When I saw a post by Miriam Lawrence at Automatic Referrals entitled “Client Comfort Inspires More Referrals,” and referencing a post by John Jantsch, I hesitated reading it thinking that it was probably a little too warm and fuzzy for me. I was wrong. The point I came away with relating to legal marketing is worth sharing.
Your reception area and general office appearance is definitely worth taking a hard look at. It projects a image, and it may not be the one you want. Miriam shares the ideas of one of her colleagues at Horsemouth about poor office signage, lighting, paint color and offering beverages in styrofoam cups (vs. glassware). All these things send a message that you may not want to be sending. I also liked the suggestion about purchasing an oriental rug from Home Depot.
Whether that is your style isn’t the point. What is important is the idea of projecting an image that clients, and visitors in general, will find comforting and pleasant. It should also project success without being extravagant. That’s good lawyer marketing. If it’s also warm and fuzzy, that ain’t so bad after all.