Learning from each other is one of the best features of a conference. It is rare to have a venue where everyone in the room faces many of the same issues; most attorneys don’t participate in these types of gatherings where weaknesses are put on the table and solutions explored.

I was inspired to offer these three simple solutions that you can implement today to grow your law firm over the next year:

1. I’m a great attorney, so why do I need to use social media to showcase it?

Unfortunately, it’s not enough to just be a “great attorney” anymore because there are many less qualified attorneys out there you are competing with who understand how to market effectively and they are taking your business. A majority of consumers looking for lawyers start online and social media ranks high in search engine results. A post you wrote that may address their exact issue could very likely pop up, meaning yours would be the first law firm they would likely call. Social media is no longer a “nice to have,” it’s a “have to have.”

2. I don’t have a big database; what’s a good place to start in order to grow it?

Actually, you may have more contacts than you think. Not only do you have all the contact information of the people you have done business with, you can look at your email contact addresses and also get the email addresses of those individuals you are connected with in LinkedIn. Right off the bat this will give you a bigger database then you thought.

You can also begin to speak, attend networking events or create Free Reports that motivate people to give you their contact information in order to get valuable information back.

Lastly, any time you meet someone or someone calls your office, get their contact information so you can begin to communicate with them on a regular basis in a meaningful way.

3. I’m told frequently “you cost too much.” How can I handle this?

That’s an objection many attorneys get. There are several ways to effectively handle this. But one of my favorite is as follows.

Prospect: “You cost too much.”

Attorney: “I appreciate where you are coming from. Let me ask you this, when you say that, are you talking about the cost or the price?

The individual will give you a blank look because as far as they are concerned those two things are the same.

You then say:

“Let me explain. The cost to have me handle your divorce and custody case is $25,000, but the price of not paying that amount is potentially losing custody of your child, having to pay more in alimony than you should, and having to suffer through endless court battles for months in order to reach a resolution.

I’m not the cheapest attorney out there and if that is what you are looking for, I have an attorney I can refer you to.

But I am the attorney who will handle this situation in a way where you get the best possible outcome with the least amount of stress and unnecessary emotional turmoil.

So let me ask you now, is cost really the most important factor in your decision?”

If they answer yes, that’s fine because you don’t really want to do business with them anyway!