Coach Your Lawyers on Client Development the Apple Way

Originally published by Cordell Parvin.

In 2007, I bought a Mac PowerBook for myself and for Joyce with the intention of converting my entire office to Mac. But, I continued to use my PC. It was simply easier to use the PC because I did not have to think about how to use the various programs. I had done it for years.

Realizing that merely owning the Mac was not going to be enough, I bought a book titled Switching to the Mac. But, simply reading the book was not enough. Several times, I almost gave up on my Mac conversion. It was just too challenging and stressful to learn something so different and change the way I was doing business.

Then, I discovered two things. At the time, for a very modest annual fee, I could get one-on-one lessons as often as once a week at my local Apple store. Second, I discovered that at the time Apple produced a weekly one-minute video podcast on topics that were really helpful to me.

These are both examples of how Apple coached its customers. I learned by doing not by watching or listening to a speaker. As a result of this learning by doing, in January of 2008, I went cold turkey and completely switched over to Mac. Each day using the programs on my Mac became more of a habit and far less stressful.

Years later, I could go to my local Apple store for free classes on a wide variety of subjects, and every time I bought a new Apple product, I was able to spend thirty minutes on the telephone learning how to use it more effectively.

In 2020, I am working on my third iMac, my third MacAir, and I am waiting to receive my new iPhone 12.

So, what does my Mac experience mean to your law firm lawyers?

I have written many times that just having a speaker come in and teach how to develop business will likely not cause the lawyers in your firm to change what they are doing. When your lawyers learn by doing client development becomes a habit.

Over many years I gave dozens of presentations at law firm retreats on client development. I believe I motivated and inspired young lawyers and gave them practical tips they could implement to bring clients into the firm. But, I quickly realized that no matter how well I presented, very few lawyers would retain the information and even fewer would actually make the changes necessary to apply what they had learned.

To get your young lawyers more involved in client development, I recommend learning by doing.

If you want to teach lawyers how to write effective blog posts, have them write several and then work with them to make the post more effective.

If you want to teach lawyers how to give presentations, have them give mock presentations, shooting video and then work with them to help them become more effective presenters.

If you want to teach lawyers how to interact with clients, create a scenario and have senior lawyers play the role of the client and then go over how your lawyers interacted with the make believe clients.

 

The post Coach Your Lawyers on Client Development the Apple Way appeared first on Cordell Parvin Blog.

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