The Easy Way To Retain Clients....but Few of Us Do It! What Is It?

Many years ago, I was sitting down with the senior criminal partner for an interview. During the meeting, he stated that you don't need to be a good lawyer to do well in law. He said you need to be able to build a rapport with the clients, so they keep returning to the firm every time they're in trouble. He said this skill, combined with effective time recording, would get me a long way.

He was right!

Over the years while attending court, I was amazed by how many clients would keep returning to the same timid and ineffective lawyers.

Why was this?

These lawyers had created stronger client loyalty than many of the most effective lawyers in court. These popular lawyers were not getting especially good results. They had no apparent skill that set them apart as far as I could see that would impress a client.

What were they doing?

Often, these very same lawyers who were popular were the ones who the court would be waiting for the longest.

These lawyers were giving their clients the most valuable commodity they could offer…… their time.

This was the golden egg!

It's what we all want when dealing with people. We want to be heard, regardless of whether we are talking to our doctor, family, gardener, or even the dog.

You see, we're the same as our clients. When dealing with people in our professional and personal life, we want someone whom we like, someone we feel is listening and giving us their time without us being rushed.

This means that when dealing with someone that we like, it is often us doing the talking as opposed to the professional who is giving the advice. Even though we may have talked the most, we often feel that this person has given us the best service because they listened to our problem.

We, just like our clients, seek services to handle our problems. If we're not heard, or been rushed by the problem solver, we tend not to value the person or their service. And, next time we have a similar problem, will seek those services elsewhere.

What do you need to do?

Some people have a natural ability and can quickly put the client at ease so that they feel that the lawyers are a trusted adviser. We all want to be cared for and feel we're in a safe set of hands.

For others, it is a skill that has been learnt. Often, a person who does not have this natural ability has to develop the art of fabricating sincerity. This too is very successful for many people.

Either way, the lawyer who retains the most clients does not have to be the best legal mind. They must have the ability to keep clients happy. Although in the short term, it can feel challenging to spend a lot of time with one client when you have other work to carry out, as a long-term perspective, it is time well spent.

The magic-combo!

So let's imagine you are that trusted advisor who gives people time, whether it be a natural ability or you're fabricating sincerity.

Can you make improvements?

Of course….you can be the most popular lawyer at court, or within your firm by combining your role as being extremely popular with clients, with being seen by your client as someone who excels in what they do.

Be that lawyer, who makes that lengthy bail application on behalf of the client, even though you know that the chances of success are almost zero. The client won't forget it; even if they know that the application is a futile attempt, with perhaps only a 1% chance of success, they want you to give it 100% to try and be successful. Do this, and it will never be forgotten.

Don't be that lawyer who in court says "I have been instructed by my client to say !!!" Some clients are particularly savvy and recognise immediately what you're doing. They know that you're distancing yourself from their instructions, and effectively instructing the bench to ignore your representations.

Of course, if you're involved in non-contentious work, different rules apply. However, you can still achieve the same goal by being seen as a "doer" by the client; someone who goes out of their way to give the client 100%. One of the underlying problems for clients is that they don't know what is going on. By maintaining regular contact with your clients, it conveys to them that you can be trusted to do the work. Once you have gained their trust, they are then more likely to use your services again or refer their friends or colleagues to you.

Always remember, most of the lawyers within your given legal niche can competently carry out the same work as you. You're now working in a very competitive market, whereby it can be difficult to distinguish yourself from other law firms and lawyers. However, most lawyers are too busy working at a fast pace. They fail to comprehend the adverse marketing effects of taking instructions quickly, and carrying out work fast so that they can record more work and bill it quickly.

An extra 5, 10, or 30 minutes with the client, could be one of the best investments you'll ever make.