Why do some lawyers talk all the time? I’m probably the wrong person to try to answer that question – because I pretty much talk all the time.

Unfortunately, for me anyway, talking too much kills your conversion rate when meeting with prospective clients. They want to talk. They don’t want to listen to a lawyer who starts talking before they understand the problem.

The single most important factor in converting a prospective client into a client is to ask good questions and then listen to the answers.

It’s critical to ask “Where do you want to go?”, “What do you want to accomplish?”, and “What are your goals?” You will, of course, have you own approach and style for asking, but you’ve got to find out what’s important to the client.

Why should you ask? Because the client wants to tell you. They want to know that you know their priorities. They want to know that you understand what they’re all about and where they’re headed.

If you don’t ask and you start talking you’re in trouble. If you start offering solutions without having asked about the client’s priorities, they know you aren’t proposing a plan that meets their needs. They assume you’re offering the same old solution you give everyone with no consideration for their needs.

What if your doctor prescribed medication without asking you what was wrong? You wouldn’t be happy, would you? That’s what it feels like when the client sits down and you start explaining how you’re going to fix things without asking sufficient questions. It doesn’t work.

Slow down, ask the questions, listen to the answers. Then the client will be ready to listen, ready to trust you and ready to hire you do what you’ve proposed.