How many of your clients haven’t talked to a lawyer in your firm in the past seven days?

If that number is more than zero, then your reputation is at risk.

If you aren’t talking to your clients weekly, you can bet they’re talking to others about you.

And you won’t like what they’re saying.

Left to their own devices, our clients turn negative. We’ve got to stay connected to them, or they worry themselves into a state of despair. They start to imagine one worst-case scenario after another. They have vivid imaginations, and they never imagine happy things.

You’ve got to stay closely connected to them, or they drift out of your orbit and into unhappy land. Unhappy land is a place where your reputation is damaged, bills aren’t paid, refunds get requested, and complaints get filed with your licensing agency.

You’ve got to find a reason to connect with them, preferably by phone, and update them on the progress of the case (even when there isn’t any). You should explain the next steps and keep hope alive for a successful outcome.

The more often you speak with the client, the more likely that client is to become an advocate for you and your practice. Frequent communication results in high levels of client satisfaction and more frequent referrals.

Is seven days a magic number? No, it’s a minimum number. I’m an advocate for twice weekly contact. The more you connect with them, the happier they’ll be. Some client contact is inevitable as a result of settlement negotiations, scheduling events, etc. But some cases languish without much progress. It’s those cases where you really need to increase the level of communication. It’s those languishing files that cause much of the trouble.

Take a few minutes and run through your client list. Check on the last contact and see how long it has been. If it’s been more than a week, pick up the phone, spend a few minutes updating the client, and save your reputation from the damage done by a client in despair.