NEWS FLASH
Nursing Spectrum 2002 Career Fitness Guide Interviews Vickie on
Charting a New Legal Course
Vickie discussed the rewards of legal nurse consulting in Nursing Spectrum's 2002 Career Fitness Guide. In the article, "Nurses Charting a New (Legal) Course," Vickie distinguished between legal nurse consultants and nurse-paralegals.
"We have the right to define who we are," Vickie said. "An RN interfaces so well with the legal profession... because the LNC focuses on core competencies."
"You have autonomy, flexibility, and control over your own career," Vickie concluded. "You also have the ability to make a difference and see the impact of that difference."
To read the complete article in Nursing Spectrum 2002 Career Fitness Guide, click here.
Purchasing any service or product is an emotional event. A customer buys not primarily to own the item or have the service, but to meet emotional needs: to seek comfort, reduce stress, fulfill social needs, change status or lifestyle or even invest in the future.
Your attorney-prospects are no different from any other retail shopper. For example, a woman shopping for lipstick at a makeup counter is satisfying the emotional need to feel good, look pretty or just indulge herself after a hard week at her job. When attorneys purchase your services, they are satisfying emotional needs that are high-stake such as:
Properly representing their client,
Winning the case,
Attaining partnership status,
Garnering referral business from other attorneys,
Maintaining their comfortable lifestyle, and
Fulfilling a deep desire to be a winner, not a loser.
They need to believe and validate that they are making a wise choice when they hire you. Your attorney-prospect is shopping and we all know shopping is legal.
Understanding that successful, wealthy attorneys use emotion in buying decisions just like the rest of us gives you an edge in marketing to them. Credentials and qualifications are great, but that's not why attorneys buy. What does sell is getting the attorney-prospect to connect emotionally with how your nursing experience and credentials will make a difference in his medical-related cases.
So how do you get the attorney to shop 'til he drops on your next interview?
Tap Into the Five Senses
Sight.
First impressions are everything. As much as 55% of a decision is made before either person says a word. Fair or not, people size you up and form an impression of you within seconds of meeting you. Are you neat or sloppy? Do you stand tall or slouch? Are you carrying a briefcase or a handful of loose papers?
We all do this. Remember that blind date you had years ago? You knew before he said a word whether you would have a good time or even go out again.
Before you go on any interview, take the time to check out your physical appearance. Dress professionally and conservatively. Pay attention to details — trim your nails, polish your shoes, and make sure there are no runs in your hose. Buy one powerful suit. Then stand tall and walk with confidence (and carry a spare pair of pantyhose).
Pay equal attention to the appearance of your promotional package. A sloppy or amateur promotional package suggests that you are an amateur LNC who will submit a poor quality work product. If at all possible, get professional design assistance. Invest the time and money to make your presentation package look as good as you do.
Sound.
Another 38% of a first impression comes from how we speak. When we're nervous, we naturally tighten up and our voices turn squeaky. We talk too fast, stumble over our words or forget entirely what we intended to say.
Loosen up your voice before you arrive. Singing helps. Praying aloud does too. Relax your throat and bring the sound all the way up from your stomach.
Have a written checklist of points you want to make. Rehearse these main points well in advance of the interview. Read them again shortly before you enter the meeting. Then relax and concentrate on listening to your prospect. Taking your mind off yourself to pay attention to what she is saying will help you relax.
Taste.
How do you respond when a prospect offers you coffee, tea or a soft drink? If the attorney is having something, I recommend you ask for the same thing. People associate positive feelings and emotions with their favorite drink. For example, a cup of hot tea symbolizes both relaxation and renewed energy to me. While accepting a drink may seem like you are imposing, it will not only relax you, but will also create an immediate bond between you and the attorney-prospect.
Smell.
Avoid exotic perfume. A scent you find delightful might turn another person's stomach. Any heavily applied scent will be distracting. Usually, the best choice is to avoid perfume and cologne altogether. Obviously, be sure you're freshly showered and shampooed, your deodorant is working, and remember to use mouthwash. Carry the portable Listerine PocketPaksTM. They are lifesavers.
Touch.
Offer a firm handshake. Once you've finished with the introductions, confidently place your promotional package and sample work product in the attorney-prospect's hands. Like trying on a lipstick color, sampling any product makes the buying decision easier. When your prospect touches your business card, introductory letter, brochure and sample work product, he sees and feels the professional quality you deliver.
One of the biggest mistakes I see beginning LNCs make is neglecting to put together hypothetical report samples. With your sample in his hands your prospect holds a report similar in size, weight, texture and content to the reports he needs and you can provide to help him win cases.
The ability to give your attorney-prospect this hands-on, multi-sensory experience of your work product is the advantage of one-on-one selling. A smart CLNC® takes every opportunity to capitalize on this advantage to help the prospect make a positive decision.
Provide a Safety Net
By making a professional first impression, you have already begun to construct a safety net for your prospect, ensuring her that she is making the right decision in hiring you. Now take the next important steps to complete that safety net.
Communicate.
Listen carefully to the client's needs and demonstrate your understanding of those needs as you proceed through the meeting. Ask questions to clarify specific points. Confirm the client's expectations regarding the depth your report should be and the schedule for its completion.
Stay in touch. Provide an easy way for the client to reach you and notify you of any changes in her needs or the case. When you deliver your report, make it clear that you are available to collaborate on any necessary additions or amendments.
Guarantee.
This step may seem risky, but think about how much more secure you feel about purchasing when you know you can return a product that fails to meet your expectations. If your report failed to meet your client's expectations, wouldn't you be eager to correct any problems? Then why not offer that guarantee up front, thus satisfying your client's psychological need for security?
Guaranteeing satisfaction does not mean you would compromise the integrity of your work by adding something you know is incorrect or misleading or making inappropriate changes. Nor does it mean you guarantee your report will win their case. It means you will make any corrections or additions needed to the research, wording or format to guarantee the client gets value for her dollar. You aren't offering to revise your report endlessly either. State a specific time period, say two weeks from the date of delivery, during which the guarantee is in effect.
Deliver.
Actions sell and quality counts. Your attorney-clients often deal with people who talk a good game but who don't deliver on the promise. By turning in a quality product on time, or even ahead of deadline, you reinforce that your client has made a wise buying decision and that he can depend on you for bigger and bigger projects.
Build Trust
Before you get to those bigger projects, you may have to build trust step-by-step. Customers generally are more comfortable starting a new relationship on a small scale. When a woman buys a new line of makeup, in addition to being sure the color is right for her, she wants to know if the makeup suits her skin type, contains sun protection and holds up during the day. Likewise, a new attorney-client wants to make sure your product will perform as expected. He wants to know:
Will your work product fit his expectations?
Will your report be supported by appropriate standards and research?
How conscientiously will you meet deadlines?
A woman at the makeup counter might start out with a smaller container or trial size of a new product. Similarly, an attorney might suggest beginning with a small project and ask for a quick turnaround. Recognize this as an important step in building a long-term relationship.
When you fulfill a prospect's need for emotional support in making a buying decision, hard-sell is never necessary.
Every time you present yourself with professionalism, you sell.
Every time you listen intently and affirm the client's expectations, you sell.
Every time you deliver a quality product, you sell.
Every step of the way you build into your client relationship a sense of trust and dependability.
Beginning with that initial interview and that first small project, you can create a mutually satisfying, long-term business relationship. And a few loyal, lifetime clients will make your business prosper. You won't need dozens. Soon you will find attorney-clients relying on you, recognizing your skill and your ability to make them look good. Eventually, you'll start to anticipate your clients' needs in battling the opposition — and they will begin to trust that without your help and expertise they could lose cases.
Yes, shopping is legal, but make your next interview more than a shopping experience. Make it an emotional confirmation of the attorney's need for your services and validate that you are an investment in his legal practice. If you succeed in doing so, the attorney will shop 'til he drops with you and smile while he does so.
CLNC® NETWORKING EXCHANGE
Safety and Efficiency Pay Off in Storing and Retrieving Data
Separate closed files from open ones. If you don't open a file for more than one year, label it with the year to be destroyed. Keep files in alphabetical order with the label in full view. — Donna Adkins, RN, BSN, CRRN, CCM, CLCP Medical Claims Analysis and Management Services Kentucky
Create folders in your email directory named by month, client or some other identifying tag. This way, as email comes in you can sort it into the correct folder and store it there, rather than creating large files of paper printouts. The folders also make your correspondence easier to track and locate. — John J. Szarek, RN, BSN, CLNC Illinois
Back up your data or your hard drive every Friday. You never know when your computer will crash and you won't be able to access any information stored on it. Whether you use a back-up tape drive, Zip® drive or CD-RW, the cost of the back-up media is cheap compared to the cost of lost work product and data. — Thomas M. Ziemba, BS, JD Medical-Legal Consulting Institute, Inc. Texas
Favorite Website Is "Small" Source of Big Help
The Small Business Administration website, www.sba.gov, has checklists and templates for business plans, marketing plans, etc. Best of all, this wonderful site is free. — Anne Hickey, RN, BSN, CCM, CLNC Medical Legal Case Management, Inc. Massachusetts
Stay Alert to All the Positive Marketing Possibilities
Always introduce yourself as a CLNC®. People will ask what that is, giving you an opening to describe your services. — Lynette D. Murphy, RN, CEN, CLNC Legal Nurse Consultant Services, Inc. Pennsylvania
When talking with a prospective client, always say, "When I take a case for you," or "When we work together..." Don't say "if," say "when." Be positive. Assume there's a relationship between you and your prospect, and it will happen. — Deborah L. Callif, RN, CLNC Wisconsin
Send out a press release after you attend conferences and seminars, or present at an attorneys' meeting. If your local newspaper uses your release, it's free publicity. — Anne Porter, RN, MHA, CPHQ, CLNC Medical Review Plus Iowa
I checked with my high school alumni association to find classmates who are now lawyers and nurses. I found 3 personal injury lawyers and 2 RN-JDs, all new prospects to whom I can market. — Anne Hickey, RN, BSN, CCM, CLNC Medical Legal Case Management, Inc. Massachusetts
Editors Note: Check your nursing school alumni, too. You don't have to know the person; your connection is automatic when you mention you graduated in the same class.
