Serve First, Sell Later Marketing
Serve First, Sell Later Marketing
#49 The Hard Truth: Why Being the Best Isn’t Enough
In this episode, Sylvia Garibaldi discusses the potential pitfalls of relying solely on passive marketing and word-of-mouth referrals in today's competitive, digital age. Sylvia addresses how the lack of an online presence can harm your growth, limit visibility, and ultimately result in missed client opportunities. If you’ve been counting on the quality of your work to speak for itself, it's time to rethink your strategy and actively showcase your expertise online. Sylvia highlights how bridging the gap between excellent service and client awareness is crucial to growing a successful, impactful practice.
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Key Takeaways:
- Excellent service alone isn’t enough to attract clients—visibility and online presence are essential.
- Relying solely on word-of-mouth referrals is an unpredictable and slow path to growth.
- Today’s clients expect to research professionals online before reaching out; meeting these expectations is key to converting high-quality referrals.
- Not being visible online can lead to a compounding loss of potential clients and referrals over time.
Episode Chapters:
- [01:44] The Trap of Passive Marketing
- [04:11] Word-of-Mouth Limitations
- [09:17] The Digital Age of Legal and Mediation Services
- [11:45] Client Expectations in the Digital Era
- [15:42] Hidden Costs of Being Unknown
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00:00 - Sylvia (Host)
Hello everyone, and welcome back to episode number 49 of the Serve First Sell Later marketing podcast. I'm your host, sylvia Garibaldi, so today I want to chat about something that might be holding you back without you even realizing it. So let me ask you this is your exceptional legal mediation or divorce service your best kept secret? Because if it is, that might actually be your biggest problem. So it's funny, because we spend so many years honing our skills, building our expertise and delivering top-notch service to our clients. But here's the kicker If nobody knows about it, does it really matter how good we are? So think about this If you're not out there letting people know how great you are, they'll never get to experience your expertise. So in this episode, I'm going to talk about why being the best kept secret in your field isn't a compliment, as you might think it is. So we're going to look at how staying under the radar can actually harm your practice, limit your growth and even cost you clients. Now I also want to emphasize that this is a very important episode, and I highly recommend that you listen to it as many times as you need to so that it really resonates with you. Sometimes these ideas take a little bit of time to sink in, and that's perfectly okay. Just trust me when I say that your practice will thank you for it.
03:15
All right, let's talk about something that I like to call the trap of passive marketing. It's a sneaky little thing that catches a lot of us off guard. First up, we've got what I call the quality of service fallacy. Now, don't get me wrong Providing excellent service is absolutely critical. It's, in fact, the backbone of what we do. But here's the thing Just being good at your job isn't enough to bring clients through the door. So think about it this way you could be the best family lawyer in the country, capable of handling the most complex cases with ease, or maybe you're a mediator who can solve workplace conflicts like nobody's business. But if people don't know about you, all that skill is just well sitting there right? So this brings us to the gap between service quality and client awareness, and let me say that this gap can be huge.
04:11
You might be scratching your head thinking but I do such great work. Shouldn't that be enough? And I get it, I really do. We all want to believe that if we just focus on being the best at what we do, success will follow. But here's the reality check. Your potential clients don't have a crystal ball. They can't magically sense how great you are at your job. They're out there, maybe struggling with a difficult divorce or trying to figure out how to plan their estate, and they have no idea that you are the exact person that they need. So while you're busy perfecting your legal strategies or mediation techniques which we all know is important to do your potential clients might be choosing someone else, not because that person is better than you, but simply because they knew that person existed. So in today's world, being good at what you do is really just the starting point. It's the ticket to the game, not the winning strategy. So to really succeed, you need to bridge that gap between your excellent service and client awareness, and you need to let people know that you're out there, ready to help them with your amazing skills.
05:24
I want you to really think about this. Are you falling into the trap of passive marketing? Are you assuming that your work will speak for itself? I can't tell you how many professionals believe this and actually stay stuck because of this thought process. Okay, let's talk about something that you've probably relied on at some point, which is word of mouth marketing. And you know, when your clients tell their friends about you and suddenly you've got a new case Sounds great, but, you know, is that going to last? So don't get me wrong. Referrals are fantastic. They're like gold in your business. But relying solely on word of mouth can be a very slow process, and in marketing we can never rely on just one source for filling that prospecting pipeline. That can be really dangerous.
06:14
So let me break this down a bit. Think about your last referral. How long ago was it? A month ago, six months ago? And how many cases do you need to keep your practice thriving? See where I'm going with this.
06:29
So the thing about word of mouth is that it's just that unpredictable. It's like waiting for it to rain in the desert. It may happen, but when it does, it's absolutely wonderful. But you can't plan your crops around that, if you know what I mean. You just you can't wait for that rain to happen. So here's another thing to consider your satisfied clients aren't professional marketers. They're not out there singing your praises 24-7. I think we can all agree to that. They're busy living their lives as they should be. Maybe they'll mention you if the topic comes up with a friend, but that's a big maybe and that needs to happen often in order for it to be lucrative.
07:12
So let's face it in some areas of law or mediation, people don't exactly broadcast their need for these services. So, especially for those of you that are in the areas of mediation and law, such as divorce, you won't have your divorce client post on Facebook and say just got divorced and my lawyer or mediator was amazing, want their telephone number. So it just doesn't work like that and we all know that. So let's talk about the slow growth that comes with this passive approach. So you might get a new client here and there, but it's not the steady stream that you need to grow your practice. So think about it this way If you're relying on referrals alone, you're basically sitting in your office waiting for the phone to ring, and that is not a place you want to be when you want to hold the power and control of growing your practice. So, if we look at your competitors out there, who are visible on social media, showing up in Google searches, speaking at events, what they are doing is they are planting seeds everywhere. Well, you could just be waiting for one seed to sprout. So this slow growth can be very frustrating and you might find yourself wondering why your practice isn't taking off, even though you know you're really good at what you do. Well, this could be your answer, right? So remember, in today's fast-paced world, slow and steady doesn't always win the race. Sometimes you need to give yourself that boost. So here's what I want you to consider Are you stuck in the word of mouth rut? Are you waiting for referrals to magically grow your business? If so, it might be time to rethink that strategy. And, as I said, don't get me wrong referrals are super important and we need to keep them coming in, but this should not be the only source in your practice. It's time to add a few more tools to that marketing toolbox.
09:17
All right, let's talk about the legal mediation and divorce services landscape and how it is changing rapidly. So, first off. Let's talk about digital age competition. Now, I'm sure you've noticed that being visible online is really a big deal these days. It's really shaking up our world in a big, big way. So for those of you that remember the yellow pages, when people would go there to find a professional, well, we know those days are long gone. Now we've got this influx and I mean a flood of online resources and competitors. It's like someone has just opened those floodgates and suddenly there's information everywhere. So you've got websites offering DIY legal forms, youtube channels explaining complex legal concepts in five minutes or less, and, of course, there's also those big legal tech companies that are constantly coming up with new ways to offer professional services online. Now, this stuff can be very helpful for people, and I don't dispute that, but it's making information more accessible, which is fantastic, but it can also complicate other things. It's also creating a whole new level of competition in the traditional spaces for lawyers, mediators and divorce professionals. So I want you to think about this If a business owner is sitting at home in their pajamas at 2 am wondering about the legal implications of how to deal with a resistant employee, they're not going to wait in the morning to call a lawyer or a mediator?
10:54
No, they're going to turn to Google right there and then. And this brings us to how digital presence affects client choice. So let me paint a picture for you Two mediators, both equally qualified. Mediator A has a sleek website, active social media presence and a bunch of helpful posts and videos. Mediator B, well, is still relying on that ad in the local paper, or maybe even sponsoring a local baseball team. Now put yourself in the client's shoes. You're looking for a mediator. You do a quick online search and these two pop up. Who are you more likely to call? Most likely mediator A, because you can read and find out more about them, as opposed to mediator B, who has limited online presence.
11:45
So in this digital age, your online presence is really the first impression you make on a potential client, and I want to stress that again. It is the first impression you're going to make on a potential client and I want to stress that again. It is the first impression you're going to make on a potential client. It's like your digital handshake, and if you're not there to shake hands, well, guess what Someone else will. So clients today they really expect to find information about you online. And if you've been listening to this podcast for a while. You've heard me say this many times. So they want to read reviews, they want to check out your expertise, maybe even watch a video of you explaining a legal concept. So it's going to be super important to make sure that you are continually curating your online presence, because if they can't find you online, or if what they see is outdated or unimpressive, they might just move on to the next option. And it's not just about being findable, though. It's about building trust before they even meet you. So a strong online presence can really showcase your expertise, give potential clients a sense of your personality and help them feel comfortable reaching out to you.
12:56
So here's the million dollar question In this evolving landscape, where do you stand? Answer that question honestly Are you embracing the online space or are you still hoping that word of mouth will be enough? Because, let me tell you, in today's world, your digital presence isn't just a nice to have. It is truly a must have. All right, let's now talk about client expectations, and this one is a biggie.
13:26
These days, potential clients are acting more like savvy shoppers. They're not just looking for any lawyer, mediator or divorce professional out there. They're searching for the perfect fit and guess where they're doing this search. Yes, you guessed it online. So they're Googling you, reading reviews, looking at your website, social media. They're doing a full background check before they even pick up the phone to call you. So it's not just about being findable online. That's just the very beginning Clients these days they want the full package. They are expecting high quality service, high quality expert advice, and they want timely communication and updates.
14:08
Now, if you're thinking, well, I'm really great at estate planning. I'm excellent at it. Isn't that enough? And, as I said before, it used to be enough, but it is no longer. This is just the starting point. So you see, clients are looking for professionals who not only know their information well but can actually explain it in plain English, in plain messaging and positioning that really gets the client to understand how you can help them. And it's not enough to just have a website anymore. You need to be out there showing your expertise, engaging with people. Maybe you're writing a blog post about common legal issues, or maybe you're active on social media. You're engaging in the comments you're sharing and you're really just providing educational value on your social media.
14:57
But the point here is, clients are actually expecting to get to know you before they even meet you, and this is one of the reasons why high quality referrals are sometimes tougher to convert these days. You've may have heard me speak about this before, when really great referrals would come your way and you would be able to convert them instantly. But now there's a gap. You may be getting these excellent referrals, but if they can't find you online, if they can't learn from you, those excellent referrals will not convert. Okay, this is something that we're seeing. So this is why you need to fill that gap of your online presence in a way that people can get to know, like and trust you.
15:42
So my question to you is this are you meeting these new client expectations? Ask yourself that and answer honestly. Are you where your potential clients are looking? Because, if you're not, are you where your potential clients are looking? Because? If you're not, I can guarantee you that someone else is. So I'd like to switch gears here now and talk about the hidden costs of remaining unknown. Now you may be thinking hidden costs I could be saving money by not spending on marketing. Well, I think that one's pretty debatable.
16:18
Let's start with missed growth opportunities. So your prospects are searching online for professionals, like we've said before, but if they can't find you, then you can't be on their radar, and I think we've agreed to that. So what's happening is that they find your competitor, who's quite visible online and maybe has a very robust social media presence and a robust following as well and is maybe guesting on podcasts and speaking on stages. They're well known and they're out there. They're creating that following. Now I want you to imagine this happening over and over again.
16:52
Think about how many potential clients that are slipping through your fingers and the worst part, you never even know they were looking for you. But wait, it actually gets worse. I know, I'm sorry, but just stick with me here. Let's talk about the cumulative effect of these missed opportunities. Over time, it's like compound interest, but in reverse, okay. So every potential client you miss isn't just a one-time loss. Think about it If someone becomes your client, they may have referred their friends to you, or family, or friends or colleagues.
17:29
Those friends might have referred their colleagues and, before you know it, that one missed connection could have turned into a whole network of clients. And it's not just about the immediate cases that you're missing. It's really about the long-term relationships that you're not building and in your line of work, a client you help today might need you again in a year, two years, three years from now, or they might recommend you to their family, friends and colleagues. But if they never find you in the first place, well, I think you can see where this is going. Over time, these missed opportunities, they just add up. It's like a snowball rolling downhill, getting bigger and bigger, except in this case, it's your competitors' snowballs that are growing. And the good news is, once you recognize this problem, you can do something about that. And I want you to really think about this. How many prospective clients are out there right now looking for exactly what you offer, but they're not finding you? How many potential long-term client relationships are you missing out on?
18:41
So let's dive into something that might make you a little uncomfortable, but it's important to address, and we're going to talk about the visibility advantage. Let's start with how visible competitors gain market share. These professionals they're not just sitting in their offices waiting for the phone to ring. They're actively promoting themselves, making sure they're seen and heard in their communities and online. So when potential clients are looking for, let's say, a divorce financial analyst, they typically won't spend a lot of time searching for hidden gems. Instead, they'll go for what they might see right in front of them. If you're not visible, you risk being overlooked entirely. So visible competitors are not just attracting clients today. They're setting themselves up for long-term success, and that creates that snowball effect that I was just referring to, or the compounding benefits. And so here's how it works the more visible you are, the more clients you attract. The more clients you have, the more referrals you get, and the more referrals that you receive, the more visible you become, and it's a cycle that feeds itself.
19:54
But there's even more to it. Being well-known doesn't just bring in more clients. It opens up opportunities that might not be available otherwise you could find yourself. You could find yourself invited to speak at events, featured in media articles or guesting on a podcast. We see this happening all the time with our clients. It's so powerful. So when you establish yourself as an expert in your field, it can significantly enhance your reputation and income. And when you're well known, you become the go-to person for your area of expertise, and what happens is journalists may reach out to you for quotes in their articles about professional issues, event organizers might see you as a speaker for conferences, and the list goes on and on. So this can really elevate your profile from just being maybe a collaborative law lawyer to being recognized as an authority, and it is so powerful and we see this day in, day out with how this works and how so many professionals gain traction when they follow this path.
21:05
Now I understand that putting yourself out there can feel pretty daunting, but in today's competitive landscape, being amazing at what you do just isn't enough. You also need to be visible. So take a moment to reflect. Are you making yourself known in your community and online? If you're not actively promoting your services and expertise, you're really missing out on some valuable opportunities. So I hope this has given you a really fresh perspective on why staying hidden in your industry could be your biggest hurdle right now.
21:39
Remember, you've worked hard to build your expertise and provide incredible value to clients, but it just doesn't end there with just being great at what you do. So, as you move forward, I challenge you to take one small step toward boosting your visibility. Maybe it's posting on social media, updating that website or even reaching out to potential referral partners. It doesn't have to be big, but each step counts in bridging that gap between your skills and your potential clients. And you're not just any lawyer, mediator or divorce professional. You're really someone with a unique insight and the power to make a difference. Don't keep that to yourself. Let the world see what you're capable of, and who knows, that one step might be all it takes to get you the recognition, clients and opportunities that you truly deserve. Thank you so much for tuning in. Keep pushing forward, keep showing up and remember the journey to a thriving practice starts with being seen. Have a great day and see you in the next episode.