Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat

July 22, 2015 by
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I’m going to write a blog post today and show you my process. I want you to see how simple it is, and how quickly it can be done.

While I was out shopping with my wife yesterday, I thought about two of our neighbors who have just repainted their houses and wondered how they chose their painters. I remembered how we chose our painter, Mr. Kim, the last time we repainted, and wrote down the topic for today, in Evernote. This morning, on my walk, I came up with the Bullwinkle-inspired title for this post.

When I got to my desk, I wrote down the topic, and set a timer for five minutes. I started the timer and wrote, without stopping. When the timer sounded, I had written 253 words for the first draft.

I set aside the first draft for a few minutes, came back and wrote what you’re reading now. I spent a few more minutes editing the first draft. The final version of the post, not including what you’re reading now, is 340 words.

This post isn’t brilliant. I made a good point, and made it interesting, I think, by referencing a personal anecdote.

Total writing time today, approximately 15 minutes. And I’m done for the day.

So, here’s the post:

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WATCH ME PULL A RABBIT OUT OF MY HAT

Two of my neighbors just repainted their houses. As I watched the painters working, I thought about the last time we repainted and how Mr. Kim and his brother did such a good job for us. He put on two coats, and this has lasted a good ten years or more. I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find that our neighbors had one coat done and will have to repaint again in a few years.

The Kim brothers were very thorough, clean as a whistle, and very low priced. When we paint again, we’ll use them again.

I found the Kim brothers through my former secretary. Her husband is a meticulous shopper, very detailed oriented, and drives a hard bargain. He was a banker for most of his career, so I guess this isn’t surprising. He did a lot of research before hiring the Kim brothers and told us how happy he was with them. Good enough for me.

Friends ask friends for referrals. Especially with expensive purchases. We depend on referrals because they save us time and money and help us avoid the risk of making a bad choice. This is true for finding a contractor, or a lawyer.

I thought, what if I had been referred to the Kim brothers not by my secretary’s husband but by a lawyer I had hired. I’d be grateful to that lawyer for his help and I would assume he could help me with other referrals, to other contractors, businesses, and professionals. I’d go back to him when I needed a referral, and when I needed a lawyer again, he’s the one I would call.  I’m sure I would refer clients to him, too.

The point is, every lawyer should make a point of being a resource for their clients and prospects. They should go out of their way to seek out high quality businesses and professionals and recommend them. Their clients will be happy, hire them again when they need them, and send them referrals. So will the businesses and professionals he or she recommends.

Want more referrals? Go find a good painter you can refer.

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Filed Under: Blogging, Newsletters, Referral sources, Referrals, Writing

How to increase your income ten-fold

July 21, 2015 by
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What would I have to do to increase my income ten-fold? That’s a question you should ask yourself periodically.

Yesterday, I did a consultation with an immigration lawyer and asked him a similar question. We were talking about his fees and I said, “With your experience and reputation, you could probably triple your fees, right now, and get it, no questions asked. Who’s to say you’re not worth three times what you now charge? What you need to do is figure out how you could increase your fees ten-fold. What would you have to do? How would you have to package your services in order to get that?”

Because he could. Because you can, too. The challenge is to figure out how.

Okay, too much to ask? I’ll ask a different question that might make you more comfortable. “What would you have to do to increase your income ten-fold in the next year?” The answer would entail a combination of increasing fees and getting more clients, yes?

Good stuff.

I heard an interview with an author recently who said his goal was to increase his income ten-fold within the next year. His plan calls for a combination of writing more books and selling more of them (marketing).

Will he reach his goal? I don’t know. But I do know that as a result of thinking this way, he’s bound to increase his income, undoubtedly much more than he would if he didn’t ask “how”.

Ten fold is big. But not impossible. You have to ask questions like this. It’s no fun to ask, “How could I increase my income five percent?” Snore.

So, what would you have to do to increase your income ten-fold? What new services would you offer? What new (higher-priced) markets would you target? What would you have to do to increase your fees? What would you have to do to get more traffic to your website, viewers of your ads, or attendees at your seminars? What would you do to get more referrals?

Think. And maybe you’ll grow rich.

How to increase your income ten-fold: Go here

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Filed Under: Attorneys fees, Goal Setting, Increase your income, Inspiration, Law office management, Marketing legal services

What to write when you don’t know what to write

July 20, 2015 by
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“I don’t know what to write.” “I’ve said it all before.” “What I have to say is boring to most people.” “I’m not a good writer.”

This is what many lawyers tell themselves. These are the reasons they offer for not writing to their clients and prospects.

No articles, no blog, no emails. Or very few and far between.

Have you avoided setting up a newsletter or blog because you don’t think you have anything to say? I’m talking to you.

Yes, time is a factor. But you’re smart enough to know that it’s worth finding 30 minutes a week if it means bringing in several new clients per month.

No, if you’re not writing, it’s probably because you don’t think you have anything to say.

You know what? You might be right. You may not know what to say and you may not be a good writer. But it doesn’t matter. If you don’t know what to write, write anything.

You don’t have to be brilliant. You can write something that’s “just okay”.

Why? Because building a digital relationship with your clients and prospects isn’t about information or elegance, it’s about engagement.

It’s not what you say or how you say it that’s paramount. It’s that you said something.

You showed up in their life again, reminding them that you’re still practicing and still interested in knowing them. You shared an idea or observation, or shared something about your practice or your personal life. You asked for their feedback, and asked them to tell you how they are doing.

You don’t need to be brilliant, or even good. You just need to show up regularly and say hello.

Tell them something you did this week, or something you thought. Tell them about a website or book you recommend. Tell them about an interesting case or client you have, or one that another lawyer told you about.

A few paragraphs, once a week, is enough to maintain your relationship.

But here’s what happens.

You keep doing it and your writing gets better. And faster.

You find more interesting things to say, and better ways to say them. You start to enjoy writing, and you look forward to it, especially when you see how it is helping your practice grow.

You don’t have to be good to start, but you have to start to be good.

Here’s what you need to start your newsletter or blog

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Filed Under: Blogging, Marketing legal services, Newsletters, Writing

The thrill is gone? Here’s how to get it back

July 17, 2015 by
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The thrill is gone. You’ve lost the spark you had when you started practicing. You’re spinning your wheels and getting nowhere fast.

You’re doing okay, but you want to move on up, to an east side apartment in the sky.

Or maybe things aren’t so good. You’re struggling and falling behind.

What can you do? How do you get things moving?

You need to start over. Go back to the beginning and be “new” again. Forget what you have and what you know and begin from square one.

Before you can construct, you have to destruct.

I know, starting over might hold some bad memories for you. It does for me. I was scared to death. Everything was riding on my making a go of things and I didn’t have a clue about what to do.

But I was excited. The world was mine for the taking. Anything was possible.

And I was hungry. Determined. Open to anything. I had nothing, so I had nothing to lose.

You too? Good. Go back to those days in your mind. Be hungry again. Be open again. Be excited again.

Pretend you have nothing. No clients, no lists, no website, no ads. Chuck it all and start from scratch. You’ll add them back one at a time. Or maybe you won’t.

Yes, but what do you do? That’s not really important. If your head is on right and you are truly reborn, you’ll figure it out.

You’ll try lots of things, with no expectations. Some will work, most won’t. You want this thing to work and you’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.

Get out a legal pad and a pen. Time to start building. Start by taking inventory.

Who do you know? Write down the names of people who might be able to help you. Clients, prospects, referral sources, other lawyers who can give you advice, friends and family who can support your dreams.

What do you know? What are you good at? What are your skills (legal, marketing, management, leadership, speaking, writing, etc.)

What do you want? Write down one or two goals for the month. Forget next month for now; you’ve got a rent payment coming due.

Are you excited yet? Scared? Itching to do something? Good. Pick up the phone and call someone on your list.

Call a friend and tell him you’re re-launching your practice today and just wanted to share the good news.

Call a lawyer and tell her you’d like to meet for coffee and talk about how you can work together.

Call a former client and see how they’re doing. They might need you for something, or know someone they can refer.

Call a current client and tell them how much you appreciate them.

Spend the rest of the day talking to people. Tonight, write down some marketing ideas. Tomorrow, get up early and do it again.

Need a marketing plan? Get this

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Filed Under: Increase your income, Inspiration, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan, success

One two three, one two three, drink

July 16, 2015 by
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How’s biz? Yes, I know, it’s great. But really, how are you doing this month compared to last month or last year?

You need to know.

You’ve got to track your progress. Otherwise, you won’t know if what you’re doing is working.

How many new clients did you sign up this week or this month? Write that down.

How much revenue came into your coffers? You should probably make a note.

How many leads/inquires/prospects do you have in your pipeline? You’ll want that number going up.

Look at your calendar. How many appointments do you have this week? How many of those are with prospective clients?

How many subscribers signed up for your newsletter this month?

You’re running a business. You’ve got to know your numbers. You don’t need to obsess over them, but you should at least know what they are.

Your numbers tell you if what you’re growing. Because if you’re not growing, you’re dying.

But these aren’t the only ones you need to track.

Revenue, new clients, and the like, are all “history”. They are the results of things you did in the past. They tell you what happened, not what will happen.

You need to track your activities as well as as your results.

What did you do this week that might bring you some business?

Whatever else you do that for marketing, I suggest you start tracking these two activities:

1) Calls

How many outgoing calls did you make–to prospects, referral sources, prospective networking partners, former clients, etc.

2) Words

How many words did you write for marketing purposes, for your blog, website, articles/guest posts, books, presentations, letters/emails, social media content, etc.

Are these numbers growing? Holding steady? Declining? You need to know.

Results are the destination. Activities are how you get there.

Grow your practice with The Formula

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Filed Under: Law office management, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan

Laugh and the whole world laughs with you. . . unless you’re a lawyer

July 15, 2015 by
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I used to have an employee who laughed after nearly everything he said. He might have asked me something completely innocuous like, “Should we open a file?” and follow that with an awkward smile and a pinched little laugh.

He was incredibly lacking in self-confidence and this was his way of coping with life.

He could get away with it with clients and others who didn’t listen to him all day long. I tuned it out, mostly, but I have to admit it bothered me. Sometimes, I would ask, “Why are you laughing?” or “Why is that funny?” Yes, I was a prick. And no, it didn’t help.

Maybe you’ve had someone like this work for you. Or maybe you’ve had an office clown. You know, the ones who are always telling jokes and making comments that aren’t in the least funny. And yet they persist, because they think they are God’s gift to humor.

Even if they are funny, too much yucking it up in a law office isn’t a good thing. A little humor is great for lightening the mood. And laughter is contagious. One or two people start laughing, it won’t be long before the entire office is enjoying themselves.

Just make sure there aren’t any clients around. You can’t let them think that what we do is fun and games, or that we’re insensitive to their problems.

But this is probably not a problem in most law offices. Just the opposite. There are too many lawyers who never crack a smile and never find humor in anything.

That’s not good, either.

You need a balance. Not too much humor, not too little.

How much is too much or too little? We must use the reasonable man standard. What is appropriate? What would a reasonable man do in the same or similar circumstances?

Wait, I guess that should be the reasonable person standard. We don’t want to be sexist.

Wait, if we say person, are we not insulting the rest of the animal kingdom? Guess we need to say, “reasonable being” standard.

Hold on, that doesn’t work. What about robots and drones and AI? They may not have feelings, but that doesn’t mean we can insult them. That’s just rude. And unfair. Probably racist, too.

Okay, someone just read this and thinks I’m a jerk for making fun of an out-of-control politically correct narrative. They don’t think this is at all funny.

But hey, calling me a jerk is hate speech. Lawyers have feelings, too. Said no one, ever.

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Filed Under: Image, Just for fun, Law office management

Herding lawyers

July 14, 2015 by
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Our cat is getting his teeth cleaned this morning. Fun times.

As I grabbed him up and settled him in his cage, I thought about a consultation I did the other day with the marketing support person at a mid-size law firm. We talked (a lot) about her challenges in getting the lawyers to do anything marketing related.

She’s a lawyer wrangler. So am I.

It’s frustrating to talk to lawyers, give them million dollar advice, and know they probably won’t follow any of it. Lawyers don’t like change. They don’t like getting out of their comfort zone.

We talked about several ways she might get buy-in about the marketing agenda. I suggested she start by trying to get at least one lawyer on board and doing something, e.g., write an article for the website. I told her to make a big fuss about the article in the firm’s internal newsletter (which I suggested she start). As the other lawyers see one of their own being feted, their competitive nature might kick in and a few others might get with the plan.

You might want to do that yourself. Talk to some attorneys you know who are doing a decent job with marketing and ask them about what they’re doing. Find out how much business they’re bringing in. Get jealous, and then do something.

Start small. Outline an article, perhaps. Call a client you like and say hello.

The hardest part of marketing is getting started. The best way to do that is to schedule time for it. Schedule a 15 minute “marketing” appointment with yourself each week day. Put it on your calendar and tell your staff not to book anything during that time.

Go ahead, block out the rest of the month.

Will you do this? Today? What do you mean, you’re not sure?

Come on, you can do this. Stop looking like Grumpy Cat and block out a few minutes a day for marketing. If you do, I’ll let you sleep for the next 16 hours.

Marketing is easier when you know The Formula

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan

Me love you long time: the ethics of a client inner circle

July 13, 2015 by
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In response to my post about creating a client inner circle to recognize and reward your best clients and thus motivate them to remain loyal and refer others, I received an email from a lawyer who loves the idea but has questions.

His first question is about identifying clients, by name, when that may violate a client confidence, embarrass them, or otherwise look indelicate. The short answer is to get their permission before you reveal anyone’s name. If you don’t get it, or don’t want to ask, identify them by first name only, first name and last initial, or by a pseudonym.

Or don’t use any names. Describe them with a detail or two that won’t identify them specifically. For example, you could say which city they live in, or their occupation.

The client will know they were chosen, you’ll know, but your newsletter subscribers and other clients will only know that you had three new inductees this week.

The second question is about how to avoid letting your other clients see themselves as “second class” or think you might ignore them in favor of your inner circle clients.

One way is to handle this is to promulgate a written policy that lays out “the rules”. For example, with respect to returning phone calls, your policy might say, “Emergency calls always move to the front of the line; Inner Circle clients [or whatever you name your “club”] are handled next, in the order in which calls were received; all other calls will be returned after that, but in no case, later than 48 hours.”

Another way to handle this is to say nothing specific about how return calls and the like are handled. Figure out other ways to “reward” inner circle clients.

The third question was about the ethics of providing anything of value to clients. “Some people take the position that a dinner, or an event, or round of golf, or whatever, is something of value. Giving them away is fine. Giving them away because someone sent you a referral is not,” he said.

I’m not an expert, and of course each jurisdiction has different rules, but here’s my take on this. If you don’t promise a reward in advance, and/or, the reward is of nominal value (whatever that means), you’re probably okay. But you might not be, so find out what your rules say and follow them.

If the rules aren’t clear about what is and isn’t permitted, if things fall into a gray area, I would take the chance. But that’s me. I like to draw lines and argue. You may not.

If you like the idea of an inner circle but you’re concerned about some of these issues, here’s a suggestion. Start your inner circle but don’t tell anyone about it. That is, when a client qualifies, notify them privately. Only those who are in the club will know, your other clients won’t feel left out, and nobody will know anyone’s name.

Yep, a secret society of your best clients who get their calls returned on a priority basis and are otherwise made to feel special. Of course they’ll also get your secret decoder ring, because that’s still a thing.

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Law office management

Relax, don’t do it, when you want to go to it

July 10, 2015 by
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Author Raymond Chandler said something about his writing process that resonates with me. He said, “The faster I write the better my output. If I’m going slow, I’m in trouble. It means I’m pushing the words instead of being pulled by them.”

Writing faster allows him to bypass the resistance he feels when he tries to force his way forward through the story. When he lets go, he gets better results.

I’ve found this to be true in my writing. When I write quickly, I write better and more naturally.

This morning, I thought about this idea in the context of marketing and building a law practice. Many lawyers force themselves to do the things they are told they need to do to achieve success. Pushing through their resistance, however, often leads to poor results.

Some things we resist simply need to be done. For these things, the best advice is to be do them quickly. Like pulling off a bandage, get it over with so you can move on to other things.

When I have to make a call I’m not looking forward to making, for example, I don’t think about it or plan it out, I just pick up the phone and punch in the number. Before I know it, the conversation is over.

Much of what we do is discretionary, however. We don’t have to engage in formal networking, for example, but many lawyers who hate it force themselves to do it. Not surprisingly, they get poor results.

Think about the many possible ways to market your services. As you run down the list, ask yourself how you feel about each method. When you find something that creates a “tug” in your gut, something that feels right to you and fraught with possibilities, that’s what you should do.

There may be only one “reaching out” method that feels good to you when you think about it, but that’s enough. You’ll do it with gusto and you will do it well. You’ll get good at it and your results will multiply.

Don’t push through the sludge and force yourself to do things you hate. Let go of things you resist and allow yourself to glide towards success.

What if nothing appeals to you? What if you can’t stand anything that bears the marketing label?

Some of it you can skip. Some of it you can delegate. But if it has to be done and you’re the one who has to do it, don’t think about it, just rip that sucker off.

Do you need a marketing plan. Here you go

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Filed Under: Inspiration, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan, Networking, success, Writing

Marketing like a drug user

July 9, 2015 by
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Why do people get started taking drugs? Peer pressure is a big reason. They see their friends doing it and they don’t want to be uncool. They don’t want their friends pointing and laughing at them, or worse, ignoring them.

When your friends take drugs, supply them to you, and show you what to do, drug use becomes normal for a lot of people.

If you hang around nine drug users, there’s a good chance you’ll become the tenth.

I’ve never taken drugs. One reason, I’m sure, is that my friends didn’t take drugs, at least as far as I knew. If I went to a party and someone was sniffing or popping or lighting up, I left.

I didn’t associate with people who took drugs and never got started. I think I was afraid I might like it and I didn’t want to take that chance.

Anyway, the point of my sermon is that the people we spend the most time with influence us. We may not realize how powerful this influence is until one day, we realize we’re just like them.

It’s called the Law of Association. If most of your friends are big sports fans, for example, you probably are, too. If your friends are workaholics, there’s a good chance you work more than most.

Who are your best friends? Think about the five people with whom you spend the most time. What is their life like? Are they married? Have kids? Where do they live? How much do they earn?

If your five best friends earn an average of $150,000 a year, the odds are that you earn close to that. If they earn $500,000 a year, congratulations to you.

If you want to increase your income, one way to do that is to begin associating with people who earn more than you do. You’ll adopt their habits and their way of thinking. You’ll read what they read, talk about the things they talk about, and eventually, you’ll do what they do. In time, you’ll be like them.

Think about the lawyers you are close with. If they are “too busy” for marketing, or only give it lip service, the odds are that marketing isn’t a priority for you. If you want that to change, start spending time with lawyers who have a marketing “habit” and let them show you what to do.

Marketing, income, or drug use, it’s all the same. If you want to change your life, change your friends.

Do you know The Attorney Marketing Formula?

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Personal development Tagged With:
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