One of the most important elements of the legal marketing function
is reducing the perceived risk involved in the contracting of a law firm’s
services. Personal injury law practices have intrinsically known this for years
and is underscored by their assurances to be compensated, only when “you are.” In the world of consumer goods, the
provision of a “money back guarantee” provides much the same purpose. In such situations, the marketer and not the “buyer” assumes
the risk.
In marketing legal services however, such promises are
neither practical nor cost-beneficial. Yet reducing the perceived risk remains
critical and, as noted below, there are a number of ways in which law firms can
approach this task.
1. Branding
Unfortunately, although this is probably the most effective
strategy, it is also the most expensive. People are comfortable with what they
know and if they feel they know a company or a law firm (even if this
perception is inaccurate), they are more likely to entrust their resources with
it. “No one ever got fired for hiring
IBM” is as true today as it was when some clever individual first coined
the phrase. Businesses and law firms allocate large sums to positioning
themselves in the marketplace and then reinforcing that positioning over and
over again through hundreds of both large and small ways.
2. Professionalism
“Professionalism” is a horrible term to use because it is
difficult to define. It’s one of those things that we seem to know when we see
it. Or perhaps better said, we
seem to notice a lack of it when we don’t. When representation of a law firm –
be it through an individual, an email, or piece of promotional material is
“sloppy,” incomplete, inaccurate, etc., we have raised the bar of perceived
risk. After all, if one is less than attentive to how one’s own firm is
represented, why should a potential client think that that attention will be
any greater for him or her.
To illustrate this, think for a minute about the impact it
would have if a vendor promoted its wares to your office and when prompted,
could not produce a business card or a website address. The lack of such basic
accoutrements of “being in business” would not necessarily mean the vendor was
of a lower quality, but it sure would give that impression.
3. Transparency
It is important to give prospects an opportunity to “check
you out.” This is usually done through
marketing materials, testimonials, client referrals, published articles, etc.
The more forthright the firm is in how it promotes its wares, the more
credibility it establishes. Even when the inevitable mistakes occur, an honest
representation of these mistakes (along with an explanation as to how they will
be addressed) can sometimes go a longer way towards a positive client
experience than even one where no issues ever arise.
4. Getting Prospects
to Know You Before They Make The Decision to Hire You
For any prospective client, the decision of which law firm
to hire is a big one (as is even the decision to hire one in the first place). In
fact, there are times when it can be downright intimidating. Much of that is due to the uncertainty
that goes with initiating some kind of legal action or procedure. What’s rote for you is certainly not
rote for them. Hence, the more you can do to make them as comfortable with you before the actual hire, the more likely
you are to convert that prospect.
We have found seminars to be particularly helpful in this
regard. There is a comfort that comes with being an anonymous person sitting in
a room with other anonymous people.
No one knows (or cares) who you are and your problems are not for public
consumption (unless you choose them to be). The seminar or workshop gives the
prospect the opportunity to get to know whether or not they like you – before
it really matters. By seeing you, hearing you speak, appreciating your grasp of
the issues that are important to them, that prospect is getting to know you
without he or she themselves being evaluated.
5. Implementing a
Meaningful Marketing Mix
The philosopher Marshall McLuhan once said that the “medium
is the message” and he was absolutely right. The avenues by which prospects are
exposed to your message play a significant role in whether perceived risk is
heightened or diminished. An article in the New York Times that highlights
your expertise in a particular area of the law is infinitely better at building
credibility (and thereby reducing risk) than is a billboard “down by the
highway.” A web site that refers
to yours is likewise stronger than a pay-per-click ad. The aforementioned
seminar can do wonders to reduce risk; less so for a booth at a trade show.
That is not to say that these other vehicles do not have a
role in practice-building (that’s fodder for an article on another day). It’s
just that some are specifically geared for reducing perceived risk.
I close by recalling how an attorney called us once for recommendations
on how he might go about marketing his real estate practice. I suggested that
he should start by creating a web site. (He didn’t have one at the time). The
attorney balked at my recommendation, stating that in real estate law, he could
not see obtaining clients in this manner. As much as I tried, I could not get
him to understand that when it comes to marketing, converting a prospect into a
client is but one element of many. And among those others is a pretty important
one called… “Minimizing Risk.”
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