Pamela (Pam) Slim at Escape from Cubicle Nation blog has an entertaining post about when her mother bought her a very nice, sharp knife after having had to use ten very dull ones on a previous visit. Pam goes on to relate how she started using the knife for everything, and wondered how she had “ever lived without it.”
That made her think about how small business owners should make their clients feel the same way about working with them. Moreover, she tells about the attributes of her insurance agent, and why she thinks he is so great. Because he:
- Cares about and is enthusiastic about his customers,
- Knows his stuff,
- Provides valuable information so she can decide, rather than his selling her expensive products, and
- Follows up promptly.
I got to thinking about how the same advice would apply to lawyers, particularly her five “How To’s” on keeping yourself sharp:
- Choose the right business (the right practice area for lawyers), where your passion and enthusiasm will clearly be evident,
- Be fiercely dedicated to learning (by keeping up with the changes in the law, as well as learning all about your clients’ businesses),
- Keep asking “What would really help my customer (client)?,”
- Avoid clients “you don’t enjoy working with”(boy, am I a believer in that), and
- Check out your competition (to see what they are doing right and wrong with clients, as it will help improve your game).
Lawyers can learn a great deal from other professionals, and this advice might help some make sure they are the sharpest knife in their drawer (marketplace).