SoSmall Series: This series focuses to cover various technology topics for championing solo, small businesses and professionals in the legal industry.
An online presence today is considered essential for marketing any business. Your website may be one of the first points of contact with your client. This becomes even more critical if you are a SoSmall (solo or small) business owner.
On-demand website builders such as WordPress, Wix or Shopify have made it almost seamless for one to establish an online presence or shopfront affordably. A process that once took weeks to complete now takes a few hours. If you are digitally proficient, you can probably also build this yourself. I was amazed upon learning recently that a top lawyer in Asia (having retired from his large law firm last year to set up his own chambers) uses a Wix website!
If you do get round to building that online presence, I hope you consider three things to help you get that client through the door.
First, make your time for clients available online. Clients can then look this up, match it against their respective diaries and schedule time to either see you in person or over a call.
Second, give clients fee certainty and the flexibility to pay online. Not many clients use cheques or banker’s demand drafts nowadays! Do also make an effort to encourage responsible spending and lending. If the bill is one worth thousands of dollars, work out a deal with a digital bank or an online payment solutions provider to help that client split the bill into a regular payment plan at the point of purchase.
I know of at least one solo professional services practitioner, who has used both these ideas to great advantage. He only charges fixed fees, allows his clients to book his time upfront and collects payment as soon as the time is locked in with his team and him. By doing this consistently for over three years, he has been able to build a massive client base and without having to work more hours than he had set aside for his business. He also proudly shared with me that he has only met less than 30% of his clients face-to-face!
Finally, as your business grows, consider incorporating a chatbot within your online presence. A specialist medical practitioner shared with me recently what a boon this has been for his business. Potential clients browsing his website often have specific questions about the procedure he undertakes. The chatbot connects that client directly to the duty nurse in his clinic, who is able to answer most of these initial queries. In implementing this chat service, the specialist has been able to convert many of his leads into patients. Of course, if you do deploy a chatbot or any other applications into your online presence, do not forget to include the appropriate disclaimers and privacy policy on your website about the use of such software.
Your online presence should be able to help you do more with less. It should be converting your leads into clients. If it is not doing enough for you, it is time to revisit this.
This article is written by Dharmendra Yadav from Lex Advocatus LLC.
This article does not constitute legal advice or a legal opinion on any matter discussed and, accordingly, it should not be relied upon. It should not be regarded as a comprehensive statement of the law and practice in this area. If you require any advice or information, please speak to practicing lawyer in your jurisdiction. No individual who is a member, partner, shareholder or consultant of, in or to any constituent part of Interstellar Group Pte. Ltd. accepts or assumes responsibility, or has any liability, to any person in respect of this article.