Good versus Evil

Do you have a good solicitor?

You might think that that is some kind of threat – you’d better have a good solicitor if you think you’re going to win against me!

You could think I’m making fun of an opponent – is that the best your solicitor could come up with???

It might be that I’m pitching for business – if you don’t have a good solicitor (or, indeed, any solicitor) then you should take my business card!

But actually, it is a family joke – it is common, when challenged by members of my family, for me to ask if they have a good solicitor – in other words, who on earth do you think is going to look after you other than me!

It was most commonly used when speaking to my youngest as a way of reminding him who was in charge, until he was old enough to know the members of my team, and started replying with “yes, I’m going to instruct [name of whichever member of staff had made a fuss of him most recently when he was in the office]”.  Now, of course, that he’s well on his way to being a solicitor himself, I don’t even bother asking the question as I know what the answer will be!

Most recently I said it to my father, when I’d sent him a copy of last week’s blog, in which he featured, along with some of the jokes he used to tell.  His response was to ask for damages for breach of copyright for using his material without his permission.  In response to my “do you have a good solicitor” question, after he had given his standard answer (yes, she’s the best of the best!) he reminded me that “good” is a relative concept.

What actually does “good” mean.

Does it mean cheapest – that might depend on whether the case is worth spending more on.

Or most expensive – you get what you pay for.

Or the one with the best briefcase – does fake it till you make it really work?

Ultimately, you should go for the type of solicitor that is right for you – your budget, your ethos, your work ethic.  No matter how good the solicitor is, if they’re not available when you need them, or they charge more than the case is worth, or they’re always telling you to settle no matter what (or fight when the other side has no money to pay), then they might be good, but are they good enough for you?

It’s one of the reasons why I dislike people who use LinkedIn and networking events for cold selling.  If I don’t know anything about you, then even if I need the services you offer, why would I go to you rather than someone that is recommended to me by someone I trust.  Or someone that I’ve actually had a chance to get to know and who gets me!

Whatever kind of professional you’re selecting, it’s always important to consider all the options.  Don’t go purely on price.  Look for experience, professionalism and recommendations.

And whatever services you’re selling, don’t assume that everyone needs those services and will automatically pick you, no matter what.  Get to know your target audience and how you can help each other before you start pitching your business to them.

Kleyman & Co Solicitors.  The full service law firm.  Getting thoroughly fed up with a certain person who has phoned, emailed and messaged me on LinkedIn purely for the purposes of trying to sell me his services which I DEFINITELY do not want!