad reviews happen, and when they do, you shouldn’t ignore them.

It’s not like someone left a bad review on your book. You have (had) a relationship with the client, and not only is that worth saving, your history with them potentially makes that easier to do. 

You know the case, the client, and what buttons shouldn’t be pushed. 

But you can’t write or email the client, you have to talk to them.  

That might lead to shouting or more unpleasantness, and it might make things worse, but you have to try. 

That means you have to apologize. 

Even if you don’t think you did anything wrong. Even if the client is being unreasonable. Even if you really don’t want them back. 

Find something to apologize for because you’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t.

Maybe you didn’t explain things as well as you could. Maybe you read the wrong signals or made assumptions you shouldn’t have made. Or maybe you allowed your other work or a personal situation to distract you. 

Don’t make excuses. Take the blame, say you’re sorry and fix it. Even if hurts to do that, because losing a client can hurt you more. 

Strange as it might seem, studies show that no matter how much a client is upset with a lawyer, if that lawyer makes amends (apologizing, fixing), that client will often become a lifelong client and one of the lawyer’s biggest fans. 

Maybe because they feel guilty. 

Anyway, once you’ve kissed and made up, you can ask them to upgrade or remove their review. But they might do that on their own.  

No, not every client will accept your apology or your offer to fix things. When you’ve got a stinker and the client won’t talk to you, some review sites allow the reviewee to post a response, explaining their side of the story. Should you? 

No. Either let it go or ask the client (in your response) to contact you to discuss the situation in private. 

Take the conversation “offline”. 

Whether or not the client agrees to do that, at least you’ll be showing others who read the review (and your response) that you’re being reasonable and trying to make things right. 

Which is a lot better than threatening litigation and making things (much) worse. 

Word-of-mouth. Buzz. Reputation. When it’s good, it’s one of the best ways to market any business, but especially a law practice.

Why a law practice? Because so many people have a negative image of lawyers, based on past experience, what they’ve heard from a friend, or what they see on TV, it doesn’t take much to exceed their expectations, and when you do, word gets around.

Even if it’s grossly exaggerated, or completely untrue, people often believe lawyers charge more than they’re worth, use confusing billing practices, are arrogant, fail to explain things, make them wait for 40 minutes after their scheduled appointment time, and never return calls.

Am I right or am I right?

Look at client survey results from your bar association, look at online reviews, and it’s easy to see what clients complain about.

And when you don’t do those things, clients notice.

The bar is so low, you don’t have to do much to develop the reputation for treating your clients well. Avoid the negative things other lawyers do, or are thought to do, and you’ll stand out. And get talked about in a positive way.

But don’t leave it at that.

Call attention to what you do by explaining to new clients, and in your marketing, what you do to keep your clients informed, your transparent fee and billing practices, and your guarantee to see clients no later than 5 minutes beyond the time for their scheduled appointment.

Explain it, put it in writing, and deliver on your promises, and your clients will tell others about their amazing lawyer.

Marketing made simple

It’s not a must, but it can make a big difference. Because, given a choice, people prefer to hire a lawyer they know, like, and trust.

Trust is most important and requires the most effort. Before people hire you, you want them to hear good things about you, both online and from people they know. After they hire you, you want to show them you keep your promises and get results.

Trust, baby. For a lawyer, it’s what’s for dinner.

Knowing isn’t difficult, but takes time and effort (and money) to get your name and story in front of people often enough so that it is familiar.

You can get a lot of clients with knowing and trust and many lawyers do. But “liking” is where the magic happens.

When prospects like you, they are more likely to choose you. When clients like you, they are more likely to become repeat clients, share your content, and send you referrals.

For some lawyers, however, likeability is a challenge.

Don’t worry, I’m going to give you a simple way to put a smile on people’s faces when they hear your name or see your face.

What’s that? You say your clients already like you? They love you to pieces?

Great. Read this anyway. You never know when it might come in handy.

Okay, what’s the simplest way to get people to like you?

Make them feel that you like them. Because people like people who like them.

Yeah, but what if you don’t like them? You’ll take their money and do the work, but you’ll never be their bff.

What then?

Find something you do like about them and focus on that. Even if the only thing you like is their checkbook.

Greet them (and their checkbook) with a handshake and a smile, make them feel you understand their problem, you can help them and you want to do that.

Like you do with any client.

Put the parts you don’t like in a lockbox and throw away the key.

But there’s something else you can do to make them like you, even if you still don’t like them.

You can simulate “liking” by getting them to talk about themselves (not just their legal issue).

Get them to tell you about their work, their family, or anything that interests them. Because when someone does most of the talking, they tend to like the person they’re talking to.

So, don’t hog the microphone. Let them do most of the singing.

Ask questions and listen. Ask follow-up questions and listen some more.

And, if they happen to share something you have in common with them, make sure to let them know.

Because people like people who not only like them but are like them in some way. Even if it’s just rooting for the same sports team or being fed up with inflation.

I download a lot of apps to try out. I delete most of them almost immediately.

It’s not the app necessarily. Many of them come highly recommended, have great reviews, and look like something I can use. So, why do I kiss them goodbye so quickly?

Because they don’t make me feel welcome.

They make me sign up before I can see anything. Their instructions are confusing (or there aren’t any). They assume I know things I don’t know, or they do things in ways I’m not used to and don’t explain why.

I’m the customer. You should make me feel appreciated. Take me by the hand, show me around, and help me get started.

Don’t just point out a list of features. Help me start using them.

Some apps do it right. From the first click, they invite you into their world, and an exciting world it is. They show you everything you need to see and hide (for now) everything you don’t. They make you feel like they know what they’re doing and you will be well taken care of.

The app might not have every feature you want. It might not be the best at everything it does. But you fall in love with it because of their exceptional onboarding experience.

Something attorneys should seek to do with new clients.

Make them feel welcome, appreciated, and safe. Make them feel like you’ve done this before and they are in good hands. Make them fall in love with you and very happy they downloaded you.