Mike is a busy criminal defense attorney with a cash flow problem.
He manages to get his bills out mostly on time – most of the time.
But his clients are slow to pay – or they don’t pay at all.
Many of my new clients have a problem like Mike’s because they make the mistake of not having an operating procedure to follow up on their outstanding invoices.
Instead, they try to do it themselves and make it up as they go along. They put it off – because the conversations can be awkward – and then it becomes a crisis when the bank balance gets low.
As a result, they leave thousands – or sometimes tens of thousands – of dollars on the table because, unlike a fine wine, receivables don’t get better with age.
We fixed Mike’s problem by implementing a simple written procedure for his assistant to follow.
The procedure outlined each step in the process when it needed to happen, the words to use, what to do when she got stuck and how to escalate back to Mike at the right time. She also understood when and how to pester Mike so that he got his responsibilities done on time.
This experience showed Mike how important it was to have written procedures to improve efficiency and reduce mistakes and frustration. With my guidance, he went on to learn how to create them quickly and easily as part of his regular workflow. And he got more time to do what he really liked to do – and to achieve his goals.
Every attorney can improve their effectiveness by implementing or improving procedures. It’s not hard to do once you get started – and learn the right way to do it. The time you invest will come back to you many times over.
What’s one thing holding you back from using or improving your office procedures? What would it be like if that problem magically went away?
Here’s a great place to start building procedures, it’s my Guide to Tame Your To Do List. CLICK HERE for your FREE COPY.
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