People look for lawyers when they need help solving a problem. They land on your website or your bio because they want a divorce, or they want to expand their business through an acquisition, or maybe they’re under investigation for a crime. Whatever it is, they’re looking for help with a real-life problem.

If your potential clients can’t tell how you can help them, they’ll be swiping left…fast.

Welcome to Gimbal’s Tip of the Week, where you get practical, actionable advice you can use right away to start building a more productive and profitable legal practice.

When your website or bio is all about you, it positions you as the hero of the story. But you, my friend, are not the hero of your client's story. You’re the guide.

Clients don't care about when your grandmother started the firm or that you've had 14 articles published in the law review or offices in 17 jurisdictions. Those details are useful and may help distinguish you later on, but the first thing your clients need to know is that you understand THEIR problem and you can solve it.

This week’s tip: It’s not about you. Your job is to guide your clients, give them a plan, and help them solve their problem. To do that, you need to know exactly what that problem is.

Every problem has three elements: external, internal, and philosophical. Identifying these elements will help you connect with your clients and convince them YOU are the best lawyer to solve the exact problems they’re having.

External – what’s the main problem they’re facing? For example, they need to expand their business, or they’re under investigation for a crime, or someone has made an offer to buy their family business.

Internal – what’s going on inside their heads? What are they thinking and feeling? For example, are they feeling overwhelmed or confused about the next steps they need to take? Are they feeling threatened, angry, or afraid?

Philosophical – finally, what’s inherently wrong about their situation? For example, why does it take so long to buy or sell a company? Why is it so hard to navigate the family court system?

Your action item: Look at the clients you serve. They are the characters—the heros—of the stories you need to tell. Can you clearly establish the external problems they face, how those problems make them feel (the internal problem) and why that's wrong (the philosophical problem)?

Once you're clear on those three elements, you’ll be able to identify the exact solution you offer and position yourself as the guide they need to overcome their challenge.

Here’s an example we use at Gimbal that will help you with this exercise.

The character in our story is an overworked lawyer who's frustrated and exhausted at having to work so hard just to get the important things done. She wants to be successful in a practice she controls and she wants to be happy in her life.

We use the external, internal, and philosophical problems she faces to design our programs and our marketing.

External (What’s the problem?):

There’s not enough time in her day to get all the mission-critical stuff done and still have a life.

Internal (What do they feel?):

She feels overwhelmed and guilty about always working, missing family dinners, special occasions, vacations, and so much more.

Philosophical (Why is this wrong?):

It's wrong that lawyers need to work so hard and sacrifice so much to be successful.

When you demonstrate that you clearly understand your clients’ problems allows you to build trust and make meaningful connections. Put simply, it will establish you as THE trusted guide who provides the exact solutions they need.

And that’s it. Join us next week for more on building a profitable and productive law practice. If you’re not on the mailing list, sign up below so you never miss a Tip of the Week.

See you next week.