Legal Marketing & PR

The World Won't End If You Don't Pick Up That Call

By Ben Glass

Unplanned phone calls can significantly disrupt your day and take your attention away from your immediate tasks. It is easy to fall into the mindset that you have to pick up the phone whenever it rings or take a call, even if it was unsolicited. The truth is that the world will not end if you don't talk to the person who has called you.

Have you ever considered the fact that if you were on an airplane heading out of the country, you wouldn't be able to answer that unsolicited phone call? What about if you were at a football game or attending your child's soccer tournament? You still wouldn't be at your office ready to take any and every call that comes in. So, why is it different when you are sitting at your desk working on something productive for a client? The answer is that it shouldn't be different.

As attorneys, we often feel guilty if we are not available to our clients 24 hours a day, but you need to change your perspective. Being available around the clock is not a good use of your time. Instead establish specific times during the day when you will take calls or better yet, have people set phone appointments.

You can learn more time management tips in my program, Militant Time Management for Lawyers.

Full post as published by Effective, Ethical Marketing For Attorneys on May 06, 2010 (boomark / email).