ARTICLE BY AARON BAER
There are three elements to this new era of the authentic lawyer.
1. You lead with an abundance mindset
When you work with scarcity and believe that the pie of opportunities is limited, you will struggle with being yourself. You will put up a front that people can see through.
Undoubtedly, you’ve met someone pushy and desperate in the past for your business. No amount of slick flattery and small talk will make you want to buy from them (at least not without buyer’s remorse).
When you let go of this belief, it opens you to be fully present and conscious of serving the other person. This approach builds goodwill in subtle and profound ways.
Authenticity makes this possible because you know you’re not competing with anyone else. After all, no one can emulate your brand.
2. You share your story
Potential clients these days often come to you well into the buying process. They’ve usually done their diligence and read up on you and your firm well in advance. What will be their frame of reference before they come to you?
I’ve experienced the power of sharing my story. LinkedIn has been my medium.
When opportunities, ideas, and people come to me, they are already acquainted with who I am. They know my passion, my perspectives, and my opinions. As a result, they come in with the feeling like they already know me.
Building trust and rapport becomes significantly easier. They see me as a trusted advisor who will guide them with honesty, not as some outsourced help. This feeling makes all the difference in retaining clients.
This approach was not some strategic decision I made to get more business. I started doing it because I genuinely wanted to change law’s culture, and more business has been just a happy coincidence.
Nearly everyone else who has taken to sharing their story has seen a similar result. It can be a bit scary, but start wherever you are and keep pushing yourself a bit more every day. The worst that can happen is that no one will read what you write.
