If you can understand what your clients and potential clients are looking for in a law firm then you are half way there to winning (and keeping) their business. So, stand in your clients shoes for a few minutes and think about what it is they really want when they engage a lawyer and buy legal services?
The well-known entrepreneur and cofounder of Lastminute.com, Martha Lane-Fox gave some sound advice in an article for The Times about how to choose a lawyer. Her insights provide a valuable checklist of things to think about when then trying to win clients; if you can give clients what they want then they are more likely to use you.
Three ways to help win clients include:
- Talk in a language they will understand: That means no jargon and no legalease! In fact, try not to talk about the law too much at all, speak in simple terms, using plain English and deliver information in an accessible and digestible way. If you have written blogs or delivered a webinar or talked in public about your subject, this could be the perfect advertisement to show you can communicate in a way the client wants.
- Showcase your entrepreneurial mindset: Actively demonstrate that you don’t conform to “the lawyer says no” stereotype! Avoid putting up barriers and show that you can act quickly and creatively to help clients achieve their business aims. No client wants to get bogged down in bureaucracy, they want their advisers to think like entrepreneurs and give practical and commercial “can do” advice.
- Be transparent about fees: Ultimately this is about trust, no client wants to be surprised with a nasty bill. Even worse, they don’t want to have to spend time wading through treacle trying to understand why it is what it is. Make sure you understand and can clearly explain your firm’s charges, be up front and open.
For existing clients, be sure to keep them updated regularly so that they know where they are on fees. If a piece of work looks like it is going to exceed its estimate, explain why and try and give options for managing future spend.
At the end of the day…
What Martha Lane-Fox was saying was that good lawyers succeed because they make themselves an indispensable part of their clients’ teams; they are empathetic to their client’s needs and help to get things done rather than putting up obstacles to progress. If you can do all this then you are well on your way to winning (and keeping) clients!
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