Exactly what does Black Fridays and Cyber Mondays have to do with attorneys? At first glance, you would say “not much”. We are limited in how we can advertise and gimmicks and giving away stuff is not in our best interest to attract new clients. So it there anything we can learn from all this going on about “shopping days”?
Let’s first look at why these happen. Retailers have to do something to attract customers, especially those that get most of their profits from Holiday Sales. These are important times for them to make a buck. In fact, some retailers count so heavily on Holiday Shopping that they can’t stay in business without it. So who is to criticize them for having Big Sales on specific times and days? These times have almost become a necessity as the retailers battle each other.
At this point, it would seem that all of this is getting a little out of hand when employees are required to work during the actual holiday and not be able to be with their families, etc. Unfortunately, this happened because one guy did it and the rest now have to do it to compete. We have to look at our values and decide if we are going to support such shenanigans.
But what about on line shopping? That’s what Cyber Monday (TODAY) is all about. We are supposed to go to our computers and order up a storm. This doesn’t even involve leaving our homes. Free shipping and low prices and lots of time to browse without a crowd around, is really enjoyable. Would we spent more this way? It appears so but time will tell.
What attorneys can take away from this is that if they make their “product” easily assessable, they will have a better chance of “making the sale”. Finding out about the “product” without having to leave home is also very desirable, and certainly one the most important clues attorneys can take away from this scenerio. This entails knowing the client’s “need/weed”. What problem (weed) does the client have? What need has not been full filled? How can you fulfill it?
Then this also means that having a strong web presence is terribly important so the client does not have to search for the attorney.
Let’s talk for a moment about the push that is done through advertising these sales on a specific date and time. Can attorneys do that? Certainly not in the same way the retailers do but it is conceivable that through a concerted marketing campaign, the attorney or firm can explore different types of growth and communicate this to clients during a specific time.
Sometimes this can happen around Anniversaries. The firm is 10 years old and has an open house. The attorney is celebrating his 20th year of practice and sends a delightful card to all his or her contacts. This creates specific dates to work towards doing something different in marketing. Never, Ever past up a potential event to contact your favorite clients, old and new and your friends.
What do you think about this? Could it work for you? Could you hold a Black Friday or a Cyber Monday for your potential clients? Let me know.