Marketing lessons for legal nurse consultants

Marketing lessons for legal nurse consultants are often learned the hard way.

Let’s assume you are meeting a potential client/prospect in his office. When you are discussing your services and fees, you begin to wonder if the client is being receptive to your presentation. He shows some negative reactions to what you are saying.

• Can you accurately detect negativity when you are marketing to attorneys?
• Do you know how to do so by using micro expressions?
• Would you like some tips about detecting negativity?

Some attorneys know how to negotiate with legal nurse consultants by expressing shock over fees, in the hopes that you will reduce your prices.

In order to protect yourself from such ploys, you need to know the micro expressed signs that denote genuine negativity. Negativity may be driven by disgust, impatience, boredom, or dislike. The attorney may also be negative because of an unrealistic expectation about what an independent LNC charges.

Disgust

What does disgust look like? Disgust can be seen in the body language of the other person, through the use of sighing, constantly looking away from the person speaking, checking the time via glances at his watch or a clock on the wall, and the fiddling of objects. Disgust in the form of negativity can also be displayed by the use of strong hand gestures (pounding table, stabbing/poking the air with a finger, etc.)

What to observe to detect real disgust: to detect the genuineness of disgust, examine the prospect’s face for a wrinkling in his nose and raising of his upper lip. This expression will only last for 1/25 of a second to 1 second. Thus, while the emotion will be fleeting, you can glimpse the sincerity of the other person’s emotional state of mind, if you capture this signal.

Combat negativity when marketing

How to combat negativity: regardless of whether the display of negativity is genuine, if it emerges at a crucial part of the interview, weigh the option of discussing your perception to seek validation. “I sense you are negative about my services. Is that correct?”

If such displays are made during noncritical points in the interview, consider ignoring them. Only speak about them if you wish to convey that you’re aware that something’s askew. Also, you may find that the potential client is reacting to something unrelated to your presentation.

Marketing lessons for legal nurse consultants: Unrelated reactions

• Perhaps he is feeling pressured about a brief that needs to be written or the next person who is scheduled for an appointment.
• Perhaps he hopes that by objecting to your fees, you will lower them or make other concessions to his advantage.
• Perhaps he is being truly negative. Keep in mind that there are other attorneys who are interested in your help. You may be wasting your time on marketing to a person who does not have the resources to hire you.

Ways to alter false negativity displayed during an interview: depending upon the person with whom you’re meeting with and his demeanor, you may consider ignoring the signs of disgust he displays. In some cases, like a child, the more you inquire as to what is wrong with the person with whom you’re meeting, as displayed by his behavior, the more you’ll be drawn into his control.

Observe micro expressions to be better equipped to defend against emotions displayed during a conversation. Once you become adept at identifying genuine emotions, versus those that are presented for the purpose of diversion, you’ll compete at a higher level and be more successful when marketing.

And remember the crucial importance of recognizing when the attorney is not a good fit for your client base, and be able to say, “NEXT”.

Greg Williams and Pat Iyer wrote this post. Greg is known as The Master Negotiator. Sharpen your ability to read body language by watching the replay of this session in the marketing course: How to Get All the Clients You Want. Download the entire course now.