Are you struggling to keep your clients? Have you noticed recently that there is a lull in new clients coming through the door?
If any of these are true for your law firm, you aren’t alone. Many companies in the legal sector are having a difficult time bringing in new business and staying profitable. Traditionally, the solutions to these challenges would be to cut expenses and increase rates, making your business operations even more conducive to strain. Instead, more law firms are now choosing to invest in consultants to enhance their firm’s development.
How do you know you need a consultant? Look for these 5 signs.
1. You are too firm-focused
Law firms that prioritize customer service (and demonstrate that they prioritize customer service) are more successful than those that don’t. Your focus on clients is even evident in the ratio of firm to client-focused content on your company’s website. When you enhance your customer experience, you cultivate stronger relationships with current clients while also promoting word-of-mouth advertising that will attract new clients to your business.
2. You aren’t doing anything different in your industry
If your law firm doesn’t stand out, you are going to drown in the competition. What makes your services unique? You might know your vision for your company, but is that vision translating to the rest of your audience? Differentiating yourself in your industry fosters innovation and competition, so don’t conform to what everyone else is doing.
3. Your clients are asking for lower fees
If clients are asking for lower fees, the reason could be twofold: either you are mispricing your services and new clients are finding more affordable options elsewhere or your current clients are no longer finding your services as valuable as they once did. Know what your services are worth, but also make sure you are backing up that worth with tangible results.
4. Culture is not a priority
Your internal health is just as important as your external health. It also directly impacts your firm’s growth, your bottom line, and the relationship potential between your team and your clients. With a more organized, robust culture, you will attract and retain the team members that your clients will want to work with, both in the short or long-term.
5. You’re using outdated methods
This can apply to anything from outdated databases to traditional processes that no longer benefit a law firm like they once did. The world is becoming more digitized, which means that either your company keeps up or gradually becomes more irrelevant. Similarly, technology does more than just streamline and simplify internal and external interactions, it should also directly impact your entire workflow as well. In other words, as you enter into the modern world, nothing should remain as it once was.
Change is intimidating, but it will also be constant. It’s one thing to completely lament change, which is dangerous to the health of your law firm, but it’s an entirely different thing not to know where to start. Don’t let a fear of change prevent you from growing your business into what it can (and should) be. Choose to invest in your business! As someone with consulting experience in the legal sector, I can help you take your firm to the next level — all you have to do is reach out.