Inside The Mind of The Client
What are your clients thinking before they make a decision to hire a lawyer?
If you knew the answer to that question you would be able to influence the decision of everyone who inquired about your services.
Right?
Well, today is your lucky day. I am going to give you a glimpse into the mind of your client. I am going to help you understand his thought process right before he engages a lawyer.
Before you immediately shut down (I know, your practice is different) I want you to remember that this information is not just based upon my work with a few hundred lawyers and their clients. It is also based upon a decade of study of public opinion and decision science.
People are people. People make important decisions in predictable ways. This information is critical to your success as a lawyer.
There are three conditions that must exist (within the client’s mind) for him to pick up the phone and engage you:
The client must know you.
The client must have the desire and motivation to handle his situation now.
The client must trust you to act on his behalf or advise him.
If these three conditions do not exist, you will not get hired. And this is true for every practice area and true in every attorney/client relationship around the world.
Let’s look at each of these conditions and how they apply to you.
The client must know you.
In the mind of the client, perception is reality. If you write articles on a topic, people will find you when they are doing research. If you speak to groups of people on a topic, people who are interested in that subject will be in the audience. If you appear in the media, some people will see you. If you establish relationships with influential people in the community, they will introduce you to potential clients.
You must be visible.
This means you must do some marketing. If the client doesn’t know you, he cannot hire you.
You can market to one person at a time (networking, face-to-face sales, develop a referral network) or to many people at once (advertising).
There is no other way to become known in the community.
The client must have the desire and motivation to handle this situation now.
Most people have no sense of urgency. It is human nature to ignore a problem or wait until the last minute to handle an issue.
Don’t believe me? Talk to a criminal lawyer who handles DUI cases or talk to a tax lawyer who handles IRS issues.
People procrastinate.
Your job is to convince them that ignoring their issue will make it worse. Regardless of what the issue is.
People move fast to relieve or avoid pain. Help them feel the pain of procrastination and they will act.
The client must trust you to act on his behalf or advise him.
When it comes to important decisions, people want to work with an expert. People look for evidence to justify the hiring of an expert.
This evidence can be: information on a website, an anecdote told by a happy client, a story in a newspaper, the list goes on and on.
The key is to establish your credibility in the mind of the client.
Notice that there is no discussion of money in these three conditions. You may be wondering why.
People only use money as a determining factor when they have nothing else on which to base their decision.
If a prospective client has a problem you can solve, and he has the desire and motivation to solve it and he believes you are the best lawyer for the job, he will hire you regardless of your fee.
Lawyers who believe the above statement will always make more money than lawyers who don’t.
Guess which ones are my clients…
Print
EmailThe Alternative to the Internet
Just about every day someone calls me with a question about Internet advertising.
Lawyers looking for a marketing panacea are flocking to Search Engine Optimization and Social Media. They chase good money with bad, trying to find one way to attract one hundred new clients. This leaves them disappointed and a little lighter in the wallet.
My role in the complex world of law firm marketing is to help you sift through all the hype and develop a cost effective strategy for attracting new clients. This strategy is based upon the belief that finding one way to attract one hundred clients is risky, expensive and unrealistic. Instead, we focus on developing a client acquisition strategy that is based in reality. Our goal: Find many ways to develop one deep client relationship instead of one way to attract several clients.
Remaining true to that mission, today I offer you a viable alternative to the Internet. It is education-based marketing and it will definitely help you attract more clients – if you have the guts to give it a try.
Here is an example of an effective education-based marketing strategy:
Step one: Prepare a seminar on a topic of interest to your target audience. Example:
- Personal Injury Attorneys – Topic: Insurance Coverage
- Criminal Attorneys – Topic: Keeping kids out of trouble in the age of the bully
- Trust and Estate Attorneys – Topic: Asset protection for doctors and entrepreneurs
Step two: Invite everyone you know to attend this seminar. This means you should invite all of your friends and have them invite all of their friends. The idea is to get as many people in the room as possible.
Step three: Deliver great content at the seminar.
Step four: Capture the attendee’s contact information.
Step five: Follow-up like crazy.
If you have 50 people in the audience at each seminar, and you follow the steps listed above, you can expect to acquire 5-10 new clients per year from this strategy (provided you host 4-6 of these seminars each year).
When I work with my private clients, this is one of the first strategies I recommend they implement. It is a low cost way to begin developing relationships with people who can refer you business, engage you, or both. This strategy works.
Yet most lawyers will never attempt it.
Why?
You tell me.
I just gave you a gift. A way to attract a few new clients each year. Will you follow these simple steps?
Is this strategy as sexy as the internet? No.
Is this strategy as easy as paying someone to get you on the first page of Google? No.
Does this strategy get as much publicity as Social Media? No.
But it works consistently. It just requires some thought and some effort from you.
I don’t know what your plans are for your law firm. I’m not certain what your income goals are. But I know what I hear from lawyers all over the world. They all want cost effective ways to attract new clients.
Here’s one.
How fast can you integrate this into your marketing activity?
It Is Your Choice: Take Action or Face Extinction
Whether you realize it or not, you are at a crossroads.
We face stagnant economic growth, rising unemployment and inflation and an unprecedented crisis of political leadership. Your wasteful government has been on a drunken spending spree for 10 years and has awakened with a massive hangover rendering it useless to anyone looking to build a business.
During this period of economic upheaval the legal industry has changed right before our eyes. In most areas of practice, billing has been trending downward. The number of kids graduating from law school is up by 20%. Average income for an attorney in a small law firm is down 25% since 2006 (according to the American Bar Association). More lawyers, working for less money, means increased pressure on everyone just to get by.
To make matters worse, snake oil salesmen knock on your door everyday offering you’re the next elixir that will cure your ills. Charlatans promoting Search Engine Optimization, Facebook, Twitter and Legal Matching services pick your pocket while they shake your hand.
So the government cannot help you. Your industry is a shambles. The people who say they are experts are literally stealing your money.
Where do you go for help? Who can you count on to help you get through this mess?
Look in the mirror.
Believe it or not this is the time to make great money as a lawyer. Here are three things you can do, right now, to take control of your future.
Strengthen Relationships
Your clients and your referral sources trust you. Invest in them. Invest your time in helping them improve their lives and their businesses. Send them referrals. Talk them up everywhere. Help them become successful. You will be amazed at the return on this investment.
In the Far East this is called Karma. In the movies it is called paying it forward. In some business circles it is called “givers’ gain”. I call it good old fashion relationship development.
Help your clients and referral sources succeed and you will benefit in the long run.
Communicate Frequently with People Who Can Invest In Your Services
People forget us 10 minutes after they meet us. It’s human nature. Studies show that someone must interact with you a minimum of seven times before they will remember you. This means you need to communicate with people often. How often? That depends upon what you have to say.
If you have something interesting to share with me every day, I will listen to you. Most people feel the same way. There is no such thing as over communicating. Just don’t be boring.
Keep Your Promises
It is better to commit to nothing than to make a commitment you cannot fulfill. In this day and age, people are willing to commit to just about anything to land a new client. Don’t be that guy (or gal).
When you commit to something, you must live up to that commitment. Do what you say you are going to do. This includes showing up, on time, for meetings.
It’s sad, but this is actually a differentiating factor in today’s society.
Does this three step process sound overly simplistic?
Don’t confuse simplicity with ineffectiveness.
Try this three step plan for 90 days before you invest in the latest internet advertising scam or social media platform. You don’t need new technology, strong governmental leadership or a roaring economy to make a great living and live a great life as a lawyer. You just need to apply some commonsense and take action.
Start now.
Sometimes Law Firm Marketing is About Things That Don’t Happen
We are in the advice business. We bring our talent, skills, knowledge and experience to a situation and give the best guidance possible to our clients.
The people who engage us do so because they need help. Sometimes they want to avoid pain and sometimes they want to attract something favorable. Ultimately, they are looking to us to help them improve their current state.
When we are at our best, we objectively assess the situation and deliver powerful advice in a way that makes the client feel as though our idea was hatched in his brain. To him, our presence was simply validation that he is the smartest person in the world. And this idea, which was germinating in his head forever, magically sprung to life when we showed up.
We do not take a victory lap. We do not gloat. There is no touchdown dance.
If you can keep your ego in your pocket you can make a great living in the advice business.
In an age where pundits handicap everything from sporting events to elections, you can bet that anyone claiming to know, with certainty, about the outcome of a future incident is only partially informed. The real expert is behind the scenes, throwing up. He knows that in spite of his talent, skills, knowledge and experience, there is still a 10% chance that he is wrong. And he spends his entire career trying to reduce or manage that percentage.
Want to make a great living and live a great life?
Hone your craft. Strive for continuous improvement. Smoke an expensive cigar, alone, when you are successful. And then move on to the next client. Charge lots of money. But never, ever, brag about your role in the success of a client matter.
Practice educational marketing not boastful marketing. Offer references – other people who will boast of your success.
The most successful lawyers and consultants work behind the scenes to make things happen. They are the real force behind the big deal or the acquittal but more often, they are judged by what DOES NOT happen.
Think of it this way: The guy you see on TV who won the big case is never the best lawyer. The best lawyer is the guy who convinced the prosecutor not to file in the first place.
Be The Person They Can’t Hire
After waiting on hold for 20 minutes I was finally on the phone with the pediatric gastroenterologist. Three visits to our regular pediatrician, two weeks of sleepless nights and several shirts soaked with regurgitated baby formula had me to the point where I was determined to get some answers.
I called in a couple of favors to get this particular doctor on the telephone. Everyone said he was “the best”. My goal was to get my three month old daughter an appointment with him. At this point she had gone from throwing up occasionally (which all babies do) to throwing up every day.
Finally I was on the phone with Doctor Big, the rock star of baby vomit, and I was going to beg him, bribe him or somehow convince him to see my kid.
My phone call with Doctor Big lasted only 3 minutes. I talked for 2 minutes 45 seconds – explaining what was happening, laying out the facts, including dates and times of these disgusting little incidents and specifics about what our baby had eaten. Doctor Big talked for 10 seconds. He said:
“Look, if you’re really concerned, take her to the emergency room. Unfortunately, my schedule is booked for six weeks”.
I replied:
“Please call my mobile phone if you have a cancellation. We have done our research. We know you are the best and I only want the best for my kid.”
At that point he sighed and said: “Good Night Mr. Lorenzo”.
I called his answering service and left my mobile phone number anyway.
This story is not about my little girl (who is doing better after a change in formula and several more visits to various other doctors). And it’s not about the state of healthcare in the United States.
It is about positioning.
How did Doctor Big get to be THE GUY for kids with stomach issues? He went to a middle-of-the-pack medical school. He graduated in the middle of his class. He works in a good (not great) hospital.
Yet he has a reputation as a great doctor and an appointment book to match.
Want to know his secret?
He is unavailable.
You read that correctly.
You see, I found out from a friend who plays golf with Doctor Big, that when he first started out he instructed his office to funnel all his patients into office visits two days per week. When the patients came in, the waiting room was packed. People were standing in the hallway. And during the other three days, Doctor Big volunteered in a clinic in a bad part of town. As his practice grew, Doctor Big expanded his office hours until all five days were packed each and every week. I was told this took a couple of years.
But the result was that people couldn’t hire him, couldn’t get him on the phone, and couldn’t even find him roaming around the hospital. So they figured the guy HAD to be good.
Think about the implications of this for your law practice. How easy is it to find you and ask you a question (for free)? How easy is it to get an appointment to see you?
Can I get in to see you today? Right now?
How good can you be if you have time available right this instant? You appear desperate if you have time to let me take command of your schedule. And your fee probably reflects that desperation.
Think about how accessible you are. Facebook, Twitter, email, PDAs, smart phones, text messaging – people have all kinds of access to you because you have given it to them.
Play hard-to-get, if you have the guts. You’ll find that you attract better clients, you can charge higher fees, and people will respect you because of the perception that you are unavailable.
Law Firm Leadership: Fire Problem Clients and Vendors
About a month ago I received a telephone call from a client. He was furious. He had just received a phone call from his bookkeeper that made his blood boil.
Here’s the story:
Joe (my client) is an attorney in a practice area that was particularly hard hit by the recession. Just four years ago he was pulling in seven figures. By contrast, last year he was lucky to have a month where he brought home $2,500. He tried to “gut it out” (his words). But his cash flow was nonexistent and because he never adjusted his lifestyle, he was deep in debt.
By the time Joe began working with me (seven months ago) his credit cards were maxed out, he had an investment property in foreclosure and he was on the verge of defaulting on some old student loans.
When you are under this kind of financial pressure it can be debilitating.
Joe and I reinvented his practice and scaled back his expenses. And last month, for the first time in years, he was able to pay all of his monthly obligations and still have a little left over to take his family to the movies.
Just when Joe was feeling a little better about his financial situation, the phone rang and on the other end of the line was Marie his bookkeeper. Joe hated speaking with Marie. It was not because his financial picture was bleak for such a long time; it was because of the way she made him feel during their conversations.
Marie was the kind of person who told her clients what to do. She didn’t give advice in a nurturing fashion. She TOLD. And if the client resisted, she STEAMROLLED.
After a call with Marie, Joe always felt as if he had run a marathon. All energy would be drained from his body and he would be depressed.
This dysfunctional relationship came to a head on that fateful day last month. Joe sent Marie his expense statements and a few meals were categorized as business expenses. Marie called Joe and asked for the receipts from the meals. Joe could not find them and responded that Marie should just book the items as they appeared on his credit card bill. Marie persisted. She said she would have to categorize the expenses as distributions (which would create a tax issue for Joe) because he did not have the receipts.
Joe blew his top. He raised his voice and exclaimed that this was his business and, if he wanted something classified a certain way, for internal accounting purposes, his bookkeeper should do it.
Then Marie crossed the line. She said: “Joe, your financial difficulties demonstrate your lack of knowledge of accounting procedure. If you knew what you were doing you would not be in this mess in the first place.”
Joe hung up the phone and a few minutes later called me. He was emotional. He said he did not need anyone to remind him about his financial situation. He said he could tell by the clothes his kids were wearing (at least one size too small) and by the wear and tear on his seven year old business suits, that he was experiencing financial hardship. He said every time he drove to work and ignored the “check engine” light on his car (because he couldn’t afford to have it serviced); he was reminded of his financial situation.
He asked for my advice on how he should handle the situation with his bookkeeper.
The advice I gave Joe applies to everyone – regardless of their financial situation.
Immediately discontinue all relationships with people who consistently and repeatedly make you feel bad. People who make you feel insignificant, inferior or weak have their own insecurities. Get rid of them. It makes no difference if they are friends, clients, vendors or family. Banish them from your life.
There are two types of people in the world: People who energize you and make you feel good and people who suck the life out of you and make you feel bad. In difficult situations the energizers will offer solutions. In those same situations, the energy suckers will keep pointing out the problem.
Life is short. Make a concerted effort to rid your life of the people who focus on the negative and drain your energy.
The day Joe fired his bookkeeper he said he felt like a giant weight had been lifted off his back.
One of the best things about life is that you get to start over each and every day. When you surround yourself with people who help you find solutions; when you limit your circle of influence to people who only look at possibilities; when you make a conscious choice to eliminate negativity from your life; you are setting yourself up for success.
Is there someone in your life who is weighing you down? Isn’t it time you did something about that?
The Economy Doesn’t Matter
I saw something the other day that is a great lesson on “How to make money in this economy”.
In a shopping center down the street from my home, there was a high end restaurant on one end. The place was given five star reviews by just about everyone. It had been around for 25 years. In the boom economy you could never get a table there. It was always packed and the prices were outrageous.
On the other end of the shopping center there was a Burger King. During the good times, the dollar menu was a favorite of the “mommy and me” crowd and the drive thru had a line of contractor’s trucks around the block. That place had also been there for over a decade.
Last week both places closed their doors for good. Bankrupt. Out of business.
Was it because of the economy?
Well, let’s see…in the same shopping center there is a casual Mexican joint that has a line out the door everyday for lunch. They open at 11AM and they close at 9PM. I drove by last week on three different nights and the parking lot was packed during dinnertime. It’s not fast food but it certainly is not gourmet.
Same shopping center. Same traffic. Same economy.
What is making the difference?
I can’t say for sure but here’s what I know:
I received a post card in the mail from the Mexican place when they first opened. It was a discount coupon and invitation to visit. When I went there for the first time they asked for my email address and every Monday I get their “special of the week”. They also gave me a “bring a friend for free” coupon during my first visit (so that I would return). And they asked me for my birth date (so they can invite me to celebrate it at their place with a free meal if I bring three or more people).
The gourmet place never sent me anything; never invited me to come over, and damn sure never cared about my birthday. And good old BK didn’t do anything locally to promote their business. They just relied on the scary bigheaded king character on television to drive traffic to them.
The key take away for you is this:
You have to take responsibility for your own success. Do not rely on the economy. Do not rely on the “brand” of your law firm. Do not rely on your reputation as an exceptional legal practitioner.
Make an effort to develop relationships with people who will become your clients and with the people who will refer clients to you. Invite them in. Get to know them. Show them you care.
You make your own economy. You can still do well. You just have to work a little harder and work a lot smarter than you did in the past.
Complaining about how tough things are will get you nowhere.
If you want to attract clients to your law firm you need to take action. If you are confused about what action to take, give me a call: 305.692.5531.
Beating Back the Time Bandits: How to Save An Hour Per Day
Time is your most valuable asset. And it is perishable. You will never again get back the ten minutes you spent figuring out how to install the toner on the copy machine. That time is gone.
Everyone wants more time from you. Your spouse wants you to spend more time with the kids. Your paralegal and your associates want you to spend more time working with them. Your partner wants you to spend more time billing. Your client wants you to spend more time on his matter.
Everyone wants more of that precious asset but only a few are truly worthy. Yet we do not treat our time as a perishable asset. We treat it carelessly. We give it away and we waste it on stupid inane tasks that are handled inefficiently.
Below is one technique – just one – that will help you save an hour per day.
Never, Ever Answer a Ringing Telephone
Taking an unscheduled telephone call from ANYONE is a horrible idea. There are only three types of UNSCHEDULED calls you receive during your work day. They are:
- Personal calls
- Calls related to a client matter (past, present or future)
- Calls from someone who wants to sell you something
In all of those cases, it is a bad idea for you to pick up the telephone. Here’s why:
Personal calls should be handled on personal time. If you are at work, work. Have a conversation with your spouse, kids, mother, whoever and explain to them the importance of momentum and productivity. Then be proactive and call the people who are most likely to call you during your “personal” time (while driving, while having lunch, while taking a break from your work).
Taking unscheduled calls from a client or about a client’s matter is a disaster because you have no idea why the client is calling you or what the call is about. It is far better to have an assistant take a detailed message from the client and ascertain the purpose of the call. This way your assistant can schedule a telephone appointment to discuss the matter when you are prepared and have the client’s file in front of you.
Never, ever talk to a salesperson. Have your assistant screen all sales calls. If you have a legitimate need for the salesperson’s services, set up a telephone appointment to speak with that person.
Don’t have an assistant? Get a voice mail transcription service. I use Phonetag. This service transcribes my voicemail messages and sends them to me as an email attachment. You can then choose what you want to do with the call.
Here’s the bottom line on time management and this specific technique: You must train people to do business on your terms. Does that sound egotistical?
Think about it this way: You are always operating from an agenda. You can operate from your agenda or you can operate from someone else’s agenda. It’s up to you.
Train the people who call you for personal reasons. Train your clients. Train your assistant. And most importantly, train yourself.
The only person who can improve YOUR productivity is YOU. Start today with this simple technique.
Never Let Them See You Coming
Many people think being flashy is good. They believe that showing off your wealth, your knowledge or your skills is the way to win people over.
Nothing is farther from the truth.
If you want to attract clients, this may be the most important piece of advice you will ever receive.
Never let the client see you coming. This means you should always let the other guy feel superior.
Always.
Let him think he is smarter than you (at least when it comes to his business). Let him think he has more money than you do. Let him think he is more successful than you.
People are constantly comparing themselves to one another (both consciously and subconsciously). If they think they are more successful than you, they will want to be around you.
It’s human nature. The ego needs to be placated.
Providing the other person with the illusion of superiority allows you to control the interaction.
Need a case study? Watch a Colombo rerun.
Back in the 1970’s there was a television detective named Colombo (played by Peter Falk). Colombo appeared to be forgetful, disheveled and generally pathetic looking. His appearance and behavior always made the suspect feel at ease – as they did not believe Colombo was smart enough to crack the case. Of course this meant that they would be less guarded when having a conversation with Detective Colombo. This always led to the bad guy’s demise.
What does this mean for you? How can you use this in the day-to-day running of your law firm?
Avoid appearing or sounding superior. Dress professionally but not extravagantly. Be low key in your behavior. Never boast. When your work is successful, always deflect credit. Let others sing your praises. Make the client look good.
At the end of the day your goal is to help the client achieve his goal and to collect a fair fee for doing so.
In business and in life you can have everything you want as long as you are willing to make others look good (and feel good) while you conduct your business.
Your Most Valuable Relationship
A couple of weeks ago at a meeting of my Strategic Advisory Group for lawyers, one of my clients was telling the story of how his client, a very big celebrity, was going to be honored at an industry event. As he told our group this story, he ran down the list of all the things he had accomplished with and on behalf of this high profile individual. The list could have easily been mistaken for the achievements of a CAREER – yet my client helped his client accomplish these initiatives in less than twelve months.
I am not easily impressed or star struck – but in this case my jaw dropped.
The reason?
Not because of the fame of the celebrity involved. Not because of the sheer volume of work accomplished in a short time. And not because of the fees transferred from client to lawyer. All of these were significant but none as impressive as the one thing that can literally make or break any law firm or lawyer’s practice….the strength of the relationship between the lawyer and the client.
In this particular attorney/client relationship, the client, a mega star, does not make a business move without talking to his trusted advisor – the lawyer – my client.
Why is this so impressive?
Because that is the true nature of the practice of law. That is why you exist and why I help you. The client seeks your counsel. You guide. You advocate. You opine. And you represent. An ideal attorney/client relationship is not bound by specific matter or individual transaction or passing legal case. It is life-long and it is built upon bedrock of trust.
You may know me as a guy who helps lawyers attract clients but that is only partially true. I am the guy who helps lawyers attract the RIGHT client and then I help lawyers develop those life-long relationships.
In my world, marketing for lawyers is relationship development. To me a billboard is equal to speed dating. Lawyer referral services are essentially on-line match makers. Books with faces and twit websites are akin to The Singles Bar Scene.
I prefer my clients to meet their clients the old fashioned way – through a referral, by being approached by an admirer or by seeing them speak at an event. Making this happen is both an art and a science but it is only the beginning. Delivering value (real value in the eyes of the client) is what makes a relationship last.
How many of your clients will NOT make a move without first discussing it with you?
That list, in essence, is a demonstration of your value as a lawyer.
