Do you have complaining clients? That’s good!

July 19, 2013 by
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The other night my wife and I went to a well-known Mexican restaurant. We ordered the fajitas “combo” which was billed as having chicken, steak, jumbo shrimp, and scallops.

Yummy.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t yummy, it was just okay.

I could accept that. What I couldn’t accept is that there were only two pieces of steak, two pieces of chicken, two (small) shrimp, and no scallops. None.

I told the waiter I was not happy and he went to summon the manager. He came back and said the manager couldn’t come over, he was busy talking to some customers.

I’m a customer! An unhappy one! He should be talking to me!

The waiter said he’d had other complaints about the size of the portions and offered me a free dessert. I declined and asked for the check. I told him I wouldn’t be back and I would tell everyone I knew not to come.

And I will.

Because I can.

What kind of manager won’t come to talk to a customer with a complaint? An idiot, that’s what kind.

When a customer (client) has a complaint, you must talk to him, validate him, and offer to fix the problem. You do not want a customer going away angry, ready to tell dozens of other customers about his bad experience.

You must do this, because it’s the right thing to do.

You must do this because it can stop a dissatisfied customer from spreading negative messages to other prospective customers, which will lose business and generate ill will.

You must do this because when you turn complaining clients into satisfied clients (through validation, apologizing, and various make-goods), that client often turns into one of your biggest advocates, spreading the word about how you took care of him properly when something wasn’t right.

Customers (clients) don’t expect perfection. They expect to be treated right. When there’s a problem, they don’t want it to be ignored.

And so if you own a restaurant (law firm), you definitely want to know when a customer has a problem because it is an opportunity for you. You should welcome complaints, and embrace clients who have them. They are doing you a favor by telling you how to improve.

Unfortunately most clients who are unhappy don’t complain. They just stop calling. You don’t want that to happen. You want to know if they are unhappy with your services, your staff, or you. You want to know so you can make things right for them and so you can fix the problem that is probably causing other clients to be unhappy.

At the very least, give your clients an “exit survey,” asking them to rate and review your performance. Ask them what you did well and what you could improve.

In addition, put a form on your website with language that encourages visitors to share feedback anonymously.

And, if you forget the scallops, make sure you don’t ignore the client. There are too many other lawyers who offer a good fajitas combo.

Marketing is everything you do to get and keep good clients. Here’s The Formula.

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Law office management Tagged With: , , ,

You screwed up. What are you going to do about it?

July 11, 2013 by
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My wife ordered vitamins online. The wrong order came. No, it’s not a tragedy, just one of life’s little annoyances. She has the hassle and expense of shipping it back and then waiting for the correct order to arrive.

She called the company to ask what to do.

“No problem,” she was informed. The rep explained that they company has a “one time courtesy policy” for situations like this.

My wife immediately got a 100% credit for the purchase.

No need to return the vitamins sent in error. My wife could use them, give them to someone, or throw them away.

The correct order was shipped out that day. No charge for shipping. And the 15% discount she got on the original order would be applied.

Yes indeed, no problem. In fact, a very nice experience, all things considered.

For a nominal one time cost, the company not only prevented the loss of a customer (they have to assume that an unhappy customer will leave), they made a fan. My wife will indeed use them again and, as she often does, recommend them to others.

But it wasn’t just what the company did that mattered, it was what they didn’t do.

They didn’t suggest that my wife was the one who had screwed up. (It is possible. Maybe she did click the wrong box.) They didn’t even ask. They gave her the benefit of the doubt and they did it immediately.

That’s their policy.

So, do you have a similar policy?

You know you’re going to screw up something. You’ll forget to return a call, there will be an error in your bill, or something will go wrong on a case and the client will blame you.

Law happens.

The question is, what are you going to do about it?

You need to think this through and decide in advance.

How will you handle it? How will you make it as pleasant and beneficial for the client as possible?

Take some time to consider this. Meet with your partners and staff. Brainstorm problems and solutions and make some decisions.

Then, when something does happen, you can surprise and delight your clients with your own “client courtesy policy” and keep those clients coming back and recommending you to others.

Marketing is everything we do to get and keep good clients. It’s easier when you know The Formula

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Law office management, Marketing legal services

Collection attorney sends wrong form letter to debtor, includes advice on debtor’s rights

June 28, 2013 by
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It happens. Someone screws up and the threatening letter that was supposed to go to a debtor inadvertently contains language advising the debtor about his rights and options in defending against collection.

Ugh.

I heard about it and I could feel the attorney’s pain. We’ve all sent letters out with mistakes in them or sent letters or emails to the wrong party.

It’s embarrassing, to say the least. It could present legal and ethical issues. And it has the potential to cause a good client to leave and never come back.

In this case, somebody keyed in the wrong code. The wrong boilerplate was included in the letter and nobody caught the error.

The problem was compounded by the fact that a draft of that letter was not sent to the client (creditor) prior to being sent to the debtor. The firm does a boatload of collection letters and they are nearly always the right letter sent to the right party. “Why add expense and delay to the process,” I suppose they were thinking.

Well, aside from the fact that the client would have caught the error the attorney and his staff missed, from a marketing and client relations standpoint, it is the correct thing to do.

It shows the client that you respect him and value his input. It allows the client to feel involved in the process. And it builds the value of what you do.

It may be a form letter, but you want the client to feel that you at least took a moment to consider what he told you about the case and put some thought into the letter you are sending on his behalf.

Unless there is a prior understanding to the contrary, an attorney should send everything to the client, before they send it out or file it and again after they send it out or file it.

Okay, it didn’t happen in this case. The client is upset. Instead of threatening the debtor and getting them to pay up, their attorney advised the debtor about his rights, making it less likely that they will pay.

Now what? What should the attorney do?

From a legal perspective, there probably isn’t a whole lot he can do. He can send a “oops, wrong letter” letter and hope to clean up some of the damage, but who knows whether or not that will work.

From a client relations standpoint, the attorney should:

  • Take personal responsibility for the error and not blame anyone else in the office or try to excuse it as a computer glitch
  • Apologize profusely, in writing, on the phone, and in person
  • Cancel the fee for the letter and send another letter at no charge
  • Offer to handle the collection for free or at a greatly reduced fee

In addition, the attorney should explain to the client what happened and tell them the steps he is taking to ensure that it won’t happen again, not just for this client but for all of his clients.

Clients understand that mistakes happen. They want to see you own up to them, fix them, and prevent them from happening in the future. Most of all, they want to see that you care about them and are willing to do whatever it takes to make them happy. Especially when you screw up.

Marketing is everything we do to get and keep good clients. Here’s how.

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Law office management, Marketing legal services Tagged With: , , ,

Stop giving clients what they pay for

June 19, 2013 by
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Do you give your clients fair value? In other words, if they pay you 00, do you give them 00 worth of legal services?

If your answer is yes, stop it. Stop giving clients what they pay for and start giving them more.

Lou Vickery said, “Four short words sum up what has lifted most successful individuals above the crowd: a little bit more. They did all that was expected of them and a little bit more.”

When you give clients a little bit more than they pay for, more than they expect and more than they may even deserve, you really do stand out. Most attorneys don’t give more. And many attorneys give less. At least that’s what the public perceives, otherwise attorneys wouldn’t continually be described as expensive.

Have you ever been to Five Guys Burgers and Fries? When you order any size of fries (great fries, by the way), you get waaay more than you pay for. At least it seems that way because there are more fries in the bag that have spilled over from the cup than there are in the cup.

Their fries aren’t cheap. In fact, compared to other fast food places, one might say they are expensive. But because they give you more than you expect, and because they are really great tasting fries, you come away feeling good about the experience.

Stop giving clients what they pay for and start giving them a little bit more.

Marketing is easy when you know what to do. Here’s the Formula.

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Image, Marketing legal services

Give your clients free onion rings

June 17, 2013 by
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My daughter sent me a gift card to Outback Steakhouse for Father’s Day. My wife and I were at the restaurant at 5 PM and not surprisingly, it was crowded.

We ordered a “Bloomin Onion” as a starter. We were served bread and drinks but a long time passed and no Onion. The waiter finally came over and apologized. He said they were backed up with orders for the Onion and it would be out in a couple of minutes.

No worries. It really wasn’t that long a wait. I had bread. I could see the San Antonio-Miami game on the TV screen and kept busy giving my wife reports of the score.

A couple minutes later the waiter brought the Onion and thanked us for being so patient. He said he checked with his manager and there would be no charge for the Onion.

Nice. Unexpected. Appreciated.

So naturally, I took out my iPhone and made a note to share this story with you. I wrote “comp clients onions”. And here I am.

When you give your clients something free, either to apologize for something like making them wait a few minutes because you were running late or to reward them for being a good client, you earn Brownie points. Your clients love it. And love you. And remember you. And come back to you. And tell their friends about you.

So look for reasons to give your clients free onion rings. “I should have returned your call last night instead of this morning. I’m sorry. I’m not going to charge you anything for the letter to Smith and Co. Thanks for understanding”.

Nice. Unexpected. Appreciated.

Your clients will say what my wife and I said when the waiter told us there would be no charge: “Wow. Thank you.”

It was a small gesture, but we will remember it. The next time my wife says, “Where do you want to eat?” there’s a good chance I’ll say, “Outback”.

And now, because I’ve told you this story, you may also go to Outback. May I suggest you try the “Bloomin Onion”.

Marketing is everything we do to get and keep good clients. Here’s how to get more.

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Marketing legal services

Email marketing for attorneys

June 6, 2013 by
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Yesterday, an email arrived in my inbox. See if you can tell what’s wrong with it:

–BEGIN EMAIL–
David,

First of all thanks you for subscribing over the years. I know
many of you have read my books or taken some of my courses
and I truly appreciate that.

The reason I have been so passionate in creating an online
business over the years is because it is the perfect way to
reach people worldwide and EXPRESS YOUR CREATIVITY.

I have tried the do this in my [Product names] . . . as well as my music.

——————————
QUICK NOTE:

Our once a year World Class [Product Name] Certification
Program starts next Monday June 10. Only a few spots left.

[Link to sign up]

——————————

THE SECRET OF LIFE

In my opinion it is doing what you love and sharing it
with others (and best of all make a living at it).

But rather than talk about it let me SING it to you
with some help from [Famous singer]…

[Youtube link of famous singer with writer of email]

In this You Tube channel you will see a part of me
many of you haven’t. In 1976 I got a Masters in
[Music degree, school]

. . .

–END EMAIL–

Okay, that’s enough. The rest of the email discusses his music and asks us to subscribe to his Youtube channel. He then mentions that he is working on another product and signs off.

So, what’s wrong with this email?

1. Who is this guy?

You can’t tell from the email itself but this is a list I signed up for a long time ago and I haven’t heard from this guy for at least six months. I don’t remember anything about him or what he does.

When people subscribe to your list, you have to write to them regularly or they forget who you are and that they signed up on your list. At best, they delete your email or unsubscribe. At worst, they flag your email as SPAM and now, when you do write to your list, your emails get filtered out and don’t get read.

You must write regularly, and frequently. You want to build a relationship with your readers, so that they know who you are and look forward to hearing from you. You don’t know when they will need to hire you, or know someone who does, and if you’re not in their mailboxes and their minds when that occurs, you’re not going to get the call.

2. “I know many of you have. . .”.

When you write to me, write to me. Don’t write in the collective. Say “you” not “many of you”.

Even if there are thousands of subscribers on your list, write your email as though it is a personal communication sent only to one reader. Me.

3. What’s in it for me?

When you write to me, tell me something that will make my life better. Give me something valuable–a tip, a link to something I can use in my business or personal life. There is nothing in this email that does that.

I’m blazing through my inbox, reading and saving a few emails that have something of value for me and deleting (and unsubscribing) everything else. If you want me to read your email, give me a reason. Give me a benefit. Tell me what’s in it for me.

4. “I have been so passionate about. . .”.

Your readers may care about what you are passionate about, but only if they share that passion or they have a relationship with you. The rest of us don’t care. We have our own problems to solve and lives to lead. We’re busy. We don’t have time to look at what you’re doing and did I mention, we really don’t care?

Ironically, I do share his passion for expressing my creativity. I also like the music of the famous singer he refers to. But I didn’t go watch his videos because I can watch videos of the famous singer any time I want. I don’t care that years ago, this guy played with him. So what? Lots of people did. I don’t know them, either.

On the other hand, when you have a relationship with your subscribers, you can share with them something about you that has no direct benefit to them, and they will pay attention.

When you have a relationship with someone, they’ll read your emails, Like and Tweet your posts, send their friends to your website, and respond to your requests. When they need your help, they’ll hire you. When they have a referral, they’ll give it to you. And when you share a video of you playing with a famous musician, they’ll go watch, because they probably don’t have a relationship with anyone else who did that and it might be neat to go see someone they know in a video with someone famous.

Build your list. Build relationships with your list.

Email marketing for attorneys. Click here for details.

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Communication, Copywriting, Email, List building, Marketing legal services, Newsletters, Online Marketing, Writing Tagged With:

What to do when your clients don’t follow your advice

May 17, 2013 by
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A few months ago, I did a “one time” consultation with the partners in a law firm. They asked questions about getting traffic to their website and signing up more clients. I looked at their site and told them what I recommended.

At the end of the call, I had a feeling they didn’t like what I told them and would not be following my advice. But hey, I told them what they needed to hear, not what they wanted to hear.

That’s what we’re paid for, you and I. To tell people what they need to hear, even if they don’t want to hear it. Hey, this ain’t politics.

But what do you do when your clients don’t follow your advice?

You try again. And, if this had been an ongoing consulting arrangement, that’s exactly what I would have done.

When a client doesn’t follow your advice, you bring up the subject again and tell them why you recommend the course you do. You ask them why they don’t want to do what you suggest, or why they prefer to do something else. You have a frank discussion. And you supply them with third party documentation (articles from other experts, studies, and testimonials), proving you know what you’re doing and that your way is best.

But whether it’s legal advice, or marketing advice, sometimes you can’t prove that your advice is the best advice. It’s a matter of judgment, instinct, and experience, not something you can look up in a book.

What then?

Well, aside from documenting your advice in writing (hey, gotta cover the backside), you have two choices. You can either go with what the client wants or you can withdraw. If you’ve done your best to convince the client to follow a course of conduct and they choose not to, there’s nothing else you can do.

If you go with what they want and it doesn’t work out, some clients will admit that you were right and change course. That is if it’s not too late. If the decision turns out to be fatal but you did your best to persuade them not to go that way, they lose. Too bad, so sad.

True, some clients will never see the light. They’ll find a way to blame you. And you will lose them as a client. Too bad, so sad. For them.

Clients. You can’t live without ’em, you can’t bury them in the backyard.

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations Tagged With: , , ,

Marketing your law practice one hour a week

May 9, 2013 by
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If you only have one hour a week for marketing your law practice, I would spend that time on the phone. Here’s how I would break it down:

  • Twenty minutes speaking to clients and former clients. I would call new clients to say thank you (in addition to sending them a thank you card) and current and former clients to see how they are doing. These people put food on your table and are your best source of new business. Speaking to them “off the clock” is a highly leveraged marketing activity.
  • Twenty minutes speaking to referral sources. I would call other professionals I work with, thank them for their recent referrals, look for ways I can do something to help them, and brainstorm ways we can work together to our mutual benefit.
  • Twenty minutes reaching out to other professionals. I would call people I don’t know, to introduce myself, find out what they do, and see if there is a way we could can work together to our mutual benefit.

A law practice is a people business. We talk to people to strengthen our relationships and cultivate new ones. If you can’t meet people face to face, the phone is the next best thing.

In some ways, the phone is even better than face to face because there is no travel time. So, with only one hour a week, I would smile and dial.

Of course if I had two hours a week for marketing, I would use the second hour to have lunch or coffee with people I know and people I want to know.

This shows you how to set up marketing joint ventures with other professionals. 

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Leverage, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan, Networking, Referral sources, Referrals, Relationship marketing Tagged With:

How does a new attorney get clients?

May 1, 2013 by
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Yes, how does a new attorney get clients? I remember when I was opening my practice this was something I desperately wanted to know. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a good answer.

I was told that I should do the following:

  1. Send engraved announcements to everyone you know announcing your new practice
  2. Pass out business cards to everyone you meet
  3. Join groups where you can network and pass out cards to everyone you meet
  4. And, that was about it.

There was no Internet in those days. Yellow pages advertising was too expensive. Besides, I’d have to wait months for the book to come out and I needed business immediately.

I didn’t send out announcements, but I did tell everyone that I had opened my own practice. That brought in exactly zero business. I didn’t do any networking. I was 23 years old and looked it, and I didn’t think anyone would take me seriously. Hey, I didn’t take me seriously.

What I did do (on the phone and in classified ads in a bar journal) was contact other attorneys and let them know I was available for (a) appearances and (b) overflow work. And that actually worked. It gave me some breathing room until I could figure out how to get some clients of my own.

If you’re a new attorney today, opening your own practice, I suggest you do the same. It’s a great way to generate immediate income and get some hands on experience.

But the first thing you should do is set up a website.

Not a page in an online directory or a free website, but your own site. A domain name you own and a site that you host. You don’t need anything fancy. You don’t have to spend a lot of money. You can either do it yourself–if I can learn, you can learn–or pay someone $100 to set up the site for you. Monthly costs are less than $10.

Add lots of content to your site, to show people what you know and how you can help them. Educate people about the law and procedure. Show them what they need to know. Answer their questions, show them their options, and help them understand what to do.

Yes, you should also tell them about the services you offer. But fill your website primarily with information prospective clients want to know about their legal problems and the available solutions . Give them enough information and they will see that you can deliver those solutions.

Make sure your content has appropriate keywords so clients can find you via search. And make sure your site has social media sharing enabled so visitors to your site can share your content with their friends and contacts.

As you gain experience, update your site with additional content–articles, blog posts, reports, checklists–and stories of how you have helped your clients solve problems.

Start building a list. Not everyone who visits your site is ready to hire you. Capture their email address so you can stay in touch with them, notify them when you post new content, and remind them that you are still available to help them or people they know.

When you meet someone who might be a prospective client or referral source, send them to your website so they can learn about what you do.

What’s next? Well, that depends on you. You can continue to build your practice primarily online. You can join networking groups and do public speaking. You can create a free seminar or webinar and “allow” other professionals and centers of influence to invite their clients.

But here’s the thing. Your best source of new clients is referrals from existing and former clients. So, as soon as you have a few clients who are happy with your work, you should leverage those relationships to generate new business.

You can ask for referrals directly but you have another option: ask your clients to refer people to your website and the great content you have available.

How does a new attorney get clients? The same way an old attorney gets clients. Plus appearances and overflow.

The Attorney Marketing Formula. How attorneys get clients.

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Filed Under: Advertising, Business cards, Client loyalty, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan, Networking, Online Marketing, Referrals, SEO, Social media marketing Tagged With: , , , , ,

I know you are but what am I?

April 16, 2013 by
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What do you do when someone posts a negative review on Yelp?

When an unhappy client goes on a rant about what a terrible attorney you are, should you respond? When someone publicly criticizes you, says you’re dumb ass, or greedy, or the Devil’s spawn because you defend child molesters.

What do you do?

Do you defend yourself? Fight back? Send them a horse’s head?

The best thing to do about negative comments is to ignore them. There’s nothing to be gained by getting into a pissing match. Even stupid people are entitled to their opinion.

You’re not going to change the mind of the opinion holder, and if you try to explain or defend yourself in public, you’ll only make yourself look worse.

If the negative comment is on your blog or on your Facebook wall, you should respond. It would look weird if you didn’t. But don’t respond in kind, just point out the facts. Your friends and followers will probably come to your defense and neutralize the negative comment, maybe even smother it.

But if someone posts a negative review about you on Yelp or another public forum, or they give your book a one star review on amazon.com, ignore it.

Let it go. Pour yourself a stiff one.

I see lawyers who are afraid to dive into social media or do anything online because they are afraid of what unhappy clients might say about them.

That’s operating out of fear. Maybe guilt.

Life (and the practice of law) isn’t about the complete avoidance of risk. It’s about the intelligent management of it. If you are alive (or open for business) there will always be risks.

You may have some unhappy clients, and they may share their unhappiness publicly, but. . .

they may not.

Are you going to forgo all of the benefits of being on the Internet because of what one or two Bozos might say about you?

How about all of the other clients who think you’re great? You’re going to get good comments, too.

A lot of people are saying negative things about Dell right now. They get tons of negative reviews. But people still buy their products.

Now if someone is posting untruths about you and not just their opinion, if someone is defaming you, that’s different. You may have to do something. A letter from your lawyer, perhaps. Or a horse’s head.

I say you “may” have to do something because sometimes, it really is better to ignore things like this. Yes, even when they are untrue and causing harm. Life is too short to get all worked up about everything.

Probably the smartest thing to do is to stop reading your reviews. The bad ones will only upset you and the good ones, well, you’re an attorney. You don’t need an even bigger ego.

Marketing for smart attorneys. The Attorney Marketing Formula.

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Filed Under: Blogging, Client loyalty, Image, Online Marketing, Personal development, Social media Tagged With:
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