Free Legal Marketing Tip: Prepare For Client Meetings As You Would For A Judge

Imagine standing before a judge...you've just stated your case and you're feeling super confident that a decision will be made on your behalf.

Then she asks for that one key piece of information and you begin to flounder. You can't find your documents, you're nervous, and you're starting to say things that don't quite make sense.

How do you "look" in that situation?

Unprepared? Maybe even untrustworthy? Totally not professional.

Most of us would never dream of showing up unprepared before a judge, but we think NOTHING of appearing completely disheveled, unprepared and even untrustworthy to potential clients.

And that could be why are not engaging most of the prospects who come in to meet with you.

So what does being unprepared at a client meeting look like? Consider the following real life examples:

* You start a client meeting without everything you would need to engage the client and collect a check should your prospect say "yes" to your services. Instead, when someone does say yes, you have to leave the meeting room several times, holler for your secretary, wait for the forms to be printed, etc... You get the picture. Hopefully, it's not the picture of what happens in your office because when it does, it shows you are simply not organized and prepared.

* You quote a fee that you pulled out of the air without presenting a formal, pre-thought out fee schedule. When the prospect looks surprised at your price, you begin negotiating, agreeing to lower your fee. Now, your prospect sees you as untrustworthy.

* Your secretary interrupts the meeting so you can take an "important phone call" and you actually do it-leaving the client to feel as they're being "squeezed in" and the meeting wasn't well planned by your office staff.

Now, these are extreme examples and perhaps you've never acted so unprofessionally in your office. But, I'll admit, I can't say the same. When I first started out, I didn't know how to go into an initial client meeting prepared to quote a fee or engage a client. I never left a client meeting to take another phone call, but I've watched shocked as another lawyer did.

So how can you ensure that your prospects see you as the trustworthy, prepared, organized professional that you are?

Start here:

* Don't just offer food and drinks to your prospects when they come in-have a spread waiting for them, as though they are welcome guests.

* Have every document you could possibly need when they say yes to your services, pre-printed in a folder, including your engagement letter, privacy notice and method of payment form, so you never have to leave the office or make the prospect wait once they've decided to move ahead.

* Prepare a laminated fee schedule that you bring to each meeting so your prospects don't feel like you're just making up numbers that are open to negotiation if they don't like the price.

* Never take another phone call or allow any other interruption during a client meeting.

Don't just take my word for it-TRY IT this week! Be prepared, and I mean really prepared, and keep tracking your results. You'll be astonished at how small shifts can have a big impact. And, if you've already seen it, let us know.

by: Alexis Martin Neely

POST COMMENT

Nfl Players Commision To Study Effects Of Briain Injuries On Players Where To Download Nintendo DSi and DS Games For Cheap And Legally Whiplash Compensation Claims In The Uk Watch The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Movie For Free Legally in HD Quality Download and Watch Avatar Full Movie Online In HD Quality For Free Legally Watch Avatar Movie Online For Free Legally in HD Quality From Your Computer Instantly Download The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Movie For Free Legally in HD Quality Download Avatar Movie For Free Legally in Minutes in DVD Quality Download Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Movie Movie Instantly For Free Legally in DVD Quality Watch Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Movie Online For Free Legally in HD Quality Download And Watch The Spy Next Door Full Movie For Free Legally in HD Quality Instantly What You Should Know Before You Settle A Whiplash Personal Injury Claim Why Whiplash Injuries And The Compensation Process Should Be Taken More Seriously