Happy Fable Friday! On this first Friday of February, we’ll take you on a trip down memory lane so you can look back at some fables that you grew up with. Although Aesop lived in ancient Greece around 620 - 564 BCE, his fables are timeless, as the lessons are applicable today. They can even teach you a thing or two about your legal leads! Let’s take a look at three fables today.
The Hare & the Tortoise
Everyone knows this one, especially if you’re preparing for a race. The Hare mocks the Tortoise for being slow, but the Tortoise challenges the Hare to a race. The Hare runs quickly and decides to take a nap. While the Tortoise continues slowly but steadily, he surpasses the Hare’s sleeping spot. The Hare springs up, but the Tortoise has already won the race.
The lesson here is quite simple - slow and steady wins the race. How does this apply to your leads? Although you want to contact the leads as soon as possible upon receiving them, as the Hare would do, keep in mind that the lead follow up is a lengthier process. You cannot simply take a nap after a couple of initial call attempts. The Tortoise would suggest that lead follow up could take up to three weeks, for a total of 10-15 outbound call attempts. This may take some time, but you’ll see that with the Tortoise’s approach, you’ll be converting more leads, and therefore more cash for your firm, in the long run.
The Fox & the Crow
The Fox sees the Crow sitting on a branch with a piece of cheese in her beak. The Fox starts complimenting the Crow, saying how she has beautiful feathers, splendid wings, and probably a lovely voice. If she could sing, the Fox would hail her Queen of Birds. The Crow, who is flattered, opens her beak to sing (quite terribly), and drops her cheese. The Fox happily scurries away with his cheesy breakfast.
The lesson here can be summarized in two words - stay humble. Undoubtedly, you are an expert in your legal field. You graduated from a top law school, worked at some of the biggest law firms, or have the best winning percentage of any of your colleagues. You know your field very well and you should be proud! Definitely let your claimants know about your credentials and any awards to establish your credibility.
With that said, just because you’re a legal expert, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re an expert on all fronts of running a law firm. Listen to experts who can provide you with business advice, such as marketing tools or web development tools for your firm, to help your firm grow and increase cash flow. Otherwise, you’ll be left with your legal knowledge, but possibly a firm that’s not operating as profitably as it can be.
The Lion, the Bear, & the Fox
The Bear catches a baby goat and the Lion leaps for the same prey. The Lion and the Bear fight each other profusely and are too weak to continue battling. Meanwhile, the Fox seizes the baby goat and walks away with its prize.
A few lessons can be taken away here. First, do not fight for the same lead. When choosing a lead generation service, consider one that sends you exclusive leads. Second, promote teamwork in your firm. For instance, if you have multiple intake staff, make sure leads are evenly distributed amongst them. Encourage them to help each other with any questions about a potential case. Explain that the goal is to convert as many qualified leads as possible together, so that the company as a whole can succeed. Even the Lion and the Bear come to this conclusion – “How much better it would have been… to have shared in a friendly spirit,” they say.
Aesop wrote 725 fables, so there are definitely more to read and discuss. As you follow up with your leads and grow your firm, keep Aesop’s lessons in mind!