There is a plumbing company out in the country where I live, whose slogan is, “We answer the phone.” It should not be a big differentiator, but it is. I have no idea how good they are at plumbing, but they answer the phone. That tells me that they care about their customers. So, why not call them?
I had clients. But why? Sure, I did lots of lunches, went to cocktail parties, handed out cards, and gave my share of presentations. But that is not why I had clients.
I had clients because:
- I answered the phone. When I could not, I called back quickly.
- I replied to emails. Quickly.
- They could tell that I cared about doing the best possible job for them.
- I thought about how to complete the work as efficiently and cost effectively as possible. I used to tell potential clients that I wanted to make obscene amounts of money from them, but I wanted to do it over many years. I explained that if I did not treat them fairly, they would not give me the opportunity to do that.
- I made helping them achieve their goals more important than helping me not get sued by them. While I was hardly reckless, I did not hesitate to make recommendations and tell them what I thought that they should do.
- I communicated with them about fees, always providing an estimate (even if not requested) about what things would cost through to the next stage of the work. If they changed instructions, I talked to them about what the change might cost, and whether it was worth doing. I wrote off non-productive time without being asked to do it.
- I insisted on setting a deadline for every project, even when one was not requested. Then I completed the work on time or if that was impossible, communicated with them before the deadline had passed about how to proceed.
- I was a business lawyer, so I proactively brought ideas to them about creditor protection, income splitting strategies, and preparing their business for sale.
- I was their lawyer, so I brought ideas to them about areas that I did not practice in, such as tax, copyright, commercial leases, patents, employment contracts, wills, and trusts, and made appropriate introductions, both within and outside of, my firm.
- I was a human being, so I spoke to them about their family and business succession, and made them comfortable talking to me about children, marriage, and divorce.
I had clients, not because I was the most brilliant lawyer around, but because I cared about them and they could tell that I did. Some lawyers take themselves very seriously. They put themselves above their clients. Clients don’t like that much.
That plumbing company in my area has a second slogan, which is, “Without us you would have no place to go.” Not the greatest copy in the world in my opinion, but hey, it gave me a laugh and I figure that they don’t take themselves too seriously. They sound like they might be good people to deal with.
This article was originally published by Law360 Canada, part of LexisNexis Canada Inc.