Handling the Worried Insecure Client

 

Clients are in a dither these days. Too much uncertainty, too many decisions to make with what often feels like too little information and too much chaos.

No big surprise that their resulting insecurity often spills over into their interactions with you. But here’s the thing. You have umpteen matters on your plate and are in the same place of uncertainty as everyone else. It’s therefore tempting, when your client unloads yet another worry on you to yell, “Get over it! It’s been a hellish year for all of us!” However, since you can’t do that, you are sometimes reduced to the platitudinous “Everything’s fine, trust me.”

Not a good idea. Such a statement will only aggravate the client’s anxiety because if they believed everything was fine, they wouldn’t be anxious in the first place. Instead, bite the bullet, and with as much compassion as you can muster, acknowledge your client’s anxiety. “It’s normal to feel anxious. These are worrisome times.” Let them respond, and then come back with a similar reassuring phrase until you sense that your client’s anxiety is somewhat diminished. At that point, and only at that point, is it useful to say something like “I’ve got things well in hand, and I am confident we will see this matter through successfully.”

More than anything, people need to feel heard. Let your client know that you really do “hear” him, emotionally as well as with your ears. You will have a much improved relationship with that client.

Trust Must Be Earned

Even though your new clients have sufficient faith in your abilities to put their matter in your hands, trust--the bedrock of a working relationship with any client--must still be earned. When a new client walks in your door, your inclination may be to see another problem to be solved, another fee to garner and to forget the human being behind the case. Your client, whether a Fortune 500 CEO or a grieving widow, is a vulnerable individual who has come to you for help.

Two easy techniques can help establish trust from the get-go:

1. Establish eye contact.

People believe you are trustworthy when they can see your eyes. When we say of someone “He/she has shifty eyes,” we don’t believe they are honest or forthright. Thus, when your client speaks to you, make sure you are engaging good eye focus, even if you are taking notes. Make a point of looking up at your client for several seconds, nod your acknowledgement of their point, and only then look down briefly to take a note. Get your eyes back up to your client again as soon as possible.

2. Listen attentively.

Don’t let your mind wander as you listen to your new client’s tale of woes. If an unrelated thought crosses your mind, jot a word or two to remind yourself about it later, and immediately redirect your full attention to the client in front of you. People feel when you’re not really present, and they interpret this as lack of respect.

Invest in Support Staff to Support Client Satisfaction

 

Of course client satisfaction is high when you win the case, or negotiate a favorable settlement, but client satisfaction can exist even when the outcome isn’t quite so terrific, which is important, since it’s client satisfaction that allows your practice to grow and develop.

Support staff is essential to client satisfaction: it’s up to you to make sure support staff has what they need to take good care of your clients. Too often, in your preoccupation with all that’s on your plate, you expect support staff to figure things out for themselves. To an extent, that’s fine--but you’ll benefit from giving your staff specific training in client services, as well as the authority to perform certain service-oriented tasks for the client. Good one-day seminars are worth their weight in gold. Invest in staff so they can return that investment many times over in client satisfaction.

Don’t leave staff out of regular updates as to what the firm is doing, why and how, so that support staff feels they are part of the law firm, not just hired underlings. Your law firm is more successful if all those involved are working in the same direction toward the same end.