Why Is It So Easy To Hire You?
Every so often I will point out things I think are worth reading for people interested in law firm marketing. This week I came across a post by Seth Godin on open buying and open selling. Seth is talking about the ease of getting something and its true value to the end user. This is a concept that is near and dear to me. If something is easy to get, how much could it be worth?
Let’s say you need to see a heart surgeon. It’s not an emergency but your doctor has detected an irregular heartbeat. The doctor doesn’t give you a referral (he doesn’t believe in them). So you are forced to find a heart surgeon on your own.
You go to the Internet and you call the heart surgeon who comes up on top in a Google search. You call the office at 9AM and get an appointment for 11AM. After a FREE consultation, you shake the doctor’s hand and he agrees to operate on you at 1PM.
What do you think? Is that guy most likely a good doctor or a bad doctor?
I know that sounds ludicrous but that’s what happens with many lawyers.
You can pick up the phone at 9AM, make an appointment for today at 11, go to the office for a FREE consultation and have an attorney retained by 1PM.
And the attorneys who operate this way wonder why they have so many clients who shop around.
It is not easy to hire a good lawyer. Good lawyers are selective in the clients they accept. Good lawyers are always busy…too busy to handle same day appointments or walk-ins…too busy to offer FREE consultations.
If you want quality clients you need to have a process in place to select them. If you want clients to listen to your advice they must perceive it as valuable. Law firm marketing helps influence that perception but commonsense must also have a role.
Clients get what they pay for…and they know it.
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EmailThe Best Marketing for Law Firms Never Promises Anything
The bodies that govern law firms in every state have legislated against representing a potential outcome to a client. In part, this stems from sleazy practitioners making false or misleading statements in order to engage a client.
I am regularly approached by attorneys who “want to know the tricks around” this rule. Let me be clear: There are no ETHICAL ways around this. Excellent attorneys do not want to get around this. Good marketers and good marketing for law firms should never attempt to get around this rule. Here are three reasons why:
Outlining all the potential outcomes in a case increases your credibility with the client.
Attorneys can never promise an outcome in a case. Even giving the hint that a positive outcome is possible can sometimes lead to trouble. But most attorneys are also hesitant to discuss the potential negative consequences of the legal action.
Covering the entire spectrum of possible outcomes is something that good attorneys do with potential clients. They don’t stress the positive or the negative. The simply help the client understand the implications of each decision.
Giving the client the information about all realistic scenarios, up front, is something that enhances the attorney’s credibility in the eyes of the client.
Being transparent about the possible negative outcome increases the urgency.
Setting realistic expectations helps clients evaluate you fairly.
You can promise to return a call within 24 hours. You can promise to be honest with your client at all times. You can promise to deliver the developments on the case to the client as quickly as possible. But making promises you can’t keep is never a good idea in life or in marketing for law firms.
A Law Firms Marketing Madness: Cutting the Budget is a Bad Move
Many large law firms have been cutting their marketing budgets during the past couple of years. This is being done as a reaction to the broad economy and the perceived weakness in the demand for legal services. These law firms marketing madness will only make things worse.
Cutting the law firms marketing budget during difficult economic times is the wrong approach. A down economy is exactly the right time to spend MORE on marketing. Here are three reasons why:
Clients still need you to solve problems.
Do you really think there is a shortage of legal issues during a down economy? Come on now. Clients have either chosen to ignore their issues or they have put off fixing them until the economy improves. Your job (as a law firm business owner) is to help potential clients realize that their problems must be addressed now. It shows that you still involved in the community/industry.
Since we practice educational marketing, we are always providing value to our clients.
If you continue to provide this value, even during an economic downturn, you will build your credibility and goodwill within your community/industry. Law firms marketing in a recession are perceived as strong. Law firms marketing using educational marketing provide their clients and prospective clients with value. The combination of these two factors makes them unstoppable.
The return on investment is still there.
Think like a business owner. If you invest a dollar and you receive three dollars in return you have made a good investment. That’s what marketing is all about. Good marketers find out what works and they invest in it and leverage their investment to receive a great return.
Law firms marketing in a recession are rare but that’s all the more reason for you to INCREASE your marketing during tough times. Make the investment.
You’ll be glad you did.
Time For an Ethical Enema
Most of my work is done with sole practitioners and small law firms. I enjoy working with them because they are generally highly receptive to the things I teach. Big law firms on the other hand often have stupid requirements that get in the way of old fashioned commonsense.
Recently I met with a BIG LAW firm attorney (let’s call him Mr. Big) as part of an interview series I am doing with successful lawyers. This guy came highly recommended by his Managing Partner. My interview with him was short.
I ended it after the first question.
My first question to Mr. Big was: “What makes you so successful?” I thought he would say something about client service or a dedication to quality research or diligence in pursuing justice for his clients. I thought he would share a secret with me that I could, in turn, pass along to my clients.
Here was his answer: “I’m successful because I bill the crap out of my clients.”
I was stunned. Mr. Big went on the regale me with stories of how he has billed over 300 hours each month for the past 3 months. For those of you who are not great with math that means he is billing 12.5 hours per day, six days a week or billing 10 hours a day for an entire month straight (for three consecutive months).
So Mr. Big bills all of this time and he NEVER takes a day off right? Absolutely not. He works a half day one day on the weekend and takes the other day completely off. He says he usually makes up for that half day by “cutting out early to play golf one day during the week.”
I can’t say I was shocked by this. I know it happens quite a bit. The problem comes when these people submit their bills. If they submit an hourly bill and it is not true they are perpetrating a fraud.
The argument people make to counter this point is that they are billing for “the time it would take if someone else did the work.” In other words, because the attorney is highly experienced in this area of the law, he can get something complicated done quicker than others with less experience.
That’s great. If you have that experience you should receive a premium for your services just don’t extract it by padding the number of hours worked. Charge a flat fee, a value-based fee, and explain to your client that they are receiving the benefit of your experience.
There are no less than 30 different ways to structure fees in an attorney/client relationship. I cover these ways with my clients each and every day. Hourly billing is BY FAR the worst billing method. Not just because the client will get screwed (early and often) but because the lawyer will often get screwed as well (if you don’t think clients report overbilling to the state bar, think again).
If you need some help crafting an alternative billing methodology, give me a call 888.692.5531. Don’t put yourself and your client in an uncomfortable position – the position of a person who has received an ethical enema.
Money Is Important
Let’s have a heart-to-heart conversation.
You need to make money. Maybe even more money than you are currently making. Even if you don’t need it, you want it.
There’s nothing wrong with that.
Let me say that again.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to make more money.
You can love the law and want more money.
You can love your family and want more money.
You can provide great value to your clients and want more money.
You can be a good person and want more money.
Money is not bad. It is good.
So why do so many attorneys have a complex about making more money?
A law firm is a business.
Businesses exist …to make money.
Don’t get hung up on the negativity about growing your practice, raising your rates or charging for initial consultations.
Deliver fair value and charge accordingly.
Got questions? Call me.
Dave Lorenzo 888.692.5531
New Free Tool: Learn to make your billing process a competitive advantage
Now available in our FREE TOOLS area: A new white paper by Dave Lorenzo titled: Nobody Cares What You Think Your Time is Worth.
In this brief but informative document you will learn how to make billing a strategic advantage for your law firm.
Register to become a member today and then go to the free tools area to download this terrific white paper.
Perception of Value is in the Eye of the Client
Sometimes it is impossible to see the value we provide to others because we are too close to the day-to-day activity of our profession.
This is often the situation I encounter when I speak with attorneys who need help with marketing. They are perplexed because there are other lawyers in their field (or in their area) who command higher fees or seem to land more lucrative clients.
If you find yourself in this situation the answer is often not found in adjusting the services you provide but in helping your clients (and prospective clients) understand exactly how valuable those services are.
Here are some powerful points of value that attorneys should stress in their relationships with their clients. Although there are ten points on this list, I am willing to bet that most attorneys (and some clients) will overlook at least five or six.
Let’s see how many you recognize – but more importantly: How many do you think your client will recognize in you?
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