What are you NOT telling your clients?

September 12, 2013 by
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There are no little things in marketing or client relations. Everything is important.

I just spoke to someone who went to his dentist expecting to pay $80 for a cleaning but when he went to pay the bill, he had to fork over $128. It seems that when he called to inquire about the cost of the cleaning (he’s on a budget and wanted to make sure he had enough in his account), he was told it would be $80. He was NOT told that there would be an additional charge for the exam.

It is a lot of money (to him). It is a big deal (to him). When he called to ask “how much,” the dentist should have made sure he was told what the total charge would be.

A professional (or any business) cannot be sloppy about details, especially when it comes to money. People notice. Any trust they had for you before will be in jeopardy.

“What else aren’t they telling me?”

Never assume your clients know anything. If you’ve told them the fees and costs, tell them again. If there might be extras, make sure they know and get their okay before you go ahead.

I’m not suggesting you get all paranoid and lawyer-like, (wait, that’s redundant) and get their initials on everything, in triplicate. Just be aware. And sensitive.

Your client is your mother, and trust me, you don’t want to mess with Mom.

Marketing is everything we do to get and keep good clients. Everything. 

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Communication, Fees and Billing, Law office management, Marketing legal services

Fracking your law practice

September 3, 2013 by
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You’ve waited long enough. It’s time to finally open the floodgates of untapped resources that lie beneath your feet. New clients, better clients, and an abundant and fulfilling lifestyle await you. All you need to do is go get them.

Every law practice has natural resources that aren’t being accessed. What are these resources?

Your client list that could easily bring a steady stream of repeat business and referrals but is all but ignored in favor of expensive and time consuming efforts to find new clients.

Your knowledge and experience that could be packaged and presented in a way that makes you stand out from the crowd and be seen as the best lawyer for the job but instead, is shackled by the chains of conformity.

The passion that drove you to choose a legal career but has been dulled by low margins and mindless work could be rekindled with new ideas, if only you would slow down long enough to learn them, and loosen up enough to try them.

These and other resources, if allowed to surface, could transform you from struggle to success, from success to untold wealth. All you have to do is embrace these resources, develop them, and allow them to deliver their bounty.

Why aren’t you developing these resources? Adherence to tradition. Not wanting to admit there is a problem. Fear of what others will think or what might happen if something goes wrong.

Yes, there are dangers. If you start a blog it might take up too much time. But what if it doesn’t? What if it takes up much less time than you thought? And what if it brings you lots of prospective clients who see why they should hire you instead of anyone else, and do?

If you get started with social media, your unhappy clients and crazy clients may smack talk you and harm your reputation. But what if they are few and far between and your happy clients set the record straight and build up your reputation and increase your following?

If you stay in touch with your clients and former clients, you might waste time that could be spent getting work done. But what if staying in touch brings you so much work you can afford to hire staff to do most of it and you can get home before the kids are in bed?

There are dangers to doing things you’ve never done before. You might be embarrassed. There may be costs. Things could go wrong. But the greater danger is that you will never discover what was possible, never realize your potential, and never have the time or financial resources to make the world a better place.

If you’re ready to tap into your natural resources, this and this will show you what to do.

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Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Client loyalty, Increase your income, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan, Productivity

My clients are driving me crazy

August 13, 2013 by
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I got an email from an attorney who said, “my clients are driving me crazy”. Apparently, many of his clients don’t appreciate him. They are rude and think they know better and he is finding it difficult to maintain his composure.

What do you do in a situation like that?

The first thing I would suggest is to take a look at yourself. Why? Because your law practice is a reflection of you–your attitudes and habits. If you have a preponderance of clients who don’t appreciate you, that may be because you don’t appreciate them.

We don’t attract the clients we want, we attract the clients we deserve.

Do you appreciate your clients? More importantly, do they know it? Do you show them by your words and deeds that you care about them and will do whatever you can to help them? In what ways do you show them? How often do you show them? Is it sincere or is it something you do because you think you have to?

You can’t fake this. People know.

But you may not know. You may not be able to see yourself clearly. So, ask your staff what they think. Ask other professionals who know you. And ask your clients. Send them a survey they can respond to anonymously and leave room for their suggestions.

The other thing I suggest is that you focus on the clients who do appreciate you so you can attract more like them.

What’s different about them? What services do they hire you to perform? How did they find you? (Clients who come from referrals are often better than clients who come through the Internet or advertising).

Are they at the high end of the fee spectrum or the low end? Are they first time clients or repeat clients? What is their background or occupation? Age? Income level?

Survey them as well and see what they like best about you.

Look for patterns and create a profile of these better clients. Then, work on attracting more like them by focusing your time, energy, and resources marketing to people who fit that profile. Start with your existing and former clients who fit that profile. They will lead you to people like themselves.

And, as soon as possible, start pruning your client garden. Get rid of the clients who don’t appreciate you, first, before you have found clients to replace them. Scary? Yes. But you will feel great getting rid of all that negative energy and soon, the void you create will be filled with the clients you want and deserve.

This shows you how create a profile of your ideal client.

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Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Client loyalty, Client relations, Communication, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan, Personal development Tagged With: ,

How to write a thank you note

August 6, 2013 by
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A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, people used to use a pen to write thank you notes. When someone did something nice for you, or even when you just wanted to acknowledge that you enjoyed meeting them, a hand written note was de rigueur.

Today, not so much. Email is the new standard. Therefore, if you really want to make an impression on someone, take a few extra minutes to write a note, on a note card, and put it in the mail.

What do you say? I found a great article about how to write a thank you note. The author, who sent a gift (books) after his conversation with a subject matter expert who generously gave of her time and information, made sure to include in his note specific details about the conversation and about the expert.

He used a G.R.E.A.T. format:

G stands for Grateful: Express appreciation for the other person’s time or graciousness or other contribution.

R stands for Reference: Tell them what you got out of your conversation –what you learned or what you will remember.

E stands for Explain: He told her he was sending her a book related to the problem their conversation helped him solve.

A stands for Action: If you talked about working together or the next time you might meet, mention this “next step,” but don’t focus on it.

T stands for Thanks: End your note with “thanks again” or something similar, followed by your signature.

You can see the actual note the author sent, using the above points, in the article.

Your thank you notes don’t have to include all of these points, nor are you obligated to send a gift. But when someone does something especially nice for you, such as providing a referral or taking extra time to provide advice, you should do everything you can to acknowledge their help.

Think about the last time you received a heartfelt thank you note. It felt good, didn’t it? Like you made a difference in someone’s life? You make others feel that way when you send them something similar.

Sending a thank you note is not just an act of courtesy, it’s good for business. It makes people remember you and want to see you again or help you again because they know you appreciate them and what they have done.

Thank you for reading this post and sharing it with others.

Marketing is simple. Say please and thank you and in between, try not to mess things up.

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Communication, Law office management, Marketing legal services, Thank you letters, Writing Tagged With: ,

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:
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