by
Trey Ryder
©
Copyright 2004-2005 by Trey Ryder LLC. All rights
reserved.
Trey Ryder is a law-firm consultant who specializes in
Education-Based Marketing for attorneys. He offers
lawyers three free articles by e-mail: 11 Deadly
Assumptions That Kill Your Marketing Program,
Marketing Secrets of a Powerful Web Site, and 17 Fatal
Marketing Mistakes Lawyers Make. To receive these
articles, send your name and e-mail address to
trey@treyryder.com
and ask for his free e-mail packet of articles.
We’ve
all heard prospects say, “Let me think about it.” Or,
“Let me talk it over with my (spouse or business
partner).” In most cases, that means you’re history.
If you
want your prospect to act now, you must build urgency
into your marketing message. Urgency is not the same
as sales pressure. Sales pressure is force applied by
the salesperson who wants your money. On the other
hand, urgency is the need to act soon based on a
person’s circumstances.
As the
lawyer who can solve your prospect’s problems, you
don’t want your prospect to feel any pressure from
you. After all, you and your prospect are on the same
side. On the other hand, you do want your prospect to
appreciate the pressure caused by his circumstances --
the same circumstances that brought him to you.
The
most effective way to build urgency into your
marketing message is through actual case histories. By
relating a true story about another client, your
prospect sees himself as the person in your example.
These steps help you convey the urgency of your
prospect’s circumstances -- and help your prospect
conclude that he should hire you to solve his problem.
Step #1: Tell the story of a client who acted
quickly and made the right decision. When your
prospect realizes how he will benefit from prompt
action, he is more inclined to act so he profits from
your efforts.
Step #2: Tell the story of a client who decided to
wait -- and the terrible problems he endured. In your
example, your prospect sees himself trying to cope
with the results of a bad decision. Don’t skip over
this area quickly. If you’re describing a situation
that you want your prospect to avoid, make sure you
dwell there long enough -- and explain the pain in
sufficient detail -- that your prospect will want to
steer clear of these problems at all cost.
Step #3: Don’t stack case histories hoping to make
the point stronger. For each topic you’re discussing,
you need only one example of a client who got a good
result -- and one example of a client who got a bad
result. When you talk about more than one client for
the same subject, and their good and bad decisions,
you muddy the waters.
Here’s
an example of how I use urgency. When a lawyer
requests my e-mail packet of articles, I include a
cover letter that acknowledges the request and makes a
few points about marketing. Here are three paragraphs
from my letter:
--
If you want faster results from your marketing efforts
-- if you want to take your firm in a new direction --
or if you want to start your own firm, you’ll be
pleased to discover a marketing method that really
works -- a method that attracts new clients with
dignity, without selling.
In
marketing, you gain nothing by waiting but you lose a
lot: You lose clients. You lose money. And you lose
the position you’ve established in the marketplace.
You may have heard the adage, “Even if you’re on the
right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit
there.”
Please
don’t put off marketing any longer because your future
depends on attracting new clients. Now you have a
dignified marketing method -- and the law marketing
specialist who created it -- as close as your
telephone. I’m ready to design and carry out your
program for you -- and help you every step of the way.
(End of excerpt from my letter)
--
After
you deliver your marketing message, including case
histories, will your prospects choose to act now? Some
will and some won’t. For those who choose to delay,
take these steps:
Step #1: Don’t try to push your prospect into
making a decision. The more pressure you exert on your
prospect, the more you undermine your credibility and
the more your prospect resents your efforts. You
maintain your level of trust and your prospect’s
respect by allowing him to make his own decision, now
or in the future.
Step #2: After you talk with a prospect, send a
letter outlining the benefits of acting now and the
risks of waiting. This reinforces what you said during
your conversation and might remind your prospect of
things he had forgotten.
Step #3: Make it clear to your prospect that
you’re happy to answer his questions, both now and in
the future. Often, just one question or nagging
concern is all that keeps your prospect from hiring
you. Your challenge is to get him to voice that
concern so you can address it.
Step #4: Mail something to your prospect at least
monthly. Keep your prospect on your mailing list (and
e-mail list) so he receives your newsletters, seminar
invitations, articles and educational information. You
never know what might motivate your prospect to move
forward.
In the
end, don’t give up on prospects if your first meeting
results in “Let me think it over.” Keep lines of
communication open so prospects know that you’ll be
happy to hear from them -- and happy to help them --
whenever they decide the time is right.
Editor’s Note: This article is available by e-mail
from
trey@treyryder.com.
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