I learned a lot about marketing legal services by studying sales and marketing in other fields. Apparently, Susan Cartier Liebel has, too. Her post, “How to close a client,” suggests that lawyers use a thought process similar to what a sales person would use to help clients move forward to a “yes”. I agree. In fact, I think every lawyer should read books on sales and salesmanship. “How to Master the Art of Selling,” by Tom Hopkins is a great place to start.
I wrote about overcoming objections and closing in my article, ‘What to say when the client says, “I want to think about it.” When it’s time to ask the client to sign on the dotted line, most lawyers don’t want to sound pushy or overly aggressive. But at decision making time, many clients do hesitate, even if they have no good reason for doing so. But if hiring you is in their best interests (it is, isn’t it?), then I think you have an ethical duty to help them make that decision. You don’t want to push, but you could give them a little nudge.
Here are a few easy ways to do that:
SOFT CLOSE:
“It makes sense to me. What do you think?”
“What part of this makes the most sense to you?”
ALTERNATIVE CHOICE:
“Would you like to get the trust AND the LLC done today or just the trust?”
“Would Tuesday or Thursday be better for you?”
“How would you like to take care of this, check or credit card?”
ASSUMPTIVE CLOSE:
“Go ahead and put your name here and I’ll get started on this immediately.”
“Where do you want me to send your copies of the documents we file in your case?”
“I have everything I need; how soon would like us to get started working on this?”
