How to never run out of ideas to write about

August 18, 2016 by
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Think about your target market and answer me a few questions:

  • What is the market’s biggest problem right now? The one that keeps people up at night?
  • What’s the latest news in that market? What are people talking about?
  • Name three websites, podcasts, or newsletters that focus on this market.
  • Who is the top lawyer, CPA, insurance or real estate professional in that market?
  • Name two organizations dedicated to that market that have networking functions in your area.
  • Name three profitable keywords for blog posts, books, or ads for that market.

Okay, that’s enough to make my point, which is that if you can’t answer these questions, you probably don’t know your target market well enough.

Or you don’t have one.

Which is why, when you set out to write an email or article, you “don’t know what to write about”. Which is why you aren’t writing, or if you are, your writing is too general and doesn’t stand out.

If your last blog post or article or email is written to appeal to “anyone,” there’s a good chance it appeals to “no one”.

When you know your target market well, which you must if you want to dominate it, you won’t have that problem. You’ll have plenty of things to write about, specific to that market. In fact, you’ll have so many ideas, your biggest problem will be deciding which one to write about.

Which is a nice problem to have, don’t you think?

Need help choosing a target market? Use this

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Filed Under: Blogging, Email, Newsletters, Writing Tagged With: ,

The paper is due a week from Friday and is worth one-third of your grade

August 17, 2016 by
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Remember in school when you were assigned a paper to write that had to be turned in by a specific date? You were given a topic, a word or page count, and a deadline, and somehow you managed to turn in the paper on time.

You may not have known anything about the topic. You may have hated the topic and wished you could write about something (anything) else. You might have put it off until the night before it was due. But you got it done.

Because you had to. Your grade depended on it.

Today, you want to write something for your newsletter or blog, but if I’m right, too often you don’t do it. You don’t because you don’t have to.

No due date. No grade. If you don’t do it, nobody will notice.

The solution? Give yourself a due date. Decide in advance a posting schedule and put it on your calendar. Even better, announce it to your subscribers: “I post a new article every Tuesday”. If you don’t post as promised, they’ll notice.

You can also assign yourself a topic to write about.

In 30 minutes, you can brainstorm enough topics to keep you busy for a year. Start with the ten or twenty “frequently asked questions” posed to you by prospects and new clients.

You can also set up a notebook and collect articles and notes and ideas as you go about your business day. I have more than 1000 “blog post ideas” I’ve collected and stored in Evernote.

You could work with a writing partner and give each other assignments. “Okay, this week, I want you to write about that client you told me about. . .”

Another way to get ideas is to use “writing prompts”. A search on that keyword will reveal a plethora of books and websites that can provide you with an almost endless supply of writing ideas.

I went to a website this morning and was given the prompt, “Why I love to. . .” I thought I could easily write a post about why I love marketing. I would talk about how gratifying it is to be able to use my skills to help people get solutions and benefits they otherwise might not get, and make a nice living doing it.

You could use the same writing prompt. Write about why you love helping your clients.

In school, writing assignments trained us to write “on demand,” a valuable skill to be sure. If you’re struggling to do that in your practice, a writing schedule and writing prompts can help you get there.

You can get lots of ideas for article and posts with this

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Filed Under: Newsletters, Writing Tagged With: ,

Why being a bit neurotic might be a good thing

August 16, 2016 by
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If you’re like me, you are constantly fiddling. No matter how well things are going, we’re never completely satisfied and we’re constantly looking for something better.

We may be running a tight ship at work but good isn’t good enough. We’re “getting things done” but we can’t help but think there are ways to get more things done, or get them done faster.

I’ve used Evernote as my primary productivity application for several years but I am continually trying new apps. I’m also trying new methods–new tagging schemes, new ways of organizing tasks and projects, new ways of approaching how I work.

I used to think my mercurial ways were a sign of weakness. It turns out they might actually be a strength.

According to Charles Duhigg, author of Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business, the most productive people frequently try new systems. “I found that the people who are most productive decided to think about it deliberately,” he says. “Habits are useful tools, but they can hinder as well as help,” he adds. “Constantly cycling through systems forces you to think about your own productivity.”

Each time we try a new app, a new system, or a new process, we critically examine what we have been habitually doing. Things may be good but they can always be better and by continually trying new ideas, we continually find ways to improve.

So the next time you’re feeling guilty about changing your methodology or replacing your favorite app with another, give yourself a pat on the back.

And if you’re not a jumpy monkey like some of us, if you’re satisfied with the way everything is working and have no interest in re-examining what you do, you might want to smoke some of what we’re smoking and join us on the cutting edge.

Evernote for Lawyers

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Filed Under: Productivity Tagged With: ,

Eh, What’s Up Doc?

August 15, 2016 by
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What’s new? Something, I hope. Because if you and your practice are exactly the same right now as you were last week and last month, I might think you’re not accomplishing anything noteworthy. If I were your client, that might make me nervous.

Your clients want their lawyer to be alive and growing and in tune with the world. They want to know what’s new.

When they come to your office, they don’t want to see an ancient IBM PC, they want to see you with the latest laptops and tablets. When you write to them, they don’t want to hear the same tired things you’ve said before, they want to hear something new.

Most law practices are staid and boring and have little news to report. Don’t be like that. Always have something new going on, and make sure your clients and prospects and business contacts know about it.

Tell them about your new services or new features or new ad campaign. Tell them about your new web page, blog post, or article. Tell them about your new client, new speaking engagement or new employee.

Let clients know that things are happening at The Law Offices of You.

Always having news to report not only shows your clients that you are growing, it gives you a great excuse to contact them. It also allows you to connect with people on an emotional level. When you have exciting news, let them know you are excited and tell them why. If your news involves a serious topic, let them know about your concerns.

But don’t get out of character. You’re still a member of an esteemed profession and you don’t want to appear to be anything but. Your clients want to know that their lawyer is stable and reliable, so avoid radical news and keep news about major changes to a minimum.

But always have news to share.

Look at your calendar and notes for the last 30 days. What did you do that might be considered news? Do the same thing for the next 30 days. What are you working on? What’s going to change?

You can almost always find news to share, but if you are finding that difficult, then, by all means, get busy and create some.

Email is the easiest way to share your news. Here’s how to do it right

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Filed Under: Email, Newsletters

Fixing the bugs in your law practice

August 12, 2016 by
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The odds are you’re doing the big things right. You do good work, you avoid major mistakes, you deliver on your promises, and you keep your clients happy.

I know this because if you didn’t, you would soon be out of business.

But it’s the little things that make a difference. Little errors in judgment that compound and corrode your relationships. Little extras you do for your clients that differentiate you from the rest of lawyerdom.

These little things can make or break your practice. Things like how often you communicate with your clients. The attention you give them when they are on the phone or in the office. The way you show them you care about them as people, not just check-writing entities.

It’s all about the details.

Isn’t that true in any relationship? It’s not whether or not you remembered your wedding anniversary, it’s about what you write on the card.

If you want long-term success in your career, you need to attend to the little things. You need to consciously look for opportunities to strengthen relationships and deliver more value to your clients.

You also need to be aware of little things you’re not doing, or doing poorly, and when you find a bug in your system, you have to squash it.

Unlike apps, however, your clients are unlikely to report these bugs to you. They’re not going to tell you that you don’t seem to care enough or don’t communicate often enough, you have to figure this out for yourself.

How do you do that? How do you get better at spotting mistakes and opportunities?

You can read books and take courses, you can observe what other lawyers do and don’t do, you can hire a coach or consultant, but while those things can help, nothing will help as much as a sincere desire to serve others.

With that desire as a foundation, you will naturally and effortlessly do the little things, not out of obligation or a fear of loss but because of the joy you feel in doing them.

Your clients can and will send you more referrals

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Filed Under: Client relations

How to save time without looking like a jerk

August 11, 2016 by
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If you spend a lot of (non-billable) time on the phone and find that all that chatting is keeping you from doing other work, I have a suggestion. Okay, two suggestions.

First, whenever you’re on the phone keep a clock or timer in front of you. Being aware of how much time you spend on each call will help you reduce that time.

If you can cut the average call from 15 minutes to 10, for example, and you are on ten calls each day, at the end of the day, you’ll reclaim 50 minutes.

The second suggestion will allow you to cut calls short without appearing rude.

All you have to do is to make a point of announcing at the start of the call that you “only have five minutes” or that you have an appointment coming up and you “have to make this quick” or something along those lines.

By telling them in advance that you have limited time, and giving them the reason (e.g., an appointment, a client waiting, another call you have to make, etc.), you have the excuse you need to cut the call short without making the other party feel slighted.

Do this at the start of every call. Every meeting, too. Always be in a hurry. Always have something else you need to do. Not only will this save you time, it has the added benefit of enhancing your posture and perceived value.

Successful people are busy. They have places to go and things to do. They have other clients, other appointments, and other people who want their attention. They are truly “in demand” and when clients and others perceive this about you, they will be more likely to see you as worth more than others.

That means you can charge more. It means you will be more likely to get referrals. It means you will be asked to speak at events. And it means that you will be less likely to be asked for free advice.

Being busy will increase the demand for your services and allow you to charge more for those services.

So, what are you waiting for? Don’t you have something else to do?

How to earn more and work less

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Filed Under: Image, Productivity

How could I earn $500,000 per year?

August 10, 2016 by
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I talk to many lawyers who tell me they couldn’t afford to hire themselves. This isn’t a condemnation of their fees, it is a comment on the sad state of their income.

They’re not making much money. What can they do?

The first step to solving a problem is to admit that you have one. If you’re not earning as much as you would like to, admit it. Acknowledge your current reality.

Because if you don’t, you’re going to have a hard time changing that reality.

The next step is to ask yourself a question.

Don’t ask yourself “why” you’re not earning more, however. All you’ll get are excuses. Instead of lamenting your current state of affairs and wishing it was different, ask yourself a question that primes your subconscious mind to find the solution.

Ask yourself, “How could I earn $500,000 per year?” and let your subconscious mind go to work for you.

“How could I. . .” is a powerful question. Ask it a couple of times a day, especially just before you fall asleep. Let it percolate in the deep recesses of your brain. Let your subconscious mind come up with ideas and put them before you.

Write down all of the ideas that come forth, and keep asking.

Your brain will no doubt tell you that one thing you need to do is bring in more clients. It might even do the math for you and reveal that you need 100 new clients or cases per year, for example. So now, you have a new question to ask: “How can I bring in 100 new clients per year?”

You’ll get ideas. “Well, I could advertise. I could get more referrals. I could add more content to my site.”

Referrals sound good. So ask, “How could I get more referrals?”

More asking, more ideas. Keep asking “how” until you have some things you can do. And do them.

There are solutions to almost any problem. You may find them by accident, but you’ll have a better chance of finding them if you ask the right questions.

Don’t ask why, ask how.

To get more referrals, get this

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Filed Under: Increase your income, success Tagged With:

Print books are no longer king but they’re still royalty

August 9, 2016 by
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I started converting some of my Kindle books into print and they’re selling well. When you publish your book, you should also publish a paperback version, not just to serve buyers who prefer print but so you will have copies to hand out.

Keep a stack in the office to give to new clients. Keep a copy or two in your briefcase, and more in your car, so that when you meet someone who wants to know what you do you can let your book show them.

When a prospective client is considering whether to hire you or another lawyer, you don’t need to do anything to convince them to choose you. Give them a copy of your book and let your book show them why you are the best choice.

Books based on expert interviews are easy to write but they are only a first step. You also need a book that encapsulates your knowledge and wisdom and tells your story. Fortunately, this kind of book is also easy to write.

In The Easy Way to Write a Book, I said that one way to do this is to ask a friend to interview you. You could also interview yourself. Make a list of topics and record yourself speaking about them. In an hour or two, you could have the first draft of your book done.

If you want to agonize over it and take months to write the perfect book you can do that, but we both know that you probably won’t. Better to knock out something this weekend and start using it.

In fact, that’s my challenge to you. Write the first draft of your book this weekend. In an hour, you can dictate 10,000 words or so, which is enough for a short Kindle book. If you want more, go for another hour. But get the thing done.

The Easy Way to Write a Book

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Writing Tagged With: ,

I’d like to interview you for a book I’m writing

August 8, 2016 by
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Imagine getting an email from someone who says they want to interview you. They’re writing a book and want to feature you in it–your ideas, your words, your story.

Interested?

I know I would be. So would lots of professionals and business owners and successful people. The kind of people you would like to meet and network with. The kind of people who can send you referrals and introduce you to other centers of influence in your niche market or community.

I just released a new Kindle book that can help.

It’s called, The Easy Way to Write a Book: How to Use Expert Interviews to Quickly Write a Non-Fiction Book–Even if You’ve Never Written Anything Before.

It tells the story of how I wrote and published a book based on an interview I did with appellate attorney Steve Emmert which I told you about last week. It shows you how you can use the same method to write your own book.

Your book can be a great marketing tool for you. If nothing else, it can bring traffic to your website from prospective clients and the people who can refer them.

By the way, not only is this an easy way to write a book, it’s also one of the quickest. I was able to do the interview, write and publish the book, in less than 8 hours.

But you don’t have to write a book if you don’t want to. You can use the approach in the book to interview professionals and business owners for blog posts, articles, or a podcast.

The book is only .99 cents right now. Here’s the link.

(If you’re outside the US, search for the title in your Kindle store ).

Let me know if you have any questions.

The Easy Way to Write a Book

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Writing Tagged With:

The simplest way to increase your income

August 5, 2016 by
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You have a target market, don’t you? Or are you still offering your services to “anybody” with a legal matter you are equipped to handle? If it’s the latter, we need to talk.

But not now.

Now I’m going to assume that you have read my stuff and you are on board about targeting specific markets and ideal clients in those markets, and you do that. I’m also going to assume that you’re ready to expand into a new target market.

You currently target health care professionals for your estate planning services, for example, and you’re thinking about also targeting financial professionals.

Great. But there’s something else you should do first.

First, you should find ways to offer additional services to your existing market. It’s easier, quicker, cheaper, and more profitable than going into a new market. Sell more services to people who already know and trust you before you market to strangers.

Make sense?

What additional services could you offer to your existing market? What else do you do that they haven’t yet “bought”?

If your market needs and wants something you don’t do, offer them someone else’s services. Work out strategic alliances with other lawyers and service providers to offer their services to your market. In return, they agree to offer your services to their market.

Leverage your existing relationships and reputation. It is the simplest way to increase your income.

Earn more, work less: click here

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Filed Under: Increase your income Tagged With: ,
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