You work hard to serve your clients and build your reputation. You want people to see you as the best lawyer for the job.
Do they?
When your clients and contacts need help or advice, do they automatically think of you? When someone they know needs help, do they automatically (and unreservedly) recommend you?
It comes down to this:
Do your clients think of you as their “trusted advisor” or do they not think of you at all unless they have a problem?
A trusted advisor isn’t merely “available” when their clients need them. The trusted advisor is an integral part of their life.
Other lawyers stay in touch with their clients, educate them about the law and how they can help them, and let them know they are available to do that. The trusted advisor actively looks for ways to help their clients and advises them even when those clients aren’t aware they need that advice.
Other lawyers refer business to their clients. The trusted advisor does that, but also educates themself about their clients’ industries and markets, problems and goals so they can proactively suggest ideas and opportunities.
The trusted advisor doesn’t merely stay in touch with their clients, they share with them useful information and strategies they’ve discovered, recommend books and other resources, invite them to relevant events, and introduce them to other professionals they might benefit from knowing.
And they do the same thing with their consumer clients.
They look for ways to deliver value to their clients beyond the scope of their legal needs and wants.
Their clients hear from them regularly, talk to them frequently, and know they can rely on them to protect them.
And because of that, the trusted advisor doesn’t have to persuade them to choose them or follow their advice, and they don’t need to justify their fees. The client trusts them and wouldn’t think of hiring anyone else.
It’s a very satisfying and profitable way to build a law practice.
