How Often Should a Lawyer Communicate with Clients or Prospects?
One of the questions I am asked most often is: “How often should I communicate with my clients and prospective clients?”
Many people are afraid they will annoy their clients and prospective clients if they communicate with them too often. Lawyers (in my client group) are particularly concerned about the frequency of delivery of email and print information. They ask: “Is a weekly email newsletter too much?” And “Is a monthly print newsletter too frequent?”
The answers are: “NO” and “NO”.
If you provide your clients and prospects with the right kind of content they will happily read it no matter how often you send it to them.
This is not some academic theory (although it is supported by substantial academic evidence). It is something I have learned through experience.
My email tip – The Rainmaker Minute —is distributed weekly to my clients, my referral partners, people who may be clients some day and my friends and relatives. These are all people who I have met or have otherwise given me permission to correspond with them. Less than one percent of people I have sent this email to have ever opted out.
My monthly newsletter – The Rainmaker Letter – goes to Clients and VIPs (people who request it). Every 30 days these folks receive a 4 page newsletter from me. And every month I get several requests to send copies to friends of the recipients.
The bulk of my new clients, by far, come from people who have been reading my newsletters, books and blog articles regularly. They know me. They like me and they trust me.
This works for attorneys too.
The secret to keeping your clients and prospects engaged is contained within four key qualities of the content you create. Here are the four qualities of effective communication:
Interesting Content
This is, by far, the most important component of any communication system. Your content must be interesting and relevant to your audience. People change the channel on boring television programs. People unsubscribe from boring newsletters.
A shot of spice also never hurt the content of a newsletter or email. You’ll notice I occasionally pick fights with my competitors or tweak a lousy vendor or talk about sex just to make sure you are still with me.
Make sure your material is interesting and informative.
Frequency
People want to hear from you more often than you think. If you are providing value in your newsletter or email, there is no reason to worry about sending something to people too often. A good rule of thumb is to think about how often you call your best friend. You call when you have something interesting to say and your call is welcomed. Frequency of communication is a key component to law firm marketing.
The standard for my clients is a weekly email and a monthly newsletter. I have clients who send an email out daily – like an inspirational quote of the day or a stock market update (recapping yesterday’s results). Although these things are not relevant to their law practice, they are important to the person receiving them.
Consistency
The Rainmaker Minute is sent out each Wednesday at 12 noon (Eastern). Every week, same time. People know when to expect it. The Rainmaker Letter is sent out each month on the 15th (unless it is a Sunday – then we send it out a day early).
People like things that are consistent because they are reliable. They trust people who are consistent.
If you send out a newsletter one month and then you skip a few months, people will think you are unreliable.
Personality
Your writing should fit your personality. Many people say they can actually hear me speaking when they read my email and my newsletter. You are not writing an academic work when you sit down to compose your newsletter. You are having a conversation with a friend. You are helping them get to know you. Inject your personality into the writing.
Monthly newsletters and weekly email may seem like a lot of work – and it can be. But remember, doing this consistently, over time, will provide you with a handsome reward in new clients down the road.
Someone is finishing reading this article right now and they are going to implement a weekly and monthly communication system. Will it be you or will it be that competitor you are most concerned about?
If you need help, call me. 888.692.5531
Print
EmailYour Law Firm is Leaking
Each and every month you lose influence over your clients. Each month some of the people who have paid you the highest fees or done the most work with you become less and less interested in you. Each month your stellar reputation fades a little more in the minds of the folks who refer you new clients And most people are probably not doing anything about it.
Why?
Because most people are lazy.
You lose 10% of your influence with your clients, prospects and referral sources for every 30 days you do not have contact with them.
This means ten months from now, the great client you had lunch with today will have forgotten all about you. It means the doctor who sent you that great referral last week will have a hard time remembering what you do for a living. It means the business owner you met at the networking event yesterday will not recognize you if you hit him with your car next spring.
So what is the solution?
The answer is to start communicating with these people. Each month you should have some kind of communication with your clients, prospective clients and referral sources. This communication can be a newsletter, it can be a card or it can be a phone call or an email. It really doesn’t matter how you interact with them. You simply want to remind them that you are here and ready to help them and the people they know.
Some people will say: “I don’t have the money!”
Do you have a real business or are you just playing around? You need to invest money in your client acquisition efforts in order to develop a real business (a law firm is a business by the way).
It costs less than a dollar to purchase and mail a greeting card each month. It costs about $2 to send out a printed newsletter (in small quantity). Email is practically free – just type and hit send.
But some people will need to be convinced. Here’s how the math works:
You mail 1000 newsletters at $2 each (the cost for printing and mailing). You mail 1000 greeting cards at $1 each. You type and send 1000 emails to the people within your database (only to those from whom you have received permission). You do these three things every month. That is a total monthly expense of $3000.
Let’s say it takes you three months to see any business from these efforts. So you have spent $9,000 in keeping up with the most valuable 1000 people in your database.
On the first day of the fourth month you get a client as a direct result of these efforts. This client is your average client. And your average client pays you $10,000 in fees.
Was your investment worth it?
Yes.
Will you get more than one client from these efforts?
Most likely. There is a cumulative effect to this kind of system. After about six months you will start to see more and more interest in your services. It takes some people a little longer to absorb the information and react.
Will you get more clients by doing this compared to doing nothing?
Definitely.
What are you waiting for?
If you need a kick in the rear end and want some help in setting up this type of system, give me a call. If you want me to show you how, I will. If you want me to set it up, I will. If you want me to do this for you each and every month I will.
You can be lazy and outsource this system to me or I can show you how to do this for yourself. The choice is yours but doing NOTHING is the worst choice you can possibly make.
Call now. 1.888.692.5531
Five Things Every Law Firm Should Guarantee
Most businesses are afraid of guarantees. The believe that people will take advantage of them way too often and drive firm into the ground.
Law firms are no different.
In most states law firms cannot even allude to the potential positive outcome of a matter without facing severe penalties. So you can forget about guaranteeing anything…right?
Wrong!
The state bar rules, in most cases, do not forbid SERVICE LEVEL GUARANTEES. They forbid outcome guarantees. Your law firm can guarantee that you will treat your clients with respect and common courtesy.
Many of my clients (I only work with lawyers) have strong guarantees and they ask their clients to hold them accountable.
Here are the five things that every law firm should guarantee:
A Return Phone Call
I hate the fact that most attorneys do not return phone calls in a timely fashion. I do not care how busy you are, I do not care if you spend your entire day in court, I don’t care if you commute 3 hours one way to work; all client phone calls should be returned within two hours. Period.
You don’t have to personally call your client back (it would be great if you would). But your assistant should call people back within two hours and schedule a return call to your clients at the next possible opportunity.
By they way there is no excuse for ever letting a client go beyond 24 hours without a phone call. If you don’t get out of work until 10PM, call then. The client will be glad you did. They will not be upset when you interrupt their TV shows.
Proper Preparation
I have seen many attorneys walk into the lobby of the courthouse and get introduced to their client for the first time.
Sorry but that is crap.
Proper preparation means having at least one conversation with your client before they put their legal future in your hands.
It also means that you have read the file before walking into the meeting with opposing council for the first time (yep I’ve seen and heard about that a few times too). It also means proof reading the settlement letter before sending it – you know – to make sure that the client’s name is spelled correctly…
An Answer to Every Question
You must give your client an answer to every question he/she asks. Helping your client understand what is happening to him/her is an essential part of your job.
If you don’t know the answer to the question at that moment, simply say: “I have to do some research before I answer you.” And then get back to them as soon as possible.
That’s not only a nice thing to do, it’s your job. You work for the client.
Attorney Timeliness
No one client is more important than any other.
If they are you should choose not to represent the lesser of the two clients because they deserve someone who will give them their full attention.
Be on time.
Just like the phone call situation – there are few acceptable excuses for being late to a meeting.
The Right to Speak with the Boss
All clients should have the right to speak with the ultimate decision-making authority in the firm.
If you are a solo or small firm attorney then you might want to consider a “speak your mind guarantee”. This is a guarantee that states that if the client is ever not happy with something, they have the right to speak their mind and not worry about any repercussions. Of course this is not the same as introducing an objective third party into the situation, but it demonstrates your concern for the feelings of the client.
So just what happens if you let the client down?
What happens if you fail in one of these areas?
In most cases, the attorney agrees to forgive some portion of the fee.
That’s right; they put their money where their mouth is.
These five items are foundational elements of client service. If you are not guaranteeing them, there is only one reason: You are scared that you cannot control yourself enough to treat people properly.
Why don’t you implement this five point guarantee today?
Need help? Call me. Dave Lorenzo 888.692.5531
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
In 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.
