Fixing the bugs in your law practice

August 12, 2016 by
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The odds are you’re doing the big things right. You do good work, you avoid major mistakes, you deliver on your promises, and you keep your clients happy.

I know this because if you didn’t, you would soon be out of business.

But it’s the little things that make a difference. Little errors in judgment that compound and corrode your relationships. Little extras you do for your clients that differentiate you from the rest of lawyerdom.

These little things can make or break your practice. Things like how often you communicate with your clients. The attention you give them when they are on the phone or in the office. The way you show them you care about them as people, not just check-writing entities.

It’s all about the details.

Isn’t that true in any relationship? It’s not whether or not you remembered your wedding anniversary, it’s about what you write on the card.

If you want long-term success in your career, you need to attend to the little things. You need to consciously look for opportunities to strengthen relationships and deliver more value to your clients.

You also need to be aware of little things you’re not doing, or doing poorly, and when you find a bug in your system, you have to squash it.

Unlike apps, however, your clients are unlikely to report these bugs to you. They’re not going to tell you that you don’t seem to care enough or don’t communicate often enough, you have to figure this out for yourself.

How do you do that? How do you get better at spotting mistakes and opportunities?

You can read books and take courses, you can observe what other lawyers do and don’t do, you can hire a coach or consultant, but while those things can help, nothing will help as much as a sincere desire to serve others.

With that desire as a foundation, you will naturally and effortlessly do the little things, not out of obligation or a fear of loss but because of the joy you feel in doing them.

Your clients can and will send you more referrals

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Filed Under: Client relations

It’s cheaper to keep a client than to find a new one

July 22, 2016 by
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Before you invest another dollar or another minute looking for new clients, do yourself a favor and invest in retaining the ones you already have.

It’s cheaper.

They already know you and trust you. They already know what you do and they’ve seen you do it. You don’t have to go looking for them and woo them. You don’t have to do much to get them to hire you again.

Make sense?

So how do you retain clients? For starters, make sure you don’t chase them away.

A recent survey revealed that 23% of “customer complaints” are about rudeness or bad attitude. Hey, that’s an easy one to fix. Be nice, and if you’re already nice, find ways to be nicer.

Next on the list: don’t ignore them. Clients may run away from a rude lawyer, but most clients drift away from the lawyer who doesn’t pay attention to them.

If you ignore your clients, they may forget your name or the reasons they hired you and be easily seduced by the next lawyer who comes along.

That’s also easy to fix. Stay in touch with your clients.

What’s that? You’ve already done the work for them and they are unlikely to need your services again?

Silly boy. Have you forgotten about the referrals they could send you? Have you forgotten that those referrals are  easier to sign up than prospects who hear about you through an ad or online search?

Are you forgetting that if they refer you a client with a legal matter you don’t handle, you can refer them to another lawyer and earn their referrals in return?

Are you ignoring the other ways clients can help you like sending traffic to your website or telling their friends about your free report?

You worked hard to attract prospective clients. Once they hire you, you don’t have to do nearly as much (or spend nearly as much) to retain them.

Is there more to client retention than this? Sure. There are affirmative things you can do to strengthen your relationships and make your clients an advocate for your practice.

But let’s start with being nice and staying in touch.

Your clients want to send you referrals. Here’s how to help them do it

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations Tagged With:

Are you yelp-proofing your practice?

June 24, 2016 by
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The other day our washing machine decided it needed to go on vacation and stopped working. My wife called the service company we’ve used in the past and booked an appointment. They were due to come out today between 8 and 11.

My wife has a busy day today and called to see where we were in the queue. Yep, you guessed it, they had no record of the appointment.

It seems that their computer also needed a vacation and lost a bunch of bookings. They had no way of knowing who to call so it was a good thing my wife decided to call them. (They’ll be here later today).

What about the customers who don’t call to confirm? When the repair person is a no show do you think some of them might call another service? And then rip into them on review sites?

Yeah, I do too.

The company needs a fail-safe mechanism to minimize the risk of this happening again. How about something simple like instructing the person who answers the phone to write down the name and phone number of every caller, on paper, before entering the info into the computer?

Problem. Solved.

If I owned the company, not only would I implement this, I would make a point of dramatizing it in my marketing. In our ads, on our website, on the phone, I would explain that since computers have glitches and the Internet sometimes goes down, we use “double entry” appointments to protect our customers. Or something like that.

This may seem like a small point but marketing is about small points. Showing the world how you are different and better than the other guys by dramatizing the little things you do to give your customers a better experience.

I’m guessing this company won’t do any of this. They won’t apologize or offer us a discount or a freebie to make amends. But if they did, they would go a long way towards strengthening relationships with the people who not only pay their bills but who can recommend them to their friends.

Client referrals start with good client relations

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

Who fills out the paperwork in your office?

June 7, 2016 by
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In my practice, when I had a new client in the office I didn’t have them fill out any forms or paperwork in the waiting room and I didn’t have my staff do the initial intake–I filled out the paperwork myself.

One reason was that I wanted to talk to them about their case, get all the details, and ask follow-up questions my staff might not ask. I was able to do a better job for them as a result.

Another reason was that I didn’t want them fussing with paperwork when what they really wanted was to unburden their troubles on me and let me fix them. I thought they appreciated my making it easier for them to do that.

I could have had someone else do the initial information gathering before I saw them, and if I was pressed for time I sometimes did that. But I preferred to fill out the forms myself because it gave me an opportunity to spend a few more minutes with the client and get to know them.

I could ask about their kids, their job or business, and where they were going on vacation. I might tell them about a case I had that was similar to theirs. I could have some fun with them and lighten their load.

I often saw my clients only two times: at the first appointment and at the final appointment when I presented a settlement check and final paperwork. Those two visits were an opportunity to bond with them and I didn’t want anything to take away from that.

When clients like you, and think you like them, they come back to you and refer their friends.

So who fills out the paperwork in your office? You? The client? Staff? Do you send them a form to fill out before they come in for their first appointment? Or do you use a combination of the above?

Every practice is different, of course, so I’m not going to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. I’ve told you what I did, and why, but you need to decide what’s best for your practice.

What I can tell you is that while this may be a “little thing,” you should spend time thinking about it because when it comes to building relationships, and building a successful practice, little things mean a lot.

Do it right and your clients will send you more referrals

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

ROFLMAO: Can attorneys use humor to build their practice?

April 11, 2016 by
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When was the last time you laughed so hard your belly ached?

When I asked myself that question I immediately thought about Seinfeld. It made me laugh then, and it still makes me laugh today.

Seinfeld masterfully touched on human foibles while avoiding the politically correct and overtly sexual themes we see today. Nobody got hit in the nether region. Nobody got political or lampooned traditional values. Nobody said or did anything that made you want to cover your kid’s ears.

Instead, we had bits about parking in New York, tanning beds, postal workers, and a library cop.

I still laugh whenever I think about Elaine, who couldn’t believe something Kramer was telling her, saying “Get out!” and giving him a shove that sent him backwards through the open door. Or Kramer buying the set from The Merv Griffin Show and conducting his own talk show in his apartment, complete with guests, bumper music, and commercial breaks.

If you were a fan, no doubt your remember your favorite bits: Soup Nazi. Festivus. Shrinkage. How about Elaine dancing? Or any dinner with the Costanzas?

Maybe you weren’t a fan of the show, or never saw it. I’m sure you have TV shows that make you laugh. You can use these to forge a stronger bond with clients and prospects who share your appreciation for those programs.

I know a criminal defense lawyer who has a stand-up comedy act, and while he doesn’t tell jokes in the courtroom or the office, he uses humor to connect with his clients and contacts. We can all do that to some extent.

Did you smile when I recalled a few of my favorite Seinfeld bits? If you did, perhaps you felt a little more connected to me as you recognized something we have in common.

Many lawyers don’t have much of a sense of humor, however. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. (See what I did there?) But while not every lawyer can BE funny, every lawyer can share things that are funny.

So what am I saying? I’m saying you don’t have to avoid humor just because you’re a professional. You can and should use it, judiciously, to connect with people.

Go ahead and share that funny cat video on social media. When you speak with a client, ask her if she watches a certain show, and if she does, mention a character or situation that makes you laugh.

I know, this is more difficult today. When a family friendly program like “Full House” gets rebooted and uses sexual situations and political slights, you know we’re not in Kansas anymore. So be careful.

Make sure everything you reference is “appropriate for all audiences”. You don’t want to mention something that makes your clients think less of you just because you admitted watching it.

Keep the raunchy shows and the politically oriented shows to yourself, and find something everyone can enjoy.

If you can’t find anything suitable for prime time, you can always mention a show about nothing.

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Filed Under: Client relations Tagged With:

How do you stack up against other lawyers?

March 28, 2016 by
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Okay boys and girls, grab your giant pencils and your Big Chief Writing tablets and take a look at the assignment I’ve posted on the black board. This week, you are to look at three or four review sites and write a paper about how you compare to other lawyers.

You don’t need to have any reviews or ratings yourself. The purpose of this assignment is to see what other lawyers’ clients said about them, so you can learn how you can deliver a better experience to your clients.

Start with the “five star” reviews and read the comments. What did the clients like about their lawyer? What did their lawyer do that surprised them or especially pleased them? How were they different or better than other lawyers?

Read as many positive reviews as you can and take notes. Write down ideas you might use in your practice.

Did the lawyer being reviewed go out of his or her way to return the client’s phone calls in a timely manner? Did they have special hours in the office, perhaps opening their doors at 7 am once a week, or staying late until 8 pm, to accommodate clients who couldn’t see them during the day?

Brainstorm ways you could do something similar for your clients. Check out the attorney’s website to learn more about what they do for their clients. Consider contacting them to ask questions and get more ideas you can use.

One benefit of this exercise is that you may discover that the attorneys who received five-star reviews didn’t do anything radical. They simply treated their clients with respect and care and provided them with value.

You might find yourself inspired by these reviews, realizing that you can do this, too.

When you’re done, take a look at the bad (i.e., “one-star”) reviews. As much as you may have learned from the positive reviews, you will surely learn even more from the negative ones.

You’ll see many clients telling their tales of woe. They’ll say how their lawyer disappointed them, where they failed them. You’ll see broken promises, neglect, and negligence.

But you’ll also see problems occasioned by nothing more than a lack of understanding. The lawyer didn’t explain something, the client misunderstood something, or once the lawyer was retained, they failed to keep the client updated.

You can learn a lot from negative comments. It is a compendium of things to avoid. Learn from the mistakes of other lawyers, and confirm that you’re not making the same ones.

When you’re done with this exercise, you should have several pages of notes. Use them to prepare a ten page report on ways to improve your client relations and get lots of positive reviews.

Your paper is due by the end of the week, and yes, spelling counts.

Better client relations will bring you more repeat business and referrals

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Filed Under: Client relations Tagged With: , ,

Party favors for new clients? Yes, that’s a thing

March 2, 2016 by
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Remember when you were a little kid and you went to a friend’s birthday party? You got party favors–puzzles, noisemakers, toy soldiers, cap guns, candy, and other fun stuff? Something to take home with you and show your siblings and parents?

It made the party more fun, didn’t it?

Ooh, remember those finger puzzles where you put your index fingers in both ends and couldn’t get them out?

Anyway, you should do the same thing with your new clients.

Party favors for new clients? Why not? Even though it’s not a party, even though they may be seeing you about a very serious problem that is anything but fun, you should make a point of giving new clients things to take home with them.

Maybe a nice folder to hold the paperwork on their case. Maybe a nice pen with your contact information on it. Maybe a book you wrote or a book you recommend. Maybe a gift card so they can get dinner on you and forget about their troubles.

Load them up because people like getting stuff. Adults are just big kids, aren’t we?

You don’t have to spend a lot of money, but don’t let them go home empty handed. Legal services are intangible. Give them something they can hold in their hand and show their spouse or friends.

Make sure you also give them information about your practice areas. Educate them about their problems and the solutions you provide. Show them how you can help them and the people they know. Teach them how to identify your ideal client and give them tools (reports, coupons, DVDs, etc.) they can pass out.

If you have a practice that is suited to having a bit of fun, you can give new clients something whimsical. Maybe an adult coloring book and colored pencils. If that’s not your thing, give them coloring books they can take home to their kids.

I know, lawyers don’t do these things. That’s the point. Party favors are an easy way to stand out, be talked about, and remembered. And maybe put a smile on the face of someone who’s going through a difficult time.

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Filed Under: Client relations, Marketing legal services

Why can’t lawyers answer a simple question?

February 29, 2016 by
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My wife wants to know what I want for lunch. A simple question, right? So why can’t I give her a simple answer? Why do I say, “I don’t know?”

Because I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it. I need to consider my options.

What did I have for breakfast? What time is dinner? Do we have any cool leftovers? What sounds good to me?

You’re a lawyer. You know the routine.

Oh, I’ll have an answer eventually. It’s just lunch, after all. But my wife is busy and can’t wait for me to go through my decision making process. “How about a turkey sandwich?” she’ll say, or even better, “Would you like turkey or roast beef?”

Smart girl I married.

She knows I think like a lawyer. Lawyers say things like “I don’t know,” “I need to think about it,” and “it depends”. And, just when you think we’ve finally answered your question, we go and spoil it by saying, “on the other hand. . .”

If you ask my wife about this subject, I think she would tell you that the most frustrating thing I do is answer questions with a question.

Why do I do that? I don’t know, why do you ask?

Holy crap, I must be annoying.

Okay, here’s the thing. If the people who love us find our lawyer ways difficult, what must our clients think? They hire us to answer questions and provide solutions. Hearing us say, “I don’t know” must be a little off putting.

What we need to do is school our clients and prospects so that they understand how our minds work. We need to educate them that when we don’t have an immediate answer, when we go back and forth with on the one hand and on the other, we’re going through a natural process of weighing the possibilities and reasoning our way to a conclusion.

We’ll have an answer for them. It just might take awhile.

It might be easier to keep all of this to ourselves and answer their questions after we’ve done our brain voodoo. Maybe send them a letter. But do we really want to make it look like our job is easy? They ask, we answer, done?

I don’t think so. For one thing, it’s not easy. Thinking is hard work. And there are lots of issue to consider. And we want our clients to know that. We want them to see that even though it might not look like it, we’re working hard for them.

But we should explain that we’re not avoiding their questions or trying to give them a hard time. We’re doing our job.

Someone once said that we shouldn’t let our clients see us sweat, and that’s true. But we also don’t want them to think that our job is easy. We want them to know that we put a lot of effort into what we do, because in addition to results, effort is what they’re paying for.

Got referrals? Here’s how to get more

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Filed Under: Client relations, Communication

Two “musts” for every lawyer who wants more referrals

February 8, 2016 by
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Some smart wag said that if you’re not getting enough referrals, there are only two reasons. “Either you don’t deserve them or you’re not asking for them.”

Let’s talk about this, shall we?

What do you have to do to “deserve” referrals?

Is it enough that you do good work, deliver good “customer service,” and charge reasonable fees?

No. This is expected of every lawyer. If you want more referrals, you need to do more than what is expected.

Look, you can’t depend on your clients telling people about how great you are if you merely do what they paid you to do.

It’s like buying a new car. When it does what it’s supposed to do, i.e., get you where you want to go safely, comfortably, and economically, that’s fine. You might tell others about your new purchase, you might not. If someone asks about the car, you’ll tell them. Otherwise, who knows?

If you buy a car that puts a big smile on your face, however, a car that has a bunch of extras and cool features, a car you can’t wait to show off to the neighbors, that’s different.

To get more referrals, you need to put a smile on your clients’ faces.

Give them more value and a better experience than other lawyers deliver. Surprise and delight them, give them more than they expect, and your clients will be much more likely to tell their neighbors about you.

This isn’t difficult. Little things make a big difference. But you have to want to do those little things, not because you see them as a means to more referrals, but because you enjoy putting smiles on your clients’ faces and hearing them say thank you.

Okay. Now what about the asking part of the equation?

This is where it gets sticky for many lawyers. They try it once or twice, but get tongue tied, and never do it again.

What if there was a way to ask for referrals that was natural and comfortable for you and for the client? A few simple sentences about referrals that didn’t put any pressure on them but nevertheless set the stage for referrals?

Would that help?

What if you could ask for referrals without actually uttering any words? If you could give the client a document or send them a letter that did the “asking” for you. . .

Would that help?

If you ordered my new course, Maximum Referrals, you not only know that this is possible, you know how to do it. You also know what to do to deliver an exceptional experience that makes clients not just willing to refer, it makes them want to.

If you haven’t ordered yet, do yourself a favor and grab a copy.

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Filed Under: Client relations, Marketing legal services, Referrals

Referral marketing for lawyers–roots before branches

February 4, 2016 by
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Let’s say you want to get more referrals from your clients. Not a bad idea. Now, how will you go about it?

Your strategy might be to give your clients lots of attention, show them that you care about them, and make them feel good about choosing you as their lawyer.

Good. An excellent strategy. What techniques will you use to effect your strategy?

What will you say to them at their first appointment? What will you give them? What will you send them, and when? What will do, and how often?

Strategies before techniques. Roots before branches.

Strategies derive from your values and beliefs. If you believe it’s important to surprise and delight your clients with over-the-top service and extra value, if you believe that doing so will endear them to you and make it more likely that they will return to you, say nice things about you, and send you referrals, your actions will reflect those values and beliefs.

If you believe that giving clients lots of attention takes too much time and won’t produce more loyal clients or more referrals, however, your actions will be different.

If you believe that your clients can provide you with more referrals than they now provide, you will be more inclined to invest time equipping your clients with information and tools they can use to send you more referrals. If you believe that your clients do what they can and can’t do any more, you probably won’t.

What many lawyers do, I think, is implement certain techniques before they have firmed up their beliefs and committed to a strategy. They hear that it’s a good idea to send new clients a thank you letter, for example, so they do it, but their heart isn’t in it. They say the words, but they don’t feel the sentiment behind them.

Sure enough, when they speak to the client, their words and behavior often tell a different story.

Start by asking yourself what you want to accomplish and choose one or more strategies for accomplishing it, based on your values and beliefs. Only then should you examine the techniques that are available to you.

My new course, “Maximum Referrals,” can help you do that. It shows you both the strategies and techniques you need to build a successful referral-based practice.

Check it out, here.

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Marketing legal services, Referrals, Relationship marketing
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