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Make Sure Prospects Know How You Differ From Other Lawyers And You'll Be Miles Ahead Of Competitors
from: Trey RyderAre you the same as all other lawyers? Of course not. But do
your prospects and clients know how you're different?
Everything you do to attract new clients and maintain current
client relationships should clearly state how you differ from
other lawyers. One of the most important functions of marketing
is to emphasize the ways you differ from your competitors. Yet
if you interviewed your prospects and clients, they might tell
you one lawyer is the same as another.
Everything you do to attract new clients and maintain current
client relationships should clearly state how you differ from
other lawyers.
Some time back, I heard the marketing director at a large law
firm say that her lawyers weren't any different from lawyers at
dozens of large firms. If she truly believes that, the firm
needs a new marketing director because she just surrendered in
the face of her competitors.
No two competing attorneys are exactly the same. No other
attorney on the planet has exactly the same education as you. No
other lawyer has served the same clients -- or handled the same
cases -- as you. No other lawyer has taken the same continuing
education classes as you. As a result, no other lawyer will make
decisions exactly the way you do.
Whether this makes you liberal or conservative, aggressive or
passive, here's the point: Every bit of information and
experience that you absorb affects how you provide advice and
services to your clients. Your advice and services are not like
those provided by any other lawyer. You should promote your
uniqueness as one of your major competitive advantages.
Competitive advantages and disadvantages are determined ONLY by
what is important to your prospects and clients. If you've been
in practice 20 years, you could conclude that your tenure is a
considerable competitive advantage. But if your prospects don't
care whether their lawyer has practiced for 20 years or 5 years,
it's no advantage at all, at least not to that group of
prospects.
Here's your assignment: The positive ways you differ from other
lawyers are your competitive advantages. The negative ways you
differ are your competitive disadvantages. Identify both so you
know your strengths and weaknesses.
Look at the following lists from your prospective clients' point
of view. Write down your answers to each question and then label
whether you think the answer is an advantage (A), a disadvantage
(D), or whether it is neutral (N) in your prospects= eyes.
Look first in these areas:
Evaluate your qualifications: Where did you graduate from law
school? How long have you practiced law? To which courts are you
admitted to practice? Which, if any, certifications have you
received? List your professional memberships in bar
associations, bar sections, lawyers' groups, and the like.
Evaluate your experience: Overall, how wide or narrow is the
area of law in which you practice? What types of cases or
problems do you handle? Specifically, what types of cases or
problems are you most experienced at handling? Do you have
experience in one particular area at which you could be
considered an expert? If so, in which area? What specialized
skills do you have? Are there any types of cases in your area of
the law where you don't have much experience?
Evaluate how you serve clients: What specific services do you
provide? How long do clients wait for their case to be resolved?
How long does it take you to return phone calls? If a prospect
or client needs to see you right away, how soon can he meet with
you? How much do clients typically pay for services? How pleased
are clients with the results?
Evaluate the physical environment in which you serve clients: Is
your office location convenient for your clients? Can your
clients easily find a parking space? Covered or uncovered? Do
your clients have to pay to park? Is your complex physically
attractive and inviting? Is your office easy to find and easy to
walk to in your complex? Is your office reception area
attractive and inviting? Is the furniture comfortable? Are your
magazines current? (Recently, I picked up a magazine in a
doctor's reception room that was 11 years old.) Does someone
greet your guests and offer them something to drink when they
enter your reception area?
Evaluate your office or the room where you meet with clients: Is
the furniture comfortable? Is the room neat and orderly? Are the
floor and windows clean? Do you sit with clients on the same
side of your desk? Do you sit across the desk from clients,
allowing the desk to form a barrier between you and your guests?
If you use education-based marketing, your educational efforts
become a significant competitive advantage.
Evaluate your office procedures when you're involved in client
meetings: Do you insist on no interruptions? Do you bar phone
calls except in emergencies? Do you give your guests your
undivided attention? Do you allow guests enough time to discuss
their problem?
One more important advantage: If you use education-based
marketing, your educational efforts become a significant
competitive advantage. People who request your educational
materials, as well as your existing clients, receive your
monthly newsletter. They receive invitations to your seminars.
You invite them to call you with their legal questions. And so
forth. In this way, the marketing method you choose can be a
major competitive advantage that leaves other firms in your dust.
If you think of anything else that distinguishes you from other
lawyers, add it to this list.
Your competitive advantages benefit you only if you make them
known to your prospects. So start by memorizing the many ways
you're different. When you talk with prospective clients,
explain your competitive advantages as part of your
conversation. Likewise, in your written materials, feature your
competitive advantages because those are the reasons prospects
hire you.
About the author:
TREY RYDER LLC Education-Based Marketing for Lawyers. Lawyer
Marketing Advisor http://www.TreyRyder.com Trey Ryder is the
Lawyer Marketing Department Sponsor For Jersey Justice.
http://www.JerseyJustice.com
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