printMarketing Tip of the Month
Converting Prospects into Clients:
The Art of Building Trust
By Mike O’Horo
We’ve heard it many times before over the years. Clients hire lawyers (not law firms) and they hire lawyers they know, like and trust. Becoming known is fairly easy. Being liked is not that difficult for most lawyers. Building trust is the hard part. It takes time —- non-billable time in most cases —- to build trust with prospective clients. Eight to eleven impressions, they say.
Unfortunately, most lawyers try to “close the deal” before trust is established or they give up too early in the sales process. Patience and follow though are required.
This month’s Marketing Tip is written by Mike O’Horo, one of the country’s leading sales trainers for lawyers. Here, he provides a few “dos” and “don’ts” on proven ways to enhance relationships and build trust with a hot prospect.
DON’T
Make a pitch under any circumstances. There is no market for pitches. They end conversation and access. (Besides, what could you possibly say about your legal services that hasn’t already been said by countless other lawyers, ad nauseam?)
DO
Be prepared with knowledge of two or three meaningful business issues that affect companies like this one, in this industry. Ask your prospect how the issue affects his company’s strategy, operations and finances, and how it affects him personally.
DON’T
Jump at the first opportunity to say some form of, “Oh, we can do that; we’re really good at that.”
DO
Help your prospect think through the business challenge, look at things in a fresh way, recognize nuances or other aspects of the issue.
DON’T
Act like you’re in a “one-call-close” business, i.e., “Well, we’re here, we’re really skilled. So, you should hire us.”
DO
Make the meeting itself valuable. Knowing how good you are at what you do is only marginally valuable. Initiate a sustainable business conversation that motivates the prospect to remain in frequent contact with you. (Can you imagine a “here’s-more-about-us” approach achieving this standard?)
DON’T
Claim future value, or talk about how valuable you’ll be once the prospect becomes a client and starts writing checks.
DO
Be valuable now. Demonstrate what it will be like to work with you by eliciting understanding of the buyer’s problem, the desired outcome, and the perceived barriers to getting there. Then, offer valuable advice (you know, as if he were already paying you).
DON’T
End the meeting without agreement about what happens next, or hoping that the next contact occurs magically.
DO
Ask, “What do you see as sensible next steps?”
DON’T
End any meeting, phone call or other contact without asking, “When does it make sense for us to reconnect?”
DO
Put a tickler in your calendar and make sure to call then.
DON’T
When you call on the agreed date, use the words “follow up,” e.g., “I’m calling to follow up on our conversations of [date].”
DO
When you call on the agreed date, say “When we spoke about [issue] on [date] you suggested that we revisit it today at this time. Is this still a good time to pick it up again?” You can’t force someone to pay attention. If they’re not ready to discuss it, reschedule at a time when they are.
DON’T
Mail firm brochures, practice descriptions or other gratuitous crap after a meeting or telephone conversation. What is that supposed to accomplish? If you’ve done everything above, you already have a specific topic under discussion, a future agenda, and a mechanism for continuity of contact. Why trade down to generalized paper?
DO
Send or forward industry-specific items that reasonably might be useful to the recipient, and that reinforce the position you’re developing as someone informed about and invested in this prospect’s success.
About the Author
Mike O’Horo is a partner of Sales Results, Inc., a sales training firm that helps lawyers and law firms convert high-potential business contacts into fee-paying clients. Since 1992, he has trained and coached over 3,500 lawyers in firms of all sizes, resulting in more than $1.5 billion in incremental business to their firms. He can be reached at 703.516.4448 or Coach@SalesResults.com.
© 2010, The Remsen Group
