Yesterday I spent time cajoling you to be different, to stand out from the crowd with your website. I asked you to be something other than the store brand can of peas.
Maybe that’s just not who you are. Maybe you desperately want to be like everyone else. Maybe it’s really important to you to fit in.
I don’t know that having that perspective is wrong or bad – it just doesn’t help you much from a marketing perspective.
If, however, that’s the way you feel (and the fact is that some of you feel exactly that way) then it’s important that I do what I can to help you thrive in your practice. After all, that’s what I’m doing here and I’m not going to change your long-held beliefs (at least not quickly).
So what do you do if you’re in the situation I’ve described?
You’re not alone. Many, many business owners have faced the issue of becoming a commodity. Some of them have done very well in commodity businesses and they’ve done it without changing their product or service. They’ve figured out how to be the leading seller of something you can buy from just about anywhere.
The businesses that succeed in a commodity business generally figure out a way to make the product better, faster or cheaper. If you’re not willing to change the service or product then you’re left with figuring out how to deliver the service for less. You’ve got to find a way to make it cheaper.
If you can find a way to do the same work, just as fast and do it for less money then you’re going to win. Of course, it’s not reasonable for you to do the same work and earn less than the next attorney. You’ve got to figure out how to deliver the same service and make as much, or more, than the competition.
How do you do that?
Focus on technology that achieves efficiency. Implement a cloud based case management system, document assembly system and accounting system. Create checklists for everything from making coffee to conducting a property division trial. Create an extensive forms library and draft fill in the blank closing arguments.
Develop systems that minimize expensive activities like accounting and fee collection. Collect fees in advance and eliminate billing systems. Eliminate cost accounting by building all costs in to your fees. Outsource activities to the lowest cost provider.
Avoid downtime. Discount, even further, during traditionally slow periods to cover overhead and generate revenue. Shift work that isn’t time sensitive to slow periods.
Avoid custom work. Don’t take cases that don’t fit your systems. Agree, in advance, to standard response times. Explain your client systems early in the representation and stick to them. Do your work, in advance, so that you avoid the chaos and expense of rush work. Avoid courier fees, court reporter expediting fees and FedX charges by being ready well in advance.
Think about your efficient systems as they relate to every aspect of your business. Keep these ideas in mind when you’re hiring. Look for people who have an interest in delivering the services for less. That’s got to become your primary mission and the primary mission of everyone on your team.
If your competitors look at your pricing and are certain that there’s no way you can make money doing what you’re doing, and charging what you’re charging, then you’ve got them exactly where you want them.
