Who do you trust?

I’m in Spokane this weekend for our daughter Molly’s graduation from Gonzaga.

We’re staying at the Davenport Hotel and Towers. It’s quite a place. Historic hotel restored to 5 star status with wonderful rooms, decorative lobby, and flamboyant lounges. Not to mention a staff which makes you feel like a million bucks.

This morning I wanted to go out for breakfast in downtown Spokane at a place known for its breakfasts, close to the hotel, and frequented by the locals. 10 or 15 years ago, like any sane person, I’d go down and ask the concierge. I may even tip them for the good advice.

I didn’t think of it this morning. Why not? I trusted the Davenport enough to stay there. The Davenport is a strong brand, it’s known for its service, and it has a strong word of mouth reputation.

Like others, I don’t trust brands, institutions, and organizations as much today. I trust other people. People in the same situation as me.

Wild thing is that I don’t need to know the people whom I will trust. I just need to see that they were in the same situation, that their advice seemed spontaneous, and that what they said seemed sincere. I’ll weigh the voice of multiple people so I am not overly influenced by one person on the edge.

Where did I go to get advice? Yelp. What did I find? The Satellite Diner and Lounge. Part greasy spoon and part local bar with juke box, large screen TV, and pool table. It’s great and just what I was looking for. Only a few blocks down the street from the Davenport.

I was speaking in Hawaii and Vancouver the last couple weeks. Both times attendees were staying in first class hotels. In Vancouver, The Fairmount. Both times attendees brought their spouses.

I asked the audience how many were looking to go out to nice places for dinner and meals with their spouse and friends. Everyone. I asked how many would get advice from the concierge. Hardly one. People said they would turn to Tripadvisor, Yelp, or Urban Spoon as their most trusted source for advice. I asked how many would turn to a restaurant’s website to decide whether to go there. I asked how many would be influenced by testimonials on such a website. No one. I didn’t look to see if the Satellite Diner had a Website before coming over here.

Why do law firms think they are exempt from potential clients making their decisions the same way? Why do law firms think their website is going to influence people to trust and hire them?

I get it. Most people and corporations are not going to select their lawyer from Yelp. Some may use a service such as Avvo, which rates lawyers, but most people will spend time on the net, including turning to others they trust (even if they have not met them) to select a lawyer in an informed fashion.

Lawyers looking to build this trust and a strong reputation on the Internet need to be using social media to create an online identity that is the equal of their offline identity.

This doesn’t come from law firm websites. It doesn’t come from legal marketers writing content for lawyers. It comes from a lawyer’s effective use of a blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and the like.

The days of the concierge’s influence are over. Even for lawyers.