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

Don’t get me wrong, when I say the best marketing for your law firm is customer service I don’t mean that you should keep nuisance clients or those who become particularly overbearing and obnoxious (which is probably only about 1-2% of your clients – if it’s more we need to talk about your screening process).  But what about the good clients who simply want a return phone call to know what’s going on with their case.  The ones who are looking for that peace of mind that we provide?  Remember, you’re not in the legal business, you’re in the “peace of mind” business.

I’ve seen lawyers, who truly know how to market their law firms, use this to their advantage.  They actually advertise as the “Lawyers Who Call You Back.”  I’m not sure if that’s brilliant marketing or a sign of how pathetic the level of care in our industry has become.   Seriously, is it really too much to ask you to call your clients back?

This is not limited to calling your clients back.  You must also:

• Keep them CC’ed on documents
• Listen to them (the situation is not always what you assume it is)
• Offer them a cup of coffee on a cold day
• Make sure they know what they have to do and when they need to do it by (clients listen better than you may think)
• Don’t lie to them (I wish this was as obvious as it seems)
• Don’t tell them something went wrong because of your staff.  You ARE your staff.
• Make sure all their questions and concerns are answered (yes, you can charge for this but make sure it’s done)
• And here’s the doozey – APOLOGIZE WHEN YOU MAKE A MISTAKE.  I’m am so bloody sick and tired of attorneys or anyone else for that matter coming up with every excuse in the book about why something went wrong or didn’t happen in a timely manner when any idiot can see that the attorney screwed up.  Hey, we’re human, it does and WILL happen.  So say you’re sorry.  There are several potential benefits to doing so:
  • No malpractice suit
  • They keep you as their attorney
  • They tell their friends that you made a mistake, but you apologized and fixed it – what better referral can you ask for (did I mention that it’s not enough to just say sorry, you must work to remedy the mistake)
  • They step back a bit and allow you to do damage control
  • THEY RESPECT YOU!

Marketing your law practice with basic customer service is not rocket science (and I’m not even talking about the over-the-top customer service I teach).  I know that when we started our own firms we began with the noblest of intentions.  Then many of us slowly deteriorated or became disgruntled with the profession, with our clients, with our staff, etc.  Don’t let that happen.  When it starts getting tough revisit the lawyer you wanted to be and continue to hold yourself to those high standards.  You will attract what you put out and people will want to work with you.

Second, they required that I send in a cancellation letter via certified mail.

They require a 30-day period in which to cancel and finally . . .

My cancellation is “subject to their review.”

WOW (yes, that’s my emotion and the name of the gym), could they have done anything more to make it difficult and to receive the worst possible reviews that anyone could have given them.

I enjoyed working out there but this horrible taste they left in my mouth was enough to kill the entire experience.  And these days, nothing is private.  When a company screwed up people would tell their friends.  Now they can tell the world.

Bottom line.  Make life easy for your clients.  Make them say, “Hey, I know my time has come but I loved working with you and will tell all my friends what an amazing experience I had.”

Hell, they may even put it online and tell the world.  Ahh, that’d be nice

That’s nice and all but honestly, who cares about satisfaction?  There’s a lot of ways to be satisfied (again, get your head out of the gutter).  Anyone can satisfy but how many can WOW?  Do you WOW your clients or do you just satisfy them?  Are they loyal?  If someone comes to them with a better price will they, “Hell no!  I love the company I work with and I don’t care what your price, I ain’t going anywhere!”  Do they tell their friends about you and your business?  You know, really rant and rave and sweat and drool over how great you are?  Is doing business with you so incredible that it feels wrong?  If not then you’re not WOW’ing your customers.

Here’s the most-awesome-est part!  It’s super-easy to WOW your customers.  Yup, it really is.  All you need to do is get them 100% satisfied and then do something, ANYTHING that goes 1% over satisfaction.  That’s 1% that no one else is doing and that’s the 1% that gets noticed.  It’s the 1% that keeps them with you for life.  It’s the 1% that makes them tell their friends.

Don’t believe me?  Check out this picture.  My friend Karyn Greenstreet was kind enough to allow me to use this picture of her bathroom (sounds weird when you type it out but anyway . . . ).  The cleaning lady in her home left her “toilet paper roses” before leaving for the day.

Do you think she noticed the extra 1% between satisfaction and being WOW’ed?  You better believe she did!

Be sure to leave toilet paper roses for your clients.  They’ll notice, they’ll stick with you and they’ll tell their friends.

For years I fought myself on whether I should be the goofball that I truly am or be the serious lawyer-type that the world wants me to be.  Sadly I have to admit that I spent too many years being the later.  That didn’t work.  Yeah sure, some people ain’t crazy about the fun side but they’re in the minority.  You’ll connect with people a lot more when you let your authentic side shine.

When we let that side come out we learn that people LOVE TO BE ENTERTAINED (we often don’t realize that as professionals and as business owners)!  And I don’t mean entertained in terms of  just movies and comedians.  When you make someone smile or laugh they develop an immediate affinity towards you and your business.  Don’t believe me, ask Bubbles about the tip she was left (and it wasn’t because of the food).

I can’t stress this enough, people buy people!  If you make them smile and laugh by just being authentic and HUMAN (yes, we often overlook being human – believe it or not) they like you more and if they like you more . . . well, you get it!

In case math isn’t strong point that’s $4800 in savings every year.  Not a bad chunk of change to keep in your pocket.  So go ahead and call everyone from your cell phone provider to your malpractice carrier and scream RECESSION then ask for the best price they can give you.  When they respond, simply ask, “Is that the best you can do?”  Good luck and happy recession!