Archives for April 2013

I hate my clients

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You: I hate my clients. They’re angry, stressed out, demanding, and impatient. They blame me for everything and are making me miserable. I don’t know if I can do a good job for people I can’t stand to be around. Do you have any advice?

Me: If you are delivering a perfunctory service–preparing a document, a few court appearances, basic work where you don’t have to see the client that often, just focus on the work. Or, focus on the money they’re paying you.

If you’re talking about an ongoing relationship, where you have to deal with the client closely over a long period of time, a difficult client is more challenging. The way I see it, there are three things you can do:

1. Be honest. Tell the client you need to talk to them about something important and ask permission to be candid. Then, tell them how you feel. Explain that you understand what they’re going through, but when they take out their anger and frustration on you, it makes it more difficult for you to do a good job for them. Remind them that you are on their side and that you need to work together. Once they agree, establish some ground rules so you can move forward.

2. Get a buffer. Have someone else in the office deal with the difficult client. You step into the picture from time to time, briefly, and then step out.

3. If you can’t change your clients, change your clients. If you still find it difficult to work with an individual client, despite your best efforts, ask them to find another lawyer. If you find it difficult to work with most of your clients, you need to consider a new practice area (or new career).

You don’t have to like your clients to do a good job for them, but it helps. If you do like your clients, they’ll be more likely to like you, and that is always a good thing.

Marketing is everything we do to get and keep good clients. Here’s the formula.

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7 Reasons You Should Write More

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I know, you already do plenty of writing for work. You should write more.

Love it or loathe it, writing more (and getting better at it) is good for you and good for your practice. In fact, if I were making a list of essential skills for attorneys, writing would at or very near the top.

Here are 7 reasons:

  1. You learn things. Writers are readers. In reading deeply in your discipline, and broadly outside of it, you accumulate knowledge. That knowledge makes you better at spotting issues and finding solutions. It helps you understand other people and relate to them. It makes you more well-rounded, interesting, and likable.
  2. You find out what you think. Writing forces you to clarify your thoughts and priorities. Clarity leads to better decisions; better decisions leads to better outcomes.
  3. Writing more makes you a better writer. You get better at asking questions, doing research, and sorting information. You get better at the mechanics of writing. You get better at communicating your ideas and persuading others to your cause.
  4. Writing makes you a better speaker. Writing helps you consolidate, organize, and present your ideas. You develop a better ear for words and become a better story teller. Not surprisingly, speaking more makes you a better writer.
  5. Writing helps you meet new people. You can approach other experts, to interview them, invite them to do a guest post for your blog or an article for your newsletter. Through them, you can meet other people you would like to know.
  6. Writing helps you build your practice. The more you write, the better you get at showing people what you do and how you can help them. The more articles, posts, reports, and other documents you create and distribute, the more opportunities there are for clients to find you.
  7. Writing more helps you become a better attorney. For all of the above reasons.

To get better at writing, write something every day. A journal is a good place to start.

If you don’t know what to write, open a blank page, set a timer for 15 minutes, and write whatever comes. Keep your hand moving (or fingers typing) and don’t stop until the timer sounds. If nothing comes, write about how you don’t know what to write, but keep going.

Write something every day and your writing will improve. So will your thinking. So will you.

Get more clients and increase your income. Get The Attorney Marketing Formula.

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Promote someone else’s business or practice today

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I’m sure you know other professionals or businesses you would recommend to your clients and contacts. If someone asked you for a referral, you would enthusiastically offer up their name.

Instead of waiting to be asked for a referral, I want you to take some time today to tell everyone you know all about this outstanding individual or company.

Write an article and publish it on your blog or in your newsletter. Send a solo email to your list. Make sure you tell everyone you see in the office today or talk to on the phone.

Tell them why you recommend them. What makes them different? What do they do that is remarkable?

If you’ve used them personally, share the story. If your clients or friends have used them, mention that, too.

Give out their website. Tell people to subscribe to their blog or newsletter, download their report, or Like their page. Ask people to buy their products or services and refer everyone they know.

Promote someone else’s business or practice today.

Do it because you want to help the people you know find quality products and services. Do it because you appreciate the business owner or professional and want to support their good work. Do it because it feels good to say nice things about someone.

But don’t do it because you want that business or professional to do something similar for you.

Yes, they might reciprocate. If they do, be happy for them. It’s nice to receive, but the true joy is in the giving.

Marketing is easy when you know what to do. Here’s the formula.

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Stop marketing to people who don’t hire lawyers

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Yesterday, I wrote about clients who need what you offer but don’t necessarily want what you offer. Your job, I said, was to convince them to want what you know they need.

I also said you should (primarily) focus on attracting new clients who already know they want what you offer. Stop marketing to people who don’t hire lawyers.

A lawyer asked me to clarify.

If you owned a restaurant that served steaks and chops, would you advertise in a vegetarian magazine? Hey, you might convince a few readers who have been thinking of giving up vegetarianism, or who occasionally eat meat, that they should try your place. Or, maybe people in their family aren’t vegetarian and will see your ad.

Wouldn’t you be better off advertising in magazines where other steak houses advertise, and show their readers why you have the best steaks in town?

It’s much easier and more profitable to market to people who already buy what you’re selling.

When people are sued, not everyone will hire a lawyer. Some don’t want to spend the money and try to settle it themselves. Some defend it pro se. Some ignore the problem and hope it will go away. Some are judgment proof or are already planning to file bankruptcy.

The point is, not everyone who NEEDS an attorney WANTS to hire one. Don’t spend a lot of time convincing them. Target people who have already demonstrated their willingness to spend money on attorneys:

  • The ones who go to search engines to find attorneys who handle their issue
  • The ones who ask their friends on social media for recommendations
  • The ones who read articles written by attorneys
  • The ones who attend seminars to learn about their options
  • The ones who already have an attorney but are unhappy and are looking to change

Tailor your marketing to appeal to people who use attorneys and show them why they should choose you.

Let’s say you are a small business attorney and you are scheduled to do a luncheon talk for small business owners on a subject of your choosing. You could do a talk about why business owners should have an attorney review their contracts and leases before they sign them. Or, you could talk about a new law that affects small businesses in your community or niche market.

Let’s say the room is 50/50 people who regularly hire attorneys and people who don’t.

If you talk about “why attorneys,” you may or may not convince some who don’t use attorneys. But you are definitely not showing the people who already hire attorneys why they should hire you. They already know “why attorneys”. Yawn.

If you talk about the new law, however, you’re showing everyone in the room something valuable. The group who hires attorneys may conclude that their existing or former attorney didn’t tell them things like this and maybe they should give you a closer look.

Ironically, you’re also showing the other half, the ones who don’t use attorneys, why they should start. They may not have realized that an attorney (like you) can help his clients protect themselves by being aware of new laws like the one you are talking about.

Stop marketing to people who don’t hire attorneys. Sell your steaks to meat eaters.

Get The Attorney Marketing Formula before your competition does. Click here.

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Clients buy what they want, not what they need

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In sales and marketing it is axiomatic that people buy what they want, not what they need. Your client may need a living trust, but unless he wants it, he’s not going to hire you to prepare it. He may need to settle his case, but if he doesn’t want to take the latest offer, you’re going to trial.

Your job is to help your client want what he needs.

So, you show him the facts. You tell him what he will gain if he follows your advice and what he may lose if he does not.

But the facts, compelling though they may be, are often not enough. The client doesn’t believe the bad things will happen to him, or he’s willing to take his chances. What then?

Your best bet is to use “third party,” meaning someone else’s experience or expert opinion. So, you tell your client stories about what happened to others who didn’t follow your advice. Or you show him statistics compiled by an independent organization. Or articles written by other lawyers.

This is something you do every day with your clients. You do the best you can because that’s all you can do.

But with new clients, you have a choice.

You can choose to convince prospective clients that they need a living trust, for example, and many attorneys do precisely that. They educate prospects, through seminars and reports and blog posts, in an attempt to persuade them that a will isn’t enough and that a living trust is what they need.

They spend a lot of time and money and go through a lot of people to find the ones who will become clients.

But you don’t have to do that. You can choose to target people who have already decided they want a living trust and show them why they should choose you as their attorney.

This is what I do with my services.

All attorneys need to know about marketing, right? No matter how busy and successful they are, there’s always room to grow. But not all attorneys want to know about marketing. Do I try to convince them that they should? No. I let their circumstances and other blogs inform them and motivate them. When they want to learn about marketing or improve their results, I show them how I can help.

There’s nothing wrong with educating your target market about why they need what you offer. I’m not saying you shouldn’t. There are a lot of people at various stages of learning about what they need and many of them will eventually decide to hire an attorney. You’ll want to be there when they do.

Focus most of your energy, however, on the ones who have already decided they want an attorney and are looking for the right one.

The Attorney Marketing Formula shows you how to get more clients. Click here for details.

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How to invoke the law of reciprocity to get more clients and more referrals

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A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I had a termite inspection. Just routine. It had been awhile and it was time. We got the all clear once again, and once again there was no charge for the inspection.

However, we now have a pest control maintenance contract with this company and told our previous company adios.

We had been with the other company for 15 years and we were satisfied with their work. They showed up when they were supposed to and were reasonably polite. They always called the day before, to remind us they were coming and to ask if there were any problems they needed to address.

So why did we switch?

No, it wasn’t price. Our previous company had never raised their rates and the new company actually charged a bit more (but was willing to match the first company).

Actually, there were two reasons.

The first reason we switched is that while we were satisfied with our first company, we were only satisfied. They didn’t do anything to tip the scale from satisfied to delighted.

Of course we didn’t realize what was missing until we had the new company come out. They were more organized. And cleaner. And more thorough. The man who came out was articulate and patiently explained everything. You could tell he wasn’t just doing his job, he really enjoyed what he did.

The first company was competent. The second company made us feel like they cared about having our business.

The second reason we switched? We’d had this company out twice and it was the same guy both times. Both times, there was no charge. And so when he offered the maintenance contract, the law of reciprocity kicked in and we took it.

The law of reciprocity says that when you give someone something, they have a psychological compulsion to reciprocate. Buy someone lunch, for example, and the next time you go out together they’ll pick up the check. It’s not politeness or friendship. It’s the law of reciprocity.

If you doubt this, the next time someone you know says good morning to you, don’t say anything in return. That awkward feeling you have is the law of reciprocity.

So, did we hire the new company out of guilt? In a way, yes. We had two free inspections and had never given them anything in return. We might have reciprocated by sending them referrals, but we liked what we saw and hired them.

When you offer a free consultation, your prospective client feels like they owe you. So, unless you give them a reason not to, they will be inclined to hire you. If they can’t or don’t need to hire you, they will be primed to send you referrals.

The same goes for anything you do for others. Send a lawyer friend a referral and they will probably send one to you. Give your newsletter subscribers helpful information and they will tell their friends to visit your website. Help a neighbor set up their new computer and they’ll be looking for ways they can return the favor.

The “Golden Rule” says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Now you know how it works.

The Attorney Marketing Formula shows you how to earn more than you ever thought possible.

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What’s wrong with this attorney’s newspaper ad?

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An attorney’s newspaper ad just appeared in our local paper. Take a look and tell me what you think.

Here’s the ad:

Law Offices of
ATTORNEY’S NAME

7 lines of information about the attorney’s (30 years) civil and criminal trial experience and his recent move to our area.

“For more information regarding the law in your specific case, please contact my office for a free consultation by phone or at my office.”

Law Offices of
ATTORNEY’S NAME
ADDRESS
ADDRESS
TELEPHONE and FACSIMILE
E-Mail

The ad includes the attorney’s head shot.

So, what do you think? What’s good? What’s bad? What’s missing?

Let’s start with the good.

He does present an OFFER (Free Consultation) and a CALL TO ACTION (“Call my office”).

That’s good.

He could improve his offer by telling the reader the benefits of the consultation (i.e., “Find out your rights and options, so you know what to do. . . get all your questions answered,” and so on). He should also let them know that there is no cost (yes, even though it is a “Free Consultation,” tell them again) and no obligation.

He could improve the call to action by writing his phone number BIG AND BOLD in the same sentence. “Call my office at [phone]. . .”. Even though it is spelled out below in his contact information. Don’t make people look for it.

He mentions his experience and that’s good. Including his photo is also good for this type of ad.

Now, what about the bad.

There are two things missing from this ad and they are big. Really big.

First, the headline. Or rather, the lack thereof.

You can’t use your name for a headline. Well, you can, but it’s a mistake. Why? Because unless you are famous and your name is something that people will recognize and be drawn to, your ad isn’t going to catch anyone’s attention.

Nobody cares about you. They’re busy and have their own problems and lives to lead. They’re not going to notice your ad.

Okay, some people will notice it. The ones who read the paper cover to cover every week will probably glimpse at the ad because it’s new. But most people won’t. More importantly, most of the people who need a lawyer won’t. And if they don’t notice the ad, they won’t read it and if they don’t read it, they’re not going to call.

What should be in the headline? Well, the attorney does civil and criminal litigation, so how about something that speaks to people who have been sued or arrested and don’t know what to do.

Like this:

Sued? Arrested? Find out your legal rights and options–FREE!

Okay, not brilliant, but can you see how this identifies the people this attorney is targeting? And promises a benefit?

If you’ve been sued or arrested and you’re turning pages in this newspaper, a headline like this is going to flag you down. It says, “Hey, you there with the big hairy legal problem, here’s something good for you.”

Because your lawsuit or arrest is very much on your mind right now, you stop turning pages and look at the ad.

The headline did it’s job. It got your attention and promised a benefit. So now you read the first line of the body copy. If that grabs you and promises a benefit, you keep reading. Then you see the offer for a free consultation and you might call.

Without a headline, it doesn’t matter how compelling the body copy or how great the offer because nobody will see them because they never stopped to read the ad.

Your ad is only as good as your headline.

Okay, what else is missing? Take another look and see if you can spot it.

Of course. No website.

Not having a website is unacceptable today. Guaranteed disqualification in the eyes of many prospective clients. Why? Because all they have to go on is a few self-serving words in an ad. No proof. No details. No reason to trust.

There’s no helpful information that might begin to answer their questions. The only way to get more information is to call.

If you are the only attorney in town, they would have no choice. But you’re not. A quick visit to Uncle Google or Auntie Bing reveals that there are hundreds of attorneys who do what you do, right here in my area code. And they have websites. I can go read all about my problem and their solutions, and find out things I want to know before I call.

So, prospects see your ad without a website and either (a) cross you off the list because you are a dinosaur, or (b) go online to search your name and, finding nothing, cross you off the list.

In other words, the only ones who might call are fellow dinosaurs, a species that is quickly dying out.

Actually, there are two additional clues in the ad that this attorney is living in a different century. They are both in his contact info.

The first is the word “Facsimile”. Go ask your 25 year old neighbor if he even knows what that word means.

The second is the attorney’s email address, which I didn’t include. It’s hisnamelaw@netscape.net. Yes, Netscape. Didn’t they help Al Gore start the Internet?

Obviously, the attorney doesn’t realize how antiquated this makes him look. Somebody should send him a telegram and let him know.

Marketing for 21st century attorneys. Click here to upgrade.

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I’m sorry, I don’t have time for time management

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So you’ve got a big list of things you need to do. You need to decide what to do first and how much time to give it. That way, you can better manage your time.

It’s called prioritizing: figuring out what’s most valuable and important and doing that first (or most).

Got it.

But how do you decide what is most important? Do you “gut feel” it? Or do you use some kind of system where you examine each task, one by one, and give it a grade of some sort, where A is more important than B, which is more important than C?

Harvard Business Review (via Lifehack) recommends the latter:

Break down activities you do into three categories: invest, neutral, or optimize. “Investment” pursuits are areas where more time and a higher quality of work lead to an exponential payoff, such as strategic planning. Aim for A-level work here. In “neutral” activities, more time spent doesn’t necessarily mean a significantly higher return. Attending project meetings is a good example. You don’t need to excel; a B is fine. “Optimize” duties are those where additional time leads to no added value and keeps you from doing other, more valuable activities. The faster you get these tasks done, the better.

Okay, let’s try it.

Today, I have two “most important tasks” (“MITs”) to get done. One is this blog post. The other is to finish writing the last section of the new course I’m working on.

If I follow the Harvard approach, today’s blog post would probably be in the category of Neutral, meaning it’s probably not worth putting in (a lot) more time to make it even better than it already is.

Finishing the course would probably fall into the Investment category because a paid product is judged at a higher standard and because there is a much higher payoff to me than a single blog post.

But here’s the thing. I already knew this. I already knew the relative importance of these two tasks, without spending any time thinking about it or assigning a label. How did I know? I just did.

But here’s the other thing. I need to do both of them today, albeit for different reasons. The blog post needs to get done because I have committed to doing a blog post every week day. The other project needs to get done because, well, I want to get it done and I decided that today would be the day.

I chose my MITs for the day by instinct or whatever you want to call it, and I didn’t have to spend time analyzing and labeling.

The third category is “Optimize,” which basically means “not very important so get them done quickly”. Sure, I’ve got a bunch of those, too. I probably won’t do most of them today and that’s okay. They’re not that important. But when I’m done with this post and done with the course (or done for the day in case I don’t finish), I may do one or two of these less important tasks. Or I may not. Hey, it’s Friday.

My point is that sometimes, the things we do in the name of time management take up more time than they’re worth. Analyzing, labeling, sorting, deciding–sometimes, we spend so much time working the system (and playing with apps), we don’t have time to get anything done.

If what you’re doing now isn’t working, you should explore and tinker and find something that does. But if your system is working, don’t change it.

Even if that system is nothing more than trusting your gut.

I use Evernote to manage my tasks and projects. See my Evernote for Lawyers ebook here.

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Choosing the right color for your website

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As soon as I saw this infographic on The Psychology of Color in Marketing, I sent the link to the graphic artist who did the cover for the course I have coming out shortly. I told him, “I think we made the right choice”.

You can tell me if you agree when I release it in a couple of weeks.

Anyway, I’m saving the infographic (into Evernote, of course), because it has some very interesting statistics and factoids about color, things I would never had known.

Yes, I knew that restaurants like to use red because it is thought to stimulate appetitive and red is also used to stimulate urgency (think “Red Tag Sale”), but I didn’t know much else.

If you’re planning to update your website or other graphic, consider the psychological effect of different colors before you make your final decision. Of course you could go a neutral palate like I have on my site, shades of gray and white, but I don’t know what it means psychologically. Maybe I’ll drop a line to Apple and see what they can tell me.

Marketing is easy. When you know The Formula.

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4 reasons you should run a contest or drawing

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You don’t see too many attorneys running contests. That’s one reason why you should. You don’t want to be like every other attorney, do you? I’ll answer for you: no you don’t.

You want to stand out. Be different.

No, a contest or drawing doesn’t demonstrate fundamental differences that prove your superior abilities or experience. But anything you can do to look different in a positive way is a good thing.

Besides, contests are fun and everyone likes to have fun.

Here are four reasons you should consider running a contest or drawing:

  1. It’s news. It gives you a great excuse to connect or reconnect with clients and prospects in a fun and positive way. You could see some repeat business and referrals as a result.
  2. It gets people engaged. They have to do something to enter the drawing or contest. That makes them more likely to do something else you ask them to do, like promoting your webinar or forwarding your new report.
  3. It makes you more likable. People like people who are positive and like to have fun. Attorneys are known for being stodgy and serious. Not you!
  4. Results. If the contest requires participants to Like or Tweet your page, for example, your traffic and email list will grow. But even if Liking or Tweeting isn’t required, many will tell their friends and followers about your contest and encourage them to enter, especially when you tell them to “invite your friends”.

If you’re thinking a contest is unprofessional or inappropriate for your market, think again. There’s always a way to do it in an acceptable (and ethical) way. If you’re still not sure, do a tie in with a charity or cause you support. For example, ask participants to Like or Tweet on behalf of your local dog shelter or blood drive. Or, “anyone who donates $5 or more (send your receipt to me) will get a free (one of your services)”.

The easiest way get started is to use a template. Pay attention to the contests and drawings you encounter online and in your email. You’re bound to find one or two you can adapt to create your own.

Marketing is easy. Start here.

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