I recently wrote about celebrating clients. And, one of the ways we celebrate them at Magnus, or specifically, their bringing a new case to us, is to literally ring a bell when we get a new case. We started this practice a few years ago when someone gave us a bell that is mounted outside of my office door. Now, whenever a new case comes in, I ring it. Melissa has a bell too – and she delights in ringing it multiple times for each case. This seemingly silly practice is fun, and everyone stops working to find out the who, what, when and where about the new case. Trial consulting work carries with it the burdens, like those of the trial lawyer, of being involved in often tragic and horrible cases or at least with the stresses and pressures of high stakes litigation. But, these fun moments to celebrate new work and new or repeat clients is one of the ways to release some pressure and think about what it is to come.
I am not a fan of disco music, but David’s topic reminds me of a disco song, circa 1979, called “Ring My Bell” and performed by Anita Ward. The catchy song repeatedly urges the listener to “ring my bell, ding-dong-ding, ring my bell, ring-a-ling-a-ling.” And ringing the bell is exactly, literally, what we do each and every time a client: (1) calls with a prospective new case; and (2) commits to retaining Magnus on a case. If there are other good reasons for David and me to ring the bell, believe me, we will ring it! We even have a bell at home to ring in the event a client contacts us while we are there. And, our iPhones are programmed with a bell ringing sound that is activated if we are retained for new business when we are someplace without an actual bell to ring. Some readers are probably aghast about all of our bell ringing. If this is accurate, I suspect this reaction is among people who have never owned an operated a small business, in which all revenue is generated by the owner(s). My spouse/business partner and I, on the other hand, are ecstatic each and every time we bring in new business. And, if new business isn’t sufficient reason for ringing the bell, or celebrating in other ways, then there is not much point for the rest of what we do!
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