David M. Ward, Author at The Attorney Marketing Center

You don’t have time to do it? That’s why you must do it

March 10, 2017 by David M. Ward

Go through your task and project lists and zero in on the ideas you have tagged “someday/maybe” or otherwise designated as “low priority”. As you look at these ideas again, you’ll realize that many of them will never see the light of day, nor should they. They were passing notions that don’t merit a second look.

But some of your ideas are awesome.

Some of your ideas could transform your life and take you to new heights or in new directions. You know the ideas I’m talking about. They’re the ones that give you a rush when you think about them.

You’ve put them on a “someday” list because, you’ve told yourself, you don’t have time for them right now.

Unfortunately, while you’re waiting for “someday,” many of your best ideas will rot away in the recesses of your software or on the tear-stained pages of your journal. Let’s face it, given the current state of your busyness, the most likely fate for most of these ideas is an ignominious death.

So, here’s a thought. Since these projects have a potentially huge payoff, how about putting some of them at the top of your list?

You tell yourself you can’t. You have other things to do, bills to pay, deadlines, responsibilities. You love these ideas but you have to be practical.

But that’s not the real reason.Â The real reason you don’t put these life-changing projects at the top of your list is that they scare the poop out of you.

You might screw up and your dream will go up in smoke. Or you might get it right and your life will change in profound, and profoundly frightening ways.

WellÂ buckaroo, my advice to you, and to myself because I’m guilty of this too, is to realize that “someday” may never come and you might never have another time (or a better time) to find out what might be.

Therefore, choose one of these projects and do it anyway.

Pretend you do have the time and get started.

If you feel yourself resisting, suck it up and do somethingÂ (anything) related to that project. . . for five minutes.

Because you can’t tell yourself you don’t have five minutes.

Write a few notes, organize some materials, set up a new project folder.

There. You’ve started. It feels good, doesn’t it? You’re all tingly inside.

Tomorrow, do another five minutes. Or ten. Or an hour, once you get excited and start to taste the future.

Here’s a project that could take your practice to another level

Filed Under: Inspiration, Productivity

When clients are afraid to refer

March 9, 2017 by David M. Ward

A subscriber says, “Sometimes it feels as if clients don’t want to refer, because they want to keep you to themselves.”

He suggests that it might be “concern about either conflicts of interest (â€œIf I refer my contacts, and later have a dispute. . .â€) OR, out of concerns about the lawyer getting too busy, too expensive, etc.”

On the first point, about (business) clients who hesitate to refer because the party they refer might later come after them for something and they won’t be able to hire you to defend them, I have a couple of thoughts.

First, it sounds like we’re talking about former clients because if they’re current clients, the conflict of interest laws help them. If they refer a vendor or party who later sues them, those parties probably won’t be able to hire you for that purpose.

And I would point that out.

Besides, if the client has a good relationship with their vendors or partners, why wouldn’t they want to help them?

Helping them is good for business.

“If you can help your vendors and partners stay out of trouble and save money by referring them to a great lawyer, you’ll be able to do more business with them.”

And then there is the gratitude factor. Help out your contacts and when you need something, they’ll help you.

If a client is still concerned about this, you might give them the option of paying you a (nominal) monthly retainer to remain an active client.

Now, I was going to say I don’t think most lawyers need to worry about this issue because I don’t think most clients aren’t concerned about it.Â And then I rememberedÂ that the attorney who posed this question works in the entertainment field and we all know those people aren’t normal.

It’s an industry that thrives on “knowing people” and referrals are an important part of that. But when it comes to lawyers, I can see how some peopleÂ would get possessive and maybe even a bit paranoid about losing “their” lawyer.

If you have clients like that, I’m not sure what you can tell them. Maybe talk to them about referring people they know who don’t pose a potential threat to them. Someone they don’t do business with, or someone in another industry. Hey, maybe their grandma needs a lawyer.

As to the second point, that clients hesitate to refer business to you out of concerns that you might get too busy for them, or too successful and expensive, I have to say this does happen. It’s much ado about nothing, but clients are weird and some of them think this way.

I’d address this head on and tell them they have nothing to worry about. You might say, “You know, some clients I talk to about referrals have the silly notion that if they send me a lot of clientsÂ I might get too busy for them. I want you to know that won’t happen; here’s why. . .”

Explain that the busier you get, the more support staff you’re able to hire, which frees up more of your time to work directly with clients.

“Ironically, the busier I get, the more time I’ll be able to devote to you,” you can say, and it is true. More staff, and more staff to supervise them.

You should also point out that the more referrals you get, the less you need to spend on other time-consuming and expensive marketing methods. That means you’ll not only have more time for them, you’ll be able to hold down the fees you charge them. “You wouldn’t mind paying me less, would you?”

Show them that their referrals help you to do a better job for your clients. Especially the clients who send you lots of referrals.

How to talk to clients about referrals

Filed Under: Referrals

What do you do when your clients can’t afford you?

March 8, 2017 by David M. Ward

I saw a story that said that half of American adults can’t afford to write a $500 check, which is why they finance purchases like a new phone. If this is true, what does that mean for the attorney who wants to sell them his or her services?

Should they cut their fees?

No. They shouldn’t do that. That’s a recipe guaranteed to leave a bitter taste in their mouth.

What then?

Should they accept credit cards and offer payment plans?

Should they break up their services into smaller packages that more people can afford?

Should they target businesses instead of consumers?

Or should focus their marketing efforts on the half of the market that can write a check and not worry about the ones who can’t?

The answer is, they should consider all of the above. They are all reasonable strategies.

What they shouldn’t do is ignore everything and do nothing. They should research their target markets, look at what other lawyers are doing, and try new things, and they should continue trying new things until they find the right combination.

And then they should look for ways to improve their results, and never stop looking.

There are more than enough clients out there who can make you rich many times over. They need you, they can afford you, and they will hire you. But only if they can find you and your message is the one they want to hear.

Being a good attorney isn’t enough. Your reputation will only carry you so far. You run a business and your business needs marketing to survive and thrive.

Start with this

Filed Under: Marketing legal services

Did your daddy take your T-bird away?

March 7, 2017 by David M. Ward

When was the last time you had some fun in your practice? If you can’t remember, you should probably do something about that.

Your employees need to have some fun. Your clients, too. And God knows you need some. Perhaps now more than ever.Â No matter how serious your work is, there’s always room for Jello.

How, you ask? Maybe there should be a CLE class on the subject. Something like, “The last laugh: humor and the death penalty”. Okay, maybe not.

C’mon, you can do this. Summon your inner child and let him or her, zie or zer, help you to remember what it was like when fun wasn’t a four letter word.

You might come up with things like:

Adult coloring books in your waiting room
Weekly pizza parties in the conference room
Picnics and barbecues for clients and staff
Christmas and Halloween parties
Casual dress day and themed dress days
Bobble heads on your desk
Recipes, quotes, puzzles, and humor in your newsletter
Take your employees to the baseball park on opening day
Contests and drawings with silly prizes
An espresso machine in the lunch room

Surprises are fun. Send clients a bill with an unannounced discount. Give them a small gift. Invite them to dinner, just because.

It doesn’t take much to lighten the mood in your practice, help your clients forget their troubles for a few minutes and make your practice a fun place to work.

Referrals are fun. Here’s how to get moreÂ

Filed Under: Law office management

Beta testing your law practice marketing

March 6, 2017 by David M. Ward

I’m a beta tester for the new version of a writing app I use. I have the app on my desktop and laptop computers and use it every day.

I try and re-try all of the features, looking for bugs and other issues. I note what I like and what I’d like to see improved. I compare features and ease of use to other writing apps I’ve used.

Through this process, I’m able to influence the development of something that interests me and I get to use it months before anyone else. I also learn the ins and outs of using the app and thus get more out of it.

When you adopt new software in your practice, you may not be an official beta tester but you do many of the same things. You spend time playing with the software, trying out all the functions, learning how everything works.

You don’t just install it and expect to use it like a pro. You give yourself time to learn and practice using it.

You should do the same thing when you take on a new marketing strategy or go into a new market.

Study the market. Learn everything you can about the newÂ strategy. Flip all the switches and pull all the levers. Test everything, try everything, and look for ways to incorporate the new strategyÂ into your existing workflow.

When you get a new website or redo your existing site, examine it through the eyes of an end user. Read all the pages, fill out all the forms, test all the functions, and make sure everything works the way you want it to. Ask others to look at it and give you their feedback and suggestions.

If you join a new networking group, don’t just show up and hope for the best. Study it. Learn their process. Spend time talking to other members.

If you are thinking about hiring a new ad agency, learn all you can about the creative people behind it. Ask lots of questions about markets and campaigns, pricing and ROI.

Just like new software, you may be using your new marketing strategy for a long time. Beta test it so you can get the most out of it.

The elements of law practice marketing start here

Filed Under: Marketing legal services

Decide what you want before writing the first word

March 3, 2017 by David M. Ward

You’re preparing a presentation. An email. A blog post, article, or report. Whatever it is, the best place to start is at the end.

Before you write the first word, think about what you want your reader to do.

When they are done reading your email or watching your video, what do you want them to do next?

Examples:

Call to schedule an appointment
Call or email with questions
Visit a web page for more information
Sign up for your email newsletter or download your report
Fill out a form and turn it in at the end of the seminar
Tell your friends about this offer, article, or link
Register for the upcoming webinar
Pass out the enclosed referral cards
Watch a video
Comment, Like, and share
Tell your friends to call, subscribe, or download
Write a review on xyz

And so on.

All designed to get your reader or viewer to do something that helps you to get more clients, subscribers, traffic, referrals, or other benefits.

They get benefits, too. They learn something, get legal help, save money, or protect their family or business. Or they get the satisfaction of helping their friends or helping you.

Both of you get something.

The call to action at the end of your message is the most important part of that message. Think about what you want them to do before you start writing.

When you get to the end, tell them what to do.Â Don’t make them figure out what to do next. Tell them: Click here, call this number, go to this web page.

And tell them why. Don’t assume they know. Don’t be vague. Spell out exactly what they get or how they benefit.

Like this: “To learn how to easily get more referrals from your clients, get this“

Filed Under: Copywriting, Writing

A simple way to improve your marketing

March 1, 2017 by David M. Ward

Marketing has been defined as “everything you do to get and keep good clients”. Or something like that. They operative word is “everything”.

Everything you say, everything you do, but also everything you don’t say or do.

When you speak to a client on the phone, even if all you’re doing is talking about their case, that’s marketing because when the call is done, you will leave them with an impression of you. That impression will either be favorable or unfavorable. It either increases trust and likeability or it does not.

If that impression is neutral–no change from their previous impression–it has to be considered negative because it was a missed opportunity to enhance theirÂ previous impression.

I’m not suggesting that you manically parse every word and overthink every deed. But it does make sense to think about what you say and how you say it.

One way to get better at building trust and likeability in your client conversations is to use a checklist or script. They will help you to remember what to say and give you the ability to polish your delivery.

Examples? How about a checklistÂ for answering FAQs, especially with new clients? No doubt your clients will be impressed with the clarity and completeness of your answers.

How about a checklist for small talk–asking about family or work? Each time you use it with a client, take notes and put them in their file so you will remember to ask follow-up questions the next time you speak.

You might consider a script for delivering bad news, convincing the client to “take the offer,” or explaining “what happens next”.

Much of the value of these documents comes from the process of creating them. Writing them forces you to think about what’s important to your clients, what you want them to know, and how you want to be perceived.

To get started, over the next week or so, write some notes to yourself after each conversation. What did you do well? What could you improve? What did you leave out?

Remember, to your clients, you are more than the sum of your legal knowledge and abilities. You are the person who makes them feel more confident about their future.

Marketing legal services starts with a plan

Filed Under: Client relations

Is too much positive thinking bad for you?

February 28, 2017 by David M. Ward

The Law of Attraction posits that “like attracts like” and that we attract what we think about. Think about the outcomes you desire, they say, because that’s what you will attract or create.

Research confirms that our subconscious mind does in fact cause us to act in a way that is consistent with our thoughts, whether those thoughts are about what we observe (our current reality) or what we imagine (our desired outcome).

But some psychologists warn that too much positive thinking can make you complacent. According to one researcher, â€œPositive thinking fools our minds into perceiving that weâ€™ve already attained our goal, slackening our readiness to pursue it.â€

Is that true? If we imagine things the way we want them to be are we are less likely to take action towards their achievement?

I’m going to go with “no”.

I know that when I think about what I want, I feel good. Research confirms that positive thinking can relax you and lower your blood pressure and that’s a good thing.

I also know that I’m not a fool. I know the difference between imagining a positive outcome and believing that it has already been achieved, even if my subconscious mind does not. Thinking about what I want makes me more likely to take action, not less, and to do so with clarity, deliberation, and positive expectation.

As I imagine things the way I want them to be, I spend more time thinking about them. I’m more likely to notice things around me that I can use to pursue my objective. My positive thoughts invoke my instincts which lead me to make better decisions and take the right actions.

I also know that when I think about what I don’t want, whether that’s based on my observation of “what is” or my imagining what might happen, all I want to do is change the subject. If a thought feels bad, why continue to think it?

If your current reality is negative, don’t dwell on it. Staring at the problem is unlikely you to lead you to the solution.

But don’t ignore a negative reality. Peak at it, because knowing what you don’t want can help you to know what you do want.

Once you know what you want, think about it a lot, imagine it in all its glory, enjoy the feeling, and then do what your inner self guides you to do.

That’s what I do. How about you?

I built my practice with referrals. You can, too

Filed Under: Personal development Tagged With: law of attraction, positive thinking

What are you afraid of?

February 27, 2017 by David M. Ward

In a recent post, Seth Godin wrote about why we tend to do what’s urgent instead of what’s important:

The reason we go for urgent is that it makes us feel competent. We’re good at it. We didn’t used to be, but we are now.

Important, on the other hand, is fraught with fear, with uncertainty and with the risk of failure.

He’s right, of course. We spend our time putting our fires, running errands, and dealing with deadlines, all necessary but not at the expense of our most cherished plans and projects.

We’ve gotten good at dealing with urgent matters. It’s how we live most of our days. And because we’re good at it, or used to it, we seem to go out of our way to find them, even going so far as to create them by conveniently forgetting somethingÂ or waiting until the last minute to start.

Because we fear doing what’s important (and failing at it), we make sure we don’t have enough time to do them.Â Our dreams are thus banished to the land of “one day”. Years later, we realize that we’ve run out of time.

Instead of hiding from our fears, however, we should embrace them. They’re telling usÂ what’s important. We need to heed their message. We need to do the very things we fear.

Mark Twain said, “Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.” He might have added that it is also howÂ we give birth to our biggest dreams.

Get more clients and increase your income by following this formula

Filed Under: Personal development Tagged With: do what you fear, urgent vs. important