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The Renegade Lawyer Podcast
I am more convinced than ever that nothing that traditional bar organizations are doing is going to move the needle on the sad stats on lawyer happiness ...
The root cause of all lawyers' problems is financial stress. Financial stress holds you back from getting the right people on the bus, running the right systems, and being able to only do work for clients you want to work with. Financial stress keeps you in the office on nights and weekends, often doing work you hate for people you don't like, and doing that work alone.
(Yes, you have permission to do only work you like doing and doing it with people you like working with.)
The money stress is not because the lawyers are bad lawyers or bad people. In fact, most lawyers are good at the lawyering part and they are good people.
The money stress is caused by the general lack of both business skills and an entrepreneurial mindset.
Thus, good lawyers who are good people get caught up and slowed down in bringing their gifts to the world. Their families, teams, clients, and communities are not well-served because you can't serve others at your top level when you are constantly worrying about money.
We can blame the law schools and the elites of the profession who are running bar organizations, but to blame anyone else for your own woes is a loser's game. It is, in itself, a restrictive, narrow, mindset that will keep you from ever seeing, let alone experiencing, a better future.
Lawyers need to be in rooms with other entrepreneurs. They need to hang with people who won't tell you that your dreams are too big or that "they" or "the system "won't allow you to achieve them. They need to be in rooms where people will be in their ear telling them that their dreams are too small.
Get in better rooms. That would be the first step.
Second step, ignore every piece of advice any general organized bar is giving about how to make your firm or your life better.
The Renegade Lawyer Podcast
Renegade Lawyer Marketing (Audio Book) – Chapter 13: Are Your Clients Thunderstruck?
This is Chapter 13 of the free audio edition of Renegade Lawyer Marketing (Second Edition)—only on the Renegade Lawyer Podcast.
It’s a short chapter with a powerful punch. Ben Glass shares the mindset shift that moves you from chasing clients… to having clients feel lucky to work with you.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- What to say when a client name-drops other lawyers
- Why you shouldn’t always be the one pitching
- The difference between “needing a client” and “choosing a client”
- How to know when your marketing is working (spoiler: they don’t ask, “So what makes you different?”)
This is about building a law firm that commands respect before the first phone call—even before the first click.
Plus: Ben explains how his long-term disability practice grew a $750K recurring revenue stream by delivering insane client service.
Mentioned:
- $45M in future benefit claims under management
- $750K/year recurring revenue (and growing)
- Exactly what makes a potential client “thunderstruck”
To build a firm clients seek out—not stumble into—you need this chapter.
Listen on Apple or Spotify
Get the book + bonuses at RenegadeLawyerMarketing.com
Join us live this October at GLMSummit.com
Ben Glass is a nationally recognized personal injury and long-term disability insurance attorney in Fairfax, VA. Since 2005, Ben Glass and Great Legal Marketing have been helping solo and small firm lawyers make more money, get more clients and still get home in time for dinner. We call this TheGLMTribe.com
What Makes The GLM Tribe Special?
In short, we are the only organization within the "business builder for lawyers" space that is led by two practicing lawyers.
One thing we're sure you've noticed is that despite the variety of options within our space, no one else is mixing
the actual practice of law with business building in the way that we are.
There are no other organizations who understand the highs and lows of running a small law firm and are engaged in talking to real clients. That is what sets GLM apart from every other organization, and it is why we have had loyal members that have been with us for two-decades.
When you walk in the room to meet potential clients for the first time, they ought to be thunderstruck by the opportunity to finally get to meet you in person. You shouldn't be easy to get to and you shouldn't ever be answering the how are you different? Question. If they have to ask, you haven't done your marketing correctly. Hey everyone, this is Ben. Welcome back to the Renegade Lawyer Podcast, and today we're going to dig into chapter 13 of my book, renegade Lawyer Marketing. The chapter is entitled Are your Clients Thunderstruck? I'm jamming this recording in as we are getting ready to have our quarterly EOS Entrepreneur Operating System quarterly planning meeting with the law firm tomorrow. And then our hero mastermind members, our in-person mastermind group, are coming in Thursday and Friday, and then I am out for vacation, so getting this one in, unfortunately. Fortunately, it is a short chapter. So are your clients thunderstruck?
Speaker 1:When a potential new client wants to make sure you know they're interviewing other attorneys, often because they want to get a fee reduction or some other consideration from you. They'll ask what makes you different? Why should I hire you? Sometimes they will name drop the other attorneys that they are talking to. You now know your own why and your USP. So how do you respond? Is the client choosing you or are you choosing them? This is a philosophical mindset shift that most lawyers have to learn to grow into. As an example of this philosophy, I was proud to hear one of our newest associates one day answering this question what makes you different? Why should I hire you? And I overheard the conversation as I was walking down the hall and the associate said you know, sir, it doesn't exactly work that way. Here we're busy.
Speaker 1:Most people I talked to have read Mr Glass's books on the law. They've watched his videos. They know a little bit about what he stands for. He provides ongoing support. That is, once he restores benefits, he stays involved for the life of the claim. He has $33 million now $45 million actually of future benefits under management. No other firm in the country says that the only question is whether we're going to accept your case. So the question we have is whether your case qualifies for our representation.
Speaker 1:Now let me just go explain. If you just looked into this, this is the first chapter you heard. When we win a long-term disability case, we recover back benefits for the client. We get paid a percentage of those back benefits, but we also keep the client on claim and our fee contract with them says that as long as those checks are coming, they come to our office and we take a third for the life of the claim, and so we've got again $45 million of future benefits under management there. That revenue stream, if you're curious, produces $750,000 of under contract annual recurring revenue a year and within the next three years that will grow to over a million dollars. That wasn't built in a day and our team does a great job of actively working these cases to make sure that the client, that their benefits, are not unlawfully terminated in the future. And so it's a great client service. Clients love it, but that's what the $45 million comes from. And now back to the chapter the Renegade Pro Tip $45 million comes from. And now back to the chapter, the renegade pro tip.
Speaker 1:If prospects are asking you to make your pitch, that's a clue. You're not differentiating yourself in your marketing. You might need the business, sure, like we all did when we started, okay, but do you need that person's business? Your why in your USP, your niche practice areas, your whole marketing approach now allow you to pick who you will work with. And look, folks you have a great life when you're doing interesting work with people you like to work with, for people the clients, for people you like to do the work for, and you're getting compensated fairly and abundantly compensated for that. That's what great legal marketing is all about. That's the practices that we're building Back to the book.
Speaker 1:When you walk in the room to meet potential clients for the first time, they ought to be thunderstruck by the opportunity to finally get to meet you in person. You shouldn't be easy to get to and you shouldn't ever be answering the how are you different? Question. If they have to ask, you haven't done your marketing correctly or they haven't paid attention to it. If it's a ladder, I can almost guarantee you they will not be good clients for you. You shouldn't be the one having to do the convincing at that first meeting. If you are, think about how hard it's going to be to get them to take your advice in a difficult case later.
Speaker 1:So be honest with yourself. How many of your clients are thunderstruck the day they get to meet you? And you know it doesn't happen to me much anymore that someone comes into the office or we have a Zoom call and they're name dropping other lawyers and this lawyer is charging this or this lawyer is charging that, and when it does happen, university I'm like, okay, go take that other lawyer. Or we ask, gee, how do you think they're able to do this so cheaply? And then you do what I just did, which is you pause and let them answer that question with whatever's running around in their head. So, look, the faster you can move to building a practice where the marketing generates leads for your avatar client and the more willing and strong you get to say no to anyone who doesn't fit that model.
Speaker 1:By the way, when you send a client away, you spend more time. You then go and work on your marketing because you try to figure out, like, why did that client even want to hire us? They're not our avatar. Then, the better your life is going to be and, at the end of the day, that's what we're building. We're building great lives to make your families happy and proud that you are running a law firm.
Speaker 1:All right, until next time, family's happy and proud that you are running a law firm. All right, until next time. Go sign up for the Great Legal Marketing Summit GLMSummitcom, glmsummit and I'll see you next time for Chapter 14, where I anoint you king. That's a wrap for today's episode of the Renegade Lawyer Podcast. If you found this episode valuable, do me a favor subscribe, leave a review and share this with a fellow lawyer who needs to hear it For more powerful strategies on marketing practice, growth and taking control of your legal career. Head over to greatlegalmarketingcom. You can also find us on LinkedIn Search for Great legal marketing and Benjamin glass to connect. Stay tuned.
