Are you wondering why your competition seems to be attracting new clients while you are not?  While there could be a number of reasons for this, the truth is that you have no control over what they do — only what you do.

When it the last time you took a good look at how clients are really experiencing your law firm?  You may find that the answer to your question lies there.  I can think of seven common bad behaviors that send clients to the competition — are you committing any of these?

Pushing for a commitment. If a prospect visits and doesn’t sign up with you right away, their “no” may really mean “not right now.”  Take this as an opportunity to stay in touch with them and keep feeding them useful information on the legal matter they came to see you about, with a reminder that you are still here to help.  This is easily done with an automated email system that doesn’t require any of your time to administer.

Failing to set expectations. Most relationships with clients that go south do so because of unmet expectations. Be realistic about the services you provide and the outcome they can expect, and do it up-front.

Ignoring clients after they become clients. You don’t mean to ignore them, but you’re busy and time slips by. If you had a process in place for communicating with them regularly, this wouldn’t be a problem.

Talking over their heads. Some attorneys have a very bad habit of making clients feel stupid by using too many legal terms in conversation. Stay on your client’s level and always make sure they understood what you are trying to communicate.

Not responding. When clients need you, they don’t like to keep leaving voicemail messages — worse still is a full voicemail box. Offer your cell phone number or a way they can reach you when they need you.

Not listening. Most clients just want to be heard, especially by their own attorneys. This takes time on your part, and an effort to understand their point of pain and how to alleviate it.

Handing them off. Is the only time a client ever sees you when they are ready to sign on the dotted line? If you only make an appearance when money is on the table and then hand clients off to junior associates, you have just created a major disconnect in the loyalty chain.