Mind Your Language

Law Firms: This is Crucial to Know

Have you ever considered how your lawyers’ thoughts may impact on your firm’s bottom line?

Probably not unless you’re a linguist or a personal development coach of some sort.

Here are 5 phrases which I recommend they remove from their language.

❌ I’ll try. The word try is just a three-letter word and not rude at all, yet it is an evil little sod. What it means is that I probably won’t do it. It’s a get out clause and is almost sure to lead to failure. In a child, it usually comes with a whiney voice.

Parents you will recognise this one, I’m sure.

So your lawyers might be avoiding doing things which are crucial to the business, yet nothing to do with their legal work.

Bin it!

Instead say:

✅ I’ll do it!

❌ I should … Fill in the blanks. I should do this, I should do that, I should do the other. What they really mean is I don’t want to do it and I am feeling pressurised in some way or other.

I call it the wagging finger of the inner parent.

Yes, you’ve guessed. Bin it!

✅ Instead replace it with the word ‘could’. This immediately gives you choice. Choice is power. I could do this. Oh how empowering!

They no longer feel obliged to do something. This means that they choose to do things with good grace.

What a different energy that is.

❌I’ll chase up that prospect, that non-payment of invoice or whatever else is outstanding.

Chasing implies that someone or something will run away. So, it doesn’t feel good.

It’s uncomfortable and there is a reluctance to do it. And yet I hear my clients using the word, until I correct them of course. 😊

It is very commonplace.

Bin it!

✅Instead use the phrase follow-up. This is neutral.

It makes the task much easier. The resistance has been eliminated.

How cool is that?

❌ I have to justify my fees. Oh whenever I hear the word justify in relation to charging, I cringe.

It means the person justifying does not actually believe that they are worth it.

How sad is that?

It comes from a place of fear.

This means there is work to be done to change the perception.

✅What can you say instead? Let me look at the value I am providing my client.

Let me reflect on my years’ experience and the results I have gained for previous clients.

Let me communicate that value to clients with confidence and certainty.

There is no defensiveness or having to prove anything.

Not every prospect may understand your value and that’s OK.

Those ones may not be your clients.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Every thought your lawyer has may be impacting your bottom line.

Will you leave this to chance?

✅I help law firms (and other service-based businesses) to get paid their true worth consistently and unapologetically while keeping their clients happy, by eliminating those behaviours which cause a financial loss.

If you want to know more, just get in touch.

I’m Vanessa Ugatti, author of Amazon Best Seller, True Worth: How to Charge What You’re Worth and Get It. I help accountants, lawyers and consultants to generate more income, have more time and create more freedom without having to get more clients, do more work or compromise value or values.

Ready to talk?

For an initial no-obligation chat, call 00-44-1202-743961 or to order your complimentary copy of Amazon Best Seller click here

1)   Plan your Christmas tasks so you have plenty of time and stick to them. It reminds me of that old age: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

2)   Have a budget for what you’re spending on gifts, food, etc. and stick to it. What’s the point of over-spending if it means you spending the next 3 months catching up?

3)   Programme in short bursts of “you time” so you can rest and recuperate. This is critical and, paradoxically, the busier you are, the more important it is for you to do this. When working with clients, I see the tendency to move from one task to another, like an automaton, and without giving themselves the time to think, acknowledge wins or rest.

4)   Keep a positive mental attitude. Not much more to say on this one, except that it will be easier to achieve if you apply points 1-3 and 5-8.

5)   Don’t take it all too seriously!

6)   When buying gifts, it’s not how much you spend, it’s how much thought goes   into them and how you feel when you buy them that counts. If you’re feeling stressed and buy something expensive in a rush, then the receiver is receiving your stress. On the other hand, if you buy gifts when you’re feeling relaxed and happy, then the recipients will receive that energy.

Which do you think they will prefer?

7)   When you notice the stress creeping in, stop, take a deep breath and feel grateful for everything and everyone in your life. This only takes a few minutes to do and yet the benefit can be proportionally much greater.

8)   If you have lost loved ones, it’s normal to feel sad that they’re no longer with you. I can personally relate to that one! Then you can flip it around and be grateful that they were a part of your life. Then focus on what you’re grateful for now. You may not always choose the circumstances in which you find yourself, however, you are always at liberty to choose what you think about them. Understanding and realising that is true power.

9)   If all else fails, just get drunk! 
When all the jobs are done, you can just relax and enjoy yourself. Then when you’re ready, reflect on the wins, challenges and insights that 2017 brought you and prepare for the coming year.
Thank you for reading and for your comments and I look forward to sharing more with you in 2018.
It only remains for me to wish you the happiest Christmas and a very prosperous 2018.