David M. Ward, Author at The Attorney Marketing Center

My desk was clean and now it’s cleaner

November 20, 2020 by David M. Ward

I like a clean desk (and computer desktop). I find it easier to focus when the only thing in front of me is whatever I’m working on. I also like the aesthetic of a clean workspace. The lack of clutter has a calming affect on me and I work better that way.

Up until recently, the only things on my desk were the monitor (attached to an arm so it can be moved out of the way), 2 small speakers, a microphone (attached to an arm clamped to the side of the desk), my keyboard and mouse, and a large pad under the keyboard and mouse. I have a pair of headphones hanging from from the side of the desk.

A few days ago, I was looking at the green power light on one of the speakers when I realized that I rarely use those puppies. I almost always use headphones, for a more immerse experience. Well, as quickly as you can say, “Objection, your honor,” I unplugged the speakers and removed them.

Better.

Everyone has their own thang. That’s (one of) mine.

What’s my point? I have two, actually.

The first point is to suggest you unclutter your desktop if it isn’t already. Try going Spartan for a week or so and see how it feels.

You may prefer a modicum of clutter (or a mountain, thereof) and that’s okay, too. But at least give “lean and clean” a try.

But that’s not my main point.

My main point is to prove to you that when it’s time to write your newsletter or blog and you don’t know what to write about, don’t worry–you can write about anything.

Like I just did.

What to write about in your newsletter or blog

Filed Under: Blogging, Email, Productivity

Send this email to all of your clients

November 19, 2020 by David M. Ward

Your clients (and prospects) have other legal needs besides the ones you handle. They need a divorce and you only handle bankruptcy. The want to start a business and you only do estate planning.

Some of your clients know they can ask you for a referral, and some will, but many don’t know and won’t ask.

Tell your clients (train them) to come to you for ALL of their legal needs.

Why?

So you can introduce them to good attorneys, sparing them the time and effort of searching and the risk of making a bad choice.

And so you can help attorneys you know by sending them referrals, setting the stage for them to reciprocate.

Send your list an email reminding them that you only handle [your practice area(s)], you know they may have other legal needs or questions and you want to help them.

Tell them you know a lot of attorneys with experience in other practice areas.

Tell them to call you, in confidence, about their legal matter or question, so you can refer them to a good attorney.

Put this email into your autoresponder or calendar to send a few times per year.

What if you don’t know an attorney who handles what your client needs? That’s your cue to find someone and thus expand your referral network.

You can do the same thing with other professionals. Businesses, too.

My course, Lawyer-to-Lawyer Referrals, shows you everything you need to know.

Filed Under: Referrals

I’m ready for my closeup, Mr. Demille

November 18, 2020 by David M. Ward

“Zoom Gloom” is causing a dramatic rise in plastic surgery. People are getting face lifts, Botox treatments, and other procedures, because they don’t like the way they look on camera.

“Noses and wrinkles seem to be the most common complaints generated by this phenomenon, which the experts have dubbed ‘Zoom Dysmorphia'”

Hey, I’m not crazy about seeing myself on camera, but aren’t there other things we can do besides surgery?

Many articles and videos show how to position our camera and adjust our lighting for a more flattering look. The right lighting can hide wrinkles and blemishes and even out skin tones.

A better camera might help.

More ideas:

Makeup that suits your skin tones, especially under harsh light
A different hair cut, style, or color
A tan
Teeth whitening
Losing weight (or gaining it) as appropriate
Different eye glass frames
Different clothing (style, color)
Drinking more water (just not before you go live!)

For many of us, just getting more sleep can make a big difference.

We all want to look our best. These are some thoughts about how to do that without going under the knife or needle.

By the way, if you haven’t seen Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard, here’s the infamous scene. If you’d like a good laugh, check out one of Carol Burnett’s Nora Desmond parodies.

Filed Under: Image Tagged With: Zoom

What will you do with the time you save?

November 17, 2020 by David M. Ward

Seth Godin asks, “What will do with the time you save?”

It’s a good question.

We read books and articles about productivity, buy courses, download apps, adopt new strategies, and tweak what we’re already doing, in an endless quest to get more done in less time.

But why?

Why do you want to save time? What will you do with it?

Would you go home (shut down) earlier? Start a side business? Write a book?

Would you read more? Exercise more? Sleep more?

Would you work on improving your skills? Spend more time with your family? Indulge in more “me time”?

Or, would you simply do more billable work?

The answer, of course, depends on what’s important to you–what you want to accomplish and the lifestyle you want to create or maintain.

But you could be wrong about what you want, or change your mind.

You might start doing more billable work and find that you only have so much energy each day and the quality of your work starts to suffer.

Or, you might use the time you save by working a shorter day, only to find that you’re bored.

You could try to figure out what you would do in advance, so you have a goal to work towards, or you could save the time first and then decide what to do with it.

It’s nice to have options. And to know there’s a purpose behind all the time you spend figuring out how to save time.

Filed Under: Productivity

3 Ridiculously Simple Ways to Get More Referrals

November 16, 2020 by David M. Ward

There are many ways to get more referrals. Here are 3 simple, “set-it-and-forget it” ways to do it.

1) Let your correspondence do the talking for you

Every email, cover letter, or invoice you send to your clients is an opportunity to remind them to send business. Add a prompt to the bottom of the document or to your email signature to do that.

Some examples:

“We appreciate your referrals”
“If you know someone with a legal issue or question, please have them call our office at xxx-xxx-xxxx and ask for me.”
“We offer free consultations. No obligation, no pressure. If you know someone who might need to talk to an attorney, please have them call me at xxx-xxx-xxxx”.
“If you know someone who might have a legal issue, please forward my contact information to them.”
“When you refer a friend or business contact to us, please tell them to mention your name, so we know who to thank”

2) Let your website do the talking for you

Add prompts like the ones above to the footer of each page of your website, at the bottom of each blog post, on subscription “thank you” pages, and on your website’s contact form. The contact form could also prompt the visitor to supply additional information about the referral or to request that you send them a brochure, report, checklist or other information.

3) Let your marketing materials work harder for you

Your marketing materials have a dual purpose. To get the recipient to understand what you do and how you can help them, and to prompt them to provide referrals. So, make sure you add a referral prompt to each document, handout, or download.

Include your contact information and a simple “Referred by________________” so your clients and prospects will be reminded to hand these out or forward them to people who might need your help.

Adding referral prompt to your website, emails, invoices, and other documents, provides a cumulative benefit. Each time a client or prospect sees one of these prompts, they are reminded that referrals are commonly provided to your office, making it more likely that they will eventually make them.

For more ways to get referrals from your clients, get Maximum Referrals

Filed Under: Referrals

You already said that

November 13, 2020 by David M. Ward

In one of his newsletters, legendary copywriter Gary Halbert tells a story about a reader who urged him to re-read a newsletter he’d written nearly a decade earlier. When he did, he found that the earlier newsletter was “almost word-for-word the same” as his latest.

Oops? Not at all. Halbert said, “. . .what I wrote almost ten years ago is as accurate and important todayâ€¦ asâ€¦ it was back then.”

He added:

“It Is More Important To Be Reminded Of “Core Fundamentals” Than To Be Dazzled With Some New Piece Of Contemporary Creativity!”

For those of us who write newsletters and blogs and other content, the takeaway is clear. It’s okay to say things you’ve said before.

In fact, it’s a good thing. Here’s why:

You continually have new subscribers and followers, reading you for the first time.
Most people don’t read everything you write.
Most people don’t remember what you said before.
Some people may not have needed to hear your message before but very much need to hear it now.
You may repeat the basic points but use a different headline, lead, examples, stories, or quotes. You may say it more persuasively or make it more memorable.
Some people need to hear it again (and again) before they’re willing to do something about it.

If what you say is important, if you’re writing about “core fundamentals,” the best thing you can do for your readers is to write about it often.

So don’t worry about repeating yourself. Say what you want to say, as often as you want to say it. (Just don’t make it boring.)

And, on those days when you can’t think of anything to write about, find something you wrote about before and write about it again.

The core fundamentals of a lawyer’s newsletter

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Newsletters, Writing

The biggest sin in marketing legal services

November 12, 2020 by David M. Ward

There are a lot of ways to go wrong in your marketing. Here are just a few:

Wasting time or money on strategies that aren’t working
Shotgun marketing: trying to sell everything, e.g., all of your services, to everyone at the same time
Not pre-qualifying prospective clients
Chasing instead of attracting
Not using a “call-to-action” (telling prospects what to do)
Not differentiating yourself from other lawyers
Not following up with prospects
Not building a list
Not staying in touch with former clients

These can all cost you clients and hurt your bottom line.

The biggest sin in marketing, however, is being boring.

People won’t read boring articles. They won’t watch boring videos or listen to boring podcasts. They won’t follow boring people on social media.

You might get your marketing message in front of a lot of people who need your help or who can refer people who do, and get nowhere because they never read or relate to your message.

If you want people to hire you or build a relationship with you, you’ve got to get and keep their interest.

Fortunately, this isn’t difficult to do.

It starts with researching the people you want to attract.

Study their market or industry, their problems and desires, so you can show them you understand them and what they want or need, and are uniquely qualified to help them get it.

How to research your target market and ideal client

Filed Under: Communication, Content creation, Marketing legal services

Targeting newbies

November 11, 2020 by David M. Ward

As you refine the definition of your target market and ideal client, consider giving some attention to newbies:

Startups
Recently married
Recently graduated
New parents
New drivers
New in town
New empty nesters
First time home buyers

And so on.

3 reasons:

(1) Less competition

Many lawyers tend to seek out established businesses and people with lots of money. Newbies may not be able to pay top dollar but they are likely be an easier sale.

(2) Long-term allegiance

If you brush your teeth with a certain brand of toothpaste early in life, the odds are you’ll still buy that brand many years later. Similarly, when a client hires a lawyer, they tend to stick with that lawyer.

As their business grows or they upgrade their lifestyle, your practice can grow with them.

(3) Referrals

Newbies tend to associate with other newbies and can introduce them to you.

In the right hands, the newbie market can be extremely lucrative. Many businesses and professionals target newbies for the same reasons.

A furniture retailer may buy lists of new home buyers, for example. A Realtor may buy lists of newly married or newly divorced.

You can buy (rent) those kinds of lists, too, or run ads targeting the same markets.

You can also network with business owners and professionals who buy lists or advertise and get their referrals and/or promote each other’s business.

For more on choosing your target market, get The Formula

Filed Under: Marketing legal services

Important questions to ask every new client

November 10, 2020 by David M. Ward

You’re hired. A new client has signed up and paid you and you’re ready to get to work. Before you do, you should ask them a few questions.

You probably ask, “How did you find me?” as a matter of routine. Make sure you also ask follow-up questions to get the details.

If they were referred, ask what they said to or asked the referring party, and what the referring party told them about you.

If they saw an ad, ask where they saw it, how many times they saw it before they responded, and what persuaded them to (finally) respond.

If they found your site via search, what keywords or questions did they use? What article or post on your site convinced them to call or fill out the contact form?

If they’re on your email list or follow you on social media, was there something you said that prompted them to take the next step?

If they heard you speak, read an article you wrote, or read an article about you, ask where they saw this and what impressed them the most.

Get the details. You can use this information to improve your marketing.

Yes?

But you’re not done. There’s one more question to ask the new client and it might be the most important of all.

Ask, “Why did you choose me?”

Many clients considered other lawyers before they chose you. Find out what it was about you that tipped the scale in your favor.

Was it something about your background or experience? Something on your website? A review on a third-party site?

Was it how you treated them when they called? Something you or staff said that gave them hope?

Was it how you explained their risks and options? A story you told? Was it that you weren’t pushy?

Have them fill out a questionnaire and/or ask about these things when you talk. This kind of feedback is marketing gold.

Get more referrals by telling your clients what to tell others about you. Here’s how

Filed Under: Marketing legal services

Do your clients like you?

November 9, 2020 by David M. Ward

The prevailing wisdom is that, “all things being equal, clients prefer to hire lawyers they know, like and trust.”

How do they know they’ll like a particular lawyer before they hire them?

They read reviews and testimonials that attest to the lawyer being “nice” or having a great personality or going out of their way to help them.

They get feedback from someone who referred said lawyer.

Or they size up the lawyer when they meet them networking, via a free consultation or by hearing them speak.

Sometimes, a client doesn’t do their homework, or is fooled by what others say, and they hire someone they don’t like. Or they get along with the lawyer in the beginning and something happens to change things.

They may stick with the lawyer out of convenience or because the lawyer is very good at their job, but. . . all things being equal, I’d rather have my clients like me, wouldn’t you?

There are things we can do to increase our likability. Becoming a better listener, for example, is a skill that can be learned and is an important factor in likability.

But sometimes, we tick all the boxes and some people still don’t like us.

It happens.

I’ve said things to clients I regretted saying, and apologized, but felt my words had tainted the relationship.

Sometimes, it’s just bad chemistry. Maybe you’re aggressive and they want someone who is gentle and understanding.

What can we do to improve our likability?

We can ask for feedback and conduct surveys, but clients may not be honest with us, or it might be too late.

We can ask our employees if they think the client is happy with us and if there’s anything we should work on, but they might be wrong.

We can self-assess. Think about our conversations with our clients, give ourselves a grade and make notes about ways to improve, but that might not be enough.

We can work ourselves. Read books and take courses on personal development and practice our interpersonal skills.

We should do all of these things, and more. We must be ever-vigilant and continually seek ways to keep our clients happy and make ourselves likable.

If we don’t, we’ll have to rely on our ability to consistently deliver good results and I don’t think any of us should take that for granted.

There are many ways to improve likability (and trustworthiness) detailed in The Attorney Marketing Formula.

Filed Under: Client relations, Personal development