I talked to a business associate today. She’s getting leads via email on LinkedIn, getting some inquires, and wanted to know what I recommend she do to follow up.

We talked about what she was doing and what she wanted to happen, and then I told her something I know she knew but needed to be reminded of.

I told her she needs to talk to these people.

You can use LinkedIn (or whatever) to get people to hold up their hand and ask for information, but if you want to sell them something (she does), the best thing you can do is transition from email or text chat to the phone, a video chat, or an in-person meeting.

It’s not the only way to sell (or get clients), by far. But it is the most effective.

You need to hear their voice and they need to hear yours. You need to ask questions and answer theirs. You need to see their body language and they need to see yours.

You need to connect with them and have a real conversation, because marketing is more than just delivering information.

When you talk to people, you can weed out the lookers and focus on the serious prospects. You can find out what they really want and what they’re willing to do about it. You can overcome objections and sign up more clients more quickly.

And if they’re not ready to hire you, you can set the stage for the time when they will be, and make sure they come back to you because they got to know you, like you, and trust you.

I’ve sold a lot of products and services without speaking to anyone. I’ll take that business all day, every day. But if I really needed to make a sale or sign up a new client, if my life literally depended on it, I’d take my fingers off the keyboard and call someone.

How to get your website to do most of the selling for you

Lawyers need to be good closers, right? There are many sales techniques and scripts we can use to do that.

But most lawyers don’t use them.

Most lawyers simply deliver information to the prospective client, showing them what they do and how they can help them.

They tell them about the features and benefits of the services they offer, they tell them their options, they share some examples or stories and answer frequently asked questions.

But they don’t close.

No scripts, no techniques. At most, after they’ve presented the information, they ask the client, “What would you like to do?”

But you know what? That’s a closing question. A soft one, to be sure, but if you’ve done a good job of educating the client about what’s at stake and what you can do to help them, you probably don’t need anything else.

Are you relieved?

You can let the client sell (and close) themselves.

Besides, you don’t want clients who feel like they “got sold” or who regret signing up, do you? If they’re a good candidate for your services, they’ll make the right decision for them, which is also the right decision for you.

On the other hand, every lawyer should learn some basic sales skills, including how to close.

Because not every prospective client will do a good job of selling themselves and may need a little help from you.

And that’s really what sales is about: helping people make good decisions.

When you’re ready to take a quantum leap in your marketing. . .