Consumer bankruptcy lawyers get hired by people, right?
And people hire consumer bankruptcy lawyers, right?
Did I just say the same thing twice? Nope, read it again.
People – your bankruptcy clients – hire YOU. They don’t hire your experience and track record because, in most cases, they have no idea if you even have one.
Bankruptcy clients don’t go onto PACER to see how many cases you’ve filed, or if they’ve all gone to discharge. They don’t call your law school and check to make sure you really did graduate summa cum laude. And most often they don’t call the bar to check on your disciplinary record.
They hire you based on who you are, and the affinity they feel towards you – as a human being.
Are you an uppity snob who shuffles people out of the office?
Do you keep them waiting in the reception area, cooling their heels while you wrap up that phone call with the travel agent?
Are they left hanging while you take a call in the middle of their consultation?
Or do you welcome people into the office with a handshake and a smile, offering a cup of cold water on a hot day? Do you treat their time as having value, keeping to your schedule? Do you explain things to them in plain English?
In order to ensure your client satisfaction, you need to look through your client’s eyes to see if YOU would hire YOU.
How do you start? By listening to your prospects, and by asking questions. What do they like and dislike? What are their fears, hopes and dreams? It’s only by taking these actions can you really hone in on what’ s important to them – and how to find out if YOU are the right lawyer for them.
For example, I used to have a lot of single moms come into the office – often with their young children. At first I just gave the kids a piece of paper and a pen to color on, and watched to be sure they weren’t scrawling on my desk.
Then I started watching the moms, and listening to them. I heard the exasperation in their voices, and the edge that says, “I’m really busy and for the love of all that is holy would you PLEASE SIT DOWN for just ten minutes so I can concentrate on this?”
Can you guess what I did?
I went out to the store and bought a MESS of childrens’ toys and water-soluble crayons. Then I set up a room where mom could keep an eye out for the kids. And I got a baby monitor to put in my office – just in case.
Result? A happy, relaxed mom who knew I “got” her.
Cost? Probably $200 plus a spare room that I kept free of sharp edges and dangerous stuff like nail guns. Truth is, I used the room when we had big copy jobs to handle.
REAL Result? A lot more business from people who got to know me when I got to know them.
Look, I’m not telling you to be disingenuous. I am, however, recommending that you find the piece of you that fits with the piece of your prospect, and to find that commonality. If you don’t have anything in common with your clients, refocusing your target will yield better benefits to your business.
Blizzard Coaching opens for applications on Monday, January 12, 2009 at noon (Eastern Daylight Time) – but you can sign up to get a head start by going to www.BlizzardCoaching.com. Only 40 bankruptcy lawyers will be admitted to this one-time-only exclusive marketing coaching program, so be sure to get on board before the chance is gone forever.
