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Client Retention — What Should You Ask Your Clients?

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Attorney Marketing, Client Retention, Marketing for Law Firms, Uncategorized.

In the last post, we began the discussion of Client Retention by asking what should you ask your clients? This is an important part of building client relationships and new business development. Perhaps, focus those questions more on:

* What do they really like about your firm?
* Why do they, or don’t they send referrals to you?
* What else would they like you to offer or provide to make their relationship with your firm
stronger or more productive?

And remember to ask all of your staff members who might deal with your clients in billing, leaving messages, following up for you, etc. They might have some interesting and different questions for you:

* Why do they think clients hire you?
* What do they think clients want in addition from you?

And then ask your suppliers and vendors that help to keep your offices running:

* Why do they think clients hire you?
* What do they think you can do to improve the client experience?
* What ideas have they seen other firms and companies do that work well?

And then, synthesize all the answers and identify the one idea that truly sets you apart.

Are You Using Invisible Marketing?

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Attorney Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization, Law Firm Marketing.

Is your law firm business development effort using invisible marketing as a tool for new business development? For example, if you ask a client or prospect to review an article you are writing, it’s a compliment to them and an invisible marketing opportunity for you. Or ask them to co-author an article or share a panel presentation at an upcoming conference. The one tactic that generates the most leads is also the most underutilized, talking with your clients.

Explain that you want to ensure that you are providing the service that they want and need. Let them know that their honest, open feedback is needed. As a result of these discussions, your firm should be coming up with lots of new ideas.

The key here is that you are not selling; you are asking for their advice to improve your law firm’s services. Yet it is an excellent indirect marketing opportunity – invisible marketing.

Is Your Marketing GPS Really Working?

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Attorney Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization, Law Firm Marketing, Uncategorized.

Is your marketing GPS really working? Do you use tissue, or Kleenex? Do you pack a lunch in plastic storage bags or Ziplocks? See where this is going? All successful law firm marketing – and I mean all – requires properly identifying your firm with a brand. When clients such as in-house counsel, insurance company claims directors, human resource directors, etc. hear the name of your firm, what adjectives come to mind? How are you and your partners known throughout the communities you deal in?

Hopefully,the adjectives you hear to describe your firm are positive, helping to differentiate you from your competitors. Look for common themes in how your peers and clients describe you and the firm. How do you do this — ask them. And then use those themes to create and communicate who you are in every aspect of your marketing and business development. And “encourage” every member of your firm to use this brand description. [source of material from OWN THE ZONE, Allan Colman, Made For Success Publishing Co.]

What Are 90% of Attorneys Missing?

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Attorney Marketing, Law Firm Marketing.

We were stunned to learn that 90% of attorneys are missing a major key to new business development – asking for referrals. This observation came from Marketing Directors in last year’s U.S. and Canada survey on client retention. And when attorneys themselves responded, 10% said “none” asked for referrals and 78% were “not sure.”

What the survey unfortunately demonstrates is the enormous loss of new business opportunities. Just because they haven’t been to see you or called you in a while does not mean clients are unhappy, but what if they were? You would only find out if you spoke with them. And if you lose track of them, it is your own fault if they begin using another firm.

So stay in touch and ask for referrals.

Will Your Dog Eat the Dog Food? – Law Firm Marketing

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Attorney Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization, Law Firm Marketing.

New and Improved?

Almost every day there is an advertisement offering a service or product that is new or improved, such as Will Your Dog Eat the Dog Food? Or Have you tried our new combination of juices? And even Take our test drive for free??? And believe it or not, selling a new service, entering a new market place, or offering reminders of what your firm does so well, are managed and marketed in much the same way. In law firm marketing or business development for consulting services, recognize you are entering a new “beachhead” market.

 

But We Offer Legal and Professional Services…

“But we are professionals, and not selling hard goods.” Yes you are, but new business development for professional services such as law, accounting, architecture and engineering have the same elements needed for success. To quote Bill Aulet (author of Disciplined Entrepreneurship), “. . . before you invest large amounts of time and money, make sure the dogs will eat the dog food! And, oh yes, make sure the dog’s owners (or friends or primary/secondary clients) will PAY for the dog food.”

Referring back to previous columns, remember you should have already:

  • Clarified market segmentation
  • Identified your end user
  • Developed and quantified your Value Proposition
  • Know who the competitors will be
  • Mapped and quantified client acquisition costs
  • Tested your key assumptions
  • Measured the results

 

Testing for Law Firm Marketing or Business Consulting Services

This test marketing for law firm marketing, accounting firm business development, consulting services new business growth is critical. Prior to a full launch, you must determine if prospects and clients will engage your new or refined services and actually pay for them. Are they working as intended? Are clients referring new prospects to you? Is your team consistent in their business development efforts and presenting the same core story? Are you seeing trends to take advantage of or are they leading to unexpected challenges?

The final step will hopefully be following your beachhead success and refinements. The new business development efforts will be successful.

How Do You Win A Client?

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Attorney Marketing, Law Firm Marketing, Online Marketing.

Continuing this series on Aulet’s 6 themes in “Disciplined Entrepreneurship” (available at Amazon), this element focuses on how do you win a client? His client development asks you to:

* Determine the client’s decision making unit

* Map the process to acquire a new client

* Map the “sales” process.

In “Own The Zone” (also available at Amazon, etc.) I recommend clients to questions to answer before meeting with a suspect or prospect. For example, do you know what is happening in their market place? What internal pressures might they be under? What do you know about their competitors and their services? And even something as simple as learning how they prefer to be invoiced.

One of the best tools available to know your prospect is social media where you can identify and evaluate businesses. Then a pre-meeting call will also facilitate your mastery of client needs and how to communicate your value proposition to them. For more details available, go to http://allancolman.com/services/

What Can You Do For Your Client? (Business Development Part 2 of 6)

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Attorney Marketing, Business Development, Law Firm Marketing.

The second theme focusing on new business development in Bill Aulet’s Disciplined Entrepreneurship is “What Can You Do For Your Client?” Once you have taken the first steps outlined in Part I, identifying who your client is, Aulet says you must now identify what you offer of value. These include:

  • Full life-cycle use
  • High-level service specifics
  • Quantify the value proposition
  • Define your core
  • Chart your competitive position

 

Want to Learn How to Tell Clients about YOUR Value Proposition?

To receive more details on creating value in a highly competitive market place, contact us.

Where Do I Find Prospects?

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Asking for Business, Attorney Marketing, Business Development, Client Retention, Content Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization, Email Marketing, Law Firm Marketing, Marketing Partners.

One of the most common questions clients ask is where do I find prospects?

Simple Rules to Find Prospects

There are 3 simple rules to follow when attempting to find prospects, critical to undertaking marketing and new business development:

  • GO where they go
  • KNOW who they know
  • READ what they read

Play the Numbers

Business development is a numbers game. The more you go, meet their colleagues and read what they are reading (from Wall Street Journal to National Enquirer), the more relationships you are building for the long run. You will find prospects, more as you continue, along your way.

Just do it!
– Nike

Why Clients Fire You – Client Retention? Part II

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Allan Colman, Attorney Marketing, Business Development, Client Retention, Content Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization, Email Marketing, Marketing Partners.

This is the concluding column on 10 reasons why clients fire you. Client retention is among the top priorities for building future business and receiving referrals. Last week we indicated that:

  • Lack of Contact
  • Their situation changes
  • Decisions made without authorization
  • Non-responsive
  • Failure to help

In thinking about clients that have left your firm, can you attribute any of these 5 reasons as a possible cause?

  • Apparent disregard for client’s budgets
  • Boring pitches in seeking new work or referrals
  • Not replacing a relationship partner with bad chemistry
  • Groundhog Day Syndrome – repeating the same work over and over
  • Capacity-bound partners with little or no time, continually passing work on to Associates

When it comes to attorney marketing and law firm business development think about the clients you have worked so hard to get.

Why Clients Fire You

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Allan Colman, Attorney Marketing, Business Development, Client Retention, Content Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization, Email Marketing, Law Firm Marketing, Law Firms, Marketing for Law Firms.

by Valerie Goodman

In the Closers Group experience, lack of attention to client retention is a primary reason clients fire you. When it comes to attorney marketing and business development, the first step is to value and properly serve the clients you’ve worked so hard to get in the first place. It is one of the simplest ways to accelerate business, wouldn’t you agree?

Jay Abraham, in “Getting Everything You Can From Everything You’ve Got”, cites these primary reasons why clients have become dissatisfied and have left relationships.

  • Lack of Contact — leading to your client forgetting about the relationship
  • Their Situation Changes — and no longer need what they hired you for, or were unaware of your
    other practice areas
  • Decisions — were made without authorization
  • Costs — were incurred without authorization
  • Non-Responsive — to requests for changes or reviews in billing
  • Failure — to respond to requests for help with additional practice areas

We’ll identify an additional group of reasons clients fire you in the next article.