You’re throwing a party. You want your guests to open the front door and come right in. You want them to take off their shoes. You don’t don’t want them using the upstairs bathroom. You want them to help themselves to the snacks you’ve laid out for them and the drinks in the cooler.

To make your guests comfortable, you put up signs around the house explaining everything.

That’s the gist of an article I saw today.

It’s a great idea. Not only does it make guests more comfortable, it relieves you of the burden of repeatedly being asked where the restroom is and having to explain “the rules”.

But no, I’m not suggesting you do something like this at your office (unless you’re throwing a party). What I am suggesting is that when it comes to client relations, the sentiment behind this idea is on target.

We want our clients to feel welcome, not just to our office but to our “family” of clients. We want them to be comfortable with us and what we’re doing for them.

And, let’s face it, we also want to make things easier on ourselves.

That’s why we send new clients a welcome letter or kit, explaining things. We tell them about fees and billing, office hours, appointments, parking, and what to expect in the first days and weeks ahead.

We send them copies of our work product so they can see that we’re on the job. We send them reminders about upcoming appointments. When there’s a problem, we don’t email, we call to explain things, answer questions, and ease their anxiety.

In the office, we greet them with a smile and a handshake. We make eye contact and ask them if they would like something to drink. We take our time explaining things and answering questions.

Because our job as professionals goes beyond doing legal work. Our job is just as much about making our clients feel welcome, safe, and appreciated.

Most clients can’t tell how good you are as a lawyer. But every client knows and will remember how you make them feel.

Happy clients give more referrals

It happens. You do everything for a client, bending over backward to serve him and get the results he wants. If those results aren’t forthcoming, however, or things don’t happen quickly enough, the client may blame you.

And fire you.

That’s what happened to an attorney who wrote and shared his tale of woe.

He had a client complain about “zero results”. He said the attorney did nothing for him, even though he had done everything that could be done.

The client said the attorney was wasting time to “rack up fees,” even though the client was paying an agreed upon flat fee.

“How do you make clients [understand and appreciate] what you’re doing for them?” the attorney asked.

In this client’s case, nothing. He’s a bad egg. Nothing but trouble since day one.

But while all clients want results, if those results aren’t forthcoming, or take too long to achieve, most clients appreciate their attorney’s efforts or their behalf, if they are made aware of it.

Job one is to make them aware of it.

At the beginning, you spell out everything that is about to happen. You tell them (orally and in writing), exactly what you will be doing, when, and why.

Why A instead of B? Why next month instead of immediately?

You tell them about possible delays, contingencies, and problems. You also tell them what you will do if and when those issues occur.

You tell them stories of clients who had successful outcomes despite delays, contingencies, and problems. You provide testimonials from clients who watched you shed blood, sweat, and tears for them and loved you for it, even if things didn’t turn out they want they wanted.

You send copies of everything, of course, and update them frequently. Weekly is not too often. Even if “nothing” happened, let them know that you’re still on the job.

You report everything you have done, everything the opposition has done, and what you plan to do next.

You bring them into your head so they can see and hear what you see and hear and understand why you do what you do.

And you get their okay every step of the way.

No, you don’t let them manage the case. You encourage them to provide feedback and ask questions and you show patience when they do.

Sounds like raising a child, doesn’t it? Yeah, that’s pretty much what it is.

The difference is that you can fire a client, and in this case, that’s exactly what you should do.

Client relations 101

You’re meeting a new client. You smile, shake hands, and do your best to make them feel welcome. You know they’re nervous, uncomfortable about the money they have to pay, and unsure if they can trust you. You want to make their first impression of you a good one.

Because it is.

But there’s something more important, in my humble but accurate opinion. Their last impression.

After the meeting, when you stand up and walk them to the door, those final 30 seconds or so create the impression they take away with them.

Make it a good one.

Sum up what you’re going to do. Assure them that things will be okay. Shake hands again. Look them in the eyes again. Let them hear the sincerity in your voice.

If possible and appropriate, lighten their burden by saying something whimsical or pithy. If you don’t have anything in your repertoire, don’t try to come up with something on the spot.

Tell them again how and when to contact you, and when you will contact them next.

This is not the time to thank them for hiring you. This is the time to make them feel glad that they did.

How to make clients trust you