Best Practices To Gain New Clients

Every law firm wants the same thing - a healthy and successful law practice. We can long debate the definition of healthy, it could be about work/life balance or it could be about financial health or any sundry of things. For our discussion here, we focus on delivering growth. Presuming you are getting some leads, we turn our focus to best practices to convert potential clients to retained clients.

Be There

No matter how a potential client reached out to you, it's critical to be there and respond, as quickly as possible. In order to do that, you really need to focus on where potential clients can find you. If your firm can manage to respond within 24-hours through a website and maybe one or two social media channels, do that. If your firm can respond faster, that's really ideal. The first law firm to respond will most likely at minimum have a conversation. Depending on how quickly the law firm that connects first answers the client's questions, you may or may not get a response from the potential client.

Now, is there any harm in replying within a day or two? Not necessarily. Your firm may still find an interested potential client. But remember that people are reaching out and hoping to connect as quickly as possible. No matter how much later it is, be sure to connect. Reply in the same method that the potential client reached out to you - if they messaged you on Facebook, reply on Facebook. Each person prefers a different method of communication. Even if they have already chosen an attorney, it's important to be one of the firms that replied. Many potential clients don't expect law firms to reply... and over 50% of firms contacted never reply. So be one of the good guys and reply, no matter how much later.

Be Quiet

Remember, the potential client likely has a lot of questions. While you can likely anticipate questions, the potential client really needs to voice their concerns in their own way. Sometimes, listening can be a challenge, especially if you are busy, and facing a list of to-dos. But remember to let the client get all of their questions out, in their own words.  

As appropriate, do rephrase the questions. Often, potential clients may not find the right words to convey their exact question, likely due to lack of familiarity with the law.  

Be Prepared

Your firm has likely been practicing for a while. You can anticipate many of the potential client's questions. Be ready for that. Certainly, there are nuances to each situation, some you may have faced before. The point here is to be ready to provide the information, to the extent you are able, to the potential client. 

Some ways to be prepared include creating a reference sheet. Remember, your potential client likely doesn't have much, if any, experience in legal matters. Be sure to provide an overview of the area of law, the typical process, and some estimated timelines. Naturally, you want to stress that any information shared is on average and every case is different. Try not to use unnecessary legal jargon without also defining it.

Be Thoughtful

Unless they won the lottery, most legal issues are likely emotionally charged to some extent. While your expertise is fully in the law, there is typically some element of being compassionate, too. No need to let it go too far. But do remember that they may be going through some emotional challenges. Patience is key, naturally. 

Be Responsive

If you've had the initial discussion with the potential client but things aren't finalized in terms of who they are going to hire, if anyone, reach out to the prospective client after a day or two. See if they have any other questions. Just knowing your firm cares enough to follow up and check in with them is helpful. Whether or not they choose to hire your firm, or proceed at all, it's great for your firm to be remembered as someone who cared enough to follow up. The key is to balance the sales aspect and the caring aspect; pay attention to tone and approach for maximum success.

One key to a healthy firm is new clients. Making sure you proactively manage the initial interaction is critical to ensure your firm stays healthy. What tips do you have?