Some attorneys are terrible about returning phone calls and replying to emails.
Don’t be like them.
Clients hate “not knowing” if you received their message and if you (or someone on your behalf) will reply. When they don’t hear from you, it makes it look like you don’t care about them—so why should they care about you? Or continue to hire you.
You should have a standard policy of returning calls and replying to emails within one business day, or to at least confirm receipt of their message and tell them when you will reply.
Be as specific as possible without promising more than you can deliver. Make it a pledge. Put it in writing. Put it on your website. Put it in your “new client” kit.
And apologize if you occasionally mess up.
I’m guessing you already do this to some extent. Your clients know they can count on you, which is one reason they stay with you and refer others to you.
So work on memorializing and improving your follow-up policies. Keep your clients well-fed.
That’s not all. You should also have a policy for replying to prospective clients who contact you.
Ad leads, referrals, website inquiries, networking contacts—timely follow-up is arguably even more critical.
Why? Because you know your existing clients will probably forgive you if you don’t return their calls immediately. You can’t expect the same from prospective clients.
They’ll just call someone else.
So, you need a plan.
What to do when a prospective client calls and has questions. What you will say, what you will send them, what you will do after the initial call or email, and when.
Especially when. Because the clock is ticking.
Map out a series of follow-ups—when you will call again, what you will say, what you will offer.
And when you will follow-up after that.
Don’t leave it up to the prospective clients. It’s up to you to call again, and don’t stop calling, until they hire you or tell you to stop.
Because the fortune, your fortune, is in the follow-up.
