Article Contributed by Alexis Neely
In a recent post, I shared why you absolutely MUST have a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system in place. And you were so enthusiastic about it, you went right out and implemented one! Yeah! You’re up and running—inviting your ideal clients to connect and stay connected with you because you have an awesome law business and people love you! But just as important to the process of attracting your ideal clients is the first impression they receive of you and your business when they do reach out to you for your service.
Following are three common mistakes attorneys often make that can have negative effects on your ability to move these wonderful people you have started building relationships with into paying clients:
- Offering free consultations.
A common client attraction tactic many law firms incorporate into their system is the “Free Initial Consultation.” Once considered a fantastic way to entice potential clients, they’re now offered by virtually every lawyer and law office around. Prospects don’t value them, they cancel at the last minute and are more often than not use the free initial consultation to shop around for the best deal.
It’s time to drop the free initial consultation and instead offer something of value that will educate your prospects about why you are the right lawyer for them or send them on their way before they ever get into a one on one meeting with you if they are not the right fit.
Instead, offer a meeting that has a name, a value and a purpose. Our Personal Family Lawyers® offer a Family Wealth Planning Session to educate prospects about what would happen to their family/assets if anything happens to them and it’s worth $750. Creative Business Lawyers™ offer a LIFT Foundation Audit to identify any holes in their prospects business and recommend ways to fill those holes. It’s worth $1250.
What will you replace your free initial consultation with?
- Answering your phones.
This simple adjustment can transform your practice: stop answering your own phones! Many attorneys make this mistake, or they employ a receptionist who works for a shared office space, and growls “law office” into the phone whenever it rings.
The first interaction your prospective clients have with your practice should exude friendliness, calmness, openness and service. Have your phones answered by someone with a smile on his/her face, whose friendly nature helps differentiate you and your firm from your competition. Remember, people want to hire someone they feel a bond with, and a first impression is often the one that sticks. If you want to see for yourself, call four or five of your competitors and hear how their phones are answered. Which ones feel inviting, and which make you want to run the other way?
And why shouldn’t you answer your own phones? See number 3!
- Appearing available.
As counter-intuitive as it may seem, your potential client doesn’t want to speak with you directly the first time s/he calls. S/he expects to make an appointment to speak to her/his attorney. Have all calls scheduled for you and establish immediate credibility by NOT answering your phone.
If you’re sitting by the phone desperately waiting for that next call, your potential clients will sense it. They will wonder WHY you aren’t busy, and assume it’s because you aren’t as good as your competitors. So, let them sense your busyness: you have other clients and are focused on serving them. They will expect you to do the same for them once you are available.
By creating a delicate balance of “attractive unavailability,” your potential clients will value your time and know that when you are working with them, you will be fully present and fully serving. They can feel more relaxed and grounded in your presence, and will be more inclined to trust and invest in your services. Establish a protocol for getting time with you that helps people sense that you have the integrity, experience and expertise they need, so they feel safe and reassured from the start.
What client attraction practices do you use? In what ways do you work to develop your customer relationships? Let us hear your ideas for developing better relationships with your leads and attracting more of your ideal clients, or tell us about some that didn’t work out so well!
About the Author
Alexis Neely started her own law practice in 2003 after only three years in practice at the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson. Despite knowing nothing about business, she built that law practice into a million dollar a year revenue generator by creating a new law business model that her clients (and her family) absolutely loved. Alexis wrote the bestselling book on legal planning for parents and has appeared on all the top television shows – from the Today Show to Good Morning America – teaching the American public about proactive family and business legal planning and new paradigm conflict resolution. Today, Alexis is a Law Business Mentor and guides lawyers to reclaim their role as trusted advisors for their clients while building sustainable, fulfilling, money-making practices so you can love being a lawyer again. For more information about Alexis, visit www.lawbusinessmentors.com