Amaze Your Clients: Finding Reasons to Engage Them That Are Not Matter Related By Anne Parys
April 2012 “Recognition is the greatest motivator.”
Gerard C. Eakedale
Most attorneys know that a friendly call or visit to a client often results in more work. Yet only a handful of attorneys seem to actually do this on a consistent basis. (They would be your rainmakers). In trying to understand why more attorneys do not embrace connecting with their clients, I have identified two main culprits: A sense of awkwardness and a perceived lack of time. The same awkwardness that keeps people from networking a room often prevents attorneys from contacting a client “just because.” If there is not a current matter or project to discuss, what on earth will you talk about? Won’t the client be confused or suspicious to be getting a call out of the blue? To overcome that fear of “What will I say?” you need to familiarize yourself with what is going on in your client’s life. Yes, there are safe, uncreepy ways to do that and they really don’t take an inordinate amount of time (thus negating culprit #2). An awareness of what your client is up to creates an opening for conversation, questions, or even just a quick congratulations. Choose three or four clients and try a few of these suggestions over the next few months. A little recognition goes a long way and you should see a bump in work. Tap Outlook. If you are already using Outlook, it’s time to move beyond the General page. Open the contact and click the “Details” tab in the “Show” box. (Tell the truth – you didn’t know that was there, did you.) Here you can add personal details such as spouse/partner, assistant’s name, birthday, or anniversary. Now I’m going to get a little fancy and give you an example of how to DO SOMETHING. In the “Communicate” box, click “Assign Task” (the little card and check mark icon in the upper right hand corner). Type in Sam Steppaletti’s birthday, check the reminder box and choose the date and time you want to be reminded. If you’re planning to send a card, you may want to make it a few days ahead of his birthday. Otherwise, the day before will suffice. A phone call is best, but you get points for an email or text too. LinkedIn. A lot of attorneys resist LinkedIn because they don’t see the value. You get out what you put in, so here are a couple of ways to leverage this tool. Go to your client’s LinkedIn page. If you are not connected with him or her, send a connection request – you can see a lot more information that way. If your client is social media savvy, he or she may have the option to follow his or her Twitter feed. Is there anything under personal information that is new to you? What groups does your client belong to? There is a handy icon right under the Group name that lets you join too. What has the client been up to under their activity? (Look to the left) Any commonalities there? You can also send a message www.lawpracticetoday.org
©American Bar Association 2012
right through LinkedIn – “Hey Mary, I saw you are planning to attend the Growth Conference. I’m attending too. Let me know if I can introduce you to anyone.” You can also follow the client’s company. Just choose “Search Companies” under the “Companies” drop down list. When you find it, there is a “Follow Company” button to left. Have they just hired a new CFO? Ask if you can be introduced and treat them to lunch. Obviously, some companies are more engaged than others, so your client may or may not be active, but it is definitely worth a look. If they are active, you’ll get the information they post. When you see something interesting, let them know you saw it – a great excuse to just reach out. Facebook has even more users and provides even more information, but I would be cautious about trying to friend clients on Facebook. LinkedIn is meant for business and a more unobtrusive entry than crowding in on your client’s personal life. Google Alerts. Setting up a Google Alert is quick, easy, and once it is done, the information comes to you. Start at www.google.com/alerts. In the “Search Query” box, enter the information you want to track. It can be your client’s name, company, or any key word. Putting the information in quotations will filter your results more effectively. You can choose to have Google monitor everything or narrow it down: news, video or blogs are some of the options. You choose how often you want to receive the alerts and can specify if you want all results or just the best matches. You may have to tweak it a bit, based on the results you get. For example, if your client’s name is Samuel B. Steppaletti, you may also want to set up searches for Sam Steppaletti. The alerts come right to your in box and are much less time consuming than scanning the papers daily. Now when your client appears in the news or posts a new video, you now have a reason to call or visit. At the end of the day, there are hundreds of lawyers out there who deliver quality work. Nurturing your relationship with the client, emphasizing his or her importance to you through personal touches, and truly understanding his or her business is what will amaze your clients and differentiate you. Anne Parys is the Director of Marketing for Rothman Gordon, P.C., a Western Pennsylvania law firm. She can be contacted at [email protected]. www.lawpracticetoday.org
©American Bar Association 2012