Joshua Corbelli

Lawyer Marketing & Lead Gen. SEO + PPC Consultant.

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Client Interaction

Growing Your Practice with Engaging Speaking Events

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Clients purchase from businesses they know, like, and trust. This is especially true for law firms that are handling sensitive and personal matters for their clients.  Live presentations and workshops are a great way to engage and let potential clients know who you are and why they should trust you with their business.

  • The goal of a speaking engagement is giving potential clients a chance to know you, and to build trust with them.  To do this it is important to connect with the audience during the presentation.
  • Speaking engagements are a low-cost way of helping you earn credibility and demonstrating your expertise
  • Below are some suggestions of things to do before, during, and after your speaking event to maximize results.

Set up a 20-minute review .

  • Begin by researching potential events to see how they align with your objectives.  You want to make a good first impression so be sure to prepare carefully and practice your presentation beforehand.   During the event collect contact information from all of the attendees. It is important to videotape your presentation and take lots of pictures that can be used later to build up your website and social media presence. Then afterward be sure to share them as many places as you can! Also, follow up with anyone you spoke with or who shared their contact information.
  • Here’s Why It Matters to You.  Speaking engagements are less expensive than Facebook Ads and Google SEO for building trust with potential clients.
  • I have helped many firms in the area maximize their speaking engagements and grow their practices. To learn more set up a free consultation by clicking below.

How to Effectively Handle Negative Reviews

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Many attorneys are understandably fearful of replying to negative online reviews.  The truth is that potential clients (roughly 84% of them) will most likely rely on social media posts, ratings, and reviews of others when deciding whether to use your services.

Once information is on the internet it does not go away.  Avoiding a negative review is missing a critical opportunity to manage your image online.

  • Although it sometimes feels as though people just want to complain, in fact, most people want to leave positive reviews.
  • Allowing a negative comment to remain on the internet without any action gives other potential clients an opportunity to see it and take it as the truth.
  • Everyone will eventually get a negative review.  When this happens do not ignore it, maintain your composure, and fix it offline.

Set up a 20-minute review .

  • Most attorneys are afraid to engage, but it’s critical that you take control of negative comments. Here’s how you do it:
  • ‘Hi, . We continuously strive for excellence in service. Please reach out to me to discuss further. Our office line is XXX-XXX-XXXX.’
  • The chance of that person contacting you is near zero. However, other people seeing your response know you take your reputation seriously and will consider that when hiring an attorney.
  • Hesitation can cause you to miss real opportunities.
  • I have successfully helped many small firms manage negative reviews and their online reputation. If you would like to learn more, schedule a free consultation by clicking below.

We All Want To Be Heard

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Ever had a customer lay into you? Ever had a manager  fume from the ears because his goals aren’t met? Have you ever walked into a situation where you feel everything is fine and dandy, only to be greeted with anger and frustration on the other side of the table?

Of course you have. We all have. It’s not the nature of business. It’s the nature of human interaction, of needs, of communication.

We all want to be heard. And when we feel we are not being heard, when our needs aren’t being met, we get angry. Anger causes panic. Anger causes confusion. Anger causes bad reviews and high turnover rates and dissatisfied customers and employees.

One of the first business lessons I learned was from the CEO of the organization I first worked at- there was an irate customer, and while my interpersonal communication skills were good, I hadn’t experienced that frustration on a professional level. The CEO calmly walked up with a smile, gently asked the customer to step aside and tell him her problem. Within three minutes her attitude went from red hot to jovial and boisterous. She even thanked him (HA!) for listening to her.

Afterward, he told me – “The best thing you can do when a customer is that angry is step aside for a private conversation, smile, and listen.” I don’t know if he understood how critical that advice would be in the foundation of my professional career (I haven’t seen or spoken with him in nearly a decade, which reminds me, I should email him), but it stuck.

And it works. Now, if somebody would only listen to me…