Are You Too Talkative as an LNC?
When was the last time you were around a person who was too talkative? Are you talking at your prospects instead of with your prospect?
The Talkative Captain
It was a beautiful South Florida day – clear skies, light wind. Our older son, who lives in India, was staying with us for a few precious days. I arranged to hire a captain and a sailboat to take my son and me sailing – our first time. I knew the captain from a raw food Meetup group I participate in with my younger son.
The captain took us into a beautiful unspoiled harbor. We were on the only boat in the harbor and had freedom to go where we wanted. Shortly after we left the dock the captain started talking, and talking, and talking. (The picture is of my son in blue and the captain).
The captain talked about raw food, organic gardening, the politics of getting sailing jobs, other memorable passengers, having drunk passengers (alcohol and sailing don’t mix well), the harbor’s fish and birds, efforts to control development of the harbor, the history of the harbor, his experiences as a young man in Nepal and Newfoundland…you get the idea.
Rarely did he stop for more than 60 seconds. We heard the sound of the wind in the sails, the waves splashing against the boat, and his voice. He asked us a few questions during the 3 hours, and then immediately returned to his favorite subjects, often more than once.
How does being too talkative relate to marketing?
The importance of listening, not dominating the conversation, and having a dialogue affects your ability to market your services as an LNC and to build strong relationships with your clients.
When Hiett Ives and I taught a course called How to Profit from Trade Shows, we shared how vital it is to qualify your prospect by asking questions.
The answers allow you to find out if the person asking about your services is a likely prospect for your business. You learn about the attorney’s needs and challenges related to medical issues – ones that you can solve. Asking questions and showing interest in the attorney prevents you from babbling about your services.
You can also talk too much about yourself on your website. Do you demonstrate you understand the attorney’s challenges, called “pain points”? LNC websites commonly have an About Me page but rarely have an About You page. The About You page is where you ask questions –
- Are you frustrated by mountains of medical records?
- Would it be helpful to you to be able to rely on a summary of medical records?
- Are you concerned your adversary may know more about the plaintiff’s medical records than you do?
These are just a few examples. Your questions are driven by the kind of client you want to attract.
There is an expression that you were born with two ears and one mouth so you’d spend more time listening. Guard against being too talkative.
In the meantime, you may remember this song by Joe Jones:
You talk too much
You worry me to death
You talk too much
You even worry my pet
You just talk
Talk too much
You talk about people
That you don’t know
You talk about people
Wherever you go
You just talk
Talk too much
You talk about people
That you’ve never seen
You talk about people
You can make me scream
You just talk
You talk too much!
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