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Message: Hi, I thought you might be interested in this article I found. How My Barbershop Lost a Client: A Marketing Lesson for Lawyers I have been going to the same barber shop for about 4 years. Since this is a luxury shop (they do haircuts, shaves, massages and spa treatments for men) and they offer a good experience (they serve beer, wine and tasty snacks) I never had a problem paying a little more for a haircut. During the three years of my patronage of this shop I would go in for a haircut about once a month. About a year ago my barber left to work somewhere else. When this happened the owner of the shop called me personally and asked me to stay with the shop and try out the new barber they brought it. I was impressed by this proactive gesture so I gave the new guy a try. I am glad I did. He is a good guy who loves sports and has an interest in the same teams I follow. After a few visits, this gentleman suggested that I come for a haircut every two weeks. I wear my hair very short and waiting four weeks to get it cut can make my hair look unruly. The barber talked with the owner of the shop and they agreed that every two weeks I would get a haircut I would pay half of what I paid for the monthly visit. This meant I was going to pay the same amount each month for more visits. I was thrilled. Last month the shop was sold. The new owners sent out an email announcement stating that buying this shop was “fulfilling their lifelong dream of business ownership”. The announcement was all about them. It didn’t thank the customers. It didn’t give us any introductory incentive to come in and meet the new owners. In fact, it didn’t mention anything at all about the clientele. I went in for my first haircut and the new owner immediately tried to up-sell me into getting a manicure. I’m not the manicure kind of guy but there was no irresistible offer (coupon to try it for free, etc.). It was just suggested that I try it because the manicurist was really good. Again – about them, not the client. After fending off the hard sell I met with the guy who actually cuts my hair. It was then that he dropped a bombshell on me. No longer could we do the two visits per month at the agreed upon price. A haircut was a haircut. Full price must be paid every visit. When I raised the issue with the new owner I was told the same thing. A haircut is a haircut. Same shop. Different experience. Bad feeling. So what does this have to do with marketing for lawyers? Attorneys often treat their clients the same way. The marketing only focuses on what the lawyer has to offer. It doesn’t take into consideration the client’s needs or wants. The attorney doesn’t give the client any incentive to make a decision. He simply says: “This is what you need to do”. And the surprises that come with hourly billing (just like the surprise of my haircut price doubling) are killers of good client relationships. Now I need to go look for a new barber. This is a minor inconvenience for me and about a $1,000 per year loss for the barber shop. Think about the experience the client has when he interacts with your firm. Could you spend more time talking about his needs? Could you give him an incentive to do more legal work with you? Is there a better billing option you could have provided that would have made him feel less “ambushed”? Marketing for lawyers is all about relationship building. Put the relationship first and offer a great experience. If you do your income will never receive a haircut. Link: http://www.rainmakerlawyer.com/site/permalink/how_my_barbershop_lost_a_client_a_marketing_lesson_for_lawyers/