The voice mail was very demanding.
The caller first complained that he had difficulty finding the business telephone number. He then insisted that his call be returned at a time convenient for him.
Reasonable? Perhaps.
It depends on your business and the type of boundaries you set for those you choose to deal with as clients/customers. As a Web lawyer, I have very little patience for prospective clients with a sense of entitlement.
In this instance, the caller crossed the line into the unreasonable and better not hold his breath waiting for a call back.
How did this happen?
To begin with, experience has shown that those who want to talk by phone to a Web lawyer without paying up front for a consultation are (a) looking for free legal advice and (b) don’t respect the advice they get because it is free. This isn’t unique to an Internet law firm. Freebie seekers will pull the same stunt with a physician’s office.
Am I being harsh? Not in this case.
From website to the actual voice mail recording the caller ignored after hearing it, the law firm intake system for prospective new clients is designed so that initial contact is made only by e-mail using the firm’s website contact form.
Phone calls are reserved for existing clients and other attorneys.
This system works because it saves many hours each week dealing with the broke and something-for-nothing crowd.
As a Web lawyer, am I missing a few good prospective clients by having this system?
Probably not.
Why?
Good clients are those who want win-win relationships. They don’t ignore specific instructions and demand that your business fundamentally change to cater to their whims.
What boundaries do you set in your business?
If you don’t have any non-negotiable lines that cannot be crossed, you’re like the fish at a high stakes poker table. You serve as an ATM machine for the rest of the players to tap but never really in the game.
Set boundaries to succeed or become a spectator (employee).
To your success!
-Mike the Web lawyer
The question isn’t how much an Internet attorney charges…it is, “How much money can an Internet lawyer save you?”
Most entrepreneurs mistakenly refer to the creation of an attorney-client relationship as “hiring” a lawyer. In most instances, the relationship is actually one of independent contractor rather than employer-employee. However, there may come a point in your Internet business that you find you’re spending so much on legal fees that it may make sense to really hire an Internet attorney as your in-house legal counsel. As the employer, you exert more control over the work done. Because these are typically salary arrangements, you can reduce legal costs or at a minimum budget for them like any other employee in your online company.