PracticeSmarter

5 Reasons Your Firm Wasn’t Hired

Judd Kessler — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:26:01 +0000

Ever wonder why potential clients don’t choose your firm? A recent blog post detailed the top 5 reasons why clients choose not to hire certain law firms.

“I thought you cared more about yourself and your firm than my problems/needs, either in our conversation or in your website content.”
“I didn’t feel like I’d be an important client, since you didn’t follow up or show me what working with you might be like.”
“I didn’t think that we would work well together, in our communication and styles.”
“I didn’t sense the competence and professionalism that I would expect from an attorney I would hire.”
“From the research I did online, I see many others with more information there. If you were really good, I’d see that online and I would find you more easily on Google.”

All of these problems can be easily fixed. It’s important to act professionally when dealing with potential clients since it sets the tone for how you will act as their attorney. Be responsive to their questions and concerns and make them feel as though you care to solve their problems.

Face-to-Face Networking Tips

Judd Kessler — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:16:29 +0000

In person networking at trade shows, meetings, conferences, etc., are a great way to meet new people and establish professional relationships.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when networking in person:

Maintain eye contact with the person with whom you are speaking
Stand straight, lean slightly forward while respecting the other person’s space
Nod your head and say things like “uh huh” at appropriate times to show you are listening
Encourage expansion of the conversation by saying things like “Tell me more about that.”
Paraphrase periodically to make sure you understand what the other person is saying
Spend five minutes without using the word “I”
Repeat the person’s name during the conversation
Smile

After meeting someone at an event, it is important to follow-up with an email or phone call. This helps to solidify the connection and for you to remain in the forefront of their mind. Then, over time, the key is frequent “touches” that provide value each and every time, while helping to build the relationship and aid the contact in expanding their knowledge of you and your capabilities. A great way to stay in contact with contacts is to send out a monthly newsletter (by email) that includes updates from your firm, as well as helpful information.

6 Mistakes Lawyers Make and How to Avoid Them

Judd Kessler — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:20:10 +0000

The most recent edition of the podcast “The Digital Edge: Lawyers and Technology” featured Jim Calloway and Sharon Nelson talking about “Surviving the Law Practice Shark Tank – the Top 6 Mistakes That Can Kill You in Your Practice.

Top mistakes include:

Failure to communicate
Lack of diligence
Conflicts of interest
Failing to get paid
Failure to monitor your business and trust accounts
Failure to carefully screen your potential clients

All of these mistakes carry a high risk of malpractice. To learn how AbacusLaw software can help you visit www.abacuslaw.com.

Marketing, Managing and Running a Successful Firm

Judd Kessler — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:20:18 +0000

Running a law firm in today’s competitive market requires you to think outside the box in order to stand out. Typical marketing collateral (websites, letterhead, business cards etc.) must be unique so people will remember you. A recent blog post by Jay Fleischman detailed 4 rules for running a successful law firm:

1) You must have a hook

Don’t be afraid to take a risk and make your firm stand out from others
Is your firm’s logo memorable?
Does your website attract and convert clients?

2) Your customers are your lifeblood

It is important to give back to your customers so they know you appreciate their business
Send birthday cards, thank you notes for referrals, etc.
Offer newsletters with valuable information as well as other free and helpful information

3) Don’t watch the clock

It’s important to make your clients feel welcome and taken care of
Don’t get upset when clients call with questions, and don’t rush them off the phone. If you’re busy, tell them you will call them back and do so in a timely manner.

4) Organization is the key to success

Track every detail of your practice including how you spend your time, regardless of how you bill. If you don’t know how you’re spending your time you won’t know what is profitable.

Technology Etiquette

Judd Kessler — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:27:29 +0000

A recent blog detailed proper business etiquette when it comes to technology. Some of suggestions include:

• Respond to email within 24 hours. Do not respond immediately as this creates the expectation it will always be instantaneous.

• If someone leaves a voicemail asking you to call them back, do not respond via email

• Do not answer call waiting because it gives people the impression something else is more important than their case

For more information on how technology can help your firm, visit www.abacuslaw.com.

5 Things That Reduce Your Credibility

Judd Kessler — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:09:03 +0000

Credibility helps establish you as an expert and build trust in prospective clients. Establishing credibility takes time and involves sharing helpful information and testimonials on a consistent basis. Many actions hurt credibility, including:

Being late: When you make people wait, it’s annoying, a waste of their time, and rude. If you value someone’s time (as much as your own) you will be prompt. Tardiness shows a lack of commitment and respect which is bad for business and relationships.
Being unprepared: If you don’t come prepared, people will think you don’t take your commitments seriously.
Interrupting: When you cut someone off, it shows that you do not value what they have to say.
Not listening: If you don’t look someone in the eyes when they are talking, it will appear you aren’t listening to what they have to say.
Name dropping: If you need to name-drop in order to boost your credibility or popularity, it can backfire on you if the person you mention has a change of opinion or resents being used as a reference.

Selecting the Right Scanner, Computer and Other Hardware

Judd Kessler — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:14:42 +0000

Having reliable hardware is vital to the success of your business. If your computers, scanners and fax machines are constantly malfunctioning or crashing, it’s time to upgrade them in order to improve your productivity and efficiency.

But how do you find the right machine for you and your practice?

Referrals from friends and colleagues are a great place to start. Chances are they are using their machines for similar purposes as you will. They’ll be honest about the features they like and what they wished their machines could do.

Online reviews are another great place to look. Be careful as people tend to post reviews when they are upset with a product, rather than when they are happy. Don’t rule a product out based solely on negative online reviews if you haven’t done research elsewhere.

The Internet Can Get You Something More Valuable Than Information

Judd Kessler — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:40:19 +0000

Every day, potential clients are looking for attorneys online. No wonder competitive firms have an effective Internet presence.

At Abacus Data Systems, we’ve launched new services that let you improve the performance of your existing website, or, if you don’t already have your own free-standing website, we can create one for you.

For more information (including a free consultation), visit www.abacuslaw.com, email websolutions@abacuslaw.com or call 800-726-3339.

4 Ways to Increase Firm Profits

Judd Kessler — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:51:34 +0000

Chuck Newton’s recent blog post pointed out that many lawyers try for “the big lick” – that one big, lucrative client. He warns against this, instead giving 4 tips to increase your firm’s profitability.

Aggressively control overhead
Niche your practice: Focus on your strongest and most profitable practice areas
Increase your prices: After becoming an expert in your niche
Network: Word-of-mouth marketing is free so this is a great way to build your brand and get referrals

A recent PracticeSmarter guest post talked more about the pitfalls of having just one big client. You can read the full post here.

What Lawyers Truly Do

Judd Kessler — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:28:38 +0000

A recent article “Remembering What We Truly Do as Lawyers” by Daniel Mills, shed light on how lawyers have (or have not) adapted to the current economy to increase their business and get down to what they really do – offer professional judgment.

Mills writes, “There is irony in the fact that it is hard times for lawyers at a time when there is such great need for what lawyers do.” Mills continued to talk about how lawyers need to have passion for what they do, listen and act with empathy, both of which enable them to give better professional advice, making clients happier.

As lawyers, having satisfied clients is key. Happy clients are excellent referral sources and can provide more business themselves. Besides having passion and empathy, lawyers need to do more in order to have satisfied clients. Excellent client service stems from:

Responding promptly to client inquiries (both email and telephone calls)
Explaining everything clearly so clients are informed and understand what is happening with their case
Setting expectations at the beginning of the case
Being accountable for your actions
Being organized

Practice management software can help you deliver excellent client service by simplifying, organizing and controlling your law practice. For more information visit www.abacuslaw.com.