The Fastest Way to Lose a Client
Most solo practitioners and small law firms can’t afford to lose a client.
Yet most do the one thing that absolutely infuriates their clients.
What am I talking about?
I’m talking about the lack of responsiveness that has become pervasive in the legal profession.
Consider this scenario:
A client engages you to handle an important matter, a matter where time is of the essence. The client is nervous, maybe even down right scared. Their financial health and quite possibly their physical well being rest in your hands. They call your office with a question at 10:30AM on a Tuesday.
What is a reasonable time for the client to expect a return call?
Not necessarily an ANSWER to his question but a call acknowledging the issue.
What is reasonable? Four hours? Before the end of the day? Later that week?
How about never?
Is that acceptable?
Obviously not.
This is a true story.
A client was fired from her job as an executive at a telecom company. She engaged an employment attorney to help her work out a financial settlement with her former employer. The attorney worked on a contingency fee basis and the settlement negotiations were in the mid-six figure range.
As negotiations progressed, the executive began to become more and more anxious. She had no current income and two kids to feed. Her savings would last at least six months but she had hoped to avoid spending it down.
But that wasn’t even the key issue.
She was also looking at a terrible (and probably illegal) noncompete agreement that she signed ten years earlier. Reworking the terms of this agreement also needed to be part of the deal.
One Tuesday (about three weeks into the negotiation) the executive left a message for the attorney at around 10:30AM. When her call was not returned by Friday morning, she called again. She was able to speak directly with the attorney who said he did not return the call because he was: “Busy with an important case.”
The executive was taken aback but believed that she was too far into the negotiation to make any waves with her attorney. So she swallowed her indignation and hoped for the best.
Things progressed and the settlement worked out fine. During her review of the paperwork, the executive again left a message for the attorney. This time a week passed and after the executive left two additional messages, the attorney finally called back.
In this case, the client was angry at the attorney’s lack of responsiveness. But she felt handcuffed because of the nature of the situation. Make no mistake; the client in this matter has not forgotten how she was treated. She is now a senior executive working for another telecom company in the same town where the attorney practices law. She regularly tells EVERYONE about her former council’s lack of responsiveness during this encounter.
In this matter, the attorney did not lose the client but his past behavior has kept him from realizing several new potential client relationships.
In the past few months I have heard similar stories four other times.
Four other incidents of attorneys virtually ignoring client phone calls.
And intent is irrelevant.
When I brought this up to one of the attorneys who was a particularly egregious offender in this regard he responded:
“I am only one person. I want to talk with my clients – in real time. I would love to present them with the issues as they arise and get their feedback and ultimately conclude the matter in a couple of days. The fact is that each client is just a drop in the ocean. I have almost 120 clients. How can I return all those calls, and go to court, and negotiate with opposing council, all at the same time?”
Something is dreadfully wrong with this situation.
There is no excuse for not returning a client’s phone call or email.
None.
I do not care how busy you think you are.
The easiest way to get fired is to be nonresponsive.
One of the first things I drill into the heads of the attorneys who hire me is the response standard that their clients expect. This standard is not only common courtesy, in difficult times it serves as a harbinger of practice integrity.
In the offices of my clients they adhere to these two communications policies:
- All phone calls are returned within 90 minutes
- We respond to all email within 24 hours
I work with law firms that bill over $1 million annually and somehow manage to adhere to this standard. I also work with solo attorneys who bill in excess of $750,000 per year and follow this policy to the letter.
There is no reason why you cannot do this.
Yes, I know you sometimes go to court and there are days when you are in client meetings and you can’t get to your calls for more than 90 minutes. That is where a good administrative assistant comes into the picture.
Here’s how the system works when you are away from your phone for more than 90 minutes at a time:
On your outgoing voice mail message let callers know that your assistant is picking up your messages while you are in court. Ask that the caller leave only his name and phone number. Your assistant must check messages every hour and call back each client and schedule a return call with them for you. She should put it right on your calendar.
The client feels good and you remain in control of your time.
This system works if you give it a chance.
If you think it can’t work for you, call me and I’ll help you work through it.
Dave Lorenzo 888.692.5531
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EmailIn Law Firm Marketing, It’s All About The Client
One of the easiest things to lose sight of when marketing your law firm is the importance of maintaining strong relationships with current clients. Every attorney will agree that acquiring new clients is a critical element in growing a legal practice. However, keeping current clients happy is just as important. Having satisfied clients improves your firm’s reputation, while also increasing the likelihood of client referrals and repeat business.
Marketing is not just ads, websites, and commercials. Every time you, or anyone else in your law firm, interacts with a client you are marketing. When you perform well for clients and when you perform poorly for clients, you are marketing, because marketing is not all about advertising; it is also about relationships.
Know and Manage Client Expectations
Client expectations are not the same as legal needs. Many clients are great at detailing their legal needs. However, they don’t often express their more specific expectations. As their attorney, it’s your job to do two things: 1) uncover a client’s unspoken expectations and 2) manage client expectations.
To uncover their unspoken expectations you need to ask a lot of questions. Ask about past legal experiences your potential clients have had. Were they satisfied with how previous legal cases were handled? Get very specific details about why or why not. Ask potential clients why they chose your firm. You may have had luck by winning a very challenging case in the past. However, it may not be a feat you can repeat anytime soon. If a client thinks that working with you and your firm means guaranteed success, you will need to help them understand that every case is different and there are no guarantees.
This is where a strong retention letter will be very useful. After you have figured out what your client is hoping for and you have helped to provide them with realistic expectations, put it in writing. Map out with as much clarity as you can, what it is that you and your new client have agreed upon.
No matter what, don’t give false hope. If the odds are against your client winning, they deserve to know that from the start. This does not have to be explained in a way that is discouraging or makes you appear anything less than able. Remember, you may not be the only attorney they are considering, someone with less integrity may give the impression that the case is stronger than it is.
Take this opportunity to educate the client, let them into your thought process about the case. Explain that, while you have an uphill battle ahead, the case is still a worthy one to pursue. You can be optimistic and in their corner, without misleading them about possible outcomes.
Stay in Touch
Many attorneys feel that if nothing is happening with a case then they don’t need to be in touch with their clients. Wrong. Most clients will begin to believe that nothing is happening with the case because of their attorney’s inaction. If a case is taking a long time to process for reasons beyond your control, you still need to be in touch with your client. Let them know that you’ve made calls on their behalf, or that you have thought about what steps to take once the case gets moving again. Also, you can simply check to see how they’re doing and to let them know that you regularly review their file as you wait for the next step in the process to occur.
Don’t think that because a client isn’t calling you that they’re not thinking about you. Most clients don’t want to bother you by calling too often. Nevertheless, they may still have questions they want to ask about the case. Make sure that your client knows that they can ask you anything, anytime.
Remember to use proper etiquette when speaking with clients. Don’t interrupt. Repeat what they’ve said in your own words to confirm that you have listened and taken in what the client has expressed. Return phone calls. We all know how frustrating it is when we call someone and they don’t call back. How much more frustrating is it when you are paying for a service and you can’t get updates or get your questions answered? Returning calls is a must if you want satisfied clients.
If you truly believe that you don’t have enough time to return client calls, then you need to start thinking of ways to free up time in your schedule. Do you have too many clients? Are you spending time doing office work that could be handed over to a virtual assistant? Don’t try to wear all the hats, delegate when needed and put client needs first.
Regular contact will give the client an opportunity to let you know if something is bothering them before a problem festers. You don’t want the first time you hear about a client’s complaint to be when you’re contacted by an ethics review board. Be willing to listen to their concerns. If you can’t meet a client’s expectations at least try to manage them. Remind them of what the two of you agreed upon when you took the case.
Even when you follow all of these guidelines, you may still have a difficult client. It is important to remember that you both have something at stake in the relationship. You have the reputation of your practice and the client has their legal issue to be concerned about.
Don’t burn a bridge by taking things personally.
Stay professional. Be the calm voice in the middle of a client conflict. Remember, every client is a walking, talking advertisement for your firm. Even if they are being unreasonable, you don’t want them to harm your firm’s reputation. Take the high road and know that your relationship with that client will not last forever.
Happy clients mean a happy law firm. To grow your practice you need to work hard to get new clients in the door, but you will need to work even harder to meet the needs and expectations of current clients.
With Clients - No Sex on the First Date
Remember back in the days when you were young, dumb and running around like an alley cat in heat?
Remember how you only had one thing on your mind?
You were boy crazy, girl crazy or basically just sex crazy. Remember when that was the only thing you could think about?
And if you say it wasn’t, you’re either kidding yourself or hormonally challenged.
Just thinking back to those days can make your heart beat a little faster.
That feeling still exists with many people and if it doesn’t exist for you I’ll tell you how you can revive it and use it to build your law practice.
No. I’m not talking about using sex as bait to get people into your office.
I’m talking about the way many attorneys treat their new clients.
They rush to close the deal and they rush to bill the client as many hours as possible on the first engagement. Unfortunately, these eager attorneys attempt to maximize the immediate dollars at the expense of what could be a wildly profitable lifetime relationship.
The key to building a successful practice is to keep the big picture in focus while looking to maximize profit. You are in a dating relationship with your client and you should not be looking for the immediate gratification of the one night stand.
Here are four ways to grow the relationship and help clients feel that you are with them for the long term:
First, discuss the client’s desired outcome before discussing your fee.
It is natural – almost instinctive – to want to talk about your fee early in the client interaction. After all, you want to find out if the client can afford you. You need to make sure that you are not wasting your time with them. Remember the old expression; “Time is money”.
This is partially true. Ultimately, if you have positioned yourself properly, your prospective client will understand that you are not the cheapest attorney on the block. If you have done your homework, you will also know exactly who is sitting in front of you. Hopefully, this will calm your greed hormones and allow you to take your time and build the relationship.
Rushing into a money discussion is the equivalent to introducing yourself to a new date and then asking if you can have sex right now, in the back seat of your dad’s car. It didn’t work then and it won’t work now….and if it did, well, it only led to trouble.
You need to show the client that you care about their issue. You need to demonstrate the ability to meet their needs (solve their problem). And you need to make sure the client understands and believes that you will stick with them if/when things get tough. Once you have discussed the client’s issue in this manner, you have earned the right to talk about money.
Next, you should stay in contact with your clients between issues.
If you only speak with your clients when they need your services, you will probably miss out on several opportunities to be of assistance.
Just like a “booty call” in the middle of the night, an opportunistic relationship is doomed. The relationship ends when the client finds an attorney that can meet his/her needs all the time.
Third, remember to patronize the client’s business if possible and appropriate.
Loyalty is a two way street. If you currently have a need for the goods or services that a client sells, you should, when possible and practical, buy from your clients. Do this even if it is only once in a while.
Clients like to see that you have an interest in some type of reciprocal relationship even if a monogamous relationship is not possible. It does not matter if you are going to make far more money from them than they will ever make from you. The client only wants to know that you have made an effort to use their services when possible and practical.
In business just like in life, it is often the thought that counts. While monogamy is the preference in relationships, and it goes a long way in business, a single provider relationship is often not possible. Using your client’s services, at least on occasion, is a great way to show them that you value the relationship you have with them.
Finally, ask your clients about their goals beyond your work together.
Go out of your way to help them achieve these goals when possible. Once you get to know your clients and understand their needs, you can offer other services – outside of your practice – on a referral basis.
Many attorneys have referral relationships with CPAs and financial services professionals. Some attorneys get into real estate development or other ventures. They follow the needs expressed by their clients. They cultivate relationships and work to provide services or referrals for their clients’ benefit.
No matter how you look at it, practice growth comes down to one fundamental point: Putting the client relationship first is the key to long-term growth and sustainability.
If this sounds like an unfamiliar concept, then maybe it is time to jump out of the backseat of your parent’s car, take a cold shower and start thinking about a long-term commitment.
