David M. Ward, Author at The Attorney Marketing Center

A different kind of “done”

April 4, 2018 by David M. Ward

It feels good to check off a task on your list and mark it done. You’d like to be able to do that more often but you only have so much time and energy.

What if instead of waiting until you complete the task you mark it as done when you do ANY work on it?

Does that sound a little nutty?Â Hold on, Skippy. Let me ‘splain.

Marking a task as done doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to do. It simply means you’re done for now. If there’s more work to do, you can put it back on your list.

Huh? Why would you mark it as done and then put it back on the same list?

Because doing that will help you to get better at planning and actually finishing your work.

You stopped working on the task for a reason.Â You didn’t allow enough time, you needed more information, or something more important came up. Or maybe you ran out of gas and just didn’t feel like continuing. By understanding why you stopped, the next time you have a task like this you’ll be better prepared.

But that’s next time.

For now, if you’re not ready to continue working on something, check it off and move on to the next task on your list. When you’ve worked your way through everything on your list, look at the task you marked as done and if there’s more work to do, put it back on your list.

You might put it at the bottom of today’s list and do it later today. You might put it on tomorrow’s list. You might postpone it to another day. Or you might decide you don’t want to do it at all and spare yourself a lot of time and effort.

Is your website pulling in enough clients? Here’s what you need to do

Filed Under: Productivity, Time Management

Practice makes pregnant

April 3, 2018 by David M. Ward

I took drum lessons for several years. I loved playing but I didn’t love practicing. Maybe you can relate.

Our parents and teachers meant well when they told us that it was important to practice. Funny thing, they were right.

It’s called “spaced repetition”. It’s how we learn and how we improve our skills. You can’t expect to get good at anything without it.

“Practice makes perfect,” we were told. But when you’re a kid, especially a teenager, practice is the last thing you want to do. (Unless it’s the kind of thing that makes babies.)

And that’s why many of us no longer play the drums.

As adults, practice is also required. If you want to improve your writing, your oratory skills or anything else, you need to practice. As a kid, we could say, “I don’t want to” and often (eventually) get out of doing it. We can’t do that as professionals.

And yet many do. Nowhere is this more evident than with marketing.

Lawyers start networking, for example, and give up because they don’t like it or because they’re not getting results fast enough. They start a newsletter or a blog or a video channel and give up because it takes too much time.

If they stuck with it, they might find themselves getting good at it. With practice, it gets easier, takes less time, and brings enough results to make it all worthwhile.

They might even learn to like it.

The work is usually not that difficult. Boring, perhaps, outside our comfort zone, but not difficult. Practice a few minutes a day, keep doing it, and eventually, you can master just about anything.

What’s tough is getting our heads right and making the choice to not give up. Whatever it is you want to improve, tell yourself, “I will until” and keep at it until you do.

Want more clients? Practice the art of getting referrals

Filed Under: Personal development Tagged With: practice

The list’s (still) the thing

April 2, 2018 by David M. Ward

Many moons ago, I told you about the lists I kept for my boyhood coin collection. Yeah, the one I sold buy furniture and pay the first month’s rent on my first law office.

Anyway, I had two lists: one for “want” and one for “have”. I kept these in my wallet so that when I visited the Kennedy Coin Club in suburban Chicago, I would know which coins I needed for my collection and extras I had to trade or sell.

I’ve also written about the value of having lists for running your practice. These can be lists of steps, instructions or checklists, to make sure you don’t forget anything, or to train new employees or temps.

Examples:

File opening/closing procedures
Investigating/background checks
Drafting pleadings/discovery
Form letters/email templates
Experts/vendors (stenographers, investigators, arbitrators, mediators, interpreters, repairs, etc.)
Supplies: quantities, where to order
How to use software, apps, online services

How about for marketing:

Prospective clients
Bloggers/editors in your niche
Publications that accept guest posts
Organizations/groups where you can speak/network
Ideas for blog/social media posts/videos/articles
Social media posting schedule/process
Lawyers you know and what they do (for referrals)
Business owners/professionals who sell to your niche market

And a ho lot more.

We can’t be all work and no play (even if we’re not named Jack) so how about some personal lists:

Movies/books that interest you
Your bucket list
Packing checklist
Vacation ideas
Writing prompts
Health metrics (blood pressure, weight, etc.)
Exercise routines, workout schedule
Retirement planning
Investments
Debt reduction schedule/journal
Jokes/stories/quotes/
Recipes
Routines (weekly review, inbox zero, computer updates)

And the list goes on. And on and on.

You can keep lists of just about anything, as reminders, as a way to measure progress, or as a way to memorialize your journey.

You might start with a “list of lists”â€“ideas for lists that can make you healthier, more productive, or more profitable. Or lists that sound like fun.

(Lawyers are still allowed to have fun, aren’t we? Well, as long as there are no witnesses.)

I keep my lists in Evernote

Filed Under: Personal development, Productivity

A few questions to help you get what you want

March 30, 2018 by David M. Ward

Think of something you want to be, do, or have. Something that puts a smile on your face and makes you all tingly when you think about it.

Got it? Good. Let’s see if we can help you get it.

Start by answering a few questions:

Is it possible? If anyone has ever done it, the answer is yes.
Is it possible for you? Be honest. If you’re 50 years old and 5’2″, you’re not going to play in the NBA.
Is it possible for you right now? Do you have the money to buy it or do it? Do you have the skills, contacts, and experience to make it happen?
If you have what you need, why don’t you have what you want? What else do you need? More time? More practice? More help?
If it’s not possible for you right now, what has to happen first?

Look at the list of things that have to happen first. Everything you need to learn and do. Still want it or have you bitten off more than you can chew?

If you still want it and you’re willing to do what you need to do to get it, congratulations. You have a goal and a plan.

All you need now is get to work.

Get this if your goal is to get more referrals

Filed Under: Personal development, success

If not email, what? If not now, when?

March 29, 2018 by David M. Ward

You know that it’s much easier (and less expensive) to get a client to hire you again than to get a new client. You know that the number one reason people who can refer (or refer more often) don’t do it is that they “just didn’t think about it”. You know the value of staying in touch with prospective clients until they are ready to hire you.

So, what are you doing to stay in touch?

Regular mail is expensive. You can’t possibly call everyone on the phone, even if you wanted to. Social media is not the answer. A Christmas card once a year won’t get the job done.

Nothing personal, but my guess is that if you’re not using email to stay in touch with clients and contacts, you’re not staying in touch at all.

And that’s sad because it means you’re working too hard and spending too much to bring in business.

Email is cheap. It’s easy to use. And it’s the simplest way to remind people about what you do and how you can help them.

You don’t have to write every day, or even once a week.

You don’t have to write brilliant prose. A few hundred words about something you saw online, a client story, a smartphone app you like, and you’re golden.

C’mon, what do I talk about half the time? Nothing that’s going to wind up in the National Register, that’s for sure.

More important than what you say is that you say something often enough to remind people that you’re still around. So they call you instead of another attorney.

Two lawyers. One sends an email to his clients and contacts once or twice a month, the other never does. If that’s all you know about these two lawyers, which one do you think will get more repeat business and referrals?

I know, I tell you this a lot. Two reasons. First, many lawyers still don’t use email or use it enough, and I feel duty-bound to remind them. Second, it’s easy for me to do that because all I have to do is type a few words, click a few buttons, and within a few minutes, you’re reading it.

What a concept.

How to use email to make your phone ring

Filed Under: Email, Newsletters

My kingdom for a system

March 28, 2018 by David M. Ward

I have a system for doing the dishes.

First, I survey the kitchen to make sure I’ve got everything either in or next to the sink. There’s nothing worse than thinking you’re finished and finding you forgot a glass or two.

Next, I put the silverware in a pile in the sink. I get it out of the way so I can rinse the plates and glasses and load them in the dishwasher, which I do next.

Then, I rinse the silverware and put it in the dishwasher and add soap. Now I have room in the sink to do the big stuff (pots, platters, etc.), which I leave to dry in the washboard or in the sink.

Finally, I clean the countertop and stove.

This may sound obsessive to you but I think it’s logical. It allows me to get everything done as quickly as possible, or at least believe that it does.

Anyway, it works for me.

I have systems for a lot of things. I’m told that productive people do. But I don’t have (or don’t follow) systems for everything.

I check email much more frequently than experts say I should. I don’t always follow the “2-minute rule,” e.g., processing emails that take 2 minutes or less on the spot. Inbox zero: often but not always. Weekly review? Don’t ask.

I’m also inconsistent with writing projects. Sometimes I start with an outline, sometimes I just start. Sometimes I finish quickly, sometimes projects linger for months.

I believe in systems (or “routines” if you prefer). I know they save time, reduce effort, and help you focus on what’s important. And, when I follow a system, I like the hit of dopamine I get each time I (mentally) check off the next box.

So why don’t I have systems for more things? And for the systems I do have, why don’t I follow them consistently?

I don’t know. Because I’m a flawed human being? Or maybe because not everything is as simple as washing dishes.

Here’s my system for getting more referrals

Filed Under: Productivity Tagged With: systems

Stop getting ready and start getting busy

March 27, 2018 by David M. Ward

You have an idea. A project, a side business, a new career. At some point, you have to stop thinking, researching, and planning, and start doing.

Often, the more time you spend preparing, the harder it can be to start. Paralysis of analysis is a thing. You get caught up in trying to get your ducks in a row and thinking about everything that can go wrong and self-doubt sets in.

If you find the courage to do it anyway, you often find yourself easily spooked.Â Something goes wrong or is harder than you imagined and your brain starts cruising down “worst case scenario” lane.

Ignorance is bliss? Often so.

When I started my practice, I wasn’t ready. I had enough money to buy some furniture and pay a months rent but I was ill-equipped to manage a practice, let alone practice law.

I didn’t know anything about getting clients, hiring employees, billing, bookkeeping, insurance, CLE, and 101 other things that are part of the deal. I couldn’t think about those things; I thought I’d figure them out as I went along.

I also couldn’t think about possible problems. What if I run out of money? What if I mess up and get sued or the state bar comes calling? What if I hire someone and they mess up or rip me off? What if I can’t handle the work?

You can “what if” yourself until you don’t want to get out of bed.

So I didn’t know much or have much before I opened my own office, but I did have one thing that made the difference. Its something entrepreneur Shaun Rawls says all successful entrepreneurs have in common: “a high tolerance for ambiguity.”

I had that because I had to. I wanted the freedom of doing my own thing and I was willing to do what I thought I had to do to get it.

Whatever you’re contemplating, don’t overdo the thinking and planning. Stop getting ready and start.

Filed Under: Inspiration, success

High ticket vs. low ticket

March 26, 2018 by David M. Ward

When I started practicing, I took anything that showed up and what showed up was mostly small stuff. That was fine because I needed to settle cases quickly to pay my bills and smaller, less complicated cases made that possible.

Besides, I didn’t have the experience or resources to compete with bigger firms. So I didn’t try.

Focusing on smaller cases also meant that no one case or client was make or break. If I lost a case, if the client went away, I had plenty more where that came from.

For a long time, I was able to keep overhead to a minimum so my practice was profitable. Eventually, as I hired more staff and moved to bigger offices, overhead made a significant dent in the bottom line.

There is also psychic overhead. More clients mean more people to worry about, and more staff to manage.

So today, I would do things differently.

As soon as I could, I would move towards having fewer clients who pay higher fees.

Fewer clients mean lower overhead and fewer people to keep happy. Bigger clients mean bigger paydays.

To earn $300,000 with small clients you need a lot of them. To earn the same amount with bigger clients, you only need a handful.

One writer summed up the difference this way: “I’d rather have four quarters than 100 pennies”.

True, to compete with the big boys and gals you need to be one of them. You need a higher level of skill. That takes time to acquire.

And, with fewer clients, losing one could be costly so you need to work hard to keep them happy and have a way to replace them when they go away.

Both models work. High volume and high ticket are both viable ways to build a practice. And there’s nothing wrong with having a mix.

But while I could handle the tumult of a high volume practice when I was younger, today I like to keep things simple. And quiet.

Earn more. Work less. Here’s how

Filed Under: Increase your income, Law office management

Only you can prevent legal problems

March 23, 2018 by David M. Ward

Remember Smokey the Bear PSAs promoting campfire safety? Among other things, he told us to make sure the fire was out (instead of letting it go out on its own), because, he said, “Only you can prevent forest fires”.

Preventing forest fires isn’t a difficult sell. Simple tips and reminders to be careful, presented by a cute cartoon animal, and (as far as I know), the campaign worked.

Preventing legal problems, on the other hand, is a much harder sell.

“Do this to prevent that,” you say. Yeah, but it’s expensive, say your clients. And I have time. And I don’t want to think about this right now.

It is much easier to sell a cure.

“You’re in trouble? I can save you,” you say. Where do I sign?

When someone has a legal problem, they are in pain. They want to alleviate that pain. Getting their attention and convincing them to hire you is a much easier task than trying to sell them a way to prevent the problem in the first place.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t do it. Just that you need to understand that its more difficult to sell and adjust your marketing accordingly.

If you sell prevention, give prospective clients more evidence of what can go wrong. Agitate the problems. Tell them more horror stories. Play on their fears.

And give them more time.

Prospective clients need time to digest your message, yet another reason why you need a list. They also need time to see their peers and colleagues experience the problems you are warning them about and the consequences of ignoring those warnings.

I saw a book being advertised this morning: “5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great”. If I was advising the author, I would tell her she would sell a lot more copies if the title was, “5 Simple Steps to SAVE Your Marriage”.

Fix your marketing problems with this

Filed Under: Copywriting, Marketing legal services

What’s your favorite failure?

March 22, 2018 by David M. Ward

Imagine you’re a guest on Tim Ferriss’s podcast. He’s interviewing you about your success, you’re sharing your brilliance with his big audience, things are going well. Then he asks his favorite interview question: “What’s your favorite failure?”

Not your biggest or most unusual. Your favorite. He assumes that you failed at something that taught you something important or led you to something much better.

Because failures do that.

They reveal your weaknesses, errors in judgment, and areas you need to improve. So you can improve them. They teach you what doesn’t work, making it more likely that you’ll find what does. And they steer you towards different options, leading to better ideas and bigger results.

Ferriss told the story about how the failure of one of his books eventually led him to starting his podcast which has turned out to be one of his most remunerative and satisfying accomplishments.

Failures rock! Especially the big fugly ones.

When you experience a costly or embarrassing failure, the pain you feel motivates you to change. Without that pain, you might forget your mistakes and repeat them.

Don’t bury your failures, cherish them. Investments that went bad, projects that were dead on arrival, marriages that didn’t last. They taught you something you needed to learn. They prepared you for the next step.

But don’t dwell on your failures. Respect them and move on. Until you’re being interviewed and someone asks, “What’s your favorite failure?”

Are you getting all the referrals you want? This will help

Filed Under: Personal development