- The struggles of building a practice as a solo attorney
- How your incoming calls impact your practice
- What is the best phone solution for your solo practice?
Q: How can I grow my practice as a solo attorney?
A: One of the easiest and most effective ways to grow your practice as a solo attorney is to capitalize on incoming calls. Each incoming call is a potential client or referral opportunity. This article lays out an easy way to ensure you make the most of each call.
There has never been more opportunity in the legal industry.
Americans are increasingly turning to lawyers and attorneys rather than relying on existing forms of governmental protection. Pew Research Center reports that a full two-thirds of Americans feel civilians should be able to sue the police.
This points to the increasingly independent attitude of the American public when it comes to legal matters. They want to handle legal matters on their own rather than allowing the government to run the entire process.
Solo attorneys are using this to their advantage. But this development isn’t the only thing pushing more legal professionals into solo practice.
In addition to this shift in public attitude, the normalization of remote work means solo attorneys can launch their practices from the comfort of their homes.
Unfortunately, if you don’t know how to make money as a solo attorney, this process can be a bit difficult. You need to know how to attract and retain clients without the help of employees a or dedicated marketing department.
Luckily, there’s a simple business solution that can help a solo practitioner do just that.
- Why go solo as an attorney?
- The struggles of building a solo practice
- Every incoming call is an opportunity
- How a virtual receptionist helps you grow your firm as a solo attorney
Why Go Solo as an Attorney?
There are plenty of reasons for you take advantage of the rise in solo attorneys.
Being a solo attorney means you get to set your own schedule. This can help prevent job burnout, as you don’t have to take on projects you hate or work more hours than you can mentally handle.
[Salto de ajuste de texto]Being a solo attorney also means you have more opportunity for growth. You can set your own rates and increase your workload if you feel like increasing your profits.Additionally, you can capitalize on market trends. Going solo makes you much more nimble than a large organization. You can rebrand with a simple change of marketing strategy.
The best practice areas for solo attorneys change over time. This means that if you’re looking for the easiest practice areas for solo attorneys, you may need to check out the latest socio-economic trends.
Staying nimble can help you stay on top of market demands, make the most of your marketing investments, and pull in a constant influx of new leads.
But it isn’t always smooth sailing.
The Struggles of Building a Solo Attorney Practice
Starting your own firm comes with a host of unique challenges. You have to handle your accounting, get your business’ legal documents in order, and much more.
And that’s just the beginning.
Once your firm is up and running, you have to keep things orderly while attracting and retaining clientele.
This all gets piled onto the typical workload you’d face as an attorney in a larger firm. You still have to take care of your legal work, but you also have to handle all of the responsibilities of running a business — including answering calls.
And make no mistake – each business call is more than just a responsibility – it’s also an opportunity.
Each Call is an Opportunity
As a solo attorney, every incoming call is a potential client. You need to make the most of each inquiry by setting the right tone, answering your phones professionally, and giving the caller your full attention. This is one of the best ways to effectively build your firm.
Even if an incoming call isn’t a potential client, there’s a good chance it’s still a business networking opportunity.
These networking opportunities can become referrals, helping you increase your client base in the future.
Making the most of these calls is one of the easiest and most important ways to grow. Incoming calls are already interested in your business, so the job is already half-done. The only question is whether you can close the deal.
When someone calls a law firm, it’s either because they need legal services or because they want to connect professionally.
Simply answering the phone isn’t always enough.
Not Every Answer is Equal
If you answer the phone flustered, distracted, or simply not entirely engaged, you can easily send the wrong impression. You may give the impression that you’re unorganized or that you don’t care about the potential customer.
This kind of first impression can be enough to divert a caller’s interest. They may change their mind about using your services, moving on to one of the endless options they can find on the internet.
This behavior may not be justified. You may be the best solo attorney on the market. But none of that matters if you don’t give the caller the care and attention they need to feel confident in your services.
Not only is this bad for business, but it can also cause you endless stress. The barrage of incoming calls and the pressure to answer them adds to an already stressful workload.
If you’re the only person available to answer your phones, these problems are inevitable. You only have so much energy to devote to your work, and adding answering incoming calls into the mix is a recipe for exhaustion and subpar call quality.
But there is a solution.
How a Virtual Receptionist Helps You Grow as a Solo Attorney
A virtual receptionist is a professionally trained receptionist that connects to your business remotely. Virtual receptionists work from a call center, providing your incoming callers with the best call quality and customer service possible.
Virtual receptionists eliminate the constant distraction incoming calls impose on your workflow. Rather than being pestered by a ringtone all day, you can focus on your legal projects in peace.
This helps you bring your best to your work as a solo lawyer. You’ll experience less stress and stay in flow state, allowing you to follow your thoughts and excel in your practice.
Over time, this leads to a higher success rate, helping you get better testimonials and more incoming clients.
But it doesn’t end there. Virtual receptionists also make it easier for you to convert incoming callers into paying clients.
That’s because each caller meets with a professional and friendly greeting. Not only that, but your virtual receptionist also ensures each and every caller leaves the interaction with an excellent first impression.
That all-important first impression builds confidence in your firm’s professionalism and your success. With a professional, considerate virtual receptionist, callers will subconsciously associate your firm with prestige and legitimacy.
After building their interest with a fantastic first impression, your receptionist can help you schedule a call back at a time that suits your schedule.
By allowing you to set aside time to really focus on the caller, your virtual receptionist helps you close on potential clients. With a little bit of breathing room, you can prepare for each call, bringing your calmest and most professional self to each conversation.
In other words, you’re building more interest in your solo practice and converting more callers — all while reducing your stress and letting you focus on more important legal work.
Conclusion
Being a solo attorney is extremely freeing, but it also brings its own challenges.
Having to run your business and answer your incoming calls can be quite overwhelming, causing unnecessary stress and missed opportunities with new clients.
Further Reading
- Mindfulness at Work: A Simple Practice That Can Increase Productivity and Promote Wellness
- Virtual Receptionist or Virtual Assistant: Your Guide to Virtual Help
- Noisy Work Environment? How a Virtual Receptionist Helps Remote Business Owners
A virtual receptionist from Alliance Virtual Offices is the best way to grow your firm. You’ll gain access to a professional receptionist that gives callers an incredible first impression, resulting in more clients and less stress.
Grow your firm while increasing your well-being with Alliance Virtual Offices.
