iIn my work with more than 10,000 attorneys over the past 12 years, I have found that there are a number of things they are doing wrong that harm their firms – many of which they are totally unaware of.
However, it has been my experience that there are three especially bad things you can do that can doom the future of your firm. These are:
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- Unwillingness to market. There are thousands of new attorneys each year and many of them are younger and much more savvy when it comes to Internet marketing and using technology to help run their firms.
- Not recognizing that attorneys are not your only competitors. There are non-attorney competitors out there too that you need to find out how to out-market and out-sell. The proliferation of online legal services like LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer has forever changed the way consumers access legal services. It has become more important than ever that you are able to let prospects know exactly how and why you are different, and what kind of value you are able to provide – and you must do it online, where they are looking for your services.
- Thinking that if you are a “great lawyer” you will build a successful firm. Unfortunately, this is not as important as it used to be. Often the firms that can market and sell the best are the ones that people hire, even if their quality of work is not the best. It’s about perception and making sure your firm is visible in the online marketing space.
Thankfully, none of these bad habits is irreparable. A little self-awareness of what you are doing wrong and then taking the necessary steps to educate yourself – or hire someone who can help you – is all it takes to level the playing field.
