10 Reasons to keep in touch with clients before, after, and while working on their case.

Clients have many choices when it comes to law firms.  Most attorneys know it is important to spend time networking to meet potential clients.  I find it surprising however that many attorneys don’t have a plan to stay in touch with clients after the work is done.  It is easier to approach someone who has already hired you and was pleased with your service than it is to find a new client.  Here are 10 reasons why staying in touch with clients is so important:

1.   You want them to come back when they need your services again.  As they say “out of sight out of mind”.  You want to be top of mind!

2.   You want feedback on your work so you can learn what works and what doesn’t.  Establishing a good relationship with the client allows him or her to tell you how your work helped them and what you might do to improve your offer.

3.   You want client testimonials.  A client who speaks positively about you to others helps your reputation and contributes to your brand.

4.   You want referrals.  Often clients assume a lawyer is too busy for new clients.  By keeping the lines of communication open you can ask the client for referrals to friends and colleagues with similar issues. This also allows you to be top of mind so if asked the client will refer to you.

5.   You want to understand the issue from the client’s perspective.  Often the client sees things differently than you do.  To fully address his/her problem you will need to understand from the client’s perspective.  At each stage of the case listening to the client helps you address his/her concerns.

6.   You want to understand what the client expects from you. It is important to understand from the beginning what the client’s expectations are.  Once you and the client agree on what you will deliver you will need to check back to insure you are meeting the clients needs and expectations.  This will help you to avoid issues over the bill later on.

7.   You want ideas about what else might be valuable to this client and others.  Establishing a good relationship with the client will help you to target your practice strategy to the needs of your clients.  Clients can give you ideas of other areas to develop within your practice.

8.   You want to know when your client to know about other services you provide.  If you have more than one practice area letting the client know about the other areas may get you more business or a referral from that client.

9.   You want to develop a friendly relaxed relationship with the client so that he/she is comfortable discussing other problems with you.  Clients will call you with questions if they feel comfortable enough with you.  This will give you the opportunity to refer them to others when they have a problem that is out of your practice area.

10. You want to increase the loyalty the client feels toward you and your law firm.  The more interactions you have with a client the more likely it is that he/she will come to you when he/she needs an attorney again.

Something to think about:

What is the benefit of your network staying in touch with you?