Is Your Firm Losing Money Like This?

We've all been there. We've made up our minds to spend some money. Whether it's on home improvement project a car or a party - we've engaged a business ready to buy. We've come to a place having done our research with our wallets open practically telling sales staff "please take my money!"

And we leave with our money in our wallets. We leave thinking less of the business we were trying to give our money to. We think to ourselves "it won't surprise me when they go under".

This week, I tried to plan a happy hour at a restaurant. We are very excited that an outstanding attorney has joined our firm. We wanted (still want) to have a get together and invite some friends and colleagues to a get together.

We slacked each other and decided on a venue. The venue was the right size to accommodate our guests. The location was right. The food is good. We could have chosen a hundred other places but this one place seemed to check all of the right boxes.

So I went to the restaurant's website and emailed their events coordinator. It was easy. The website was well done and the email was easy to find.

The next day I get a response. The response has their menu and some frequently asked questions. At this point, I'm feeling good. They have anticipated my needs and their venue, menu, and pricing are all a match for our needs. I discuss the menu with my team and we agree that it's the right price and it matches with what we want to do. Great. This is going to be awesome.

And at exactly this moment everything falls apart.

The initial email made no mention of beverage pricing or beverages at all. Our thinking was to offer beers and some wine. So I emailed their events coordinator asking about beverage packages:

"No, we do not." That was the response.

We're willing to pay good money so my guests have a good time and they don't pay for drinks. All the events coordinator had to do was say "we don't have packages however what we can do is put together a list of beverages you are willing to pay for and make that known to your guests. Here is a list of wines we commonly use for such events. And beer list ranges from $6 to $9 a beer."

My inquiry to them was an opportunity. Their response was to cut off conversation.

I persist - Please take our money!

3 emails later the events coordinators writes: We have a standard wine list we go by for parties who are limiting to beer and wine. I will have signs that will have the offerings for that night which will be all drafts, all bottles, 3 reds and 3 whites.

Perfect, I think. I'm going to get to spend my money. This is what we are looking for. So I shoot back requesting to book on a certain date.

Then the restaurant throws me a curveball:

April 25 is already booked. The only day still open that week is Monday 4/22. The week prior we have Thursday 4/18 open. If you are primarily looking to book on a Thursday, please note that the room minimum (the amount that would need to be spent in food and drinks before tax and gratuity) is $2200. Let me know if another day may work for you.

After 15 emails, back and forth, this is the first time I'm told of a $2200 minimum. Which is insane as I told them that we may only have 25 people which would work $88 per person for pizza and beer.

I then send an email asking what the minimums for other nights are - no response. That was sent 4 days ago. It doesn't matter anyhow, I've decided to look elsewhere.

What Law Firms Can Learn From This

There are a few take aways for law firms here:

1. Be Transparent. Tell me upfront about your minimum. No customer likes surprises. And no one likes to waste time. Both me and the restaurant would have been better off if I had learned of the $2200 minimum in the first email.
2. Questions Are Opportunities: When I asked about drink packages, I wasn't asking for a discount. What I wanted to do is limit the menu. Yet the restaurant responded in a way to shut down conversation. Instead of jumping to "no" they should have responded with a follow up question.
3. Put Information On Your Website: Both me and the restaurant would have been better off had the restaurant put its prices and event information on its website. Post answers to frequently asked questions. It is basic empathy and goes a long way to building trust. It also prevents you from wasting time sending emails to non-ideal clients.

In the end, put yourselves in the shoes of your clients. Anticipate their needs. And if you do both you and your clients will be well served.

Customer service for law firms is so important that we dedicated an entire chapter to it in Tiger Tactics.

Tiger Tactics: Powerful Strategies for Winning Law Firms is now available in paperback (356 pages) for $19.99 or Kindle Edition for $9.99. We priced this book to be affordable. I started my practice with $2500 comprised of several hundred dollars that I had saved in change and stored in a fishbowl. Paying $100+ for a book at the time would have been a significant burden to me.

If price is an issue, message me here and I'll send you a free copy. No questions asked.