The all-important follow-up call

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By Larry Bodine
Dolan Media Newswires

Rainmakers know better than to make empty follow-up calls inquiring: “Anything new?” or “How would you like to meet one of my partners?”

Those calls fail because they offer nothing of value. It is essential for each follow-up message to offer the recipient a reason to continue the relationship with the caller.

To maximize phone time with clients, here are 10 ideas:

1. Offer free training or CLE at the client’s premises. If they liked the general conference, they’ll love the intimate, tailored workshop.

2. Invite prospects to attend your web seminars, speaking engagements and public seminars. Not only will they learn something, but you enhance the likelihood they’ll see you as an expert.

3. Send congratulations: personal and business. Be sure to stay on top of birthdays and career promotions.

4. Invite potential clients to social events, mixers and firm outings. A shared good time may be one of the most influential ways to win new business. Think “Mad Men,” without the shenanigans.

5. Send a link to a relevant blog or online news story. The other person may already know the news, but will appreciate that you thought of them.

6. Distribute a case study that analyzes an actual situation to which the person can relate.

7. Send a checklist that the target can keep on hand, such as “10 things to do after a traffic accident” or “Estate planning steps to take when an elderly parent goes into assisted living.”

8. Publish a “biggest mistakes” newsletter recounting cases and transactions in which legal disasters happened to someone like them. Good topics might include “How a local construction company went bankrupt” or “Lessons learned after a costly divorce.”

9. Ask people to rate themselves against best practices. People love quizzes. Any prospective client will appreciate a one-page list of policies and procedures that your most successful clients are using.

10. Give a GOT or Gesture of Thoughtfulness. I credit this idea to David Ackert, a business development consultant in Los Angeles. An example: A Chicago lawyer I knew would personally deliver finished documents to a bank client and bring along several coffee cakes that he had baked for all the staff and clerical personnel.

And remember, before you undertake any marketing initiative, the first step should be to plan the follow-up steps and who will take them.

What a lawyer does after the first meeting is more important than the initial meeting. Be sure to follow up in a meaningful way that makes the other party want to have more contact. The new clients, files and revenue will all arrive well after the initial meeting.

Larry Bodine is a legal marketing professional for Lawyers.com.