Social media is terrific. Email is great. The global reach of the internet puts the whole planet on your desktop with everyone in the world just seconds away. So every lawyer on earth should be able to build a giant book of business with a few mere keystrokes in between sips of coffee and billing their hours, right?
 
Unfortunately, with all the passive activity available to us, lawyers, like many other sophisticated businesspeople, do not engage in the common sense actions needed to help them grow their practices. They don’t engage enough. They don’t follow up enough. The necessity to reach out personally and actively gets lost. Culture is one problem for lawyers because they are accustomed to being the smartest person in the room. They don’t naturally feel compelled – or have the desire – to sell themselves. Subconsciously, they feel like the client should appreciate their knowledge. Selling themselves is “beneath their station”. The internet, with all of its associated passiveness, contributes to this complacency. And the last factor, the claim that we grapple with most among our clients, is that they are just too darn busy.

So what should an attorney do differently? Start by remembering these tips.

Law is a business.  Start by recognizing that marketing is necessary in the field of law. Law is a complex discipline, populated by professionals with sophisticated knowledge and skills. But, it is still a business that requires paying clients. Businesses require sales and marketing. Granted, lawyers are not the marketing departments of their firms (if their firm even has one), but there is a lot that they can and should do to market themselves.

Get Personal.  Follow up with your clients. Don’t let more than a month pass without reaching out. Find an excuse to call. Then, be a great listener. Try to get under the skin of their business. Try to learn something new about their business every time you talk to them. Everyone appreciates being asked a great question and they appreciate even more when their answer is carefully considered. Don’t just pay attention to whatever you can bill, because then you may miss other details that can help you build your relationships. It sounds like Marketing 101, but lawyers miss it: take notes. Remembering one personal detail to ask them about can show them you are different, and will give you a leg up over someone else.

Think about their needs instead of yours.  Be on the lookout for things that can help their business. It could be a book that you read, or a webpage or article you came across on the internet. It may only take one minute of your valuable time, but if it is a minute that could result in three billable hours, is it not worth it?

Keep them updated about you.  As your skills and contacts as an attorney grow, or as you acquire new resources (like a new office in a foreign country, or a terrific new specialist) be sure and let your client know. You should always be learning about each other.
 
Be patient.  Don’t let the fact that a potential client is using another attorney deter you. Chances are he or she won’t be as good as you are at following up and listening. Make sure you stake out your place in the wings in case they decide to jump ship. If and when they do, you know where they will go.

In future articles, we will explore each of these points in more depth, but this is an effective starting point to begin adding “marketing my practice” to your list skills.

Peter Wallach, a consultant with Robin Rolfe Resources, Inc., provides custom management consulting services to law firms, corporate law departments and providers serving the legal profession.  He can be reached at pwallach@robinrolferesources.com.