More than an elevator pitch
When someone asks what you do, what’s your answer?
“I’m a lawyer.”
Technically correct. Completely forgettable. Check the exit door.
You spent three or four years in law school, passed the bar, joined a firm and probably have a practice-area description somewhere that contains the words “complex,” “sophisticated” and “solutions.”
None of that answers the question the person is really asking:
What can you do for me or someone I know?
Your title tells people what you are. It doesn’t tell them why they should remember you. It says what your profession is but it doesn’t tell people what you DO.
Try this instead:
“I help contractors get paid when construction projects go sideways.”
“I help business owners deal with employment problems before they become lawsuits.”
“I help property owners solve complicated real estate problems.”
Now we’re getting somewhere.
You’re still a lawyer. Your education, firm and experience still matter. But you’ve translated all of that into something another human being can understand.
That matters because referrals don’t usually begin with someone thinking, “I need a lawyer.”
They begin with a problem.
“My brother is having a problem with a contractor.”
“My company has an employee issue.”
“My friend is buying a building and something has gone wrong.”
You want the person hearing that problem to think of you.
You don’t need a clever elevator pitch. You need a clear answer to a simple question:
What problems do you solve?
Do This This Week
Write a 10-15-second answer to “What do you do?” without using the words lawyer, attorney, or your firm’s name. And for God’s sake don’t drop the name of your law school. What’s the old joke? You don’t have to wonder where a lawyer went to law school, within the first few minutes they’ll drop in “Harvard,” “Michigan,” “Notre Dame,” or “Stanford.”
Then say it out loud.
If it sounds like something only a lawyer would understand, or is a humble brag, start over.
