Jaimie Field – Enlightened Rainmaking

“Why don’t clients come back?”

Recently, I received an email from a litigation attorney from Connecticut who asked the question above and about following up with clients following the conclusion of representation.   It seems that some clients of the firm who seemed happy with the work the attorneys were doing were going elsewhere for subsequent representation.

So I dedicate this and the next few Rainmaking Recommendations to this attorney with thanks.

Over the next few emails we will cover  the reasons why clients don’t come back and how to make sure they do:

Rainmaking Recommendation # 51:  “I didn’t know you did that”

Reason #1 Client’s don’t Come Back:  “I didn’t know you did that”

One of the most frequently heard reason that clients don’t come back is that they don’t know all of your (and your firms) legal capabilities.  If you have ever heard a client subsequently say:  “I didn’t know your firm did that,” you have experienced this problem.

One of the things I hear is that the attorney told them in the initial consultation that they (or their firm) could represent the client in many different matters.

You need to understand, when a client comes in to your office, they are usually focused on one issue; the one problem they are currently experiencing.   This causes them to truly not hear anything else but what applies to this situation.  I mean literally.   The only thing they want to hear is how you can help them with this problem; what is going to stop their pain.  Anything else you tell them will go in one ear and out the other.

Then, you the attorney become “tunnel-visioned” – busy schedules, other matters and clients, court, briefs, yada yada yada –  cause you to neglect to remind them of all of your other abilities.

This is why you need to consistently and constantly tell them over the course of the representation all of your (and your firm’s) capabilities.  After you have met them, during the course of your representation, and following the conclusion of your matter, you need to keep reminding them how you can assist them with the other matters that may come up in their lives in the future.

Use newsletters, connect with them on Social Media sites, send personal messages, ask for feedback.   Each time you contact a current client using Rainmaking and Marketing tactics to tell them all that you can help them with in their lives, you ensure that if something comes up with which you can assist, they will remember to contact you.

Rainmaking Recommendations are sent the first and third Wednesdays of the month.  They are bite size tips that when implemented will cause you to make rain. To learn more about Rainmaking, Goal Setting and Achieving the Life you want as an Attorney please contact Jaimie B. Field, Esq.

Did you know you can schedule an in-house, customized Rainmaking training workshop for your law firm? begin telephone or Skype individual rainmaking training from wherever you are in the world with Jaimie? Call or email for more information.

Are you using Twitter?  Facebook?  Linked In?  Google +? Or any of the hundreds of websites that are considered “social media?” 

Great!

If you haven’t gotten on board yet with Social Media sites, understand this – Social media is not a fad.  It is not going away.  It continues to evolve as a method of meeting new people whom you may have never gotten a chance to meet any other way.  I have personally become friendly with people from all over the world because of social media.  I have also gotten new clients because of this medium.

Like any other Rainmaking Tactic, Social Media is only useful when you learn these two rules:

1. People do business with people they know like and trust:  This means that you must be authentic and real even when you are behind a computer screen.
2. You must learn to interact with people while on Social Media:  it’s not about just pushing your agenda and information out for the masses.   That is called advertising.   Use social media to engage with the people whom you follow/friend/”link-in”.  You have the opportunity to get advice, information and leads from people who may know more than you.  Additionally, you have the chance to show what you know.

Finally, getting “social on social media” also means taking it offline.  Believe it or not, a lot of people pretend to be something they are not online (please read that last line with heavy sarcasm).  Once you think you have a connection with someone online ask them to meet for a cup of coffee (if they are local) or call them on the phone to hear their voice.   Only then will you have the opportunity to turn these people into prospects, referral sources or clients because only then you will have the opportunity to find out if they really are who they say they are.

All great Rainmakers know the following:  You have to love what you do and who your clients are because:

• When you are in a practice area that you love practicing law does not feel like work;
• When you love working with your clients they will love working with you.  You will actually return calls, and communicate more.  This translates to happy clients which equals more referrals;
• When you are in a practice area or niche in which you are interested, you will learn everything you can about it making you a subject matter expert. Potential clients want to work with attorneys who they know can help them with their legal matter in an intelligent, efficient, cost effective manner;
• When you love your clients you find ways to network with other people who are just like them.  This could be demographically the same or from the same niche industry.  The more networking you do within these groups, whether it is on line or in person, the more likely you are to turn these people into clients.

While these are only four reasons why you should determine who your ideal clients are and what practice area you love, there are many more.

Most importantly, when you have clients with whom you love working and in a practice area which is of interest, you enjoy your life.

So make 2012 the year that you start working only in the practice areas and with the type of clients you love.   Replace your old clients with whom the matter is completed with new clients who love what you do for them.   Your business will grow exponentially.

Twas 10 days before New Years and all through the firm,

Attorney reviews were making them squirm,

“Did I create enough business, bill enough hours?”

Thanks to Rainmaking Recommendations they had the power

To take control of their careers and rest of their life

Breathing a sigh of relief, it will all be all right…..

Okay, I am not going to do a full treatment on the holiday classic (because it is so overdone at this time of year).  However,  since this is the last Rainmaking Recommendation before 2012, I did want to say thank you to all.

The one thing that I try to impart in these bite size tips is that Rainmaking is simple – but it’s not easy.

You have to make the commitment of time and effort and learn the skills necessary to accomplish your goals, but since you have been through some of the most difficult training grounds in the world – law school and/or working in the legal field – you all have the ability to become the Rainmakers you would like to be.

So, take the next 10 days to write down your goals for 2012 and the steps you will need to take to achieve them.  Then commit to yourself that you are going to do whatever it takes to reach your goals.

Happy Holidays to all, and to all a Good Life

Rainmaking Recommendations are sent the first and third Wednesdays of the month.  They are bite size tips that when implemented will cause you to make rain. To learn more about Rainmaking, Goal Setting and Achieving the Life you want as an Attorney please contact Jaimie B. Field, Esq.

Did you know you can schedule an in-house, customized Rainmaking training workshop for your law firm? begin telephone or Skype individual rainmaking training from wherever you are in the world with Jaimie? Call or email for more information.

Around this time of year, every person who works in the personal development business, law firm marketing and rainmaking training is writing posts on how to set goals for your next year.  In fact, if you Google “Goal Setting” and just set the search parameters for this month, you will see 213,000,000 hits.

This rainmaking recommendation is not about how to set goals.  My blog is filled with how (as is any of the sites on the web when you Google the term) using the SMARTY technique.

This is about the why to set goals.

Here are my top three reasons:

1. Provide you with direction: Think of your life like a GPS.  When you use your GPS to get directions to where you want to go, you have to input your destination.   Goals are like this.  They provide you with an idea of where you want to go in your career.  When you set goals, particularly in writing, it also allows you to “recalculate” when you run into obstacles or detours to get to the end point.   (Thank you to Karen Jacobson, “The GPS Girl” for this analogy).

1. Provides you with Motivation: When you write down the goals you really want to achieve and break them into the small steps to get to the end, every stage you accomplish gives you that extra push to get to the end.  There is nothing more satisfying than literally crossing off a task on your list that will help you reach your goal.

1. Increase Productivity: When you know what want to accomplish – your goals – and have the steps to get there in writing – your tasks – you can increase your productivity.  For the most part, when people walk into their offices, they allow the day to dictate what they do.  You have the ability to increase your productivity when you know exactly what to do and when to do it.

When you can understand the “Why” to set goals, the “How” becomes easy.

There are only two reasons why you aren’t becoming a Rainmaker.

1. You don’t know what to do

If this is the case there are many things you can do:

• Take a class,
• Read a book,
• Ask a mentor,
• Hire a Rainmaking Coach

And

2. You aren’t doing the things you need to do on a constant and consistent basis.

As with many of my clients, I suspect this is the main reason.

If this is the case there are things you can do:

• Create a plan and stick to it,
• Schedule your rainmaking and make them inviolable appointments with yourself.

Rainmaking requires that you are constantly doing the things you need to do to create relationships with others and turning those relationships into new business.