What Separates Fast Growing Law Firms Versus Those That Stagnate?
A law firm partner recently asked me an interesting question. Since I’ve worked with hundreds of firms of all sizes, and practice areas, she wanted to know what I’d seen that separates firms that grow quickly from the firms that just seem to stagnate.
I had to think about it for a while. Then I distilled my observations into three basic factors that distinguish the thriving and developing firms from the ones that struggle just to maintain the status quo.
1. Having a Growth Mindset
Firms that grow don’t do so by accident. They make growth a priority. They have what I think of as a growth mindset. It’s as if the partners wake up every morning thinking “What can I do today to grow my firm?”
They actively participate in the sales and marketing process, not just once in a while, but regularly. They don’t push those activities to the back burner to be handled when they have extra time on their hands. Partners in growing firms schedule time on their calendar every week to stay on top of marketing issues.
2. Working to Obtain Google Reviews
People who have worked with me for a while know that I sound like a broken record on this issue, but it really is that critical. Google reviews make a tremendous difference for all businesses, but particularly law firms. They are vital for two main reasons.
First, having a higher number of quality reviews on Google improves your performance in Google search rankings. The higher you rank when potential clients search for your services, the more likely you are to get noticed. And the notice will be positive because so many of your clients have been willing to publicly vouch for the value of your services.
And that brings me to the second reason Google reviews are so important. They provide affirmation for you and your team. When a client cares enough to sit down and write a favorable review, that tells you that you did well. The experience can and should be uplifting. In a business that often sees you rushing to put out one fire after another, it is nice to take a moment–however brief–to enjoy your successes.
3. Willingness to Experiment …with Marketing
Lawyers often have a very difficult time marketing their firms because attorneys operate with a different philosophy than marketers do. In the legal world, every step a law firm takes on behalf of a client must be perfect. Meticulous research and experience back up every move you make.
It’s just the opposite in marketing. There’s no precedent to look back on because everything changes at a rapid pace. Extensive research would be useless. Instead, it is a business of experimentation.
We try one approach if it works, we do more of it. If it doesn’t, we take stock of the lessons learned and try something else. We keep evaluating results because a strategy that works this week might not work in another month or two.
I think of it as a quest for progress rather than perfection. The practice of law is built on a standard of perfection that simply does not exist in the marketing world. If you wait to invest in marketing tactics until you find the perfect option, you will wait indefinitely. And while you wait, your competitors will be out experimenting. Some tactics won’t work. But others will, and that enables them to capture the market share that you will miss out on while waiting for the perfect approach.
Lead Your Firm Toward Growth
The process of growing a legal practice is marketing, whether you choose to think of it using that term or not. As marketers, we use different tactics all with the same goal—to let people know the wonderful work you do. Once word gets out, your firm will grow.
If you’d like to learn more about how the team at LaGrande Marketing can help you grow your practice effectively and efficiently, just give us a call.