Megan Senese authors article in Law360: Perfecting Outreach Cadence Between Lawyers And Clients
Megan Senese authored a Law360 article describing the obstacles that get in the way of creating a regular communication cadence with clients and prospects.
Billable work, mentorship, and myriad other obligations get in the way of creating a regular communication cadence with clients and prospects. Perhaps three months have passed before a lawyer has had the space to reengage with their client.
Once the lawyer is ready to reconnect, panic might set in. The lawyer may be trying to figure out how to reactivate a rapport, thinking about what excuse is needed to reach out, or simply what to say in outreach communication.
This lack of cadence is among the top concerns articulated by lawyers and marketing professionals. Too often, fear and uncertainty drive lawyers into the safety of stasis and silence — avoiding non-matter-centric communication. Let's break down the concerns.
What do I say?
It will take too much time.
What if the client doesn't respond? Rejection!
What if I am bothering them?
I want to reach out, but I need to figure out where to start.
What if I say something wrong?
What if I have nothing impactful or insightful to say?
Here are some potential approaches to reaching out to a dormant relationship.
Connect With Empathy
The new equation to building business is relationships plus empathy. The view of business relationships between lawyers and their clients is evolving. Moving out of transactional modality and into personal relationships by being human, i.e., professional, personal and friendly, is one way to gain a competitive edge. One way to connect with empathy is to determine a contact's communication style and preferred way to receive information, from formal legal opinions to informal check-in notes. Leveraging this understanding will reduce uncertainty, since the lawyer will know for sure whether their client likes to receive client alerts or loves to be entertained. It is best practice to ask client contacts about their communication and information preferences and not make assumptions. While most general counsel appreciate receiving notes, invitations and industry-specific articles tailored to their needs, others might not. For example, a general counsel might only want to play golf with their outside firms, while another may favor involvement in their preferred charitable organization, and yet another might delight in having their family invited to activities. Clients want commercial advice Megan Senese from outside counsel, yet prefer different activities for relationship building.
Once the client's preferences are determined, a law firm marketing professional can collaborate and draft outreach templates as a starting point for lawyers to customize further. Using a template addresses the lack of time that lawyers often encounter as an obstacle for reaching out.
Tailoring the note demonstrates that one genuinely cares about the client's well-being and values the business relationship by creating a personal connection, remembering family members' names, sending a note or celebrating their successes.
Showing empathy and understanding fosters a sense of connection and a bond with that client. Forging the emotional connection will set the lawyer apart from competing law firms and make clients more inclined to choose that lawyer over others.
At this three-month inflection point, the outreach is about personally checking in with the client and demonstrating that the lawyer understands the challenges and demands the client may have faced during the past three months.
It is less about what the client can do for the lawyer and all about how the lawyer can help that client. It is about becoming a resource for people while also learning about them. When contacting a client, starting with a personal touch can be helpful.
The note could mention how long it has been since the last connection. It might share a personal anecdote, and invite the client to join the lawyer in an activity that the client enjoys. Alternatively, the note can be as simple as a friendly check-in on the person's wellbeing.
Consistency Is Key
After making the first reconnection outreach, consider a mindset shift toward building long-term relationships in each meeting and interaction instead of thinking there is only one opportunity for the deal or transaction.
An empathetic and systematic approach to building relationships reduces the pressure and stress around winning work. Create a streamlined schedule or simple chart at the onset for reaching out to contacts. Initially, this might look like setting up calendar reminders to reach out to specific contacts or setting up news alerts to track clients' company news. Many relationship management systems can also aid with automating but also pay attention to the power of a handwritten note and the human touch. As each relationship builds, outreach and communication will become more organic and free-flowing. Maintaining a consistent communication cadence is crucial to building solid client relationships.
After the initial outreach, following up and continuing to communicate with compassion is essential. When clients are shown that their business is truly valued by their lawyer and that their success is a top priority, a stronger and more meaningful connection is established and can lead to greater loyalty and long-term partnerships. A communication breakdown can occur when follow-up plans are not meaningful or tailored, resulting in dormant and stale relationships.
Staying in touch and providing relevant updates is meaningful to build trust and ensure clients feel supported throughout their customer journey. Demonstrating a deep investment in clients as individuals can reduce the risk of them choosing a competitor for important matters.
Actively Listen
Lawyers should arrive at client conversations prepared and informed about the contact, the client's activities, and their industry's opportunities and challenges. Preparation enables the lawyer to ask informed questions. Listen when reconnecting with the client, prospect or contact.
Be curious, open and engaged. Asking "How might I help?" is a beautifully open-ended and empathetic question. Then listen and immerse in the conversation. Avoid predictive listening — meaning do not jump to solutions or problem-solving on the spot in response to what the person is sharing.
Be Authentic
Tell stories to connect and establish an understanding, credibility, and trust with your clients. Show the value you can bring to the people you interact with daily. Authenticity draws people in as we emerge from pandemic life and search for something real. How to be authentic is the parallel question. Not necessarily because people do not know how to be themselves but because they have been trained to be professional, typically a specific professional archetype. Often, how people define the term professional does not equal authenticity, but that is now changing to allow space for clients and lawyers to be themselves.
The lawyer can rebuild and strengthen their client relationship by employing empathy in reconnection. When demonstrating empathy toward a client, the lawyer shows the client they are valued and that there is a commitment to their success and well-being.
Click here to read on Law360.com
Reproduced with permission. Published August 30. Copyright 2023 Law360
