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From time to time, we'll give a shout out to a Hero of the Client Revolution — someone who's doing more than their share to advance the cause of client service, whether in legal circles or in some other field. We kick off this feature with a tribute to Dustin Cole, founder and president of Attorneys Master Class, a Florida-based firm devoted to helping lawyers regain control of their practices. Dustin's laser-like focus is on teaching lawyers to "be of value" to their clients — a deceptively simple concept.
Four years ago, I was looking for ways to grow my practice and improve my marketing abilities. I went to Dustin Cole’s seminar at the Massachusetts Bar Association with more than a little skepticism. I mean, this guy's not a lawyer, and his background was in radio and television. What can he teach me?
Was I ever wrong. Instead of a know-it-all consultant looking to prey off lawyers' insecurities, I found a kindred spirit who shared many of the ideas I had about running a law firm like a real business. (Very few law firms do that.) After a one-hour phone-session trial, I decided that my firm would benefit from working with Attorneys MasterClass.
It turned out to be a smart investment. Talk about ROI: in the year after I started working with Dustin, our firm’s revenue increased 26% over the previous year. Over the past four years, our revenue has nearly tripled. More importantly, my coaching sessions with Dustin changed the way I think about marketing and management strategy. Never again will I feel like I am “selling.” Instead, I concentrate on trying to “be of value” to as many people as I can.
Our firm now focuses on what differentiates it from our competition. We’ve learned how to focus our message and align our goals with our clients’. We’ve discovered the nerve to radically change the way we do business, abandoning hourly billing in favor of upfront pricing. We’ve realized the importance of trying to be a “trusted advisor” to our business clients, instead of just another law firm. I’ve learned when to wear my entrepreneur hat, when to wear my manager hat, and when to wear my lawyer hat. I’ve gotten much better at delegating work to the appropriate person.
When my initial coaching plan ended, I immediately signed up for continued regular coaching. Because I’m my own boss, and have been since I was a fourth-year lawyer, I’ve never really had a mentor figure. Until now. Hiring Dustin Cole was the single-best marketing and practice-management decision I’ve made since starting my firm. Any law firm — big or small — will benefit from the advice and guidance that Dustin and Attorneys MasterClass can give.
Lawyers tend to resist taking advice from others. I certainly have. But Dustin Cole understands lawyers, and clients, and being a trusted advisor. As lawyers, we could all use more practice listening.
If you would like to discuss Attorneys MasterClass with me, please feel free to send me an email.