As a marketing and professional sales student at the University of Cincinnati, it’s apparent to me that if you provide a service, you need to be able to sell that service.
As an attorney you need to be able to not only to sell your services, but also yourself. The number one job as an attorney is to practice law and protect your clients’ rights, but you will never have any clients if your not selling yourself.
Following some easy practices will help you be successful in selling yourself, the services you provide, and your law firm.
1. Write out a benefit tree.
What is a benefit tree you ask? A benefit tree is all of the benefits to the features of the services you provide. What are the benefits of the services you provide to your clients? What is the benefit of that benefit and the benefit to that benefit—do you see where I’m going with this
Example: A feature is that you have been practicing law for 20 years. The benefit of practicing law for 20 years is that you have experience in the field. The benefit of being an experienced attorney is that you are more likely to win a case because of the knowledge you have obtained in that 20 years, and so on.
Making a benefit tree is helpful when selling your services because it makes it easier for the prospect to see what they will directly gain from your service; it breaks it down for them. Even though this might be apparent for an attorney, some people need to hear it loud and clear, especially is a stressful situation.
2. What makes you different than your competitor?
Saying that you are a “better” lawyer isn’t going to make you stand out—prospects need to know why. Ask these questions to yourself and compare what you have with what your competitors don’t: How many years have you been practicing? What areas of practice do you specialize in? What are your client reviews like?
Think of what you might say in an interview to make yourself stand out from the other candidates—always be honest though! (Being dishonest to get a client will result in a bad reputation and will hurt future credibility when seeking business.)
3. Remember that you are always selling yourself as an attorney and as a firm.
Carrying business cards with you all the time sounds like an easy thing to do, but many professional forget. You never know, you may run in to someone that needs an attorney or knows someone who does. You are either a business owner, or a part of business—growing that business should be one of your goals.
4. Convey all above recommendations in your online presence.
Your website, social media, and blogs all need to be demonstrating how you can benefit someone. This is going to build trust and credibility, which is crucial for a lawyer.
Lawyers are salespeople and need to know how to engage prospects, but more importantly, know how to grow their practice. Write out a benefit tree, differentiate yourself from your competitors, remember that you are always selling yourself, and finally, convey all of that onto your online presence.
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