You won’t know for sure unless you try it (again)

September 12, 2016 by
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You say you don’t like networking but have you given it a fair chance? Maybe you’ve been doing it wrong. Maybe you haven’t met the right people. Maybe you haven’t done it enough to get good at it.

So how can you say it’s “not for you”?

I thought network marketing wasn’t for me until I found something I couldn’t refuse and made a fortune with it. I learned that I could do it without compromising my values or being someone I am not. And, whereas I didn’t stick with it in the past, this time, I gave it the time it was due and it made all the difference.

There are a lot of ways to market legal services and you should try as many of them as you can. If you’ve tried them once and they “didn’t work” or you “didn’t like them,” try again. You may find that things have changed, or that you have changed. What was once off the table may become a valuable practice building tool for you.

Start by learning as much as you can. If advertising has always been distasteful to you, for example, or you haven’t considered it because your bar rules forbid it, keep learning. You may discover a way to do it that “you never thought of”. Here’s an example: instead of advertising your practice, your services, or yourself, advertise your book, report or seminar. Sell it or give it away and let it sell readers on you.

Next, find some practitioners who use these methods and study them. What are they doing? How are they doing it? Can you make some changes that better suit your style and market?

Finally, if you’re still not crazy about a marketing method, consider other ways you can get the benefits of that method without a lot of personal involvement. Delegate to staff or to VAs or hire an outside company to do it for you.

In other words, you don’t have to love something to profit from it.

Don’t be like many attorneys: stubborn, closed-minded, stuck in your ways. The world is changing and if you don’t change it with it, you may be left behind.

Start or restart your marketing with a plan

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Filed Under: Advertising, Marketing legal services

It’s hard but it’s worth it

September 9, 2016 by
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I watched a movie the other day that featured a young man who earned his living playing the violin in the subway. One day, the violin was stolen and just like that, he was out of business.

I thought about how lucky I am that I earn my living with my brain. Steal my computer and, thanks to the cloud, I’d be back in business in a flash. If push came to shove, I could be okay with just my phone.

And I like that. I like that I don’t need a factory or a store or inventory. I like that I can earn my way with my knowledge, skills, and words.

But it’s not just what I know, it’s also who I know. Or, more particularly, who knows me. People like you, for example, who read what I write and buy what I sell. And the people who interview me, promote my products and services, and send me referrals.

I appreciate you.

I went to law school not so much because I felt compelled to be a lawyer but because I didn’t know what else I wanted to do. The idea of being paid for talking and writing appealed to me, as did the idea of helping people, but when I opened my own practice and struggled to pay my rent, I thought I’d made a mistake.

I kept going because I didn’t know what else to do.

Being a lawyer is hard work. Building a law practice is a pursuit meant for crazy people. But I’m glad I didn’t know what else to do because today, I’m thankful for what I’ve got.

It was hard but it was worth it.

If you’re in a bad place right now and you have something else you can do, do it. No regrets, just get out and start the next phase of your life.

But if you don’t know what else to do, be thankful for what you have. Your skills and knowledge and contacts are valuable and can take you wherever you want to go.

You can build a successful practice if you know the formula

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Filed Under: Inspiration

Build a better practice with a better file closing checklist

September 8, 2016 by
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Most attorneys do a good job of onboarding new clients. They have a process for obtaining the information they need and explaining things to the client. They have documents ready for the new client to fill out, review, and sign. They have a routine for calendaring dates and follow-ups, and a set of form letters they mail to get the case started right.

They do these things to protect themselves from omissions, to save time, and because it gives the client a good first impression.

Unfortunately, not as many attorneys are as disciplined or detailed-oriented about how they close their files. But how you close a file is as important as how you open it.

What you do or don’t do at the end of the case can determine whether the client will hire you again, post positive comments and reviews, and refer other clients your way.

Of course, you lay the foundation for these things at every appointment and with every email or letter you send. But the final appointment is your last and best opportunity to “sell” the client and warrant your time and attention.

Your final appointment/file-closing process should include things that are too often taken for granted. You should have a checklist that addresses

  • What you say (e.g., asking if they have additional questions, cross-selling your other services, advising them about possible future needs, etc.)
  • What you give them (e.g., “after-care” instructions, marketing collateral, checklists, reports and other “added value,” etc.)
  • What you do (e.g., scheduling follow-up letters and calls, enrolling them in your newsletter, final billing/accounting, contacting them a few days later to make sure all is well, etc.)
  • What you ask them to do (e.g., asking for referrals and/or to pass out your information, asking for a review or testimonial, asking them to fill out a survey, etc.)

It should also include a review of the file to see what went right and what could be improved.

These things should be planned in advance. You should know who will do them (you, staff) and when. They should be a regular part of your routine and you should continually seek to improve them.

Because how you close a file is as important as how you open it.

How to get more referrals from your clients before, during, and after the engagement: here

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Filed Under: Law office management, Referrals

Is this the cure for procrastination?

September 7, 2016 by
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You’ve got things you need to do but you don’t want to do them. You may even have things you want to do but for some reason, you’re putting them off. I just heard about a simple way to overcome procrastination, courtesy of the late Raymond Chandler.

As a full-time novelist, Chandler believed that he should maintain a schedule of 4 hours of writing each day but he sometimes struggled to stick with it. He decided to do something about it by creating a simple rule to follow, and it helped him do the job.

Chandler’s rule was simple: either write or do nothing.

And nothing meant nothing.

By giving himself a choice, he avoided the guilt of not writing and thus didn’t force himself to do it, something he was sure would lead to poor results. He quickly found that when you don’t do anything, you get bored and getting back to work feels like a much better alternative.

Chandler’s rule applied to writing but is equally applicable to any task. If you want to try it, schedule a fixed time limit for your work and, perhaps, a fixed time of day. This should make it easier for you to choose the work, knowing that while there might be some unpleasantness, it won’t be never-ending.

In addition, eliminate all of the usual distractions. Close your browser, turn off your phone, and ask your staff not to disturb you. For some tasks, you might consider getting out of the office and going to the library.

Or, do what I did when I was faced with a big stack of files on my desk I had been avoiding for several weeks.

These were problem files and I didn’t want to look at them. I knew I had to but kept putting it off. I was getting anxious about what might happen if I put them off any longer and had to find a way to do it.

I got some help.

I had my wife come to the office and sit across the desk from me. She didn’t do anything or say anything, she just sat with me, silent, giving me the choice of either sitting quietly and doing nothing or digging into the files. I chose the latter and got through them in less than an hour.

It’s amazing what you can when you have a choice to not do them. It’s also amazing what you can do when you have your wife in the room watching you squirm.

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Filed Under: Productivity Tagged With: ,

The simplest way to beat your competition

September 6, 2016 by
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You’ve heard me pound on the importance of creating a profile of your ideal client. I hope you have files set up for notes, ideas, articles, lists of key websites and blogs, sample emails, and everything else there is to know about them and their world.

Because the more you know about your ideal client, the easier it will be to attract them and show them why they should hire you instead of any other lawyer.

Your file should include information about their background, problems, and goals. It should detail their likely legal issues and the circumstances that precede them. It should note the books and magazines and blogs they read and where they network or hang out online.

You should become an expert on your ideal client and know more about them than any other attorney in your market. When you do, you’ll be able to write to and speak to them using examples, terminology, and stories that resonate with them and show them that you have helped many others like them.

It’s the simplest way to beat your competition.

If you have more than one practice area, you should do the same thing for your ideal client in each practice area. Marketing a divorce practice is very different from marketing a personal injury practice.

You should also set up research files about your referral sources.

This takes time but it makes marketing easier and more effective. Your superior knowledge can help you dominate your niche. Your ideal clients will see you as the best choice. They’ll pay you higher fees, stay with you longer, and recommend you to others.

On the other hand, if you don’t have this knowledge and aren’t aligned with your ideal client, your marketing will be unfocused and look like every other lawyer’s marketing. Instead of creating content that speaks to your ideal client and the people who can refer them, you’ll create generic content that speaks to nobody. Instead of seeking out and networking with the people you want to work with, you’ll waste your time networking with “anyone”.

Jim Rohn said, “If you want to be successful, study success.” I say, “If you want to attract your ideal client, study your ideal client–and the people who can refer them.”

This will help you create a profile of your ideal client

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With: ,

Want more clients? Try this.

September 2, 2016 by
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Here’s the thing: no matter what you do, some of the people on your list won’t hire you. Even though they know they need your help, even though they have the money, they still won’t pull the trigger.

You can send them more information. And more success stories. You can remind them about their pain and the consequences of doing nothing about it. You can explain the steps you take working with your clients so they can see how thorough and caring you are. You can rhapsodize about the benefits your clients get that other lawyers don’t offer.

And you should do this. Give your list a steady diet of information about why they should hire you and you will get more clients.

But you’ll still have holdouts.

Should you bother with them? Of course. Just because you have to do more work to get them on board doesn’t mean they’ll be a bad client.

So what else can you do? You can do something most lawyers never do. You can offer them a free service.

That’s ridiculous, you say. Giving away free information, sure. But giving away free services makes no sense. You sell your services, after all. You can’t earn a living working for free.

Hold on. I’m not proposing treason. Hear me out.

A free service, even a very small and limited one, allows people to “try” you. Even though they don’t pay you, they are now a client. They get to meet you and your staff. They get to see you in action. They come to trust you. And they’re happy they decided to “hire” you.

So when you offer them another (paid) service they need, there is almost zero resistance.

Think of it like advertising. You give away $300 of your time (your advertising or marketing cost), in return for $3000 in revenue. And let’s not forget referrals which can multiply that number.

Isn’t this the theory behind free consultations? If you don’t mind, I’ll answer my own question: yes it is.

You don’t have to offer a free service to everyone, nor do you have to offer it all of the time. Try it once or twice, with a limited group of prospective clients, and see how it goes. Maybe a “year-end” or “holiday” special, just for first-time clients. And if you don’t want to offer a free service, offer a discount.

Your objective is to bring in new clients and this is a proven way to do it. What they pay you over their lifetime is far greater than what they pay you on the front end.

How to get more clients to give you more referrals

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With: ,

Dream big, start small. Or big.

September 1, 2016 by
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Are you the type of person who jumps into the deep end of the pool or do you dip your toes in first?

Deep-end divers usually say the water may be cold and jumping in is the quickest way to overcome the shock. Toe-dippers say they prefer to become acclimated to the cold and go all in when they’re ready.

This isn’t a referendum on swimming habits, of course. It’s a metaphor for how you handle change.

If you have a big goal you want to accomplish or a big project with lots of moving parts, do you throw yourself into it with everything you’ve got and sort it out as you go along? Or do you create a detailed plan, study and prepare before you take the first step?

Either way is fine. What’s not recommended is “none of the above,” that is, sitting on the sidelines and doing nothing. Don’t do that. Better to do something and back away if you’re not ready or you decide it’s not worth the effort.

Every experience is a learning experience and the more of them you have, the better. Half-finished projects, abandoned ideas, and unfinished first drafts are all fodder for your creative brain. Try lots of ideas and you’ll surely find some winners.

It’s also okay to use different approaches for different projects. You might start some projects by diving in and splashing about. With others, you might check the temperature before you decide what to do next.

In either case, do something. Read something. Make some notes. Talk to someone. Great accomplishments often start with very small steps. Big steps are okay, too.

For a simple marketing plan, get this

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Filed Under: Goal Setting, success

How long does it take to build a successful law practice?

August 31, 2016 by
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How long does it take to build a successful law practice? It takes as long as it takes. That’s my smug, lawyer-like answer, a variant on “it depends”.

In lay terms, I would say, “I don’t have a clue”. Because everyone is different.

What is your practice area? What’s your target market? How much experience do you have with marketing? And a slew of other questions that are a part of the equation.

Actually, there is one question that should be at the top of the list. In 80/20 parlance, it’s one of the “precious few,” a 20% factor that can determine 80% of your results.

How big is your list?

How many prospective clients do you know? How many prospective referral sources do you know? And, if you’re not starting from scratch, how many former clients and existing referral sources do you know?

Why is this more important than things like skills, experience, reputation, or work ethic? Because the shortest path to success is through other people. That’s true for any business, and even more so for a professional practice.

If you know lots of people who can hire you, for example, it only makes sense that the odds of your getting hired are better than the lawyer who knows very few. The same is true of referral sources.

You may not (yet) be very good at inspiring them to hire you or refer, but knowing more people (and staying in touch with them) can give you a big edge.

So, how big is your list?

Now, by list, I mean any kind of list–paper, digital, or even the list in your brain (note to self: write down the list in my brain so I don’t forget it).

In years gone by, we would talk about the size of your Rolodex. (Please, no selfies of your massive Rolodex.) Quality was important, but all things being equal, the bigger your Rolodex, the better.

Today, your list is predominantly digital. Quality is still important. And size still matters.

But today, there is another factor that can make a big difference.

If you’re doing it right, you have everyone’s email address and permission to use it. Which means you can increase the speed and frequency of communication. Which means you can achieve more results (i.e., bring in more clients) faster than you could if you only had their phone number and address.

No, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t call and talk to people. Talking (and meeting in person) allows you to build deeper relationships. Email will never supplant that. But with a couple of clicks, email allows you to tell hundreds of people or thousands of people about your upcoming seminar, updated web page, or special offer.

Can’t you do that on social media? Maybe. You don’t have any control over who sees what. It’s also less personal and thus, less effective.

Okay, you have a big list. I still can’t tell you how long it will take to build a big practice. But I can tell you that it will be quicker for you than for most other lawyers.

How to build an email list, and how to use it: go here

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Filed Under: Email, List building Tagged With:

Putting practice into the practice of law

August 30, 2016 by
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I saw a video recently by a woman who decided to take up the violin and wanted to record her progress. As you might expect, her first efforts sounded like a cat being tortured.

She chronicled her journey with additional videos and it was amazing to see her improvement. Within a few months, she was playing decently. Within six months, she was a good amateur. At the two-year mark, when the video ended, she had made remarkable progress and was able to play reasonably sophisticated pieces.

Even though she started as an adult, which is said to be more difficult, with regular practice, she was able to acquire a new skill. She’s taking lessons now and who knows how far she might go.

Earl Nightingale said, “One extra hour of study per day and you’ll be a national expert in five years or less.” Bill Gates said, “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”

What new skills do you want to acquire? What do you want to get better at? With enough practice, you might be amazed at what you can do.

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Filed Under: Personal development Tagged With: ,

The number one thing your clients want to know

August 29, 2016 by
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If you handle consumer or small business matters, it’s a safe bet that most of your clients are nervous when they come to see you. They’re apprehensive about the outcome of their case or matter, concerned about how much time it will take, and worried about the cost.

You need to be honest with them, but that doesn’t mean you need to be blunt. If you’re smart, your words and body language will tell them that they shouldn’t worry, that everything will be okay.

Because that’s what they want to hear.

Instead of saying, “X [bad thing] will probably happen,” you might say, “X [bad thing] might happen”.

I went to the doctor the other day for a minor issue. At the end of the appointment, I said, “Do I need to see you again?” The doctor said, “Not unless X [a mildly bad thing] happens.”

That sounded good. I was encouraged. I took it mean that while “it” might happen, it wasn’t likely.

Yay.

The next day, my wife called the doctor’s office to ask a question. She spoke to the nurse who answered the question and then said, “He’ll probably need to come back.”

Nobody wants to hear that, even if it’s true. Tell me it might happen, okay. Tell me it probably will happen and instead of focusing on getting better, I’m imagining the worst.

Bedside manner is an important part of a patient’s recovery. Doctors need to be hopeful and positive, because the patient wants to know that, “everything is going to be okay.” Even if the patient is terminal, there’s always hope.

Lawyers are in the same boat. Instead of telling the client that the insurance company will probably force the case to trial, why not say, “If we can’t settle this and have to go to trial. . .”?

Because your clients want to know that everything is going to be okay.

Get more referrals from other lawyers and other professionals. Here’s how

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Filed Under: Client relations Tagged With:
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