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

What, when, why, and how?

October 6, 2026 by
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When a client or prospect asks you a question, about the law or their situation, when they want information or your opinion or advice, do you usually answer or do you suggesst they make an appointment, (because your knowledge and opinion are valuable and you are entitled to be paid therefor?)

Sometimes, there’s a fine line. I suggest you draw that line on the side of answering their questions, because it is a natural way to show a client or prospect why they need to hire (and pay) you. 

You can’t tell them everything, of course, but you can tell them enough to show them the seriousness of their situation, deliniate the issues, explain how long it could take to resolve their situation, and how difficult it might be. 

Questions let you say things like “it depends” and otherwise allow you to demonstrate the nature and extent of your expertise and experience. As a result, you don’t have to go into presentation mode and convince anyone they need to hire you. Your answers do the selling for you. 

Which is why you should encourage clients and prospects to ask you questions. There more the better.

There’s another reason to do that. Those questions, and your answers, give you content you can use in your newsletter, blog, articles, and speaking. 

There’s nothing more compelling than telling readers or listeners about a question you were recently asked (or are often asked), and answering it. 

There’s also no easier way to create content. 

They ask, you answer, and your post or that segment of your speech is done. 

When you create content from these questions and answers, you also get to talk about cases and clients you’ve handled, which tells your readers that you know what you’re doing and  can help them with similar issues. 

Questions and answers prompt readers to think about their own situation, leading to more inquires, appointments, and engagements. 

And more content for you. 

Which is why you should encourage clients and prospects, readers and listeners, to ask you questions. 

Questions help you build your practice.

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Filed Under: Closing the sale, Content creation, Marketing legal services

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

Promote trial

July 28, 2026 by
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No, not that kind of trial. Trial as in the way many apps are sold in the App store: “Download our app and try it before you buy it”. Customers try the app, see how it works, decide they like it and buy it. For many developers, a free trial results in more sales and higher profits. That’s why so many companies offer them. 

And then there’s the legal world. Most lawyers don’t let anyone try before they buy. Clients either hire them or they don’t. 

The risk is on the client and if a competitor offers any kind of free trial, many clients will hire them instead. 

But that doesn’t mean lawyers should always offer a free trial, or even free consultations. They work for some practices and niches but may not work for yours. Or they might work but you might not be comfortable offering them. 

Fortunately, there are other ways to get clients to try you before they hire you. And you may already use some of them. 

Trial can be accomplished through free seminars, a newsletter, writing articles, blogs, and books. You might offer free downloads (forms, checklists, case studies, or other resources) on your website. You might do podcasts or videos or get interviewed by experts or influencers on their podcast or channel.

Prospective clients read or hear you speak about their legal situation or their industry, learn about solutions and opportunities that are available to them, and get a sense for what it would be like hiring or working with you. 

They get a sample of what you offer, even though they haven’t actually hired you.

If they like what you say, and how you present it, they are more inclined to hire you than they might be if you required them to pay you first.

Free content, free consultations, free seminars, or even just a brief conversation with you could help let clients (and referral sources) try you before they buy you. 

If it does, you might have a great way to bring in a lot of new business, and you don’t need an app to do it.

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Filed Under: Closing the sale, Content creation, Increase your income, Marketing legal services

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

What do you say to a client who tries to negotiate your fee?

July 7, 2026 by
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You make it clear you don’t reduce or negotiate fees, ask questions about what they want or need, and suggest looking for ways to adjust the size and scope of the engagement. You give them a path to getting the services and benefits they need without compromising your value.

If they tell you other lawyers charge a lower hourly rate, you tell them they’re not just paying for the hours of work, they’re paying for your experience and abilities, suggesting that you are better positioned to get them the outcome they desire, or do it more expeditiously. 

And if it appears they simply can’t afford you, or don’t have the budget to hire you, you tell them you understand and offer to refer them to another lawyer you know who does good work and charges less. 

Sometimes, that’s all it takes for them to realize that you are the best choice. 

In every case, you maintain your posture and let the chips fall where they may. You don’t want “price shoppers”. Not every client is right for you, nor are you right for every client. If you do good work and have a good reputation, you should see most prospective clients saying yes. 

If you don’t, if many prospective clients say you charge too much or they can’t afford you, or hire you once but don’t return, you might be charging more than your market can handle, or your marketing isn’t effectively communicating the value you deliver. 

Adjustments might be warranted. 

On the other hand, if most prospective clients say yes, hire you, return, and refer other clients, you might not be charging as much as you’re worth. 

In which case, adjustments might be warranted. 

The market ultimately tells you how much you’re worth and the market is always right. 

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Closing the sale, Fees and Billing

Immediately, if not sooner

June 16, 2026 by
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My grandfather used to say that when he wanted to make a point about something taking too long. He was being funny, I guess, and didn’t realize it was good advice for lawyers and service providers who are responding to inquiries and questions from prospective clients and customers.

Don’t keep ‘em waiting. Get back to them immediately (if not sooner). 

Last week, my wife and I decided to replace some plumbing fixtures in the house and asked for a bid from the company we usually work with. Unfortunately (for them), they didnt get back to us immediately and we let our fingers do the walking (Internet version), and contacted another company that had good reviews. They responded immediately (with a lower bid) and we gave them the job. 

Customers and clients are impatient, even more so today than in the days when the Yellow Pages ruled commerce. They also don’t hesitate to contact more than one lawyer or plumber when they need to hire one. So, the lesson is the same. When a prospective client contacts you, you need to follow up with them mmediately. If not sooner. 

Actually, “sooner” isn’t flippancy. You can answer client questions and make the case for choosing you even before they contact you, by posting lots of information on your website. Explain what you do and how you work, answer frequently asked questions, and describe what happens when a prospective client contacts you to get more information.

Also provide multiple ways for clients to contact you, so they can get your help as quickly as possible. 

You should have pages that describe your services, in detail and with examples. “Personal Injury” and “accidents” clearly isn’t enough detail. What kinds of accidents? What kinds of injuries? What specific services do you provide? What kinds of clients do you work with? What do you do that’s different or better than other lawyers in your niche or market?

And, don’t just say it, prove it with success stories, testimonials, and endorsements from other lawyers and business professionals. 

Assume nothing. Show them why they should trust you and choose you. 

Prospective clients (and the people who refer them) shouldn’t have to ask “why you?” Most of that information should be in front of them, available 24/7, so they can see “why you” before they ever call or fill out a form. 

Do that AND get back to them immediately when they do contact you and you’ll get more clients choosing you instead of those other lawyers who didn’t. 

Don’t make people wait. Respond to inquiries immediately. If not sooner. 

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Filed Under: Closing the sale, Communication, Marketing legal services, Online Marketing

A simple strategy for getting more cases and clients

March 31, 2026 by
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Hint: the strategy is in the title of this post. . .

When a prospective client reads your article, sees your post, or views your ad, when they see or hear your content or marketing message, what do you want them to do? 

Do you want them to call your office? Fill out a form? Go to your website? 

Do you want them to click something, download something, or send you something? 

What do you want them to do? 

Whatever it is, tell them, and make it simple. Because the simpler it is for them to do, the more likely it is that they will do it. 

Conversely, the more complicated it is, the more time it takes to do it, the less likely it is that they will. 

NB: Simplify the next step. 

You want them to take that step. You want them to move forward. You want to get past their fear or doubt, overcome inertia, and take action. 

The first step will lead to the next step. And the next. And eventually lead to your being hired. 

Many attorneys don’t simplify the next step. They often do the opposite and make it harder for the client to take that step.

Why? Because they are attorneys. They live in the details and fine print. They don’t like “simple” they like “complete”. 

You can be that attorney later. Right now, simplify the next step. 

Don’t give them a lengthy page to fill out. Don’t make them go through a lot of hoops. You don’t want them to hesitate or feel the need to get more information. You want them to call or click right now.  

You’ve told them enough. Show them what to do next. One specific, simple step.

Because the more who do, the more cases and clients you sign up. 

One last thought. 

Some attorneys don’t want to make it easy for prospects to take the next step because they don’t want to spend a lot of time talking to people who can’t or won’t hire them. They want to screen them and make sure the prospective client is a good fit. 

Me? I say talk to them. Talk to as many as possible, even if they aren’t a good fit. 

Because while they might not hire you today, if you treat them right, they might remember you and hire you tomorrow.

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Filed Under: Closing the sale, Communication, Increase your income

When a prospective client isn’t ready to sign up. . .

March 3, 2026 by
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You’re speaking to a prospective client about their case or matter, but they’re not ready to hire you. They tell you they need to think about it. Or say something else that means they’re not ready to say “yes”. 

In effect, it’s a “no”. 

What should you do? 

Many lawyers will correctly say that “no” means “not now”. The client may not be ready to sign up today, because they don’t have the money or don’t want to spend it, their pain or problem isn’t bad enough yet, they have people in their ear telling them they don’t need a lawyer and/or urging them to get more information or competitive quotes, and the list goes on. 

But that’s today, and tomorrow it could be a different answer. Assume that “no” means “not now” and let them go, those lawyers will tell you. If, and when they decide they need you, they’ll let you know. 

That’s the nature of business. You win some, you lose some, and some are delayed by rain. 

Letting them go is your first option. Is it your best choice? 

Other lawyers (and advisors) will tell you that “no” means they need more information or more convincing. You didn’t tell them enough or make things plain enough or urgent enough, and your job, as a professional persuader is to persuade. So get to it. 

Tell them more about the law, the risks of not taking action or waiting too long, why you are the best lawyer for what they need, and everything else you want them to know, so they can make the “right” decision. 

After all, if it’s in their best interests to hire you, you owe them a duty to pull out all the stops and get them to see the light (and other metaphors you could mix). 

So, don’t give up that easily. If you told them once, tell them again. More information, more examples, more stories about clients who made the wrong decision, or the right one. Maybe talk to the person who referred them, or a mutual business contact, and see if they can help. 

Many attorneys agree with this and will at least try to get the client to reconsider. And the client often does. They decided to hire the attorney, wrote a check, and all was right with the world.

So, those are your first two options. Let them go or do more convincing. But there’s a third option, and it’s the one I recommend. 

Your third option is to do for them what you would want them to do if your roles were reversed. If you were the prospective client and not ready to sign up, what would you want the attorney to say or do? 

Here’s what I would want:

I’d want the attorney to tell me they understand I’m not ready and won’t push me, thank me for speaking to them, and ask me what I want them to do. 

Do I want them to send me more information? Follow-up with me next week or next month? Validate my parking ticket?

I’d want the attorney to make sure I knew my options and let me tell them what I want to do.

That’s what you would want, isn’t it? That’s what your (prospective) clients want, too. 

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Filed Under: Client relations, Closing the sale
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