You can have everything in life you want if you do this

October 8, 2014 by
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Zig Ziglar famously said,”You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”

It sounds like good advice, and it is. Help enough clients get what they want and they will make you rich.

But helping clients solve legal problems is only the tip of the iceberg. Your clients have wants and needs well beyond what your services can do. Help them get what they want in other aspects of their life and you will be rewarded with a multiple of what they pay you in legal fees.

One time clients will become lifetime clients. They will return again and again and refer other clients. They will promote your events and your newsletter, send traffic to your website, share your content on social media, and help you build your list. They will give you testimonials and sing your praises to anyone who asks.

What can you do for your clients beyond your legal services? Well, what do they need? What are their personal and professional goals? What problems do they need resolved?

Do they want to refinance their mortgage? Perhaps you can introduce them to someone who can help. Do they want to expand their business? Recommend a book or share your experiences in building your practice.

When it comes to helping people, little things can mean as much as big things. Start by making a list of different ways you can help. What do you know how to do? Who do you know that you can recommend?

Can you help someone set up a blog? Make a video? Write an article? Do you have speaking or networking tips you can share? Can you help someone get a better deal on a new car? Find a trustworthy housekeeper, baby sitter, or building contractor? Recommend places to stay in a foreign country?

Keep adding to your list and look at it often. It will help you see how valuable you are and remind you to ask your clients about “what else” they need beyond your legal services.

Of course you can also help prospects and professional contacts and personal friends. And you should. The more people you help, the more people there are who want to help you.

Where do you find the time for all this non-billable work? Think of it as marketing time. Marketing is helping, after all. And remember, it might be non-billable time, but it’s anything but non-paying.

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

What to do when people ask you for free advice

September 8, 2014 by
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Do people ever ask you for free advice? Of course they do. So, what do you do about it?

Do you tell them to make an appointment? Give them the speech about “all a lawyer has to sell is his time and advice”? Or do you answer their question and hope you’re not wasting your time?

I have another suggestion. In fact, if you agree with my suggestion, you will no longer dread calls or emails asking legal questions or seeking free advice, you will encourage them.

The next time someone asks for your advice, don’t answer them over the phone or in an email. Write your answer and turn it into a blog post or newsletter article.

Quote the question but omit anything that might identify the questioner. Answer the question by explaining the law and procedure. Describe the options and the criteria for making the best choice. Provide advice in “if/then” terms.

Send a copy or a link to the inquirer and tell them you hope it helps. Tell them to contact you if they would like to talk to you about their specific case or matter or they wish to proceed further. Tell them you would be happy to quote a fee for this work or consultation.

Your post provides the questioner with guidance about what to do. It shows them that if they choose to take the matter further, you have the requisite experience and knowledge to help them. They’re happy because they got some information and advice from an expert. They understand that if they want more from you, they will have to pay for it.

You get a prospective client who is now one step closer to becoming an actual client. If they contact you again, they will almost certainly hire you and pay you.

You also get content for your website or blog that demonstrates your expertise, your thoroughness, and your willingness to help people. That content helps website visitors understand their legal issue and sells them on you and your ability to help them. If you get inquiries about similar issues, you can point people to your “library” of previous answers. That library of content will also attract visitors through search engines and social sharing.

Don’t merely answer questions, leverage those questions to create traffic, build your reputation, build your list, and pre-sell clients on hiring you.

For more on how to create online content, see this.

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Filed Under: Blogging, Client relations, Communication, Leverage, List building, Marketing legal services, Newsletters, Online Marketing, Web traffic

Holiday planning for lawyers

August 29, 2014 by
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The holidays will soon be upon us. What’s your plan? What will you do to market your services and set things up for a good start to the new year?

What’s that? You don’t have a plan? Thank you for being honest. Grab a piece of paper and write at the top, “My plan for the holidays and beyond”.

First item on the list: “Come up with some ideas”.

Now you have a plan! Not a great plan but way better than no plan. At least you know what you need to do.

Time to put on your thinking cap and visit Uncle Google or Aunt Bing. Do a search for ideas related to the holidays, Christmas cards, year end planning, holiday parties, gift giving, and the like. You’ll come up with a bunch of ideas, most of which you will hate or can’t use, but you might get one or two that work.

Put them on your list.

Now you’re cooking.

What’s that? You want me to suggest something?

Okay. Here’s an idea for you. It’s simple, but very powerful.

Whether or not you plan to send Christmas cards (or some other politically correct variation), write a “year end letter” to your clients. Tell them how much you appreciate them. Tell them how much it means to you to be able to serve them. Say thank you.

Review your practice for the preceding year. Mention important cases or milestones. Mention changes and growth. If there were problems, talk about how you overcame them.

Then, talk about the future. If you have news to announce (an office move, new hire, new practice area, etc.), share this or hint at it if you’re not ready to go public. Tell them how this will positively affect them.

Add a personal comment or two, something about your kids or grand kids, or about something else you do that you are proud of. Give your clients a glimpse into your personal life.

(A glimpse. I’m not saying you need to invite them to the house for dinner.)

At the end, encourage them to contact you with any legal question or issue. You may not handle that type of issue but you know other attorneys you can recommend.

Why write this letter? Because it’s important to say thank you to your clients. You can’t do that enough. When you share your accomplishments for the year and plans for the future, you’re not just saying thank you, you’re showing them what your relationship with them means to you. They matter. You wouldn’t be where you are today without them. They’re not just names in a file folder and billing ledger.

The holidays are a time for giving thanks and this is an effective and memorable way to do that.

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Filed Under: Client relations, Marketing Plan, Thank you letters, Writing Tagged With: ,

The best advice I can give you about building your law practice

August 28, 2014 by
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Care to guess which of my emails and posts get the most passionate feedback?

It’s not posts about how to do things. It’s not about marketing, productivity, or anything else substantive. The posts that bring the most passionate, emotional feedback are, by far, those that are inspirational.

It’s when I talk about “big picture” themes that apply to all of us human folk. Or when I share something personal about how I’ve changed. The posts that share ideas that make people feel good about themselves and the future.

There’s a lot of bad things happening in the world. People are scared. Hurt. Looking for answers.

We all need a bright spot. We all want to feel hopeful.

That’s where you come in.

When you email your list, post on your blog, or talk to an audience, with everything you do in building your law practice, your number one job is to make people feel good.

When people feel good about themselves and the future, they associate those good feelings with you, the bearer of that good news and those prognostications. They will like you for it and want to continue hearing from you and being around you.

People want to associate with people who promise to lead them towards a better future. That can be you.

This doesn’t mean you can’t scare them with dire warnings. Fear can be very motivating. It doesn’t mean you should no longer try to educate them. Among other reasons, conveying information is important to building your credibility and trustworthiness.

But at the end of the day (speech, article, interview, etc.) give people hope. Let them know they aren’t alone on this journey, you’re right there with them, and things are going to be just fine.

They will never remember what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

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Filed Under: Blogging, Client relations, Communication, Inspiration, Public Speaking, Writing

How to get clients to like you

August 27, 2014 by
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I went to a doctor once who was highly recommended. One of the best in the area, I was told. When I got to his office and went up to the desk, I was handed a clipboard and asked for my insurance card.

No greeting. No smile. No eye contact.

I said something to her. Probably something like, “Would it hurt to say good morning?” Because that’s how I roll.

When I saw the doctor, he lectured me about not being abusive to his staff.

Guess what? I didn’t stay with that doctor. It didn’t matter how good he was at his job, I didn’t like him.

So there.

The question is, do your clients like you?

It’s not difficult to get clients to like you, even if you lean towards the grouchy side. But you can’t phone it in. You do have to make some effort.

Start by avoiding things that clients DON’T like:

  • Don’t make them wait. If their appointment is at 2 PM, 2:01 is late.
  • Don’t take phone calls when the client is in your office. That goes double if you bill by the hour.
  • Don’t brag. Clients want to know you’re good at what you do, they don’t want to hear you go on about it.
  • Don’t curse or use inappropriate humor.
  • Don’t delay billing. Don’t send vague bills. Don’t nickel and dime on costs.
  • Don’t fail to keep them informed about their case.
  • Don’t fail to call back when they leave a message.

There, that wasn’t hard was it? Pretty basic stuff.

Now a few things you should do:

  • Make sure your staff makes them feel welcome. Hello, is this on?
  • Smile. Firm handshake. Eye contact. Remember their name.
  • Talk about your weekend, but make it something they can relate to. You took the family to the beach, great; leave out the part about the yacht.
  • Show them you’re not perfect. Admit you’re a terrible cook or throw like a girl.
  • Be a good listener. Ask questions and let them talk. Take notes.
  • Talk about your kids and/or pets and ask about theirs.
  • Send thank you notes.

Yeah, it’s about treating people like you would like to be treated.

You’ve probably hired professionals who don’t get it. If you’ve ever had to wait forty minutes after the time of your appointment, you know what I mean. (Be honest, were you tempted to leave and send them a bill for your time?)

Anyway, don’t be that guy or that gal.

How to get clients to like you (and trust you): get this

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

Keeping clients happy is key to attorney happiness

August 11, 2014 by
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Happy clients mean returning clients, referring clients, and clients who pay their bills.

All hail the happy client.

How do you make ’em happy? Surprise them.

According to research, it’s not positive outcomes that make people happy, it’s when those outcomes are unexpected.

If a client hires you and do the work they paid for, along with the usual level of care and concern (“customer service”), it is an even exchange. Money paid for services rendered.

When the client gets what they expected, they are satisfied, but no more. If you give them more than they expect, however, if you surprise and delight them, happiness ensures.

Look at the other way around. If you send a client your bill and they pay it, as agreed, you’re satisfied, right? You did the work and you got paid. NBD.

What if the client unexpectedly pays you a bonus. “Here’s an extra ,000, just because.”

Surprised? Yes. Happy? Hell yeah!

Okay, so how can you give your clients a positive experience they don’t expect?

Do the work a little faster. Send a bill for less than you estimated. Throw in work product they thought would cost extra.

Of course you can also surprise and delight them with customer service. They come to your office expecting to fill out a bunch of forms and then wait to see you. Instead, they see you immediately and learn they can fill out the forms at home. They expect you to talk all about yourself and how great you are. Instead, they find you asking about them and their kids. They expect you to bill from the moment they shake hands. Instead, you tell them the first visit is free.

Figure out what they expect and then surprise them with something better.

Start by making a list of the connection points clients have with you and your office. From the time they first see your ad or find your website landing page, they have expectations. What are they? What do they expect to read on your site? What do they expect about being able to contact you and ask questions? What do they expect when they call?

When a client gets a letter or a bill from you, what do they expect? Once the case is filed, what do they think will happen? When the case is over, what then?

Each interaction with you is an opportunity to surprise that client and make them happy. Start collecting ideas for each of those interactions.

How can you surprise them when they are in your waiting room, for example? They expect water, coffee, and soft drinks, right? What if you offered them a healthy fruit drink or a milk shake from the restaurant next door? They’ve got their kids with them and expect them to have nothing to do. You could provide toys and coloring books, but how about a separate play room and a designated employee to watch them while their parents are with you?

It doesn’t make much to give clients more than they expect because when it comes to dealing with lawyers, they don’t expect much. Look for opportunities to surprise your clients and keep them happy. They may not send you ,000 more than you billed, but you’ll be just as happy when they surprise you with two or three referrals.

More ideas for keeping clients happy: The Attorney Marketing Formula

 

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations Tagged With:

How to get more clients from your newsletter

July 23, 2014 by
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When I launched my new ebook on Kindle recently I set up an email list for purchasers. If they subscribe, they get tips and other goodies from me related to the subject matter of the book (network marketing recruiting). They get value from me by being on the list. I get a mechanism for promoting my books.

It’s a small list right now, and that’s fine. Sure, I want lots of subscribers, but more than quantity, I want quality.

You should, too.

If you have a large list that’s not producing many inquires for your services (or buying anything else you’re selling or promoting), it’s because you’re focusing on building a list instead of building relationships. Relationships come from delivering value and engaging the people on your list. By finding out what they want to know or do and finding ways to help them.

A list of 50 people who love your content, and you, is worth far more than a list of thousands who barely know who you are.

When I say list I mean email list, not social media connections. On social media, your messages are fleeting. Most people won’t see them. They are public, so anyone might see them, and that makes your posts less intimate and special.

Email, on the other hand, is personal. Even though the same message is sent to many, that message isn’t out in the open for all to see. If someone wants to comment on a social media post, they have to consider that everyone else can see what they say (and who they are). With email, they can remain anonymous to everyone but you.

And with email, you are in control. Your list is yours. Facebook doesn’t determine who does or does not see what you write.

Yesterday, I sent my first email to the new list. I thanked them again for purchasing and told them the price would be going up in a few days, in case they want to let other people know. I encouraged them to leave a review. And then I shared a tip.

I’m starting to build a relationship with my list.

Note that everyone on your list may not be a prospective client for your services. They may have hired you before and not need you again, or never hired you because the crisis has passed. Or they might be a fellow professional who likes what you do. But everyone on your list is a potential referral source.

My list isn’t going to buy my book again, but they can tell many others about it. I’m pretty sure that if I continue to build a relationship with them, that’s exactly what they will do.

If you want to get more clients from your newsletter, get this

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Filed Under: Blogging, Client loyalty, Client relations, Communication, Email, Marketing legal services, Newsletters, Social media marketing

If your law firm were a sports team

July 18, 2014 by
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Your clients want you to win. They are cheering for you and will celebrate with you when you win their case or favorably resolve their issue.

If you don’t win, they will be disappointed, but they will accept it, as long as you put up a good fight.

I’m sure you do your best for your clients. You advocate and argue and try every angle. You stay in shape mentally, so you can perform at your peak. You come in early and stay late, to prep for the game. You give your clients your best efforts.

But do your clients know this?

Do you let your clients know everything you do for them? Can they see your effort?

When a sports fan watches a game, they see the players in action. They see them execute strategy, take the shots, and suffer the blows. You need to show your clients no less.

That means documenting everything. It means explaining everything. It means putting everything you do in context, so they can see why you did it one way and not another.

Legal services aren’t like dry cleaning. The client doesn’t just drop off the clothing and pick it up when it’s done. Legal services involve important issues and great expense. When a client hires your law firm, they need to see what they are paying for and they are paying for your effort.

Your clients can live with the fact that you didn’t score the goal. But they have to see you take the shot.

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

Send your clients to client school

July 7, 2014 by
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Wouldn’t it be great if there was such a thing as client school? A place where clients would learn about the law and procedure, so they would understand what’s going on with their case and not have to ask you so many questions.

They would also get schooled on how to work with you: how to help you do a better job for them, how to contact you, what to send you, what is expected of them, and what to avoid. Client school would teach them about other services you offer and how they can benefit. They could learn about fees and billing, costs and retainers, and everything else a client needs to know.

No client school would be compete without a course on how to provide referrals. Clients would learn why sending you referrals helps them (i.e., it keeps your marketing costs low and you can pass the saving onto them, you don’t have to spend as much time marketing so you can give your clients more attention, etc.) and how it helps the people they refer (i.e., they get high quality help, they don’t have to spend time finding someone, they don’t take a risk of making a bad choice, etc.)

They would then learn what to do to make the referrals, i.e., what to say to their referrals, and/or what to email them or what page to send them to.

Client school would be great, wouldn’t it? Fewer questions, happier clients, more referrals.

So, why not start one?

All you have to do is put all of this information in writing, or record videos, and post everything on your website. You can put some or all of it in a password protected “clients only” area, or make it public so prospective clients can see all that you do for your clients. You can print transcripts and mail these to clients who prefer this, or put everything on DVD’s and give them to every new client.

You could have some of your staff record a video or two. Directions, where to park, office hours, and so on, or more substantive matters. They could do a walking tour of your office, or demonstrate the process for opening a new file. If appropriate, ask some articulate clients to record something.

More ideas? How about quizzes and a diploma for those who take all of the classes? How about things for kids, like legally themed pictures they can print and color, word search, crosswords, and so on?

Start with basic information. Add what you already have: articles, blog posts, recorded webinars or speeches, forms and checklists, reports and ebooks. Then, make a list of other areas you want to cover. Record one or two five minute videos each week. Don’t get fancy. Just talk into your webcam. Or put up a few slides and narrate them.

If you make some or all of this public, every time you do an update, notify your email list and your social media followers.

So, what do you think? Would you give this idea a passing grade?

For more ideas for your website, get this

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Law office management, Online Marketing, Social media marketing

Striking a balance between accessibility and availability

July 3, 2014 by
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At one extreme are lawyers who are always available. They give out their cell phone number to everyone, answer their own phone, and respond almost immediately to email. There is no buffer between them and the world.

At the other extreme are lawyers who are hard to reach and hardly ever available. Clients and prospects speak to intermediaries. If they want to speak with the lawyer, they make an appointment and it might be days or weeks before that takes place.

Always being available is neither good posture, nor a good way to value and manage your time. If you are always reachable, people will start to expect it. You don’t make your schedule, others do.  It doesn’t allow you to focus on the most important people and tasks in front of you. And, if people can’t reach you when they want to, as they have come to expect, you will have disappointed them.

Some lawyers can (and do) successfully maintain the other extreme. They are very difficult to reach and are thus seen as successful and desirable. Not everyone can pick up the phone and speak to Donald Trump whenever they want to. You have to pass through the gauntlet before you get an audience with The Donald.

It takes the right practice area and clientele to pull this off, however, as well as a high degree of confidence. If you are inclined towards this position, do you establish these guidelines first, before you are busy and successful, or do you evolve into this persona when you’ve got the chops to prove it? Tough call.

For most lawyers, it’s probably best to strike a balance between availability and accessibility. Be reasonably accessible but not always available. Don’t give out your cell phone number to everyone, reserve that for your inner circle or perhaps also for your best clients. Don’t make people wait weeks to see you, but don’t tell them they can see you “any time this week”. (Give them a couple of open time slots later in the week.) Don’t ignore messages or turn everything over to intermediaries. Return messages in a reasonably timely manner.

Show people that you are accessible but that you value your time and are busy doing important work. Unless it is an emergency, they need to accommodate your schedule, and they may need to speak to someone else before they can speak to you.

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Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Client relations, Image, Law office management, Productivity
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