September 20, 2013

Stating your case to the client

• September 20, 2013
• Publication: The Daily Record
• Related Attorneys:

Differentiate yourself by showing how your services produce tangible value

Consumers of legal services have no shortage of options, yet recent surveys indicate that many clients are less than satisfied with the services they received from their lawyers. This would suggest that there are plenty of opportunities for attorneys who provide superior legal services to gain clients and build a successful practice. 

There is little disagreement about the fundamentals of delivering superior legal services. Providing effective representation and performing high quality legal work are the cornerstones. Those attributes, however, do not typically differentiate you from the competition, since many lawyers do fine legal work.

Rather, the key to differentiating your services is to provide greater value than the competition. Let's be clear: Value does not necessarily mean a lower price. To the contrary, many analyses show price is the weakest form of differentiation. It is perfectly acceptable for your fees to be higher than your competition's as long as you can articulate and illustrate why yours represents a better value.

One key to building and maintaining a successful practice, then, is ensuring that your clients understand the value of the services you supply. Lawyers provide myriad valuable services: solving problems, resolving disputes, vindicating rights, facilitating agreements, and clearing away obstacles in the client's path to success. In each instance, it is important to help the client translate the results of the engagement into actual dollars saved or earned. 

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