If your bio reads just like all of your competitors’, you’re squandering a critical legal marketing opportunity to distinguish yourself and to build rapport with your prospective clients and referral sources. And rapport matters a lot. Why? Because when technical competence is perceived as equivalent among potential service providers, people engage with those they like and trust. Since your bio is often someone’s first exposure to you, it should have maximum impact.
So how to you facilitate rapport through your bio? The easiest – and best – way is to make sure your practice areas/matter types convey client-centric value. That is, rather than just listing the things you do, frame them in terms of positive client experiences.
Here’s a prototypical Before:
Alan practices in the area of business litigation, including creditor’s rights, contract disputes, unfair trade practices, restructuring, employment, and licensing disputes…
Here’s the After:
Alan applies his 22 years of litigation experience to help clients solve problems and meet their business objectives when legal action becomes necessary. Clients turn to Alan for help in resolving a range of issues including creditor’s rights, contract disputes, unfair trade practices, restructuring, employment, and licensing disputes…
The reader is not present in the Before version; there is no opportunity for her to identify with Alan – or his clients. But she can in the After version; she wants her problem solved, she wants her business objective to be met. And she sees that others like her turn to Alan for help.
By providing an experiential context for the reader, you’re creating an instant, subconscious connection that’s just not possible with a mere list of practice areas/matters.
Subtle? Yes. Powerful? You bet.
