Category: Client Development

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Client Development

Bad For Lawyers – The Downside of Relying on Referral Firms

Woman sitting at computer looking unhappy.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio at Pexels.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

  ~  Milton Friedman

I have a theory about lawyers who do not have much of their own client base, and that is that they would be better lawyers if they did have a client base. I say this despite having run across quite a few lawyers who were dripping with clients but sorely lacking in legal skills, and others who had great legal skills but few of their own clients.

I base my theory on the hypothesis that communication and the ability to persuade are important legal skills. If lawyers cannot communicate in a manner to develop client loyalty and persuade people to give them business, surely, they must be missing some skills that, if developed, would make them better at what they did.

read more about why it is a bad idea to rely upon referral firms “Bad For Lawyers – The Downside of Relying on Referral Firms”
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Client Development

I Care Very Little About What You Think of Me

Photo by Mike van Schoonderwalt at Pexels. man flashing the thumbs down sign.

Don’t be distracted by criticism. Remember ~ the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you.     ~ Zig Ziglar

A friend of mine told me that my name had come up in a conversation with another lawyer, who said that some of what I have posted of a personal nature is inappropriate, bad, and blameworthy, and that by extension I am a bad, bad, man.

read more about the advantages of being authentic “I Care Very Little About What You Think of Me”
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Client Development

This Phone is Made for Answering

An old-fashioned rotary dial phone.

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?

read more about how to develop a client base “This Phone is Made for Answering”
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Client Development

Knowing What Type of Clients You Want

Picture of the beautiful Maureen McKay.

I think that lawyers should know who they are and what type of clients they want (and the answer is not “any client with a pulse.”)
Here is a great example from Maureen Mckay’s website (www.mckaylegal.com):

McKay Legal® has a select clientele.

You are the right type of client for McKay Legal® if you:

read more about being clear on what type of clients you want to attract “Knowing What Type of Clients You Want”
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Client Development

How Can I Help You?

A Gold Mastercard on top of some other cards. Photo by Pixabay at Pexels.

One day, quite a few years ago, I was out for lunch with a banker who I will call Neal. Neal was a commercial account manager at a large Canadian Bank. As I always did at such meetings, I asked Neal, “how can I help you?”  (For those of you who need a masterclass in networking, this is how you do it.  You don’t tell referral sources how great you are, how your firm provides better quality services at lower prices, and all of the usual boring stuff. You ask people, “how can I help you?”)

read more about a strange adventure in marketing “How Can I Help You?”
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Client Development

The Battle of the Brands

Rock band on stage.
Photo by Thibault Trillet at Pexels.

Law firm marketing comes in two flavours.

read more about personal branding and firm branding “The Battle of the Brands”
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Client Development

Pay For Play

A young man playing a pinball machine
Photo by Cottonbro at Pexels.

A friend of mine, who I will call Bill, was named as a Best Lawyer. Bill is a sole practitioner in a narrow specialty, and I am inclined to believe that having his peers vote him that award is meaningful. Unlike some of the multitude of lawyers in large firms who won similar awards, Bill did not have hundreds of colleagues to vote for him.

Unfortunately, you will not find Bill’s name in the online directory of Best Lawyers because he declined to pay the minimum fee of $1,595 per year (supposedly reduced from $1,850).

read more about paying to play in the legal profession “Pay For Play”
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Client Development

Being Brilliant is Over-Rated

Boy staring at chessboard.
Photo by Mart Production at Pexels.

Way back before the cell phone, we had a telephone in our reception area for clients to use. At the same time, my doctor had a sign in his reception area advising patients that the doctor’s phone was for his staff’s use and clients could use a payphone in the lobby. The difference? We lawyers had to market ourselves to find clients and then convince them to pay our bills. My doctor worked under a government health care system and did not have to worry about either of those things.

read more about what really matters to clients “Being Brilliant is Over-Rated”
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Client Development

Hawkers and Hookers

Young people sitting in an audience and laughing.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko at Pexels.

In 1971, Xaviera Hollander published her first book titled, “The Happy Hooker: My Own Story.” It sold twenty million copies.

read more about what I learned from the Happy Hooker “Hawkers and Hookers”
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Client Development

Would You Rather Die or Give a Speech?

Officiant standing over coffin and holding a book.
Photo by Pavel Danilyuk at Pexels.

“According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.”                   Jerry Seinfeld

Early in my career I spoke to a group of lawyers about opinion letters. I was awful. I read the entire presentation, which was chock full of technical details, and bored the audience to tears. To this day, if I close my eyes, I can still hear them snoring and crying at the same time.

read more about Tips for giving presentations “Would You Rather Die or Give a Speech?”