As the founder of a small, service-based business, there’s a big thing I have in common with solo attorneys:
Time is money, and “potential” new clients can really eat into that – often without resulting in becoming an actual client.
Being raised in the South only adds to my feeling that I should put politeness above all else.
But fielding multiple lengthy inquiry calls on a daily basis makes it impossible to get anything done.
So I recently made a few changes to streamline this process:
Going Niche.
Instead of just “focusing” on solo/small firm lawyers, we recreated our entire web presence to speak ONLY to solo and small firm lawyers. It was a big risk, but the reward is that we are no longer getting random inquiries from businesses outside of our wheelhouse, or who aren’t a good fit to work with us. This alone has saved me at least 5 hours of wasted time per week, and the quality of clients we have now is TOP NOTCH.
Setting Boundaries.
Now we only get calls from lawyers, but still get a ton of very random shoppers with very long-winded questions, who at the end of the day, don’t necessarily want to pay for our time and aren’t actually considering working with us. So my friend Andrew Legrand recommended this handy tool called Acuity. I used it to build a scheduling link where anyone could schedule call time with me – for free – but only in 15 minute increments.
Why 15 minutes?
Because when both sides of the conversation are clear there are only 15 minutes scheduled for the call, there’s a bigger incentive to get to the point. So less time is wasted, and people tend to be more honest about needs, capabilities, limitations and urgencies.
Asking the Right Questions.
Before speaking with someone new, I want to know about their niche practice area, immediate goals, and why they decided to contact us. Getting this info via a web form before the call lets me ensure that each and every call will be 15 minutes well spent on both ends.
Why?
Because if someone even takes the time to fill out the questionnaire, I know they are invested. Maybe not in what I’m offering specifically, but they’re invested in making their business better.
And if I can’t help, or if they don’t have the budget, there are still so many other people, services, platforms etc. that I might be able to recommend for them.
What do I get out of that?
GOOD BUSINESS KARMA.
(I promise, this is a real thing.)
When you help people, they remember you. And I’m really into helping people. So it’s a long game.
And sometimes, the questions lawyers ask me end up sparking brilliant blog topic ideas – like this one about whether to host your blog on your firm site or as it’s own blog platform.
Want to know more about how this new system could work for you and your firm?
