Many of the most popular television shows of the past couple decades have focused on the lives and practices of attorneys. Although the reality is not as stimulating or glamorous as these shows make it out to be, the practice of law still has its share of excitement and thrills. The reasons for the changes in attorney marketing were discussed at length in the previous post. In this post, let us talk about why, although it is a bad thing, it should still be paid some attention.
The downside to recent changes in the legal industry are that legal services have largely become a commodity. This isn't to say that some legal practitioners are better than the others, but picking out the good service providers from a sea of lawyers is now becoming very tricky. This is due to a lot of reasons that I would not dwell on for it would only be a waste of time. The real issue here is what it means for the legal practitioners.
By way of an analogy, let us look at fuel and food, two of the prime commodities in the world. Oil and gas, as well as grain and corn are largely indistinguishable to most consumers. Why should you worry about which gas station to get your car filled when there are other, more important things to consider, such as the gas price? At the rate things are going for the legal profession, this might very well be the fate it will eventually be faced with.
Once clients are no longer able to discern one lawyer from another, all they will care about is the price of the services. At that point, it becomes a race to the bottom, as every attorney and law firm simply offers slightly cheaper prices to lure in clients. I'm not saying that service differentiation in the legal industry would disappear, but the lines sure are getting blurry now.
What can you do about this? You probably can't do very much about the general trend, but you can start focusing more on your own marketing as soon as possible. Apply the principles of marketing and differentiate your practice from others. The voice of experience is always a good advertising tool, since prospective clients tend to rely on reviews and testimonials of others who have availed of a service they are also keen on. Steer more attention on your better results, showing them that you could do the same for them, too.
But the ball would not start rolling unless you throw your name out there to be heard and recognized by your target market. You can resort to marketing online through your personal website, or through advertising in newspapers and magazines. It doesn't really matter which, as long as people will get to hear of you. Even in a commodity market, name can make a huge difference. If you market yourself and your legal practice, you would be helping the client distinguish between your legal services and some random lawyer who offers the same services you do.
The downside to recent changes in the legal industry are that legal services have largely become a commodity. This isn't to say that some legal practitioners are better than the others, but picking out the good service providers from a sea of lawyers is now becoming very tricky. This is due to a lot of reasons that I would not dwell on for it would only be a waste of time. The real issue here is what it means for the legal practitioners.
By way of an analogy, let us look at fuel and food, two of the prime commodities in the world. Oil and gas, as well as grain and corn are largely indistinguishable to most consumers. Why should you worry about which gas station to get your car filled when there are other, more important things to consider, such as the gas price? At the rate things are going for the legal profession, this might very well be the fate it will eventually be faced with.
Once clients are no longer able to discern one lawyer from another, all they will care about is the price of the services. At that point, it becomes a race to the bottom, as every attorney and law firm simply offers slightly cheaper prices to lure in clients. I'm not saying that service differentiation in the legal industry would disappear, but the lines sure are getting blurry now.
What can you do about this? You probably can't do very much about the general trend, but you can start focusing more on your own marketing as soon as possible. Apply the principles of marketing and differentiate your practice from others. The voice of experience is always a good advertising tool, since prospective clients tend to rely on reviews and testimonials of others who have availed of a service they are also keen on. Steer more attention on your better results, showing them that you could do the same for them, too.
But the ball would not start rolling unless you throw your name out there to be heard and recognized by your target market. You can resort to marketing online through your personal website, or through advertising in newspapers and magazines. It doesn't really matter which, as long as people will get to hear of you. Even in a commodity market, name can make a huge difference. If you market yourself and your legal practice, you would be helping the client distinguish between your legal services and some random lawyer who offers the same services you do.
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