Stepping Out of the Spotlight

My last post talked about the fact that we, as business owners, can’t and shouldn’t do it all. In order to grow a thriving law firm, you have to:

• Identify the best and highest use of your time and move toward making that the focus of the bulk of your time at the office, and
• Develop a business model that removes you from the day-to-day grind as much as possible without sacrificing any client care and that actually increases the care your clients receive, as well as their confidence in the firm.

So, how can you step out of the spotlight while increasing the level of care your clients receive and, just as importantly, without compromising your clients’ confidence in your law firm? The key is setting expectations for your clients from the start. Here’s what I mean:

Your clients should be educated from the very beginning on the process used by your firm. When potential clients come to one of your seminars, they should hear a carefully crafted outline of what to expect as a client of your firm. Let them know who they’ll meet with at the initial consultation, how long after that the follow-up meeting will generally be – and who they’ll meet with at that time, etc. At the time you retain a new client, you should go over the process again, and let them know which staff Members will handle the final meeting.

This way, there are no surprises, and your clients are assured right from the start that they are not only being taken care of by you, but also your entire well-trained and competent team. Ultimately, you want your clients to be happy with your firm, rather than the focus being exclusively on you and your personal interactions with them.

Here’s the bottom line: address all the issues upfront, set expectations and then exceed them, but not by you doing everything!

Sanford M. Fisch
CEO & Co-Founder
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
6050 Santo Rd Ste 240
San Diego, CA 92124
(800) 846-1555
www.aaepa.com