Knowing your clientele is key when starting a solo practice. By taking the time to learn their behaviors and their specific needs you will be able to offer up services that are tailored to your potential clients.
Imagine being fresh out of law school or finally branching off from your position in a large law firm. You are full of dreams and bursting with ambition; desiring to build something that’s yours: A Solo Practice!
Along with all of the exciting thoughts and aspirations, a wave of confusion and nervousness also arises. You are starting to realize that there is no concrete blueprint for success and though you may have answers to certain questions the final sentiment is “are these even the right answers?”
Your best bet is to refer to your SWOT Analysis, located in your business plan, and take a deep dive into the key factors, like your direct and indirect competitors, you can also turn to your mentors for guidance but honestly, no one will have a better answer than your potential clientele.
Uncertainty is always going to be a factor when branching out and becoming an entrepreneur. This is why it is important to have a clear understanding of who your practice is geared towards before starting your solo journey.
Often you might feel like your action plan is ineffective but in fact, your plan is just focused on the wrong people. Marketing Managers often use the practice of putting themselves in their target markets’ shoes (or niche marketing) as a way to grasp a better knowledge of clientele needs. This is something that you, as an attorney, can practice as well, when developing your business.
The Importance of knowing your potential client’s needs
Understanding the needs of your potential clientele is very necessary, to create a successful business. Stepping out of your comfort zone and reaching out to your potential clientele will give you more insight into what services your clientele needs, from you as an attorney. By having conversations with potential clients you will see not only what they need but will gain knowledge of what your competitors are offering. You’ll begin to realize that the solution to your hardest questions, “what do they want from me?” boils down to your unique spin on services and marketing. A good way to have these conversations is by developing focus groups and reading case studies and transcripts offered by the ABA.
Once you have the knowledge on who you are trying to serve it will be easier to develop your services to cater directly to their needs as an attorney.
Knowing and deeply understanding your market is a major factor in the success of your solo practice. Take the time you need in your planning process to really access their needs, values, and wants so as your business grows so will your point of view. Also keep in mind that over time this portion of your plan will change to better suit your needs, treat every potential client as your own personal case study for business development. This will allow you to find your ideal client, target services, and create a successful business.
