In the final instalment of a two-part article on helping small law firms survive the Clementi reforms, Nick Jervis looks at how to build on-line services and improve communication with clients




Once a client has opened a bank account they receive bank statements. Have you noticed how every time you receive a statement from your bank you also receive at least one piece of promotional material? Would the banks continue to do this if they did not believe it would produce business for them?


You can expect to receive the same promotional material several times as on average it takes someone seven times to see an advertisement before they understand it and will act on it.


Applying this to your business, once a client has used your services, do they receive something from you every month or week, or do they often not hear from you again? How can you establish client loyalty and thereby prevent the banks from taking your clients from you in the future if they do not hear from you from one year to the next?




Keeping in touch


A monthly e-mail newsletter is free to send and, once you have a formula, it will not take long to prepare. But you must ensure it is packed with useful tips and advice for the clients rather than simply trying to sell more services. Only then will they realise the added value that keeping you as their solicitor brings to them.


I realise that many firms at this point are often concerned about the small percentage of clients who will complain if you contact them with offers, but I know from experience it will be just that, a small percentage.


So the question is simple, do you do nothing to save offending the very few and miss 'almost' free business referrals, or do you deal with any complaints so well that the complaining client actually stays loyal to you?


Some of my best clients when I was practising were those who complained about some aspect of the firm's service, but action was taken to deal with the complaint. They often became incredibly loyal clients of the firm (see [2006] Gazette, 14 September, 12).


Start asking for the client's e-mail address, either in meetings or at least at the end of a client questionnaire, and for their permission to contact them occasionally. You will soon build a useful database of clients. Of course you must, with each subsequent e-mail, offer the user the chance to unsubscribe to meet your Data Protection Act compliance requirements (see www.ico.gov.uk).




On-line services


The banks make more and more use of Web sites to streamline their services and to cross-sell further services to their existing clients. They do this particularly well if clients use their Internet banking, as it means they can advertise other products while the client is logging into their bank account and in the right frame of mind for all financial matters.


There is a real opportunity to use your Web site to cross-sell more services to existing clients. Most firms now use some form of case management software and nearly all of the larger ones on the market can be linked to your own site.


If a client uses your on-line checking facility to see how far his house move has progressed, or whether his personal injury claim is any closer to settlement, every single time he checks progress you can advertise your other services.


What is more, clients will already be in the right frame of mind to hear these messages so will be more likely to be interested. That will be far more cost effective than any television or newspaper advertising you could carry out.


So if you have a case management system, start using the parts that allow your clients to log in from your Web site.




Web site promotion


This is another area that the banks use heavily to acquire customers. Just type 'current account' into Google and you will find nearly every high street bank trying to entice you onto their Web site to open a new account. The fantastic part of Web site marketing is that it is easy to measure a return on your investment. Bank sites are constantly updated and new products and services added frequently.


There are now more than one million Web site searches for solicitors every year. More and more people choose their next provider of legal services over the Internet.


If you do not have an up-to-date Web site and do not promote it, then you are missing the chance to acquire new clients at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising methods. Methods of Internet marketing include search engine marketing (often referred to as search engine optimisation), or pay- per-click marketing.


Make the most of the opportunities on the Internet now. If you have a Web site, run a test marketing campaign. As with all marketing activities, if you try it and it does not work, do not just give up but find out why.


Is your site outdated, or do you not have enough content on there to convince prospective clients that you are the right firm for them? Does every page end with a call to action (such as complete our on-line enquiry form, or call us on... ) and would you buy legal services from a Web site looking like yours?




Act now


I hope that I have stirred up some positive thoughts through my comments. I firmly believe from my own experience as a lawyer, and from the past three years running my own business, that solicitors are best placed to provide legal services to the masses.


However, many do have to make changes, and to make those changes now. If they do not, we will see a major reduction in the number of solicitors on the high street. So if you still want to be practising in ten years' time, act now to protect your future.


Nick Jervis is a legal marketing consultant who runs Samson Consulting and Law Kits