I know a lawyer who wraps his car in signage.

You’ve seen it. The car becomes one big sign. The owner of my favorite lunch place—Greek Fiesta—back when I lived in Raleigh had his car wrapped. The car was a mobile billboard for Greek Fiesta.

I’ve mentioned the car wrapping to quite a few other lawyers. I’m not advocating for wrapping your car, but it comes up when we talk about out-of-the-box marketing thinking.

Car wrapping isn’t something most lawyers do, and this guy really stands out because he’s not afraid to be different.

I mentioned it to a lawyer recently, and she said she’d be “uncomfortable” driving a car turned into a sign.

I get it. She doesn’t want to be uncomfortable.

She’s doomed.

Why?

Because she doesn’t want to be uncomfortable.

What Makes You Uncomfortable?

Being uncomfortable is not optional. It’s a requirement.

Simply asking another lawyer to lunch makes many (most?) lawyers uncomfortable. That’s followed up by the lunch itself, which has spawned an entire industry treating social anxiety and phobias.

Speaking to a Rotary Club? Some lawyers end up curled up in the corner in a fetal position.

I remember one lawyer calling another lawyer “aggressive” because he handed out pens with his name printed on them. I’m sure that was a manifestation of discomfort.

Running an ad in the newspaper (yes, they still print some of them) makes many lawyers uncomfortable. It has only been allowed since 1977 when the U.S. Supreme Court, in Bates v. State Bar of Arizona, upheld the right of lawyers to advertise their services.

Back in 1994, building a website made lots of lawyers seriously uncomfortable. It took more than a decade for lawyers generally to warm to the idea.

Pay-per-click advertising, social media (I still know lawyers who won’t sign up for Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat), and TV ads (especially) still make lots of lawyers uncomfortable.

So, she’s doomed to be less successful because she’s unwilling to be uncomfortable.

When I probe with most lawyers, it’s pretty common to hit the comfort wall quickly. We all have our limits. Personally, I’m skipping the face tattoo that says “Rosen Law Firm.” That sounds seriously uncomfortable. I suppose I’m doomed too.

Why Discomfort Is Required to Succeed

The guy who wraps his car has a successful practice. He gets lots of referrals from lawyers. He’s widely respected and liked. Part of his success is attributable to his willingness to manage his comfort level and push through it. The other part of his success comes from his intellect and skill. He’s a great lawyer. Wrapping the car gives him a chance to put his talents to work.

We wrap our discomfort in fancy words. We call the uncomfortable “unprofessional.” We say the uncomfortable lacks dignity. We distance ourselves from the uncomfortable by calling it tacky, embarrassing, and damaging to the profession. We’re very sophisticated at explaining why our discomfort results in our doing the right thing. Rationalize? Us?

Recognize that your discomfort limits you. Be aware of it. Be conscious of the decisions you’re making and the economic impact they have on your business. Push yourself sometimes and test your limits. Find out whether the success offsets the discomfort. Are you really uncomfortable with the tactic, or are you uncomfortable that it might not work? Play with the feelings, experiment with them, and find out where you really stand.

Wrapping your car may not be for you. It might not even be a good idea in your practice area or with your prospective clients. But it’s worth looking at your reaction to the idea and then getting in your car, driving to the parlor, and getting that face tattoo. That’ll dramatically bump up your revenue. Don’t worry, once the ink dries and the inflammation cools down, you’ll have a steady stream of business. Be uncomfortable. It’s worth it.

[ While I have you here, I wanted to remind you that you can get the latest articles delivered to your inbox a week before they go up on the web. Just one email per week. Sign up here. ]