Whether you are an epic traveler, or one who uses your Saturdays and Sundays to go explore locally, traveling is an experience that can refresh your mind and create long-lasting memories. You can also make those once in a lifetime traveling experiences relevant to your success as a lawyer!
The connections you create while traveling allow you to come home feeling more fulfilled than ever, and more motivated to formulate stronger connections with your clients at your firm. Yes, after traveling you are still in awe scrolling through your recent photos, but the most significant part may be the people you’ve met along the way! As a lawyer, it is possible to forget that there are real stories behind every incoming lead. Being more open, understanding, and genuinely interested in those claimants will not only make your conversion rate higher, but it will also leave you feeling more fulfilled at the end of the day.
When in Rome or…. Sicily
While in Sicily, I signed up for a tour to climb the volcano, Mount Etna (highly recommend). While sitting on the curb waiting for the tour bus to arrive, I heard a family behind talking about desperately needing to find a good coffee shop before making the long journey. Luckily, a day before, I came across an incredible little café in the hills of Taormina (also highly recommend!), which was fortunately only about a 10-minute walk away. While leading them to the café, I made a connection with many of the members of the family that continued throughout the day, even during the most exhausting portions on the climb up Mount Etna! Being open and interested in this family left me with a long-term relationship and an amazing story!
Formulating those connections with the people you come into contact with every day, and showing interest in their desires and stories will allow you to reap some benefits of your own.
Make the First Move
The way to make that connection with the claimant is to make the first contact as promptly as possible. I may have not become such close friends with the family in Sicily had I sat on the curb and ignored their conversation about finding a coffee shop. We at eGen send our leads at real time, and so contacting the claimant within the first five minutes will greatly increase the probability of getting them on the phone. The claimant wants to feel like you are as interested in representing them, just as much as they are interested in your help.
Smooth Execution
Yes! You have made the first contact. Now you need to keep the lead on the phone, while also efficiently gathering up the necessary information to know if the claim is worth pursuing. Here is where being open to learning about the person behind the lead comes into play. Although my hike up Mount Etna was exhausting, I utilized that special time to really get to know the family and learn about the culture they came from. While on the phone with the lead, keep a positive and genuine tone, and allow yourself to get to know the person on the other end of the line! Sounding rushed and uninterested will only turn the claimant off, and could possibly cause you to miss out on a great case.
Leave Them Wanting More
My short interaction with the family increased my global network through their referrals to meet other great people and to see other interesting places. You can work to expand your firm’s network in a similar way. Strong connections with your clients, as well as incoming claimants, will help strengthen your conversion rate, and also lead to a better likelihood of getting referrals. Asking for a referral will be much more effective if you already have a professional friendship with the client and your client feels like your firm truly cares about his or her case. Remember, referrals cost nothing!
Next time you have time off, or a slow weekend ahead of you, get out there and explore an area that may have been taking up space on your bucket list. The strong connections you make with the cultures and people around you may add some motivation to transfer that curiosity to your incoming clients! And if you are looking to increase your caseload, feel free to contact us today at 617.800.0089 and we would be happy to help you out.