Now that we have the internet, people consult it religiously before making any buying decisions. This includes those rare times when they need to hire an attorney. It allows them to use Google to search for attorneys and to turn to Yelp for online reviews. Many law firms are taking this reality into consideration, but there is more that you can do to make sure that you are where your potential clients are likely to find you. A law firm marketing company can help you become that law firm by ensuring that you can answer the following questions:
Did Anyone Refer You to Them?
People depend greatly on referrals because their interactions with lawyers are relatively infrequent. Before hiring a lawyer, most people ask family members, friends or an attorney they know for a recommendation. Having these trusted people’s opinions offers validation for the attorney they eventually select.
It is also valid for prospective clients to obtain referrals from people they do not know. When searching online, referrals come from total strangers, but they are very valuable to people searching for an attorney. Facebook, Google, Avvo and Yelp are trusted sources of high-quality online reviews, so it is necessary for lawyers to be listed on these platforms.
Do You Have a Reputation for Being Responsive to Clients?
One of the first questions prospective clients ask an attorney is how responsive you are to their calls. If one law firm responds to inquiries within an hour, but another responds within no more than five minutes, the one with the shorter response time will win the client. One way to do this is to outsource your phone calls to a call center. Another important thing to do is add a chatbot to your website, as it will answer potential clients’ initial questions. This will be a big help in increasing your law firm’s client base.
Are You Being Honest with Your Clients about Their Cases?
Unfortunately, lawyers do not necessarily have a reputation for honesty. That is why clients fail to ask questions about this topic. If the client does not bring this up, it is an excellent opportunity for you to do so. You must inform the client that their case is worth fighting, but if it is not, you must let them know that too. Informing the client of the potential risks, the fees you charge and the defenses you can employ will go a long way toward making you look very good. Being open about all these factors ensures the client sees you as an honest attorney they can trust.
Can You Negotiate Effectively?
This is very important to consider because the majority of cases will not go to court. These cases will rest on your negotiating skills. You will need to demonstrate that you are a trained and experienced litigator, but most importantly, your client will need to know that you are someone who will fight from the beginning of the case until the end for what is best for the client. You can demonstrate that you are this type of attorney by negotiating fairly with the client during the consultation.
The consultation is not the time to show how aggressive you can be because it would suggest you are not fighting with the clients’ interests in mind. Rather, they may get the sense that you are fighting for your own interests. In contrast, appearing to be too agreeable would also be the wrong tactic. This shows that the most important thing to you is convincing the client to hire you, which is the opposite of what you need to convey.
Do You Have Common Sense?
Potential clients fail to consider this question more than others, and it is to their detriment. A lawyer is not just someone who will take people to court. Attorneys also need to examine cases honestly and determine whether or not they are truly worthy of settlement or litigation. A lawyer with common sense will inform a client that their case is unlikely to lead to a positive outcome. In this case, an attorney has the obligation to refuse to take the person on as a client, but it only happens if the lawyer is willing to exercise his or her common sense.
Do You Give Clients a Way to Contact You Other Than the Telephone?
In the current day and age, the telephone is the least likely mode of communication among people aged 21 to 50. If you only have a phone number on your website, you will lose many potential clients. The aforementioned demographic prefers mobile and web-based communication. Rather than an email form on your website, a better option is to add an intake form that allows them to schedule an online consultation.
Do You Communicate Effectively?
An attorney’s communication skills are not just about his or her negotiation skills in court. A client also needs to assess how well you communicate during the consultations. For example, you may need to explain a complicated legal term or complex problem in terms that a layperson can understand. You must also be willing to answer every question that your client has. Sometimes, you will not have the answer at hand, but you must be honest about that. It is better to tell the client that you need to look up the answer than to deceive him or her.
How Do Your Law Firm’s Past Results Look?
Your potential clients will be searching for your past results, so it is a good idea to have these on your website. They want to know whether you have experience with cases similar to theirs. They are also interested in how much you won for these clients. Make sure that this information is easily accessible on your website.
Personalized marketing for personal injury lawyers ensures that you have a website that is most likely to bring clients to you.
