The secrets to a strong attorney-client relationship

by Michael Hammond and Mark Powers Dolan Media Newswires DETROIT, MI -- (July 30, 2013) Think about the lawyer-client relationship from the client's point of view. Clients seek professional services because they lack the necessary expertise and experience to solve their problem. In hiring you, they gain what they need, but in doing so they also lose something else that's very important to them - their sense of control over their problem. Along with that feeling of losing control, most clients tend to believe that their risk - the consequences of not solving their problem - is much greater than their lawyer's. In many cases, they're right. Trust is the key To compensate for the feeling of having less control and more risk, clients will focus on something they can understand: the level of trust they place in you. Trust is developed and earned gradually. We tend to trust people we like. Clients will decide to trust you - or not - based upon how you communicate with them. That is why purposeful and meaningful conversations are so important, from your first interaction to your last. Think of your client's trust like a strand of pearls and the conversations you have with them like single pearls that get added to that strand one conversation at a time; the longer the strand the more valuable it is. Lawyers can get preoccupied with the fact that they are initiating a professional relationship for a business purpose and overcomplicate the whole process. But people are people - they have to know you, and feel that you know them, before they can trust you. Listening and speaking They're actions that we normally think of as ordinary and commonplace, but listening and speaking take on new dimensions when we realize they are the very essence of "word-of-mouth" marketing. Whether the conversation is work-related, involves another professional or happens in a social situation, what you say and how you say it helps others see you as trustworthy. And being considered trustworthy is the key to your professional success ultimately. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to turn everyday conversations into strategic conversations that will build trust, deepen rapport and communicate key messages about who you are and what you do. By turning ordinary conversations into strategic ones you are following the first rule of marketing by differentiating yourself from other lawyers at the first opportunity. Ask and you shall receive For now, we'll start with the easiest strategy and a conversation that is adaptable to almost any setting, be it a new client meeting, a conversation with a referral source or a party down the street. It is the art of asking questions and your conversation won't sound canned because you improvise the script as you go. Let's take the initial client interview. Most clients have no real ability to judge the quality of your legal work; all but the most sophisticated clients have little or no experience in this area. But most clients are experienced in interacting with other human beings and will bring all of that experience to bear in deciding whether you are trustworthy. The old adage, "They don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care," holds true and is worth remembering in this context. In order for clients to feel cared for, they must have the opportunity to tell their story, believe they've been understood and know that you are interested in them. If you care and are interested, you'll ask a lot of questions about them - and their problem. Seek and you shall find How does the art of asking questions apply to marketing in social and professional situations? As a general rule, no matter who you meet, or where you are, people love to talk about themselves. Ask both personal and professional questions, but don't be overly intrusive. According to studies about developing rapport with people, it takes about 12 minutes of conversation for a person to warm up to you and begin to trust you. Engaging someone in a conversation about themselves is an easy way to show interest and to begin building trust. Avoid cross-examining them and try to remember that almost everyone has an interesting story behind whatever exterior façade they present to the world. Acceptable questions include those about peoples' lives: what is important to them and why. Find out if they are married, whether they have children and what their children's names and ages are. Find out about their hobbies or interests. Are they into sports? Where did they go to college? What type of work do they do? Do they own their own business - what inspired them to be an entrepreneur? The emphasis on them is intentional. No one wants to get together with you just to hear your commercial about you. People are most interested in talking about themselves first and learning about you second. You will never go wrong in business if you remember that fact. Two ears, one mouth Be interested and curious without overstepping the bounds of good manners. You will be able to judge how open they are by the amount of self-disclosure they allow. If they give grudging, one-word answers to your questions, they probably aren't immediately trusting and it will take longer to get to know them. If they give you long, detailed answers, it's an indication that they are beginning to warm to you. As you ask questions and listen to the answers, try to do only 20-30 percent of the talking. That means that you'll be spending 70-80 percent of your time listening, which is the foundation of all good conversations. Allow the person you are getting to know to dominate the conversation. Focus your attention on him or her exclusively. The simplest technique for turning a normal conversation into a strategic one is to ask questions. Questions are a powerful tool for building rapport and trust. They help you learn about and form relationships with others. The information you receive and the common ground you discover will form the foundation for the relationship that is built, one conversation at a time, strung together over a long period. Make a point of finding out what you have in common with each individual and remember the Rule of Seven: After about seven encounters with someone, they begin to accept you as part of their world. Engaging people by asking questions can help you bridge the gap in the early stages of a relationship so that it can grow into something more substantial and meaningful for both of you. Use the art of asking questions when you meet a new client, take a referral source out to lunch, talk to a colleague in the courthouse or run into a prospective influencer at a social function. It is the best way to show interest, build rapport and begin your strand of pearls. Michael Hammond is a "founding father" and Mark Powers the president of Atticus Inc., a Mount Dora, Fla.-based law practice management advisor firm. Entire contents copyrighted © 2013 by The Dolan Company. All rights reserved Published: Thu, Aug 15, 2013

––––––––––––––––––––
 Subscribe to the Legal News!
 https://legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available