How can I get better clients, you ask. That’s a great question. It’s great because you asked “how†instead of “can I?†Your question acknowledges that (a) there are better clients to be had, and that (b) it is possible for you to attract them.
Instead of making do with the clients you’ve been getting, you’ve opened the door to better ones. And opening that door is the first step.
Your next step is to define what “better clients†mean. Who is your “ideal client?â€
Be specific. If you mean bigger cases, bigger retainers, or bigger fees, how big is big? If you mean clients who pay on time, follow your advice and don’t try to micromanage you, write down some examples of actual clients who fit that description.
What about clients who have lots of repeat business for you? What about clients who are influential in your target market(s) and can send you lots of referrals?
Write it all down and think about it for a few days. Edit and add to your list, until it hums.
For each characteristic on your list, write down the benefits. What will bigger cases or better cash flow allow you to do in your practice? How will it add value to your personal life?
Don’t skip this part. It’s important to know how but more important to know why because when you know why, you’ll figure out how.
Imagine what your practice will look like when nearly 100% of your clients fit your ideal. Exciting, isn’t it?
Okay, what’s next?
Next is stating your intention to acquire them. Not your desire, not your goal, your intent.
A goal is an aspiration. Intent is a declaration that something is going to happen. It is a commitment, and it has much more energy than a goal.
What’s that? You say this is your intent? Okay, prove it. Let go of your clients who aren’t ideal.
Not all at once. You don’t have to go cold turkey, although you might want to. “Leap and the net will appear,” and all that.
How about this–start by firing (or non-renewing) one client who doesn’t fit your ideal. One is a place to start, and trust me, after you’ve let go of one, you’ll be itching to let go of more.
Yes, but what do you do to replace them? How do you fill the void you just created?
Nature will take care of some of it for you. Remember, she abhors a vacuum. By making room on your client list for better clients, you just instructed her to fill that void. She will command your reticular activating system (RAS)–look it up–to filter out prospective clients who don’t fit your ideal and make you more aware of those who are.
You’ll notice things, hear things, and be inspired to do things that lead you to those better clients. That’s what happened to me in my practice when I went through this process. It was amazing how quickly the void was filled with “better†clients.
Okay, I know you don’t believe me. Not completely, anyway. It sounds good but you want to hedge your bets by identifying things you can do to make it happen, instead of waiting for it to happen.
But that’s the easy part. You can ask yourself, “Where do I find them?†and “What do I say or do or offer?†and you’ll start getting some answers.
Your RAS will lead you to those answers. You’ll meet other attorneys who have the clients you want to attract and you’ll find out what they’re doing. You’ll stumble upon the perfect blog post or book that will have the answers you seek.
But you had to state your intent, first. Because great things can happen once you commit, but nothing great happens until you do.
Who is your ideal client? Find out here
