Uncover Your Client’s Underlying Goals, Motivations and Concerns.

Knowing what motivates your client is essential to becoming a trusted legal adviser. Many clients only hire an attorney when they have an immediate need for legal services, and that need is often incredibly significant and urgent. Your client may be worried about the legal outcome or the future of his business or family life.

Listen to him explain his problems and concerns. By actively listening and empathizing with your client during this difficult time, you build rapport and trust, so that when you do offer legal advice, your client is more likely to act upon it.

If you work with businesses, rather than simply providing the legal work asked of you, get to know your client’s business objections and suggest ways he might safeguard his company against future legal issues. Help him prioritize any legal risks he may be having and provide a plan for mitigating those legal risks in the future. By taking an active role in his business, you demonstrate that you have his best interests at heart.

Stay Informed of New Laws and Current Events.

The law changes continuously, so be aware of any new legal or regulatory changes that may affect your client’s case or business and inform him of any possible opportunities or threats in the near future.

For corporate work, do you know how your client’s company is doing in the marketplace or his long-term goals and objectives? By uncovering your client’s motivations and goals, you will be able to better help him keep informed of any new legal issues that may impact his business and make the strategic choices that are right for his company.

Manage Client Expectations.

Most people didn’t attend law school, so they don’t understand how much work is involved with their legal matter. Clearly explain what you will do for them and be upfront and transparent about your fees and how you will communicate with them throughout your working relationship.

One of the biggest complaints clients have about lawyers is they don’t return phone calls or respond to inquiries in a timely fashion. Not returning calls promptly is disrespectful, so make your client a priority and respond accordingly.

In addition, keep clients up-to-date about the progress of their legal case. The more significant your client’s problem is, the more worried he will be about the outcome, so be supportive and inform him of any advancement.

Solicit Client Feedback.

Finally, uncover what clients are really saying about your firm. Take the time to survey or interview your clients to learn what they liked and disliked about doing business with you, what set your legal services apart from other attorneys, and where you can improve your services. Take new clients out for lunch or coffee and ask them why they chose your firm. Try to learn as much as you can about why they hired you, what they didn’t like about their previous lawyer, and what they value most about your services

By learning more about your clients, you will build client rapport and provide better service to your clients. Disappointed clients won’t give you more work or refer business to you, so once you understand your clients’ needs, concerns, and motivations, you can more easily manage their expectations.

Most books on professional services marketing focus on how to advertise or put up a website to market your business. Consultants August Aquila and Bruce Marcus have written a book that goes a step further.

In the preface, they establish from the beginning what this book is not about – “The professional world doesn’t need another book on how to write a press release or write a brochure or run a seminar.” Instead, they choose to focus on what a professional services firm must do to create clients and survive in the modern, constantly changing marketplace.

Client service lies at the heart of every successful business, yet firms often struggle to obtain clients and fulfill their needs. Today’s clients demand greater sophistication and skill – and application of those skills – by professionals who understand their clients’ business needs. And because clients are more informed, they no longer accept a professional’s advice without question.

How can firms attract clients to develop a thriving practice? The authors mention that there are 2 options: either firms can randomly take on clients and build their services to fit those clients’ needs or they can meticulously define their market, focus their skill set around meeting the needs of that market, and then go after clients in that particular market. Only firms that structure themselves around the latter will succeed and grow. A jack-of-all-trades firm who tries to be everything to everyone will never achieve mastery in one area – and therefore will always lose out to those who specialize.

How do you become a specialized firm? The book blends just the right amount of strategy with practical, how-to implementation as it leads you through the process of defining your market, the prospects you want to do business with, your criteria for growth, your firm’s vision and objectives, and your marketing plan. Every firm out there would benefit by reading these sections.

For larger firms, one of the biggest challenges is getting everyone in the firm on the same page. This can be especially difficult because there isn’t much of a marketing tradition in law and accounting firms – marketing one’s services has only been legal since the Bates decision in 1977 – and even now, many professionals dislike the idea of prospecting, marketing and selling.

To make matters worse, it’s extremely difficult for someone other than the service provider to close the sale and convert prospects into clients – the professional must be involved so that he or she can establish a trusted working relationship before the project begins. So how can you gain support from your associates, partners, and other knowledge workers?

Aquila and Marcus propose a three step approach:
1) Each person in the firm must know the results you are looking for
2) Management must discuss with each person what they must do to achieve results
3) Individuals that achieve their results must be rewarded.

They also endorse Robert Kaplan and David Norton’s Balanced Scorecard to measure the firm’s overall performance and success. (If you’re not familiar with the Balanced Scorecard Approach, the authors explain the overall principles and provide working examples in Appendix A.)

Finally, the authors lay the groundwork for changing the firm’s governing structure from a partnership to a more corporate like entity, which should be helpful for medium and larger firms who are struggling with management and governance issues.

With this book, Aquila and Marcus have provided a jargon-free introduction to the business side of running a successful practice in 277 pages. While much of the book is geared towards medium to larger law, consulting and accounting firms, even solo practitioners can benefit from developing a strategic framework for growing their firms.

In fact, if solo professionals and small firms were to follow the business model presented, they’d likely realize that the key to business success is cash flow – it’s not enough to simply be great at what you do. You must also be great at finding and retaining clients in an ever-changing marketplace.

Prospects

What types of clients do you want to attract? Given what you know about these clients, what is the best way to reach them? Do they read specific magazines, newspapers, or trade publications? If so, try advertising in those publications. Are they part of the same industry? If so, attend seminars, trade shows, and events where you have the greatest likelihood of meeting them. Do they search the web for information? If so, create an informative website with articles and free reports that address their top concerns.

Keep in mind that one contact is rarely enough to convince someone to hire you. How might you follow up with them to keep in touch? Can you add them to your newsletter, invite them to an educational seminar, or send them additional information?

Clients

Your current clients offer a wealth of opportunities for repeat business and referrals. Since they’re already doing business with you, they probably already know and like you. As their lawyer, it’s your fiduciary duty to provide the best service you can to your clients. That means getting to know who they are, what they do, and what motivates them. Often, as you learn more about your clients, you will see other potential legal risks and can offer additional services to further aid your client.

Also know that happy clients will sing your praises and refer others to you, especially if they believe you truly care about their well-being. In what ways can you educate your current client about the types of clients and cases you’d like more of? In what ways can you show your appreciation for referrals they give you?

Referral Partners

Many lawyers generate most of their business through referrals, yet this is often where they spend the least amount of their marketing budget. Look back over your firm’s history. Who is responsible for sending you referrals? How can you give back to them and show your appreciation?

The second part of this lawyer marketing strategy involves identifying possible sources of referrals and working to build relationships with others. When you get a new client, what other firms can also do business with them? When you get a prospect who needs a different type of legal services than you provide, to whom can you refer them? How can you cultivate relationships between non-competing firms that will benefit each of you?

How can they be sure they are making an informed decision about which attorney is right for them, can do what they say, and will provide the best value for their money? In other words, why they should they pick you to help them over all the other options available to them?

For most lawyers, the answer lies in creating a niche practice that focuses on a specific practice area or type of client. There are two reasons for this. First, most people would rather hire a specialist than a jack of all trades. They want someone who can solve their specific type of problem right now. They aren’t concerned with all the other services you may be able to provide them down the road. They want you to relieve their current legal pain as soon as possible.

Second, specializing in a particular area makes it easier and cheaper to find clients. Since you know the type of client who is most likely to hire you, you can spend your marketing resources in places prospects are likely to notice. Targeting “everyone who might need my services” is a lot like gambling. Sure, you may get lucky, but the odds aren’t in your favor. How will you know what marketing tactics to use? Where to promote your services? What message resonates best with prospects?

Trying to reach everyone is inefficient because (a) the majority of people you reach won’t need your services and therefore, you’ll waste a lot of money and (b) different people have different reasons and motivations for hiring an attorney so even if they do need your services, your marketing materials won’t clearly explain why your firm is a good fit for them.

The best way to differentiate your services is to focus on who your target audience is, what common legal problems they have, and why your specific solutions matter to them. A good way to uncover the answers is to hold client interviews and ask key questions like:

• Where did you learn about our firm?
• What other firms did you consider?
• Why did you choose us?
• What do you like best about working with our firm?
• If you could change one thing about our service, what would it be?

The last question is extremely important. Client dissatisfaction and complaints are big reasons why clients leave your firm for another. If you can uncover trouble areas, you can turn problems into opportunities. You will also discover how clients view and verbalize their problems, which is probably quite different from how your firm describes its solutions.

Finally, put together a 30 second elevator pitch that clearly states who you work with, what types of problems you solve, and how you solve them. For instance:

“I help [ your target audience ] who are struggling/having problems with [ your target audience's problems ] by [your solution].”

Develop a Niche

Today’s general practice attorneys are barely scraping by. That is because today’s clients demand specialists. They don’t want a lawyer that has done a couple of cases in every practice area out there. They want someone who handles their specific problem. They want someone who has handled cases for clients just like them and have proven over and over that they can get the job done.

From a lawyer’s perspective, there’s only so much time in the day to learn new areas of law. It’s much easier to pick one or two topics and master those. That’s why it’s in your interest to specialize. Your clients expect you to know your area of expertise cold. They aren’t looking for someone who has dabbled in their problem area, holds a passing interest in this area of law, or will have to go ask someone else or consult a legal library every time they have a question. When you’ve become a master at something, you know it and can communicate it effectively to others without the legal jargon so that clients quickly understand.

From a marketing perspective, developing a niche makes it much easier to find clients. General practitioners that take any case that comes their way rely on chance – or hoping and praying – to get clients. They never know when their next prospect might call or walk in. That’s because anyone could be a candidate and their case could be on any variety of topics.

With a niche business, you define what types of clients you want to work with and what type of law you want to practice. Then, you create a strategy. Where would you find this type of client? Where have you found this type of client in the past? Once you have some idea of that, then you focus all your marketing efforts on places where those types of clients are likely to go – specific publications, networking events, seminars, websites, etc.

Develop Rainmaker Skills

Your clients are your bread and butter. They are what bring in cash to pay your monthly bills. Without clients, you don’t have a business. You have a money pit. That means that marketing and sales – or business development or rainmaking, if you prefer – are fundamental to your business. They aren’t simply something to do when you need clients. They aren’t one time events. They are activities you must do weekly to ensure that you always have a stream of clients coming in the door.

Why are marketing and sales so important? Because without them, no one would know who you are or what you do. Being good at your niche practice area isn’t enough. Providing excellent client service and doing a good job isn’t enough. You must also educate prospects, clients, and referral sources what it is specifically that makes you different from other lawyers and why they are getting tremendous value by working with you.

Every person you meet will have a different frame of reference and different expectations. Simply because you say you’re a “lawyer,” they will form a picture in their minds of what it is they think you do. Most likely, however, that perception of what you do differs dramatically from what you actually do. It’s up to you to bridge the gap by educating prospects, clients, and referral partners in each interaction you have with them.

That’s rainmaking – there’s nothing sleazy or unethical about it. Think of it as “helping others” because that’s what it is. You’re educating prospects on what the best solution to their problems would be – you’re not “selling others on services they don’t need.” That would be unethical.

Developing Financial Skills

Finally, to run a successful business, you must have a means by which you manage your finances. That doesn’t mean dumping a file full of receipts, invoices, and purchases on your accountant’s desk once a year when tax time rolls around. That means getting a program like Microsoft Money or Quickbooks and learning exactly what comes in and what goes out.

Cashflow is the lifeblood of a business. If you don’t have enough money coming in so that your income exceeds your expenses, you won’t be in business very long. By staying on top of your finances, you can watch for trends a number of trends like is our income increasing, steady or declining? Are our expenses increasing, steady or declining? Are certain months slow for us? When will we be able to hire a new receptionist or partner? Did that expensive ad campaign net us any clients? And so forth.

Establishing a successful solo or small law practice – just like any small business – takes time, effort and patience, but by understanding these three pillars, your law firm can become much more successful in less time.

Rarely is marketing a one time event. Rather, it is a series of interactions you have with prospects as they try to solve their problems. Here are the 5 steps prospects take when deciding to hire you as their attorney.

Step 1 – Awareness

Nothing happens until someone realizes they have a problem. Sometimes, this is an immediate need -your prospect just was arrested or sued. Other times, this is something they’ve been thinking about for some time – starting a new business, buying commercial real estate, or expanding their business internationally. In the awareness stage, something kicks in and your prospect starts actively thinking of possibilities.

Step 2 – Research

Once your prospect has an issue on his mind, he starts gathering information. What should he do? What possible solutions are out there? Is it urgent or can it wait? Is it risky to move forward? Is he willing to take that risk? Can he solve the problem himself or must he hire outside help? Does he know anyone else that was in a similar situation? What did they do? Are there any books on the subject? What information can he find via the web? At a seminar? In the research stage, your prospect starts trying to find information about his problem, whether he needs to take action, and what possible actions he might take.

Step 3 – Evaluate Solutions

Once your prospect feels comfortable that he’s gathered enough information to make an informed decision, he starts to compare options, weighing the risks and benefits of each. Here, he’ll probably weigh the benefits of solving the problem himself or hiring a lawyer. If he feels he needs to hire an attorney, he’ll initiate contact with your law firm and set up a consultation to discuss his problem. In the evaluate solutions stage, your prospect is much closer to making a decision. Here’s where he’ll want to talk with you to find out what you can do for him.

Step 4 – Hire a Lawyer

Once your prospect has evaluated all the solutions in front of him, he must make the decision to move forward with one. Hopefully, you’ve just signed on a new client.

Step 5 – Re-Evaluate Solution

Signing a new client is just the beginning of your working relationship. Now, your client will be looking for reassurance that he made the right decision. He’ll have expectations for working with you, so it’s up to you to make sure he’s in the loop and is happy with your working relationship.

The most important out of 12 criteria? “Understanding the client’s legal requirements in a commercial context.” Unfortunately, when clients grade their firms, this ranks 7th, emphasizing the need for law firms to understand their client’s business.

Other interesting comments include a backlash against billable hours

Respondents reluctantly accept that their legal advisers are joined at the hip to hourly billing. However, they are increasingly insisting on some form of retrospective value assessment in conjunction with what is on the clock.

Firms that do this proactively, amending their own bills according to value delivered, are a step ahead of the game. The perception that US firms ‘bill to the death’ will put them at a disadvantage in this area.

“Charging by the hour is a damaging thing for law firms to do, but they make a lot of money, so why should they change when schmucks like us are prepared to pay?” observes one client.

And the focus on client relationships as the differentiating factor

Clients still stress that they follow individuals, not firms. Explore the reason for this in more depth and lurking beneath the service is, aside from size and location, the fact that law firms are seen as largely undifferentiated.

Partners are differentiated. A clear set of distinct values that the whole firm consistently works to would be a good start in providing meaningful differentiation. This is something that most firms are less than comfortable with.

As one respondent put it: “If they asked their own people what they stood for, they would get a pretty clear picture, but what they try and present to clients is so anodyne and watered down.”

» Read Article: The client is key

The article discusses a five point assessment stategy for understanding who the most profitable clients are through the following criteria:

1) revenue dollars

2) payment terms (30,60,90 days)

3) pricing terms – for how complex/customized the job is

4) impact on the organization – how many people are involved

5) the relationship – opportunity for long-term partnership

What’s interesting is that customer value isn’t necessarily a function of sales volume when you calculate any direct and variable costs that can eat into revenues. Knowing which accounts are the most profitable allows you to focus more of your efforts towards them (and cross selling to them), but if you have accounts that aren’t quite profitable but have potential to become profitable, you can work towards bring that account into profitability.

» Read Article: Net Worth

• Understand my company needs (20.6%)
• Understand my business (20.6%)
• Responsiveness (19.1%)
• Communications (9.2%)
• Anticipate needs (8.4%)
• Availability (6.1%)
• Value motivated (4.6%)
• Best for client (3.1%)

So, given these responses, here are 5 ways you can better serve your clients.

#1 – Focus on the Client

First and foremost, lawyers need to recognize that they are service providers. What is important, then, is the client’s agenda, the client’s timetable, the client’s wants and needs. The focus must be on your client – not your needs and not your firm’s needs. Your clients hired you. Your clients can fire you at any moment. They should be the ones you focus on. By going above and beyond the typical law firm and getting to know your client and what his goals are, you will differentiate your firm and build loyalty.

#2 – Understand Your Client and His Business

Your client’s primary objectives are going to revolve around his own personal and professional needs. He wants to look good to his manager, his co-workers, while at the same time, he wants to meet his company’s objectives. Or his need may be personal. Now he might want to look good to his friends and spouse, while meeting his family’s goals and objectives.

Do you know what motivates your client? Clients come to you because they have a problem, and sometimes that problem can be pretty significant. The weight of your client’s problem may be weighing him down considerably. Ask him about it. Let him get it off his chest. He’ll feel a lot better about it when he leaves your office.

Do you know what your client’s company is doing in the marketplace? Where they see themselves in 5-10 years? The more you know, the better position you will be in to help him make strategic choices and the more valuable your services will be perceived. You may even set yourself up for future business.

#3 – Return Phone Calls

Always return phone calls promptly. Not returning calls is disrespectful, and the last thing you want to do is disrespect your client. You’d call your spouse back. You’d call your colleagues back. Why does your client become less of a priority?

#4 – Keep Your Clients In The Loop

Your clients come to you with their problems. Therefore, it’s no surprise that they want to be kept up to date about your progress. You’d be just as eager if, say, you just had a biopsy done and wanted to know if the sample was cancerous. Obviously, the more significant your client’s problem is, the more he’ll worry about its outcome. Be supportive and assure him that you have everything under control. He’ll feel better.

#5 – Learn Why Clients Chose You

Your clients are invaluable resources to learn more about how people view your firm. Spend some time with new clients – take them to lunch or out for coffee – and ask them why they chose your firm. After all, happy clients don’t switch firms, so what didn’t they like about their previous firm and what attracted them to your firm? Once you know, you can more easily manage client’s expectations.

• Client satisfaction slumped to 30.6% from 35.6% last year.
• Clients are facing more demands from business and environmental factors, and their law firms are not stepping up to the challenge. As clients face high-profile legal and compliance issues, corporate counsel is muddled in four problem behaviors: increased complacency, lack of proactive/innovative thinking, unresponsiveness to change requests, and regular progress and budget reports.
• Clients are relying on professional networks to find law firms. The number of clients that found their law firm through informal networking doubled to 32.2%
• The biggest reasons why clients don’t hire a law firm include: poor chemistry with the client, unresponsiveness, and a lack of differentiating factors that set the firm apart.

6 Client Service Mistakes Solo Lawyers and Small Firms Make – And How to Avoid Them

If you run a solo or small law firm, you probably recognize some of these problems also can affect you – such as meaningfully setting yourself apart from other lawyers, finding the time to respond to all demands for your attention, or negotiating the right fee structure for your legal services. Here are 6 mistakes attorneys make.

Mistake #1: Don’t Keep Commitments – When you run your own legal practice, you can feel like you are juggling many balls in the air. Occasionally, you may break a promise, show up late for an appointment, or forget to return an email or phone call promptly. Clients tend to be forgiving, but if the behavior happens repeatedly, they will deem you unreliable and take their business elsewhere.

Mistake #2: Putting Off Marketing and Prospecting – Fielding phone inquiries or responding to requests for information can be time-consuming if you don’t have a system in place. When a prospect asks for information, they expect an instantaneous response: perhaps to download the content from your website, receive an email reply, talk to someone who can answer their question, or receive a packet via FedEx. If you don’t respond in a timely fashion, they will conclude their business isn’t important to you and go elsewhere.

Mistake #3: Unexpected Expenses – While it would be nice if we all had clients who weren’t concerned about our fees and could happy pay our bills on time, the reality is that money is a hot-button issue for most people. If you send a bill that has unexpected fees or exceeds your estimate without first discussing the charges with your client, problems may arise. Instead, discuss your fee structure clearly in advance – and if changes occur, sort them out sooner, rather than later.

Mistake #4: Difficult to Understand Agreements – As a lawyer, you have to balance your desire to cover all bases with your prospect’s desire to clearly understand what you will do for them and what your service agreement covers. Avoid complex agreement letters for simple cases. Better yet, try to say everything you need in a short 1-2 page letter.

Mistake #5: Cover Up Mistakes – Everyone makes mistakes, but if you botch something up, do your best to correct your mistake in your client’s favor. Clients tend to judge you on your ability to solve the matter quickly and efficiently.

Mistake #6: Negativity and Complaining – Present a positive, gracious appearance during client interactions rather than talking about your problems, complaining, or being critical. Yes, it’s easier to find fault or react sarcastically to something, but ongoing negativity leads to a poor reputation. Instead, look for ways to do something nice for people – a thank-you note or a nice gesture can go a long way towards building client loyalty.