So without fail, the most popular question still remains, “How do get more clients [for my law practice]?”

This past week I was chatting an attorney who was asking, “What do I do during my downtime other than twiddling my thumbs?”

There seemed to be a mix of frustration of not having clients and the frustration of now knowing how to get more in the door. There was also the frustration of paying people/companies who promise leads but fail to deliver. Just a quick note on that . . . no one will care as much about bringing in prospects for your law practice as you will so don’t be quick to outsource marketing. That’s all I gotta say about that.

So here’s what I advised him to do and to date, this remains one of my favorite marketing methods for generating new and repeat business. I asked him how many clients he’s had since he started his law practice. It had been about a year or two since he started so he had somewhere around 100 past clients.

Next question. “Were they happy with your services?” In other words, “Did they like you?”

Yup, they did. Cool. Now we have something to work with.

I asked him, “How did you leave things with them when you were done with their case.”

He sent them a disengagement letter and mentioned that if they had someone to refer to him he’d appreciate it.

Umm, okay. So I asked, how have you communicated with them since they got the disengagement letter?

He hasn’t.

BOOM! There was the issue. It is NOT, NOT, NOT your clients’ responsibility to keep in touch with you, come back to you for repeat business and/or refer their friends. Hell, it’s not even their responsibility to remember your name. It’s YOUR responsibility to make sure that your clients (past and present) NEVER forget your name when they need you again or when they need to refer a friend.

So here’s was STEP ONE of my advice to him. Put together a list of all your past clients and call them up. Why? To just shoot the shit. I don’t want you to try to sell them anything. Don’t try to see what they need, etc. Just ask them how they’re doing, talk about their favorite football team, ask them how their kids are doing or how they’re enjoying the Prius they just bought.

If you haven’t talked to someone in ages and then you pitch them, it’s cheesy and will turn them off. Don’t do it. Connect and and I mean genuinely connect with them. Connect with them in such a way that when they call, you remember exactly who they are, what they do, where their kids go to college and the name of their dog. That’s the human connection that’s missing in business these days. Get it back!

I don’t care if you have 1000 clients. Call them all. It’ll take you two weeks but it’ll be the best investment in the future of your law practice you’ll ever make. Then talk to them once every 6 months or so just to keep in touch. Got more than 1000 past clients? No problem. Call 5 per day. Chunk it down and make it easy.

Okay, so what’s step 2? It’s called a Nurture Campaign and it’s the tool that will make sure that clients never forget you when they need an attorney again or when they need to refer their friends.

Which brings me to my Black Friday Special . . .

Actually, now that I think about the particular circumstances, it’s NEVER happened.

This week the CEO of a corporation threw my handshake aside and gave me a BIG HUG!

Now I’ve been hugged by clients before, but never a corporate client. This was a first. And I have to say, it felt pretty cool! Everyone likes a little appreciation and feeling that they made a difference in someone’s life. We already know that no one tips their lawyers (which I never understood, how come waiters and cab drivers get tips but doctors and lawyers don’t? Hmmm, something to ponder .

But honestly, is there anything better than a heartfelt hug that says thank you? Yes, I know some of you are saying, “I’d rather have the tip!” Not me. A little or a lot of money in the pocket will soon be forgotten but sincere appreciation is a lasting memory.

I’ll tell you more about the hug in a bit.

Look, this may sound a bit strange considering what you hear most lawyers say about their clients, but I genuinely love my clients. Fine, some I just “like.” But I at least like them all. And sure, sometime my clients and I disagree and get annoyed with each other but isn’t that how family is? A little annoyance with plenty of underlying love?

Hmm, right about now I’m wondering if this article is a bit too mushy? Ahhh, what the hell, I’ll take my chances

Here’s the bottom line? Imagine a world where everyone wanted to hug their lawyer and the lawyer loved his/her clients? How does that happen? Well, it’s actually quite simple, although it does take some guts . . .

First, clients should only work with lawyers who they “feel comfortable with.” This includes the client’s assessment of how competent the lawyer is but more importantly it includes the feeling you get when you sit with or talk to the attorney. Does he/she make you feel good? Does he/she give you peace of mind? That’s the type of lawyer that you want to work with.

If that feeling isn’t there then it’s the client’s responsibility to simply say, “Hey, I just don’t feel we’re a fit, thanks for your time. No hard feelings.”

From the attorney’s side, the same rule applies. Actually, wait, I’ll get to that in a second. Lawyers should always let the prospective client know that it’s OKAY if they don’t feel comfortable working with us (for any reason) and that if they don’t want to move forward it’s all right, no hard feelings. Although I’ll admit that I’m guilty of not always doing this myself. I must admit that it makes you wonder what exactly it was that turned a client off if he/she chose to go elsewhere (kinda of like when you ask a girl out on a date and then she cancels without reason – but that’s another story for another day .

The next step is for the attorney to make sure that they like the client. That they can see themselves working with the client. That the client is someone who they can see themselves getting along with in more than just a professional capacity. My personal rule is that I should be able to picture myself enjoying a drink or a meal with a client. It doesn’t need to the best time but we should definitely be able to have some good conversation and a few laughs. If I can’t see that happening then it’s unlikely we would work well together as attorney/client and it’s my responsibility to refer them to another attorney who they will be a fit with.

And as many of my clients know, I WILL actually enjoy a drink or a meal with them or even have an initial meeting over a cup of coffee. It just creates a very different bond then sitting across a desk in an office.

If I had to summarize this whole article in one line it’d be, “Clients, make sure you like your lawyers and lawyers, make sure you love your clients!”

Oh, back to the hug thing. Although I’d love to act like it was all my doing I must say that my client and his staff were on top of their game. Without their participation, actually, it was more my participation and their meticulousness, everything would not have gone as smoothly as it did and I wouldn’t have gotten my hug.

So thanks to my client (you know who you are) and thanks to his staff who I hope you took out for a real nice lunch – they deserve it!!!

As you know my sister is getting married this Saturday so they’ve got me running around like a madman (let’s just say the tasks I’m doing this week are anything but lawyerly). But it’s a good time and Indian weddings are never a one-day affair so the festivities have already begun.

Hope you have an amazing week and a fantastic weekend.

sk

p.s. I have received a TON of questions from everyone who has downloaded a copy of my books so for those of you that still haven’t scheduled your Free Jam Session (details are in the book itself) make sure you do so soon. I’ll be taking it off the table later this month as we begin to prepare for the next 6-Figure Business Boot Camp for Lawyers.

p.s.s. I always appreciate you sharing the link www.HelpMyLawPractice.com with your lawyer friends, not your competitors