Most lawyers work hard to keep their clients happy. They do good work and serve their clients to the best of their ability. For the most part, they are available when a client needs them and encourage their clients to contact them whenever they have a question or concern.

Most lawyers are also transparent with their clients. If they don’t have the required skills or experience to do the work, they don’t fake it. They tell the client the truth and offer to refer them to another lawyer.

The best lawyers, the top lawyers in their niche, do all that and more. 

What do they do? More than anything, the best lawyers in their niche or market go out of their way to get to know their clients on a personal level.

They learn all about their business and industry and the people in their lives. They get to know them so well they are able to help them proactively.

The best lawyers don’t have to be asked. They know what their clients want and need and  routinely send them information and ideas and opportunities, and introduce them to other professionals, vendors, customers, and even employees.

Like a good partner (or parent), they watch out for them.

They make their clients feel cared for and safe. Their clients trust them and want to work with them and wouldn’t think about going anywhere else.

There is a powerful bond between client and lawyer. No sales pitches or fancy marketing is necessary to convince them (or their referral) to hire you.

It’s a very lucrative and enjoyable way to build a law practice.

If a prospective client says your fees are too high, they might be saying your fees are too high for them. If you hear this repeatedly, however, it might be time to figure out why and do something about it. 

And I don’t mean lowering your fees. 

The first thing to consider is the market, industry, or niche you’re targeting. 

As a group, they might not have the income or cash flow to pay for legal services. They might be unsophisticated or unfamiliar with hiring attorneys, or how much attorneys charge. They may need your services, but be unwilling to pay for them.

There might be too much competition. Most prospects do at least some research before hiring an attorney, which means they’re not just looking at what you offer, they’re looking at what you offer and comparing that to what other attorneys promise.

In which case, target a different market. 

On the other hand, it might not be the market, or not only the market, it might be your marketing that needs improving. 

• You might need to give prospects more information about their problems and your solutions, or tell them why they should choose you to help them
• Your marketing might be too flashy and scare them, or it might be too boring and unmotivating
• Your image or branding might position you as low-priced (and you’re not)
• Your fee structure and how you present it might be too complex
• Your marketing might not show them enough benefits to justify your fees, or benefits they don’t care about
• Your marketing might be too aggressive, suggesting you need the business and aren’t that good or experienced or confident
• Conversely, your marketing might make it appear you don’t need their business, suggesting you won’t treat them well or work hard for them
• Your marketing may be generic instead of tailored to the market or prospects you are targeting
• Your marketing may be too similar to other lawyers in your market 
• Your marketing may not tell prospects what to do to take the next step, or make it easy to do it
• Your marketing may say a lot but prove little, e.g., no testimonials, success stories, endorsements, awards. 

And many more issues. 

But these issues are fixable. And worth fixing. 

Don’t lower fees. Either choose a different market or improve your marketing. 

Or both. 

You’re good at what you do. You’re a “trusted advisor” and deliver good results for your clients. Great, but can you prove it? 

It’s probably awkward for you to say you’re the lawyer people should choose but it’s a different story when someone else says it. When a client refers a friend or business contact to you, for example, they’re telling their friend or contact that you’re good at your work and can be trusted to do a good job for them.

Which is why referrals are so powerful. 

Referrals are a form of social proof and while they are often the best form, there are others and you should use as many as possible:

• Testimonials (written or recorded) from satisfied clients
• Success stories about your cases and engagements
• Endorsements by other lawyers and industry leaders
• Reviews on legal blogs or other publications
• Media coverage of your firm or a case you successfully handled
• Sharing via social media of articles and posts by or about you 
• Being photographed in the company of (some) famous people
• Being interviewed by notable podcasters, bloggers, and reporters

Because these also tell the world you’re good at what you do. 

Social proof gets people to pay attention to you and influences prospective clients who see or hear it, or people who can recommend or refer them to you. Social proof is an effective way to increase your exposure and name recognition, build your credibility, and get more people to visit your website to find out more about what you offer. 

It works by tapping into basic human tendencies like the desire to follow the crowd (the “bandwagon effect”) and/or the fear of missing out. 

Social proof can also help retain clients who might otherwise be lured away from your firm. 

Bottom line, the more social proof you have, the more successful you’ll be.

Have you ever been interviewed by a writer or blogger or podcaster? If so, are you using that interview as a marketing tool? 

You can post it on your website, use it as a handout or lead magnet, or turn it into a paid eBook that sends you leads. Interviews allow you to describe what you do and answer the types of questions people who are looking for a lawyer usually ask. 

And, in the minds of the people who read the interview, just the fact that you were interviewed says a lot about you. 

Interviews position you as successful and important—an expert in your field. And people want to read these, especially prospective clients. 

Interviews are a great sales tool, and you should use them in your marketing. 

If you don’t have an interview you can use, you can create one in an hour by asking another lawyer to interview you (and offering to interview them in exchange). 

You write the questions you want them to ask and an introduction. Get on the phone or chat, record everything, transcribe the recording, edit, and you’re done. 

I did this with a successful appellate lawyer and turned it into an eBook which is sold online.

Another way to use an interview is when you meet a new business contact or prospective client who asks what you do. Instead of flapping your gums, ask for their email and send them a copy.

You can also send copies to podcasters, bloggers, and meeting planners, to show them why they should book you on their program. 

So yeah, a simple and powerful tool that every lawyer should have in their marketing toolkit. 

What do you do when you go to a new networking event? Find some new people to meet? Talk to friends and business associates? Pass out cards? Collect them?

Do you have an agenda?

You don’t need one. There’s only one thing you need to do.

Get there early, meet the organizer(s) of the event and offer to help.

Introduce yourself, or ask someone you know to introduce you, and see what they need (door greeter, sign-in guests and pass out badges, help people find the restroom, etc.) and volunteer for something.

That’s it. That’s all you need to do.

The organizers always need help and will appreciate anything you can do to make their life easier and their event better. Even if they have everything covered, they will appreciate your offer and remember you.

Yes, you want to meet new people, but the best way to do that is to show the organizers some love. They know the key people who are attending—who they are and what they do—and can introduce you to them.

And they will.

Follow-up with the organizer after the event, tell them you enjoyed meeting them, liked the speaker, or the chicken, and you look forward to seeing them at the next event.

And send them some information about yourself, with a photo, so they can put your name to your face.

At the next event, get there early, find the organizer, offer to help, and when the dust has settled, ask them if there’s anyone there you should meet.

That’s how it’s done.

Broadly speaking, there are two types of referrals. Direct referrals occur when a client or business contact gives your name and contact information to one of their clients or contacts, and tells them to contact you about their problem or desire. 

It’s all good. And it can lead to a lot of business for you. 

But you might get even more new clients via indirect referrals: 

• Your clients agree to pass out your “special report,” checklist, tip sheet, or form to their friends, neighbors, co-workers, or clients
• A referral source mentions your blog post in his newsletter or on social media 
• A business client puts a supply of your reports or brochures in their waiting room
• An accountant sends a copy of your latest article to all of his clients or other accountants
• A business expert co-authors an article, blog post, or book with you
• A blogger or lawyer in your target market interviews you for their blog, podcast, or channel
• Your clients and/or referral sources agree to tell their list about your upcoming seminar
• A lawyer or other professional you know puts copies of your article in his “new client” kit

Many of your clients will distribute your content because they want to help their friends, and/or because you asked. Many of your professional contacts will do it for the same reasons. 

But with professionals, you have another option. You can ask them to distribute your content in exchange for you agreeing to distribute theirs.

In either case, your job is simple: create (more) content. Make it good enough that people will want to (or agree to) share it.

But don’t forget to ask. 

My dad was a successful lawyer. You might not have known that if you were in his office and saw the piles of papers and files on top of his desk, on the credenza behind him, and sometimes on the floor. 

I don’t know how, but he got his work done. The mess wasn’t a problem for him. In fact, I’m pretty sure he liked things the way they were. 

Some people thrive in chaos. Not me. I need to have one thing in front of me at a time or I find it difficult to concentrate. 

In my office, I usually had other files on my desk, but I kept them in a neat stack and worked from the top down. That doesn’t mean my office was tidy. I had my share of clutter and knickknacks. I still do. But there isn’t any Work-in-Progress in my line of sight. Or on the desktop of my laptop which is nearly empty most of the time.

I work off my “today” list which allows me to stay organized and prioritize my tasks. This gives me a sense of control and peace of mind. If I did it any other way, (e.g., my father’s way), it would ruin that sense of control, distract me, and become a source of stress.

Call me crazy, but that’s how I work best. 

If you thrive in chaos, bless you. If you’re like me and would like to have more order and peace of mind in your work, try putting everything out of the way except the one thing you’re working on. (And clean off that damn desktop!. Okay, I must be crazy. I’m getting bothered thinking about YOUR desktop). 

Anyway, give it a try. If you miss the mess, you can always go back to the way things were. Just don’t tell me about it.