Not all (prospective) clients are created equal. Some are easier to sign up and are likely better clients than others.
The top three categories are:
- Existing and former clients. Clients who have hired you once are the most likely to hire you again. Easy sale, zero marketing costs, and because they’ve worked with you before, they should be easy to work with. That’s the theory, at least.
- Referrals. Someone they trust vouched for you and introduced them to you, so, if they need you and can pay your fees, they should be relatively easy to sign up. You don’t have to invest time or money to find them or court them so they are profitable, too.
- Prospects. Leads, opt-ins to your newsletter or list, attendees at your presentation, consultations, people who answered your ad, were, at some point, interested in what you do and how you can help them. If you stay in touch with them, when they need your help (and are willing and able to pay for it), it should be relatively easy to get them to take the next step.
What about everyone else? Look for people who have hired an attorney in the past. They know the value of representation and advice, have a general idea of what it might cost and how long the work might take, and have experience working with attorneys and the legal system.
They should be easier to sign up than someone who has never hired an attorney.
But I’m sure I don’t have to tell you to watch out. Why are they talking to you if they have or did have another attorney? You need to know.
It’s one thing if there’s a conflict, the other attorney doesn’t practice the type of law they need or is otherwise unavailable. If there was a personal issue or their case is a stinker, well, that’s different.
They may be easy to sign up, but do you want to?
