Are you planning to upgrade to Windows 8? I’m not. At least not right now.
I use Vista on my PCs. It’s not the most feature rich or trouble free, it’s certainly not the fastest, and in no way would anyone say it’s the best OS. But it works. So why switch?
If I switched, I might find that like any new software, Windows 8 has bugs or conflicts or other issues that cause me headaches. Why take the chance? I remember thinking the same thing when Windows 7 came out.
So, for now, I’ll stay where I am.
Guess what? It is this same mindset that keeps your clients from “upgrading” you. They’re used to you. You’re working. You may not be the best, but they don’t want to risk switching because your replacement could be worse.
So unless you’ve screwed up, your clients will probably stay with you. If you haven’t neglected your clients, they’ll probably return. Inertia keeps me from upgrading my software and it keeps clients from “upgrading” you.
But what works for you also works for other attorneys. Their clients will also stay put. So, if your marketing strategy is based on getting clients to switch firms and hire yours, you’re going to have a tough time of it.
However. . .
Eventually, some of those those other attorneys will screw up. At that point, their clients will be open to hiring another attorney. You should be there when that occurs.
But how do you do that? How do you get in front of prospective clients at precisely the moment when they are again “in the market” for a new attorney?
You have two options:
1. Advertise. Keep your marketing message in front of your target market. When someone is ready to change lawyers, they may (finally) notice your message and respond.
2. Build relationships. Network with prospective clients in your target market, even though they are happy with their current attorney. Be “number two” on a lot of lists and when “number one” screws up, dies, or retires (or has a conflict of interest), there you’ll be.
There’s a lot of money to be made signing up clients who are ready to upgrade their attorney. Just make sure your version is bug-free.
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