You do a fair amount of work getting prospective clients to call your office.

That work is wasted if you drop the ball when the prospect calls.

Here’s what I mean: you’re investing time, energy, and money in marketing. You’re doing some networking, you’re working with clients to generate referrals, and—maybe—you’re doing some advertising. You want more calls, and you’re doing what you can to make that happen.

Then, in one horrible minute, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.

The prospective client calls your office number and something goes awry. It’s the sort of thing that might happen once—a fluke—or, and this is more likely—it may be the sort of thing that happens to many of your callers.

What happens? One or more of the following:

1. She calls and the receptionist says, “Hold please.” Three minutes later, she hangs up. She’s discouraged but not ready to give up on you. She calls back. “Hold please.” That’s it. She’s gone and not coming back.
2. She calls and the receptionist talks to her about scheduling an appointment to come meet with you. The receptionist is in a hurry, and it comes through as impatience. The receptionist isn’t really listening. The caller schedules an appointment and doesn’t show up.
3. The receptionist talks to her but has to put her on hold three times to answer other calls. Eventually, she hangs up while she’s on hold and is never heard from again.
4. The receptionist hands the call off to your paralegal. Unfortunately, a pleading has to be filed with the court today, and the paralegal is in a hurry. Instead of giving the call his full attention, he multitasks his way through the call. Your prospective client has to explain, twice, that her baby is the product of a sexual relationship with her boss. How did he miss that the first time, she wonders? Is it possible that he doesn’t care? She too is a no-show for her consultation.
5. He calls and the voicemail system takes his message. No one returns his call.
6. He calls and the voicemail system takes his message. His call is returned six hours later. Too late: he booked an appointment with the next lawyer on his list.
7. He calls and gets you on the line. You’re tired and irritable. He needs someone who cares, and it’s pretty clear that you don’t. He’s gone.
8. He calls and you answer. For you, it’s the fifth call of the morning, and you’re chewing on that apple fritter you picked up at Starbucks. For him, it’s the single most important call he has ever made. You’re the first stranger he’s telling about the end of his marriage. In fact, other than his wife, you’re the first person he’s telling. You chew and swallow. He starts to cry. You minimize. He emotes. There’s no rapport. He concludes that you aren’t right for him. Once again, he’s gone.
9. The phone rings and rings and no one answers. Sure, it’s 5:15 and technically, you’re closed. There’s no voicemail; there’s no answering service. He calls someone who bothers to answer the phone at 5:16.
10. She schedules an appointment. She shows up. She sits in the waiting room. Twenty-five minutes go by until you finally come out and get her. She tells her story and gets some advice. You never hear from her again. That twenty-five-minute wait sealed your fate. You were late. You didn’t care enough about her to be on time. Can you blame her for feeling that way?

What’s the point of expending all that effort to get prospects to call if you lose them when they do?

Look at your process. Examine your system. Get someone to call the office for you: do some testing and see what happens. Don’t put effort into marketing if you’re not ready to handle the calls.