Have you heard the expression “Facts tell, but stories sell”?
As lawyers, we’re good at ‘telling’ prospective clients facts and information, but we’re usually less good at using stories to convey that information.
This is because most of us are logical and methodical thinkers (sometimes referred to as left-brain thinkers). Our creative thinking (the right brain) is less dominant – at least when we’re in ‘work mode’.
But what happens when you have a right-brain client who prefers to receive information in a more creative way?
Or a left-brain client who likes to be told facts and information but still needs to connect with you on a personal level before they will instruct you?
In both cases, ‘story selling’ will help you get more instructions.
For the client who likes information in a more creative way, sharing a story about how you’ve helped someone else in their situation is more effective than simply telling them you can help them or that you’ve done this kind of work before.
For the client who wants to connect with you as a person before instructing you, sharing a story about yourself, or why you do what you do, will provide a deeper level of connection than any facts and figures about your qualifications or experience.
Take action
Use more stories in both your written marketing (website, social media posts, articles) and in your conversations with potential clients.
But how do you know which type of stories they want to hear?
The answer is: don’t try to guess, just use both types.
Add stories about your clients (anonymised if you don’t have consent to share the details) to your website and your social media posts. And add your own story about why you do what you do, or how you got to where you are today.
Share these same stories when speaking to potential clients.
You can also share them when being interviewed on a panel or in a podcast.
The more you share stories the more opportunity you give potential clients to hear about how you’ve helped others, and the more opportunity they’ll have to connect with you as a person.
With the added benefit that you won’t need to do any ‘selling’ – you can let the stories do that for you.
If you’d like my professional advice on which strategies will work best for your firm (and the best way to implement them effectively), join me and other small firm owners at my next online workshop ‘Profitable Practice Growth Secrets For Small Law Firms’. To check dates and ticket availability (and see testimonials), click HERE.
