How to Get Clients As a Lawyer
Does it bother you that you spent all that money on law school, invested all that time and energy in your education and they never taught you how to get new clients as a lawyer? If it does, this may be the most important article you have ever read.
During the next few paragraphs I am going to reveal the secrets of how to get more clients than you can possibly handle. Sit back in your chair. Plant your feet firmly on the ground and relax. Lawyer marketing is going to seem different in a few minutes.
Five ways lawyers get new clients:
Don’t think about marketing. Think about relationships.
Too many lawyers want to learn the tips, tricks, tactics or techniques to getting more clients. Ultimately, marketing for lawyers is not about learning some kind of business development judo. It is about building relationships. Everyone you meet has the potential to refer someone to you. Everyone you meet is one or two connections away from bringing in the huge client that could change your life. The people who believe in you most will refer people to you over and over again. Start off by looking to establish relationships with people first and the business will come.
Don’t forget about anyone, ever.
One of my clients, a personal injury attorney in the Midwestern United States, got his best client ever from an electrician who worked on the wiring in his home. How did this happen? The electrician was replacing some outdated wiring in the attorney’s home. This was a project that took several days.
A couple of days during that time period, the attorney had coffee with the electrician. They didn’t talk about electrical repair and they didn’t talk about the law. They talked about their kids, sports and the local town politics.
When the job was finished, the attorney added the electrician to his newsletter list. Each month, the electrician read the newsletter and enjoyed the personal stories it contained. One afternoon at the electrical supply store, he heard that a guy he once worked with had gotten hurt at a job on a construction site.
Since he knew the guy and since he had been involved in some close calls himself, he went to visit his former coworker in the hospital. The injuries were serious and the construction company who supervised the site cut several corners on that job. The electrician immediately reached out to “his friend” the attorney and made an introduction.
Getting clients as a lawyer happens naturally. It is not scripted. Your next client can come from anyone, anywhere.
Communicate with people as often as possible.
Frequency of communication builds trust. If people see you and hear from you often they will rely on you.
Too many attorneys feel that they will be bothering people by sending out a weekly electronic newsletter or a monthly print newsletter. The opposite is true. If you do not communicate with people often enough, they will be hesitant to trust you.
Focus on the client.
Don’t talk about yourself. Don’t write about yourself. You should only give people information about your law firm if they ask for it.
Give people information they need to make better decisions. Help them solve problems. Demonstrate your expertise.
TELLING someone how smart you are is awful. SHOWING them how smart you are by sharing your knowledge is great.
Be a connector.
As a lawyer, if you want people to help you get clients, if you want them to send you referrals, you have to become known as someone who connects people. Making valuable introductions to others is one of the best ways to demonstrate the behavior you want from others.
Connecting your friends and acquaintances is an important and valuable way to deepen your relationships. Deep relationships produce referrals.
These five ways to get clients may not have been exactly what you were looking for. You were probably thinking you were going to hear about some advertising strategy or some new and exciting social media.
During the past 20 years I have worked with countless attorneys and legal professionals on marketing. These five ways of getting clients are timeless and foundational. Focus on these first and you can add everything else into the mix later.
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