Initial consultations are different on the phone.
Recently, I published 12 Rules for Turning Initial Consultations Into Retainers, which inspired some questions from lawyers meeting with clients via phone and online.
The phone is different—very different.
It’s one thing to come into the office to meet a lawyer. Clients get to size up the surroundings and the lawyer visually. They get to touch the lawyer, look into her eyes, and soak in the smells and sounds of the office.
Being present in the office informs clients’ experience of the lawyer. It either adds or diminishes trust, but either way, it gives prospective clients a fuller sense of the person.
Consults on the phone are a very different experience for the lawyer as well as the client.
Phone consults happen when:
- Clients have matters in your jurisdiction but live/work elsewhere.
- Clients are from your area, but travel makes it difficult for them to return for a meeting.
- Business clients who operate in other regions serve customers in your area and have matters arise as a result of those relationships.
Our firm conducts phone consultations each week. For us, it’s usually military officers on assignment, large company employees assigned to another location, or defendants in civil actions who are being sued by local residents.
Phone consultations are more and more common, and they’re important if you’re going to maintain a steady stream of new business.
Here’s my list of rules for initial consultations via phone:
1. Welcome phone consults.
Phone consults are shorter than in-person meetings. They save you from having to wear clean clothes, and the potential clients are more likely to retain. Why more likely? Because it’s often difficult for them to meet with many lawyers, and they’ll probably hire you unless you provide a good reason not to.
2. Build a phone consult system.
Make sure your people are open to phone consults, and make it simple and easy for clients. There’s a tendency to treat phone consults as an exception. Counteract that and make them routine. Be sure all callers are offered a phone option so it’ll become less unusual. You want callers to believe it’s just a regular part of your process so they’ll feel comfortable.
3. Manage payment.
When you build your system, be sure it includes the payment process. We collect credit card or checking account info at the time of scheduling and process the payment prior to the meeting. Just be sure payment doesn’t get overlooked.
4. Clear the deck.
Get rid of distractions. Shut down the e-mail. Close Facebook. Put your phone in a place where you can’t see the screen. Hide your browser. You’re not going to give good phone if you’re watching other screens while talking to clients. You can’t multitask (no matter what you believe), and you’ll sound distracted if you’re…ah, distracted. Shut that stuff down and focus.
5. Provide visual clues to your team.
Make sure it’s clear that you’re on a call so others don’t bother you. Lock the door if you have a door. Put in the earbuds for the call. Put a sign in front of your desk or do whatever is required to get people to leave you alone. If they pop in for a signature or an answer, you’ll sound distracted. Don’t let them bother you.
6. Give more intro.
A phone consult will require more of an introduction than an in-person consult. You’ll need to provide a better sense of who you are and what you do to overcome the lack of visual data clients would otherwise collect. Don’t go crazy, but spend a minute explaining the process and your experience in the area, and make it clear what you need from callers as the discussion gets rolling.
7. Use video.
Make Skype and other video conferencing options available to clients if they choose. Skype conferencing is free and gives clients a much better sense of what you’re all about. Be sure your team offers Skype as an option if your clients prefer it to the phone. Of course, you’ll have to wear a clean shirt if you use video.
8. Close your eyes and focus.
Unless you’re on video, go ahead and close your eyes during the call. Focus hard on what each caller says and visualize the person saying it. Give each word specific attention. Let the voice run over you and take in each and every syllable. Your powerful listening will be heard and understood on the other end of the line.
9. Ask more questions.
Prospective clients will miss your visual cues since they won’t see you nodding and gesturing for more. Use brief phrases such as “tell me more” to keep encouraging callers to talk. You’ll need more questions to keep them going. Stick to open-ended questions and try to speak as infrequently as possible.
10. Grunt more.
Make more noise. Say “oh, my” and “aaaahhh.” Use sounds and short phrases to make it clear you’re listening and still on the line. Repeat back clients’ words from time to time. Grunt occasionally (don’t overdo it).
11. Get acknowledgment.
When you’re talking, keep it to short sentences and check in. You won’t get the visual feedback you’re used to, so you won’t know whether callers really understand what you’re saying. Say something, pause, and ask whether it makes sense. Ask clients to explain it back to you. Be sure they’re getting it. Of course, you need to keep the advice to a minimum at this stage, but you want to be sure they’re hearing the critical information.
12. Assume the sale.
Just assume callers are going to work with you. Explain the retainer process and the payment process, and move forward with the next step. Phone consultations will nearly always hire you if your services meet their needs. Just keep the ball rolling.
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Many of the original 12 Rules for Turning Initial Consultations Into Retainers apply to phone consults as well as meetings in the office. Go back now and reread them.
Combine these 12 rules with those 12 rules, and you’ll have 24 rules that, if you follow them, will virtually guarantee you a new client.
Now go ahead and get on the phone.
