When I was in my second year of law school I made the rounds of all the big New York City law firms for interviews. I didn’t want to work in BigLaw, but it was good to eat at a nice restaurant every once in awhile even if it did mean that I was forced to wear a suit.
In spite of my lackluster attitude towards the wonders of being chained to the law library for 7 years while the partners got to golf, I was nervous in those interviews. Heck, I was 23 years old and looked 16 on a good day. I was broke so my attire wasn’t exactly fit for the runway. And I was coming out of a second-tier law school in tough economic times (I graduated in 1994) so the only reason these folks were talking to me in the first place was because I was an Editor of Law Review and President of the Moot Court Board.
In sum, I knew I didn’t have a shot in hell. But off I went, with my olive suit (please don’t ask) and baby face.
In all of those interviews, the big question (sometimes asked, sometimes not) was, “What the hell makes YOU so special?” And truth be known, I didn’t have a good answer. I didn’t even have a bad one. Because there wasn’t anything particularly special about me.
When I went solo in 1995 I similarly had no good answer. I had no experience in bankruptcy law, was (still) younger looking than a high-school senior, and worked on my own at a time when being a solo wasn’t particularly well-regarded. It was only with time that I realized …
That Which Makes You Special Is What Causes People To Hire You As Their Lawyer
For too long, I’d been copying every other lawyer’s ads. Same message (which is to say, none), same media, and sometimes even the same pictures (hey, it’s the scales of justice! Again!). I blended in, so nobody could see me – nor did they particularly care.
So I did something a little (OK, a lot) different – and pretty scary. I started talking to people about who I was as a person, not as a lawyer. I kept cool stuff in my office (well, cool to me). I shared my worldview. I talked about my family. I started speaking like myself, not like a lawyer.
And that bled over to my marketing, which was the really scary part. Little by little I injected myself into my legal marketing so I could establish myself as a personal brand. As time went on I mentioned my marriage, my dog and ultimately, my son. I talked about my life, my world, and what I thought about stuff.
Guess what? I’m sure it turned off some people, but it also attracted a ton of clients to my office. See, by being transparent I accomplished that which no other lawyer sought to accomplish. I told my prospects what made ME so special. I found common ground with them. I built a relationship without meaning to do so.
So here’s a gutsy move for you. If you blog for your bankruptcy practice, make your next post about something you really, really, really love. Something that thrills you, that makes you happy inside and smile outside. Beer. Football. Baseball. Science fiction novels. Techno music. Surfing. Whatever you love, talk about it a little.
Do it in an unfiltered way, in a way that lets your passion show through. Drop the lawyer attitude, be a real person. Just for one post, just for once. I promise, it won’t hurt (much). What it will do, however, is create a pathway to a connection with your market. It will let your prospects see you as a human being.
Even better, I promise it will be fun.
Go. Do. Now.
