Clients won’t hire you until this happens

November 5, 2018 by
Share

Last week, I talked about why you shouldn’t worry about repeating yourself in your newsletter or blog. I pointed out that new people continually join your list or visit your blog and haven’t seen what you wrote before. I said you might talk about the same subject but use different (and more compelling) arguments or examples.

An astute reader, (thanks, Michael), reminded me that I neglected to mention one of the most important reasons, that when a reader hears your message the first time, they may not be ready to hear it, or ready to take action.

Clients won’t hire you until they’re ready. And there are a lot of reasons why they might not be ready the first time you talk about a subject.

They may not understand what you said the first time they read it or realize that it applies to them.

They may not trust you yet or understand how you can help them solve their problem. They may be in denial about the risks they are facing and need to hear more information.

They may think they can’t afford to hire you and need the problem to worsen before they’re willing to take the next step. They may need time to “find” the money and hearing your message again might be just the impetus they need to do it.

There are many reasons why someone might not be ready, willing, or able to hire you when they read your message the first time or the 21st time.

That assumes they actually received and read your previous message(s), something that may or may not be true.

Stay in touch with your clients and prospects and don’t worry about repeating yourself. Repeating yourself may be exactly what you need to do because clients won’t hire you (again) until they’re ready and they aren’t ready until they’re ready.

How to bring in more business with a newsletter or blog

Share
Filed Under: Blogging, Email, Newsletters

Sprint and grow rich

November 2, 2018 by
Share

How many emails do you typically get in a day? And how much time do you spend processing them and responding?

My guess: too many emails and too much time. Time that could be spent doing more important things.

And then there’s the time we spend checking our inbox, to see what’s new. I just learned that the average is 88 times per day. Yikes.

We’re drawn to the inbox because we know it might contain something urgent or threatening, or, at the other end of the spectrum, something pleasurable or distracting.

We’re addicted to checking.

The problem is that each time we check our inbox, we lose time switching from the task we were doing before to the email and then back again. How much time? Up to twenty minutes. Yikes.

Now you know why an entire day can go by and you feel like you got nothing done.

No doubt you’ve heard about the habit of checking email just once or twice a day, at pre-determined times. That can help. When you check, make sure you have the time and energy to deal with what’s come in.

Consider doing an “email sprint”. Set a timer for 15 or 20 minutes, get through as many emails as possible, and stop. That should leave you time to work on anything that’s urgent or important.

Oh yeah, you should probably do the same thing with social media. Just saying.

How about a referral sprint?

Share
Filed Under: Productivity, Time Management

If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you 100 times

November 1, 2018 by
Share

I used to make an effort to avoid repeating myself in my newsletter and blog. In fact, I once set up a “reverse editorial calendar” to record topics and the dates of each post.

Not anymore.

Aside from the fact that it’s too much work for my sorry azz, it isn’t necessary. It’s okay to repeat yourself.

In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve written about this very topic before. Maybe more than once. No doubt I’ll do it again.

Here’s why I don’t worry about repeating myself, and why you shouldn’t, either:

  • Every day, new people join your list and, to them, the topic is new
  • Most subscribers don’t remember seeing the topic before, or if they do, they don’t remember the details.
  • You might make the same point but cite different facts, arguments or examples.
  • You might update something you said before, providing new results, additional information or feedback from others
  • If you’re like me (and you are), you change your mind about things, so update away.
  • Some ideas are important enough that they bear repeating.
  • Some ideas are important enough that they bear repeating. See?

Anyway, if you ask me, you shouldn’t worry about what you did yesterday, last month, or last year. Write what’s on your mind today and you’ll be just fine.

Need more ideas for blog posts and emails? This will help

Share
Filed Under: Blogging, Email, Newsletters

Could you write an email like this?

October 31, 2018 by
Share

I just got off the phone with a young married couple who is having their first child. Josh works in tech sales. Karen does bookkeeping for a company that owns several restaurants. They were referred to me by a financial planner I know from my networking group.

They wanted to get their wills done and see if they could benefit from estate planning strategies they’d heard about from some friends.

We scheduled an appointment and I sent them to a page on my website to fill out a simple questionnaire. I also sent them information about some of the options we would discuss.

If you have questions about your estate planning options, go to [this page]. And, if you would like to talk to me about your situation or make an appointment, give me a call at [number].

— — —
No matter what your practice area, tell your newsletter readers about one of your new clients. Or tell them about an interesting case you have had in the past.

Let them see that people like them, with issues like theirs, are hiring you to help them. It reminds them about what you do and how you can help them.

Let them know that those clients were referred to you, by a client or a fellow professional. It shows them that other people trust you and look to you to help their friends and clients.

Let them know they can get information about their legal issue and your services on your website. And let them know they can call you to talk or to make an appointment.

You can add more if you want to.

You could tell them a few details about the issues in the case and what you did about them. You could add a question or two the client asked you and your answers. You could quote the client at the end of the case, expressing relief or praising you.

Let people hear what you do and how you can help them and more people will hire you. It doesn’t get any simpler than that.

How to start an email newsletter

Share
Filed Under: Email, Marketing legal services, Newsletters

What successful people do with their time

October 30, 2018 by
Share

I just read an article about time and how we use it. “Unsuccessful people spend time,” the author said. “Successful people invest time.

“Spending time means consuming it by watching TV, playing games, hanging out with friends. That much is clear. What is not as clear, and wasn’t addressed by the author, is the idea that we also consume time when we do our work.

Meeting with clients, drafting documents, arguing motions, and everything else that defines being a practicing lawyer consumes time. Yes, we earn income when we do that but, by and large, that’s all we earn. It’s an equal exchange–our time (and work product) for money.

Investing time is different.

Investing time means doing things that can provide a bigger return relative to the time invested. Building relationships with influential people is a good example.

What is the value to you of a new referral source or business contact who provides information or leads, sends traffic to your website or introduces you to influential leaders?

Incalculable.

Investing time also means doing activities that build key skills and knowledge. Improving trial skills, speaking skills, networking skills, and sales skills, for example, can provide you with value far beyond the time you invest in acquiring those skills.

But it’s not just the increased value we derive by investing in people and skills. It’s that the value we get compounds.

One relationship leads to two. Two leads to ten. Improved marketing skills bring you new clients, repeat clients, and higher paying clients. It can quadruple your income in a short period of time, as it did for me.

How much of your valuable time do you spend each week? How much do you invest?

The answer will predict your future.

How much time do you invest in learning how to bring in more referrals?

Share
Filed Under: Personal development, success

Ten ways to get more done in less time

October 29, 2018 by
Share

If you could get eight hours of work done in six hours, you would have two more hours to do billable work.

Or you could go home early.

Either way, working faster is your friend.

There are many strategies for getting things done in less time. Here are some of my favorites.

  1. Single-task. Doing one thing at a time allows you to get things done faster because you’re able to focus and work at a deeper level. You’re also not wasting time “task switching”.
  2. Time-block. Scheduling blocks of time on your calendar to work on important tasks or groups of tasks forces you to work on those tasks.
  3. Shorter deadlines. Parkinson’s Law says, “Work expands to fill the time available for its completion,” which means you can usually get things done in less time simply by allotting less time to complete them.
  4. Do your most important tasks first. Get your most important or difficult tasks done when your energy is highest. You’ll be better able to concentrate and work faster.
  5. Plan your day in advance. At the start of the day, or even better, the night before, plan your day so you know what you’re going to do and can move from task to task without having to figure out what to do next.
  6. Divide big tasks into smaller sub-tasks. You’ll procrastinate less when you “only” have to do something that takes a few minutes. You’ll also get a dopamine fix each time you complete a sub-task and check it off your list, making it more likely that you will continue working until you’re done.
  7. Eliminate bottlenecks. Examine all the steps and identify those that slow you down or send you off on tangents. Fix these by finding alternative methods or delegating those steps to others.
  8. Gamify your tasks. Promise yourself a reward for achieving important milestones–making twenty calls, working for twenty minutes, or completing 2000 words, for example.
  9. Take breaks. When you’re “on a roll” (“in a state of flow”), keep going. Lose yourself in the activity. Otherwise, to avoid mental burnout, take a five-minute break every half hour or so. Clear your mind, stretch your legs, and hydrate, before you go back at it.
  10. Done is better than perfect. Give yourself permission to do a “bad” first draft or first iteration. You will often find that its “good enough” and if it isn’t, you’ll have time to fix it. It’s easier to fix something that’s done than to do something from scratch.

Okay, one more: Dictation.

When I was practicing and had staff, I dictated and recorded my work product and had someone else type it. Today, I often use text-to-speech software to get first drafts done in a fraction of the time.

How about you? What are your favorite ways to work faster?

Share
Filed Under: Productivity

Too much or not enough?

October 26, 2018 by
Share

Most lawyers present prospective clients with a single option: hire me to do “x” [or don’t].

The problem is, if they don’t want “X” or think it’s too expensive, they have nowhere to go but out the door. If you give them two or three options instead of one, you increase the odds of getting hired.

Right?

Maybe. If you’re not careful, giving them too many options, or the wrong options, can lead to the same result.

Too many options can lead to confusion and indecision. They need to think about it (but don’t). They need to discuss it with someone (who is equally indecisive).

So they do nothing. Or find a lawyer who offers something simpler.

I’m not saying you should stick with one option. Sometimes, that’s the right choice. Sometimes, it’s not.

How do you decide?

There are many factors to consider: the legal issue, deadlines, the stakes, the client’s experience, their budget, how many other attorneys they’ve talked to (or hired before), and more.

It also depends on the quality of your marketing documents and salesmanship.

Most lawyers take the “safe” route. They look at what other lawyers do and copy them. If they all offer one option, they do too.

Some lawyers look at what other lawyers are doing and do the opposite. The masses are almost always wrong, they believe, and even if they’re right, being different is the essence of differentiation.

The smartest bears in the woods admit they don’t know and try different approaches. They offer different groups of prospective clients different options or they offer all clients one option for six months and a different set of options for six months and see what works better.

They might have different packages or price points for clients with different budgets, for new clients (to get them in the door) and returning clients, and for clients in different markets. They also have something to offer to prospective clients who balk at the first option.

They track their numbers and that’s how they know.

What’s that? You want a simpler answer? “Just tell me what to do!”

I just did.

This will help 

Share
Filed Under: Law office management, Marketing legal services

You will always have competition and that’s good

October 25, 2018 by
Share

Are you concerned that there too many attorneys in your market? Don’t be. As long as there is demand for the legal work you perform, it doesn’t matter how many other attorneys there are competing for it.

The reason? Clients buy you before they buy your services, and you are unique. Build relationships with prospective clients and referral sources and you will effectively have no competition.

But hold on. Having competition is good.

It’s good because the existence of competition proves the existence of demand. If the work wasn’t there, the other attorneys would find something else to do.

Having competition is also good because it forces you to find ways to differentiate yourself. When you do, marketing is easier and more effective because you are able to show your market an advantage to choosing you.

Your competitors can also provide a fertile source of ideas. Follow them on social, subscribe to their newsletters, study their ads and blog posts, and discover what they’re doing that you can do better or differently, or discover market segments they have overlooked.

Meet your competition and get to know them. Find out what they need and how you can help them. They can become a source of referrals (conflicts, clients that are too big or too small, etc.) for both of you. And, if you find yourself on the opposite sides of a case, your relationship might help you reach a better resolution.

Don’t worry about the competition. Embrace it.

How to get referrals from your competition

Share
Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Referrals

Why you didn’t win $1.6 billion in the lottery

October 24, 2018 by
Share

You have a goal. You want to earn $100,000 per month. You phrase the goal in the present tense, as though it has already occurred. “I’m earning a net income of $100,000 per month from my law practice.”

You state your goal as an affirmation. You repeat it often, with feeling, and imagine yourself earning that income.

Since “your subconscious mind can’t tell the difference between what is real and what is imagined,” it will help you achieve your goal, right?

Not so fast.

It’s true that the subconscious mind can’t tell the difference between real and imagined thoughts. It is like a child; it accepts whatever it is told and acts on it, without question.

Many experiments have proven this.

In one experiment, a high school basketball team was asked to shoot free throws and their results were recorded. The team was then divided into two groups. One group practiced shooting free throws; the other group didn’t practice but spent the time imagining themselves shooting (and making) free throws.

After a few weeks, the two groups were tested again. The group that practiced improved their free throw percentages by 28%. The second group, the one that didn’t actually practice, improved their free throw percentage by 25%.

So, why can’t you achieve your earning goal by imagining it?

Because you know it’s not true.

And every time you imagine it or state it as an affirmation, you’re affirming that it isn’t true. You keep reminding your inner child that you’re not earning $100,000 per month, ensuring that you continue to not earn $100,000 per month.

When you focus on what you don’t have, you get more of “not having” it.

The answer is to imagine and affirm something that is either true or believable and consistent with achieving the goal.

Instead of affirming that you’re earning $100k per month, for example, affirm that you are “investing 15 minutes a day to learn how to get better at marketing”.

If that’s true, your subconscious mind will help you get better at marketing. Later, you can choose another affirmation that will help you take things to the next level.

On the other hand, someone just won $1.6 billion and probably didn’t believe it was possible. So what the hell do I know?

 

Share
Filed Under: Goal Setting Tagged With:

Stop kidding yourself

October 23, 2018 by
Share

I can’t tell you how many attorneys, having heard something I said or wrote, tell me, “I didn’t go to law school to become a salesperson,” or “I’m not good at sales.”

No, you’re not a salesperson. But you do sell your services. And, if you have any clients and get any referrals, you’re pretty good at it.

You speak to a prospective client and convince them (or allow them to convince themselves) to hire you. You speak on stage and convince people to make an appointment. You meet with a fellow professional, show them how you can help his or her clients, and eventually, persuade them (or allow them to persuade themselves) to send you referrals.

A while back, a subscriber (thanks, Tom) sent me this quote: “Pick your butt out of your chair thinking that a forty hour week is going to do it. Yep, forty at the machine, but forty more out in the field hustling and bending elbows with prospects and satisfied customers egging them on to give you referrals.”

The author was Frank Lloyd Wright.

Architects need to sell their services and so do attorneys.

How to get your clients to send you more referrals

Share
Filed Under: Marketing legal services
« Previous Page
Next Page »