Generating new client instructions the easy way

As promised in last month’s blog, ‘Can I have some new client, please?’, here’s how to win new instructions from existing and past clients. To recap, the main reason this is such a good idea is because it is the most cost-effective method for generating new instructions for your practice, so it makes it a very good place to start.

Without doubt, the cheapest way of building client loyalty and winning regular new instructions from your past clients is to send a regular email newsletter. Please don’t be scared by those words; I know they can strike a solicitor down from 100yd, but they really shouldn’t have that effect in this day and age.

There are some excellent email marketing software solutions available for you, and most of them are incredibly cheap and very easy to use. If you would like some recommendations, please email me.

So if the software is not an issue, let me take away the other two usual main points of concern that solicitors tell me: I don’t have any clients on my email database; and I don’t know what to say.

Bitesize chunks

In answer to point one, the solution is simple: just start collecting them and adding them to your email database today. Most firms fall down because they try to collect email addresses from every client they have worked with over the course of the last five years, so they actually never start their database.

However, if you start today with one client on your email database, then ensure you add at least one a day, every day; in a year, you will have at least 200 clients to email, but let me assure you that once you start building your email database you soon build up momentum.

My law firm marketing consultancy business is no different from your own. I sell a service based on my expertise as do you. When I started my email database, I added about 30 people. Some years later, I now have more than 2,000 solicitors on my email marketing database. Every time I send an email I gain new business, just as you will if you take my advice and start your email database now.

Email frequency

In terms of the second point, what to say, the answer is: little and often is much better than a lot, less frequently. Your email newsletter content should be short and sharp, and rather than go into detail about any legal service, it should simply outline the areas of interest of a topic (interest in terms of relevance to your potential client) then offer more information on your website or by getting in touch with you.

You can engage a copywriter for a reasonable investment, or you can buy ready written legal newsletter content from a variety of providers. (I supply this through my Newsletters4Solicitors service. For a complimentary sample, email quoting Private Client Adviser.) Whomever you obtain the content from, it is important that it is very client friendly and light on the legal aspects; heavy legal content simply scares and bores your clients.

Starting an email newsletter should be a priority for you in 2013 if you really want to improve the volume and frequency of new client instructions.

I will offer some more ideas for winning new instructions from existing clients in next month’s blog, including my favourite method, which involves only nine words, costs nothing but works very, very well.

Nick Jervis is a solicitor (non-practising) and the managing director of Samson Consulting, a marketing consultancy for law firms. Free guide 8 Ways to Win New Clients is available via www.samsonconsulting.co.uk. Email njervis@samsonconsulting.co.uk