The Dirty Dozen 12 Bad Business Practices to Avoid

Throughout my 16 years in private practice, I saw any number of good attorneys have problems in running their practices. Often times, they were simple things such as treating their staff harshly, failing to return phone calls, delays in sending out information, etc. While I never actually took the time to create an actual list of the problems I encountered, luckily, lawyer marketing guru Trey Ryder has done some of this for us.

Trey’s website contains information about his various seminars as well as links to a number of his articles that are full of useful information and tips. Trey also has a private email list which he uses to send out to lawyers useful articles, tips and tricks on a regular basis. While occaissionally the email may be nothing more than an ad for an upcoming seminar, the majority contain some form of useful informatoni. Anyone can join this private email list right from his website.

A recent example of one of his private email list messages was titled " 12 Business Practices That Undermine Your Marketing Program And Ruin Your Reputation. ” I think that most will agree with this list and may even recognize that we are guilty of some of them in our own practices. There is no doubt in my mind that the following bad business practices can affect every lawyer alone or in combination at any time.

BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE #1: Surprising your client by adding unexpected expenses or fees to his bill.

BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE #2: Don’t pay bills until they are at least 90 days old.

BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE #3: Keep employees in fear of losing their jobs.

BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE #4: Don’t worry about keeping your commitments.

BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE #5: Arrive late for appointments because it makes you look important.

BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE #6: Return phone calls when you get around to it.

BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE #7: Respond to requests for materials when you have time.

BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE #8: Don’t agree to buy anything until you beat up the other person on price.

BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE #9: Make the other person sign his life away for a $25 deal.

BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE #10: Talk about your problems so people conclude you’re a victim.

BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE #11: Demand perfection and don’t stop until you get it.

BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE #12: Turn your mistakes into your client’s problem.

In addition to the list, Trey also expounded on each of these bad business practices with examples and also recommendations as to how to avoid the problems these practices can cause.

I recommend that you check out the articles on his website and consider subscribing to his private mail list