One of the most common complaints that clients make about their lawyers is that they fail to stay in touch, keep them updated, or inform them of developments. These complaints often are made formally through the Bar’s complaint process, which means there are likely many more of these complaints that aren’t filed. Instead, these complaints are voiced to friends, family, and co-workers – those same people others ask for recommendations for an attorney. Or perhaps these dissatisfactions go unspoken. They’re still harmful, as this client will likely never recommend the lawyer when they find themselves in the position of being asked for a referral.
Clients are one of our greatest marketing assets. Without clients, lawyers cannot fulfill their primary purpose, yet they are easy to overlook. We get caught up in what we are doing for them and fail to see things from their perspective. The truth is, without clients, lawyers can’t keep the lights on.
If you think about your cases and clients, you will find that many came to you directly or indirectly through former clients.
Once a client is in the door or signed up, many lawyers who have a marketing or sales mindset start thinking about the next client. They are making that task even more difficult when they fail to focus on their existing clients.
Perhaps you spend some time, energy, and money marketing to former clients. That’s good. But don’t forget your current clients. Keeping them happy and informed is important for their satisfaction, and active marketing to them is tremendously helpful.
After all, they may not know what you do, what others in the firm do, what other types of cases you work on, or the other services the firm provides from which they (or their friends, family, and co-workers) can benefit. Combining your efforts might be even more advantageous.
Do you have a device such as Alexa? Maybe you’ve overcome your fear of interacting with her and you have taken advantage of her many helpful features. Have you noticed that when she responds to a request, she often adds a sales pitch at the end for other features that she can provide? Most of those features don’t cost you anything but the company is trying to get you more engaged with their product. It’s still a sales pitch.
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