Dear Voornaam,

I had an excellent referral for the estate planning attorney. The client was a high net worth person who needed a trust to hold the proceeds of a transaction. 

I called the office of an attorney I know named Denise. She was the perfect referral for this client. Denise is intelligent and highly skilled at handling these matters. My call went to what seemed like an answering service. The person who answered the phone placed me on hold and took my name and phone number. The person I am referring has many options, so I called Denise's mobile phone. I also sent a text. I followed all of this with an email. 

Twenty-four hours later, after not hearing back, I called again, sent another text, and sent another email. At forty-eight hours, with no response, I called the prospective client and apologized. He said not to worry because he had already moved on and found an attorney to help with the matter. 

My flight landed in Chicago on time. When I turned my phone on, I had a text message with specific instructions: "Get your bags and text your driver at this number for a pick-up location." I did that. I received a second text: "Go to the departures area, the third lane away from door 22, and wait." It was 37 degrees and raining. I waited 18 minutes, out in the open, getting soaked, when I received a text from the driver saying he had arrived in the parking garage. Upon entering the car, I asked why the driver was in the garage. "I didn't want you to get wet, and they completed the construction of this parking garage a couple of months ago. It's the easiest place to meet people," he responded.

I started working with a financial advisor interested in growing his book of business. We developed a monthly seminar series designed to increase his visibility, enhance his credibility and differentiate him from everyone else. I outlined a step-by-step guide to this process. The key element: Follow-up. Email, direct mail, and telephone calls. It was critically important that each of these steps happen in sequence. 

The financial advisor decided this level of follow-up was "too much" for his prospective clients, and he removed all but the immediate email after the seminar. After six months of working together, the financial advisor complains that none of the seminar attendees have signed up with him, and some of them don't remember him when he calls them.

These three examples are professional service providers making it MORE DIFFICULT for clients to hire them. 

My plea today is: Be Easy To Engage and Make Your Experience Friction-Free.

Here is a guide:

Return all phone calls within 24 hours. If you cannot do this yourself, assign a member of your team to reply to all phone messages ASAP.

Make it easy for clients to pay you. Take credit cards, checks, and cash. Accept wire transfers, ACH transfers, and Zelle and Cash App transfers. Absorb any fees as they are a cost of doing business.

If you hire an expert, do what the expert says. Don't freelance. You want specific advice that is time-tested. Follow it. 

Update your procedures based on the feedback from the front lines. Like the car service example above, the people closest to the action are the face of your firm. Be sure to adjust based on their feedback. 

I'll finish this week's message with a final story. My client Sandy is a family law attorney at a large firm where I trained over 100 lawyers on business development. She worked with me for three years and, during that time, took her book of business from zero to seven figures. Sandy was one of 6 people with the most significant increases from our work together. When firm leadership asked why she got dramatic results while other attorneys didn't, here was her response:

"I call Dave each month. I do what he says, to the letter. I implement the strategy as quickly as I can. I answer my phone. I return all messages within two hours and get engagement agreements into my clients' hands within twenty-four hours. Speed, great service, and following expert guidance. That's the formula."

As professionals, we must make it easy for people to work with us. Clients and referral sources must have a friction-free experience. If they don't, they go away. 

Examine the experience you are providing. Fix it. Even if you think it's easy, ask your front-line staff. Ask your clients. Listen for the feedback. Make adjustments. 

Warm regards,

Dave Lorenzo

The Godfather of Growth

Dave Lorenzo earned the nickname The Godfather of Growth because he helps people make offers their clients can't refuse. Also, he does favors. Those favors help you make a great living and live a great life. Call him now: (786) 436-1986