We had some work done on our house recently. We researched contractors, read reviews, got a couple of bids, and then choose the contractor we preferred.
The bid we chose was thousands of dollars higher. Why did we choose it? There were a few reasons, but one thing the winning bidder did, more than anything, made the difference.
After they sent their bid, they followed up. The other company didn’t.
One company “hit and ran”. And never contacted us again. Like a lot of lawyers do when they say, “They know where to find us if they’re interested”.
The other company, the one we chose, called to confirm that we received their proposal, asked if we had any questions (we did), and gave us additional information about the job that convinced us they were the better choice.
And that, my friend, is the simplest and best way to improve your marketing results.
You can do okay in a business (or profession) by getting in front of more prospective clients. But if you want to do more than okay, one conversation or appointment or bid isn’t enough.
The fortune is in the followup.
Follow up by phone. And email. And text. And phone again. And email again. And continue to follow up until you get the job (case) or they tell you to stop.
Give them more information. Remind them about what they said they wanted and show them again how you can help them get it.
The more you follow up, the more the prospective client sees that not only can you help them, you want to help them.
No, that isn’t bad posture on your part. It doesn’t make you look desperate, any more than the athlete who asks for the ball.
It’s a sign of confidence, not weakness.
Following up shows prospective clients that you’ve done “this” before—you are a professional and work hard at what you do. Just like you’ll work hard for them.
People find that attractive. And will choose you instead of the competition who might cost less but aren’t as diligent.
We did. And we’re glad we did.
One more thing.
When you find out that the prospect signed up with another lawyer, or decided not to do anything right now, continue to follow up. Because they might change their mind or need help fixing what the other lawyer messed up.
You want to be in their mailbox when that happens.
