We live in a time when everything changes continuously – including your position on the market. One moment you’re the hottest company among consumers, the next moment they are piling up behind your competition.
Usually, this happens when customers are unable to differentiate your company from other businesses similar to yours. You need to give your company an extra flair so that your clients can see you – and be convinced they want to work with you.
1. Partner with a Consultant
You might want to do everything alone, but sometimes, the right partnership could take you to higher plains. For example, partnering with brands such as smithholder.com or any other popular brands from the area can make you seem like a more trustworthy law firm. In return, this will help differentiate you from your competition.
The right consultant will not only make the cases your firm works on easier to handle but will also increase your reputation in court and among all the other law firms. Securing a top-tier consultant also increases the chances of people coming to your firm for help.
2. Listen to Customers
Numerous lawyers make the mistake of assuming what’s best for their clients, without actually listening to them. Sure, when it comes to the legal process, there’s nothing much that can be done – but you also need to make sure you give clients what they need.
Even though most customers leave unstructured and often confusing comments/feedback, it’s your job to dissect them and find out how you can improve client interaction. No matter the type of client that you have, your law firm should be able to easily accommodate them and, naturally, make them feel welcomed rather than a nuisance.
3. Recruit Only the Best
This might seem like a no-brainer, but you’ll be surprised to find out how many law firms hire the wrong staff simply because they wanted to save on cash. Sure, salaries can be a problem, but if you hire a valuable lawyer that ends up bringing a steady cash flow, that problem can be considered solved.
As such, don’t roll your eyes when a certain lawyer denies your offer because the pay is too little. Often, law firms get offended by this, but they shouldn’t, especially those that have just started out. Expensive staff, if managed well, increases revenue and creates a pleasant working environment. Cheap staff members often just want for the day to end faster so that they can go home.
4. Offer Memorable Client Experience
A client with great experience is a client that will likely recommend you to their friends and family. This is why, if you want to differentiate yourself from your competition, you must offer them a great client experience. Show that you empathize, make yourself available, and treat them with the utmost respect.
Pair this with the listening point we mentioned earlier. You don’t need years and years of activity in order to be able to offer a great experience for your clients. If you just listen to them and also allow them to give you an honest review, you’ll learn – quite fast – how a client should be dealt with/treated at the moment they enter your firm.
Do not skip on customer experience – it’s what keeps a service-type company alive!
5. Be Honest and Transparent
Every business, regardless of its niche, needs to focus on one thing: being transparent and honest with its clients. People are always looking for lawyers that they can put their trust in, so if they think that you are constantly hiding something from them, or if your fees keep changing, then they will leave you in favor of your competition.
Naturally, we don’t even have to mention how almost every single company or firm that hides something eventually has all its secrets uncovered. One wrong move and everyone will have full access to what you’re doing backstage. As such, isn’t it better to just stay away from any unconventional practice, be honest with yourself, and ensure transparency in all forms?
6. Ask for Feedback
Asking for feedback is not a sign of weakness, but one of strength. It tells the people that you want to listen and that you wish to become better. If you want to differentiate from your competition, start gathering reviews and make the changes necessary to adapt to the needs of your clients.
We can’t stress this enough! Nowadays, feedback is one of the most important things and it can make or break a business. Why? Because everybody can leave feedback/review, even if requested or not. A social media page will most likely draw all types of people and feedback to your firm. The ideal thing would be to use some of it on your website and such.
7. Avoid Jargon and Legal Language
You might think that it makes you look fancy, but legal language can actually “turn off” your clients. People are looking for a law company that they can understand, so while it’s alright to appear professional, you also need to make sure you are approachable – and to do this, you must cut the jargon.
Nobody likes being talked to in legalese – imagine a rocket scientist explaining to your lawyers how a rocket works since it might be required by one of your cases. Most of the time, you’ll have to ask certain clients to simplify their explanation and jargon – but your firm will have to do the same. Moreover, never use legalese as means of making clients stop asking questions! If they sense you’re doing that, they won’t ask anything, but they’ll surely end your collaboration.
Final Thoughts
Differentiating your law firm from your competition might prove to be continuous work. However, if you are consistent, you will certainly raise your brand awareness. At the same time, keep in mind that every law firm out there has access to the same tools and environments as yours.
The key is to properly use them and to learn, with their help, how to better satisfy your clients and their issues. In a service-driven company, 100% client satisfaction means 100% brand and reputation growth.
