Creating a ‘Wow’ Experience in 3 Simple Steps
For some odd reason, there’s a huge disconnect between the “wow” factor we expect from other service-based businesses as opposed to that which we provide in our law firms.
Consider your expectations at an expensive, five-star restaurant, like the one I wrote about last week. In addition to terrific food, you expectvalet parking, impeccably clean bathrooms, and friendly staff just waiting to say “yes” to your every request. It’s the little extras that justify the big check you happily pay. If you had that same great food in a dive bar, you’d expect to pay a whole lot less.
You see, it’s the experience that justifies the added expense.
So why would things be any different in your service-based business?
If you want to attract prospects in droves and command fees you deserve, you need to provide a unique experience that your prospects and clients can’t get just anywhere.
But, if you are like most of us lawyers, your left-brain desire to appear “professional” leaves you looking just like everyone else. Unfortunately, that’s the kind of thinking that will find you losing ground quickly in the new economy.
To help you with this, I’ve outlined three steps you can take immediately to “wow” your prospects and set yourself apart from the crowd in a way that will create immediate results.
1. Know your target audience and create an experience right from their first contact with you-
To begin with, it’s critically important to narrowly define exactly who you serve. Know your market inside and out. What brands do they like? What books do they read? What keeps them up at night?
Then, design every interaction (from advertising to networking to how your phones are answered) with your target market in such a way that they know you really understand them and that they can trust you.
You signal this by doing little things like setting your office up so that it appeals to their tastes. My market was upscale, affluent parents of young children. So, I moved my office into a renovated historic home in my community, kept a scented candle burning at all times, met with my prospects at a Pottery Barn table instead of a fancy desk or conference room table, and had children’s toys available at all times.
These small gestures went a long way in earning my prospects trust and helping them to see me as a nurturing extension of their family who was going to hold their hand through the most important decisions of their life (no matter how expensive my fees seemed at the time).
2. Capture their emotions with your “firm story” – A big focus of the new economy is the power of story. Your story should give your prospect a brief history of yourself, how you work and how you are different. Your story should last between 3-7 minutes and resonate through your whole firm – from your marketing pieces, to your pre-meeting package, to your team members. And when done right, this will be the crux of creating a ‘wow’ experience because the client will immediately understand why you are the perfect lawyer for them and they couldn’t shop you if they tried.
I suggest using short vignettes to paint a picture of how you used to be and what happened to make you into the lawyer you are today. Your story should be human– letting your client know you’ve made mistakes along the way but are devoted to helping clients in their shoes. And most importantly, you want to finish up by illustrating what this means for your prospect and how your transformation into a new kind of lawyer will impact their life or business for the better.
3. Take control of each meeting – Part of the ‘wow’ experience is the ability to stay in control of your interactions with your prospects without being overbearing or pushy. A server at a fine restaurant already has the chair pulled out, napkin ready and water poured before you can even say hello. You need to be on your game the same way in order to convey absolute confidence in your firm and the services you offer.
To do this, you’ll want to have your prospects come to the meeting prepared – what kind of homework can you give them to do in advance? Plus, create an agenda that will allow you to take control right from the beginning and get right down to business in a non-intimidating, friendly way. Have a folder with all paperwork you need prepared in advance (including homework you assigned to your prospect or client prior to the meeting and working tools, such as your engagement letter and method of payment form). Remember—you are going into this with an expectation … be prepared for the expectation to be fulfilled.
This is just the beginning of how you create a “wow” experience for your prospects and clients, but it’s a great start. I’ll continue on this theme next week and we’ll talk about how you can continue the wow experience once your prospects turn into clients and how doing so will get you off the marketing merry go round.
PS – many lawyers get confused between their target market and their practice niche. Don’t make this mistake. Focus on who you serve first and foremost and design an experience the people you serve will want for themselves and their friends and family.
Related posts: