David M. Ward, Author at The Attorney Marketing Center

You need to be rich

January 27, 2017 by David M. Ward

I need to be rich and so do you. We need to be rich so we can make the world a better place and leave a legacy for future generations.

We can’t do that if we’re broke. Or just getting by.

The richer we are, the more we can help others. Donate to worthy causes. Create more jobs. And inspire others to do the same.

And let’s not forget that the way we become rich (or richer) is through our work, helping others solve problems and achieve results.

We must never feel guilty about creating more wealth. Even if we don’t give it all away, in acquiring it through our work we have already made the world better.

At the end of “Schindler’s List,” Oskar Schindler considered the 1200 lives he had saved and while he was surely proud of what he had done, lamented that he could have saved more.

I don’t want to reach the end of my life feeling bad because I could have done more. I don’t ever want to stop creating wealth becauseÂ “I have enough”.

As long as there are problems to solve and people to help we can never have enough.

Create more wealth through better marketing. Start here

Filed Under: Wealth

Winning

January 26, 2017 by David M. Ward

You may not be a legal scholar. You may not have a lot of experience in your field. Other lawyers may have more cash or better connections.

It doesn’t matter. You can beat them. You can build a fabulously successful practice if you do the one thing most lawyers don’t do.

Focus onÂ marketing.

Many lawyers take marketing for granted. Or use flawed strategies that do little to bring in new business. Even when they choose the right strategies, they often get poor results because their heart isn’t in it or they don’t stick with it long enough.

You can do better.

Where other lawyers seek to attract “anybody” who has a certain legal issue or need, you can laser focus on specific segments of the market and dominate them.

Where other lawyers use a weak and ineffectual marketing message, you can show prospective clients and the people who refer them the benefits you offer and the results you can help them achieve.

Where other lawyers provide good “customer service,” you can deliver outstanding customer service that surprises and delights your clients, ensuring long-term repeat business and referrals.

Where other lawyers merely provide their core legal services, you can helpÂ your clients be more successful in their business or personal life.Â If a client wants to refinance their home, for example, you can give them information and referrals to help them do that. If a business client needs more customers, you can use your contacts to help their business grow.

You can work smarter than your competition and deliver a better overall client experience. If you do this thoroughly, consistently and enthusiastically, clients and prospects will come to see you as the lawyer they want to represent them.

It doesn’t take much to beat the competition. Look at what most lawyers do and do the opposite.

Start marketing smarter with this

Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With: beating the competition

Plan less, do more

January 25, 2017 by David M. Ward

Relax. You don’t need to know everything. You’ve got some goals, or you know the general direction you want things to go, and that’s enough.

You don’t need a detailed plan. You’ll figure things out as you go along.

I say this from the perspective of someone who usually wants to know everything. Over the years, I’ve had to fight my need to know because, frankly, it has held me back.

Many of my biggest accomplishments began on a lark. They weren’t well-planned or even given much thought. Â Something sounded good and I went for it.

Sometimes they worked out, sometimes they didn’t, but the net result was that a lot of good things happened for me that I’m sure would otherwise have never seen the light of day.

Do yourself a favor. Take a look at your project list or your someday/maybe list, or reach into your subconscious and choose something you’ve thought you’d like to do but have continually put on the back burner.

Choose something that excites you. Something that would make you leap with joy if you could actually do it. Something that has seemed impossible or the timing hasn’t been right or something you’re not sure you are capable of doing.

Don’t spend a lot of time on this. If you’re not sure, choose something that scares you.

When you’ve got it, push aside your doubts and questions and start doing it.

You don’t need to know what’s next, just take the first step.

You may not succeed. You may give up before the day is done. You may realize that you really don’t want it. But if you don’t start, you’ll never know.

If you do start, you might continue. And accomplish something that completely changes your life.

Referrals rock. Here’s how to get more

Filed Under: success

Competition? I don’t have no stinkin’ competition!

January 24, 2017 by David M. Ward

One school of thought about building a successful business or practice is to find a successful business that does what you do (or want to do) and copy them.

Not literally, of course. You couldn’t do that even if you wanted to. Your practice will be as individual as you are, even if you have the same practice areas, target the same markets, and deliver the same caliber of service.

You are unique. So is your practice.

So don’t worry about being a copycat or being accused of stealing ideas. Your implementation of those ideas will differentiate you.

What I’m suggesting is that you don’t need to do something nobody else does. Do what others do but do them differently.

If there is a lot of competition in your market, that’s good. It means others are making money. When your town is littered with personal injury attorneys, your TV and radio airwaves are filled with ads from other PI attorneys, if the cost-per-click of advertising is insanely high, these are signs of a healthy market.

You can get a share of that market.

One way you can compete is to use differentÂ marketing channels and techniques. When everyone else is advertising, you focus on referrals. When everyone else proclaims their success in getting big verdicts and settlements, you focus your message on the types of people you’ve helped and problems you’ve solved.

Instead of touting that you handle “injuries,” you can differentiate yourself by emphasizing your experience in representing victims of one type of injury, one type of tort, or one type of client. In other words, niching what you do.

You can also differentiate yourself with your ads or marketing message. Talk about a benefit you deliver that all attorneys in your practice area deliver but don’t talk about. A USP (Unique Selling Proposition), is yours to own if you are the first or the only one claiming it.

Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Copy what successful lawyers are doing. Just do it a little differently.

More ways to differentiateÂ your practice from the competition, here

Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With: competition, differentiation

Going out on your own: solo or partners?

January 23, 2017 by David M. Ward

An attorney is thinking about going solo but he’s considering the value of taking partners. He says,

“My friend told me that he has long fought the perception that his firm is too small for many clients who are looking for more horsepower. He recommended partners with one or two other lawyers as a way to combat that perception.”

He wants my take on the subject.

Behold:

His friend is right–many clients are more comfortable with a bigger firm than a solo. But many clients prefer a solo.Â And there are plenty of them. Small companies that want a close relationship with a lawyer. Clients who don’t want to (or are unable to) pay higher fees for a bigger firm and all of their associated overhead.

If you are inclinedÂ to go solo, targetÂ clients who don’t want a big firm. Sell the benefits of working with you and ignore everyone else.

If you want to target bigger companies with bigger budgets and lots of legal work, sure, partner up. It’s a different model, more competitive, but so what? If that’s what you want and you’re prepared to work hard and fight for market share, go for it.

But don’t be too quick to choose.

Smaller companies have a lot of growing to do, and will have a lot of legal work along the way. Big companies usually start out as small ones and if you get in with small companies before they get big you can grow with them. Marketing is easier when you target smaller clients. There’s a shorter time frame, too.

There’s a third choice. You could start out with an office sharing arrangement with other attorneys. You can look bigger and cut costs this way until you decide on a formal partnership or you rule that out.

Speaking of partnerships, have you heard the stories? Or should I say the nightmares? Partners who steal. Partners who don’t do their fair share. Partners who drink. Partners who cost you some of your best employees.

So yeah, there are pros and cons for every business model.

Best thing to do is to have a talk with some solos and some small-firm partners. Ask them what they like and don’t like. Get a sense for what you’re up against before you make a decision.

If you’re still not sure, start out as a solo. You can always ramp up in a year or two if you feel compelled to do so. That’s a lot easier than the hassle of getting out of a bad partnership. It will also give you time to find the right partners if you decide that’s where you want to go.

Whichever way you go, make sure you have a marketing plan

Filed Under: Law office management Tagged With: going solo, law firm partnerships

You can if you think you can

January 19, 2017 by David M. Ward

The other day I listened to a podcast interview of an author about how to use a certain piece of software. Podcast subscribers and members of the host’s Facebook group had posted questions to be asked of the author.

The questions seemed to fall into two groups.

The first group were straightforward questions: How do I do this, What should I do if this happens, How can I get better results, and so on.

The second group were more complaints than questions: I tried it before and it didn’t work, I didn’t like it, It doesn’t fit with the way I work, etc.

The first group was looking for information and advice. The second groupÂ had already made up their mind that the software wouldn’t work for them and wanted to whine about it. (One even challenged the author to prove them wrong.)

Many people have had challenges using the software. Only some people believe they can overcome those challenges and are willing to stick with it until they do.

The author told the latter group to give it time, they can definitely make it work. I thought, “It doesn’t sound like they want to make it work. It sounds like they want to prove that it won’t”.

Many people have had challenges with the software. The ones who overcome them were the ones who wanted to do it and were willing to make the effort.

It’s all about mindset. If you want to do somethingÂ and believe you can, you’ll figure it out. If you don’t, you won’t.

As Henry Ford put it, “If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right”.

Filed Under: Inspiration

I love the smell of electrons in the morning

January 18, 2017 by David M. Ward

I can’t remember the last time I printed anything. My work and personal life are now almost completely digital.

And I like it that way.

If you’re like me and your practice is nearly all-digital, there is a time when I encourage you to go retro:Â When you’re signing up new clients, give them some papers to read, fill out and sign.

There are two reasons.

First, it gives them something to do, which helps to relieve some of the natural tension they experience by being in a lawyer’s office and contemplating their legal situation, not to mention the money they are about to spend to deal with it.

Busying themselves with reading and writing helps distract them from their concerns. There’s something familiar and relaxing about the process of filling out paperwork.

You can do this even if you’re not paperless.

If you or your staff ordinarily do all of the information gathering and paper filling-out for new clients, consider amending that habit somewhat and having your clients do some of it.

The second reason you want the client to fill out at least some of the paperwork is that in doing so, they take a step towards becoming a client. The physical act of filling out paperwork is a subconscious signal that they’re doing so.

Psychologists tell us this makes it more likely that they will act congruently, that is, do whatever else they are asked to do to actually hire you.

Asking them to fill out and sign some paperwork is a form of a “trial close”. It’s like asking during the consultation, “Where would you like us to send copies of your final documents?” If they tell you the address they want to use, they are one step closer to becoming your client.

If you mail prospective clients forms to fill out before their first appointment (or put them on your website), you’re using the same strategy.

Ask prospective clients to do things that are consistent with them hiring you and you’ll get more people hiring you.

Use your website to pre-sell prospective clients. Here’s how

Filed Under: Closing the sale, Salesmanship

Thinking like a lawyer? Fine. Just don’t write like one

January 17, 2017 by David M. Ward

Stop. Really, just stop. Stop writing like a lawyer when you communicate with your clients and prospects. You cannot bore anyone into hiring you or sending you referrals.

And let’s face it, most legal writing is boring, even to other lawyers.

Write the way you must in your briefs, motions, and memoranda. Shovel in the prophylactic latinate phrases and legal terms of art in your contracts, leases, and trusts. Write the way lawyers write when you’re being a lawyer.

Just don’t do it in your emails or newsletter.

I know it can be difficult to switch roles. But if you want to attract business, you have to know when to put the law dictionary back on the shelf.

It takes practice. It takes a fair amount of re-writing. Having someone edit your early drafts is a good idea.

But you can do it.

Actually, it’s easier than you think.

You already know what to do. “Write like you talk” and “Imagine you’re speaking to a client sitting in the office” will get you most of the way there.

The hard part? Letting go.Â Unclenching your sphincter muscles because your brain is telling you that writing naturally and informally isn’t professional.

The solution? A stiff drink.

Hemmingway said, “Write drunk, edit sober”. You probably shouldn’t follow that advice literally, but you can do the next best thing by giving yourself permission to write a crappy first draft.

Write quickly. Pour it out. Let your fingers fly. Get it down on paper any way it wants to come out and don’t give it another thought because nobody is going to see your first draft.

The first draft is just for you.

Write every day. You will get better, and quicker. Eventually, you’ll be able to flip a mental switch and instantly turn off the legal draftsman and turn on the communicator.

You need both, of course. You need the lawyer to do the work, of course. But you need the communicator to bring in the work.

How to use your communication skills to get more referrals

Filed Under: Email, Newsletters, Writing

Winning is great but so is losing

January 16, 2017 by David M. Ward

Everyone loves a big win. Settling a big case, being named “Lawyer of the Year,” tripling the number of new clients this year over last.

Break out the champagne. There’s nothing better than the sweet taste of success.

If you want to win big, however, you have to do something you may not want to do. You have to take more risks and thus accept more losses.

Babe Ruth set records for hitting the most home runs. He also set records for the most strikeouts. He hit more home runs, he said, because nearly every time he was at bat, he swung for a home run.

If you want to have more success this year than last, you have to take more chances this year. Do more things that might fail. And bigger things that might fail big.

This year, take some cases that are big risk/big reward. Open that second office you’ve been thinking about. Double your advertising budget.

Do something that might turn out to be a big, fat, embarrassing loss but might also turn out to be a colossal win.

If you don’t do things you’ve never done before, you’ll never grow. You’ll stay in your comfort zone where very little changes.

This year, go for more home runs. Yes, you’ll strike out more. But who knows, you might just win “Lawyer of the Year”.

Take a chance on getting (a lot) more referrals

Filed Under: success

Change is exciting, unless it isn’t

January 13, 2017 by David M. Ward

New ideas. New methods. New technology. It all sounds good, doesn’t it? We want our law practice to be on the cutting edge of change, leading the charge in the face of a changing world.

The problem is our clients don’t. They don’t necessarily want their lawyer to change what they do or how they do it because change is scary.

Every time you bring something new into the mix, something your clients see as deviating from tradition, they wonder “What else might change?” or “What was wrong with the old way?” and they get nervous.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t keep up with times. You should. You must. But you don’t need to be an early adopter of everything that comes down the pike, nor do you need to fix things that aren’t broken.

Like everything, you have to find the balance between modern and old fashioned. Enough, but not too much. Or too fast.

When you make a change, don’t do it abruptly or indiscriminately. Changes should be thought out, measured, and introduced smoothly.

Don’t avoid change. Don’t be the proverbial dinosaur. You don’t have to hang onto your aol email address because you’ve had it since the beginning of time. Actually, that would be one change you should make because “never changing” can be just as frightening to clients.

Change for change’s sake isn’t a virtue. If you find ways to deliver your services faster, cheaper, or better, you should do it. But do it cautiously and explain to your clients what you are doing and why.

Whether you’re introducing a new practice area, unveiling a new website, or moving to a new office, understand that while you may be excited aboutÂ these changes, your clients might need a little hand holding.

Because change is exciting, unless it isn’t.

Filed Under: Client relations, Image