You’ve brought on an assistant, streamlined your technology, and adopted systems designed to keep you focused, productive, and efficient.

You’re doing things you’ve read about. You only check your e-mail twice a day, you batch your calls, and you’ve minimized interruptions. You’re getting more done than you’ve ever done before.

Life is good. You’re a machine. You are seeing the results in your monthly accounting reports.

Yeah, life is really good, but…

There’s one thing driving you nuts.

The Bane of the Phone

It’s call time. You’re ready to roll, you’ve got a list of clients to call, and you pop on your uber-cool noise-canceling headset.

You’re like the pilot of the International Space Station. You look cool, you’re in control, and you’re a master of the universe.

And then the call starts….

And it goes on…and on…and on…and on…and the client will not let you off the phone.

Your incredibly efficient day just turned into muck. You’re trapped in the swamp of client communication. Instead of being the pilot of the Space Station, you’re pedaling a beach cruiser that’s slipped too far down the beach and is now stuck in the mucky part of the sand covered in water.

You need to get off this call. You need to wrap it up. You need two things:

1. the client to feel good about the call and having had a chance to talk to you, and
2. you need to do it quickly.

With all of your efficiencies and systems, you still haven’t figured out how to get off the phone, right?

You get on and you’re stuck. You say “hello,” and the client starts talking and talking and talking. You can play a video game on your screen while “listening.” You could read a novel while “listening.” You could compose a symphony while “listening” because it goes on forever.

Your Three-Step Action Plan

How do you get the client off the phone without making the client feel cut off? How can you leave the call but do so with the client feeling heard and understood until it’s time for the next call? How can you get off the phone so you can get on the phone with the next client?

Here’s how.

1. Initiate.

Calls are shorter when they’re your idea. When you wait for the client to call you, leave a message for you, and wait for your return call, you’re guaranteeing a longer call. The client has had time to expand his list. The client has had time to get wound up. The waiting turns the call from an opportunity to get a quick answer into the need for a main event.

Initiating calls makes them go faster. The client hasn’t had a chance to get worked up into a state of agitation. The client hasn’t had a chance to compose a list of issues or grievances. The client isn’t prepared to turn the call into the afternoon entertainment. Initiating calls allows a quick update call to remain quick.

Some lawyers will argue that initiating calls simply isn’t possible due to the pressures of the day. They believe that they’re stuck in reactive mode because they’re overwhelmed by the number of calls waiting to be returned. That’s true. Initially, getting ahead of the calls takes twice as long.

But once you’re the call initiator instead of the responder, you’ll save time instead of wasting it while clients turn short calls into marathons. Being the initiator has the added benefit of making the client feel cared for because you took action rather than simply responding to prodding.

2. Listen harder.

I love to do other things while I’m on client calls. In fact, I’ve got this whole “that typing you’re hearing is me taking notes” line I use when the game I’m playing online requires particularly aggressive keyboard commands. But being distracted turns a short call into a much longer call.

When you’re distracted, the client doesn’t feel heard. There’s an intangible quality to the way you say “I hear you” that comes through. If you’re distracted, the words don’t work. They don’t have the same impact. Your lack of focus, interest, and connection comes through.

The harder you listen, the shorter the call.

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3. Promise action.

Every call needs to result in a promise. You don’t have to promise to move heaven and earth, but you need to promise something. The promise will serve as your exit from the call. There’s an implied “I’m going to do this so I’ve got to go do it now” that gets you off the call. It’s how you’ll wrap up and leave the client with the strong sense that things are happening and that the case is moving forward.

Action is the game. We do things. We move forward. We check in even when there’s nothing to check. We keep the matter moving forward. Sometimes even the weakest of promises will do the job.

“Yep, he said he’d decide in October, but I’ll stick my head in his chambers when I’m over there tomorrow, and I’ll say hello. You never know. I’ll let you know what happens.”

The client just needs to know that something—anything—is happening. Inaction is rarely perceived as helping to solve the problem, so you’ve got to find some action you can take, promise to take it, make it happen, and then proactively alert the client as to the outcome. Then you’ll promise the next action during the next call.

Promises are the new “end” button. A promise will get you off the call quick.

How to Get Your Calls Down to Three Minutes

What you need is for your calls to work like a bowl of Fiber One cereal (my breakfast of choice). All that fiber allows you to eat fewer calories while feeling more full. Fiber One is healthy and leaves you feeling satisfied. Your calls need to end faster while more than meeting the client’s needs.

With practice, you can talk less for less time, listen for less time, and still achieve the same or a higher level of client satisfaction and happiness.

Lawyers burdened by long calls can learn to make them shorter. Make it a goal and turn it into a game. Use your stopwatch and time the calls. Keep a record and watch your progress. Initiate the calls, listen as hard as possible, and then promise action. You’ll soon see 30-minute calls turn into three-minute calls.