David M. Ward, Author at The Attorney Marketing Center

Protests, calls for discipline as lawyer exploits 911 in marketing ploy

September 11, 2012 by David M. Ward

Today is a day when Americans pause to remember the terrorist attacks that took more than 3,000 lives on September 11, 2001. My wife and I took a moment to remember where we were when we first heard the news and saw those terrible images.

I’ve received emails and Facebook posts with photos and sentiments marking the occasion. Everyone has been respectful. No one has said anything inappropriate or controversial.

Nobody wants to be accused of being unpatriotic or unsympathetic to the families of the fallen. Nobody wants to be seen as exploiting a tragedy for commercial gain. If a lawyer were to have a headline written about him like the one atop this post it would destroy his career.

Or would it?

Don’t they say all publicity is good, “as long as they spell your name right”?

Look, just because 911 is a solemn occasion doesn’t mean it is off limits for marketing purposes. There are many things you could do to leverage the memory of that day that are respectful and appropriate. For example, you could:

Sponsor a golf tournament, 10K run, or bake sale, with all proceeds going to one of the many 911 memorial foundations
Offer free disaster preparedness supplies or information to anyone who comes by your office
Use your newsletter or blog to promote a blood drive or CPR training

These are tame and unlikely to get any complaints or disagreements, unlike the following:

Write, lobby, in support of closing our borders
Campaign for candidates with a Second Amendment agenda
Write an editorial for your local paper denouncing the ongoing practice of allowing foreign nationals to enroll in flight school without verifying their immigration status

Most people who hear about your efforts will applaud them. You may get some positive press. Your clients and professional contacts will help you spread the word and more people will learn your name and what you do.

There may be cynics and malcontents who accuse you of exploitation or political incorrectness. Don’t listen to them. Do what you believe is right and say what you believe needs to be said. You may prosper as a result of your efforts, but you are also making the world a better (and safer) place.

Filed Under: Image, Marketing legal services, Publicity Tagged With: 2012-911-protests, 911-protests-2012, protests-on-911-2012

Free app lets attorneys create and manage custom marketing plans

September 10, 2012 by David M. Ward

I was scrolling through the app lists on my iPhone and saw an app that caught my attention. “Workout Plan — Fitness Schedule & Journal” allows you to create and manage your own custom fitness plan. You can set the exercises, the reps, the sets, the amount of weight, distances, and so on, and keep track of all of your workouts.

Relax, I’m not going to be doing a triathlon any time soon. The only exercise I get is jumping to conclusions, running my mouth, and bending over backwards to please my clients.

But I was struck by the idea of an app to create and manage marketing workouts. You set up your schedule for the week–so many calls, so many emails, networking events, and so on–and record your marketing activities. At the end of the week, you could see what you did and set your schedule for the following week.

The app would let you set your goals for the month, the quarter, and the year. You could track your progress–how many new clients for the month, how much revenue for the quarter–and have everything in one place.

There would be a calendar function, so you could schedule a daily update, a weekly review, and all of your coffees, lunches, and networking events.

There would be a journal section, so you could record notes about your activities, contact information, ideas for articles, notes from my blog, people you can contact, etc.

And it would be easy to adjust your workouts. You might be making calls for 15 minutes a day and find that you can handle 30 minutes. Simply change the amount in the settings and your new workout schedule is ready for the following week.

The best part would how the app would hold you accountable. After every workout, you would check a box to show what you did. You’d be able to look back at the week and admire your discipline. When you were tired or super busy and wanted to skip a day, you would keep going because you wouldn’t want to “break the chain”.

Wouldn’t it be great to have an app like that? Your schedule would be planned in advance and you would have it with you everywhere you go. Every day, you simply look at the schedule and you know what to do and when to do it.

Marketing would be so much easier, wouldn’t it?

The good news is that this app is available to you right now, and it’s free. It’s called a piece of paper. Combined with your calendar, it has everything you need to create and manage your marketing workouts.

Everything but the discipline. I wish I could tell you, “there’s an app for that”.

If you want to create a marketing plan that really works, get The Attorney Marketing Formula. Â

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan, Personal development, Productivity Tagged With: creating-workout-plan-on-evernote, free-sign-up-customize-emails-for-lawyer

Stupidity is contagious

September 7, 2012 by David M. Ward

At one point in the presentation I gave last night I said, “stupidity is contagious.” I was referring to people who without thinking, buy into what someone else is saying or doing. We see this in politics, don’t we? Someone takes a position and others follow suit, often for no other reason than the person who said it sounds like they know what they are talking about.

It’s also true in business and marketing. An”expert” declares the new direction and like lemmings, legions follow. They sign up for the webinars, buy the courses, and invest countless hours with the new tools. Of course their friends take notice and they don’t want to be left behind so they do it, too. Before you know it, everyone is rushing after mobile or ebook publishing or Pinterest pinning, until something newer and better comes along.

People get caught up in the excitement. Greed sets in. Like the Gold Rush, nobody wants to be left behind. But like the Gold Rush, the only ones who make money are the ones who sell the picks and shovels. Most of the miners get the shaft.

I’m not saying these are bad ideas. Some are quite good. Some will take off and change the world. But you don’t have to be an early adopter to leverage these new ideas. Someone signing up for Facebook for the first time today, after nearly a billion other people beat them to it, can be just as successful in using it to generate leads and referrals. Arguably more so now that it has proven itself for so many others.

What I’m saying is, wait a bit. Don’t rush in. Stand back and observe. Let others spend their time and money sorting through the multitude of things that don’t work or don’t last, to find the few that do. Spend your time and money doing things that have proven themselves over time.

Technology comes and goes. There will always be something new. What has never changed, and never will, are strategies that invoke the human element: giving your clients extraordinary service, positioning yourself for referrals, and leveraging your existing relationships to create new ones.

Now, excuse me, I have to post a link to this post on Facebook.

If you want to learn the strategies that have always worked and always will, pick up a copy of The Attorney Marketing Formula.

Filed Under: Law office management, Marketing legal services, Personal development, Technology Tagged With: reviews-the-marketing-formula-by-david-ward, sample-attorney-marketing-letter, sticker-png, stupidity-is-contagious, stupidity-is-contagious-sign

Three goals for your next presentation

September 6, 2012 by David M. Ward

I’m speaking tonight and I have three things I want to accomplish:

First, I want to INFORM.

That’s what the audience is paying for. But even if this were a free talk, the audience would still be “paying” with their time and I must give them their “monies” worth.

Second, I want to INSPIRE.

Facts and logic can only take you so far in persuading people to act. I want the audience to be motivated to follow through on my information and advice. I will do that by appealing to their emotions. I will tell them the BENEFITS of taking action and illustrate the benefits with appropriate STORIES.

Third, I want to PROMOTE THE NEXT STEP.

In this case, the next step is to attend the next event we’re conducting in this market. Your audience’s next step might be to sign up for a free consultation, fill out a form, or give you a check or credit card.

Information and inspiration set the stage for action, but not everyone will take the next step. Promoting the next step means giving them more reasons to act. This is done by providing additional information or incentives (i.e., special offers).

Promoting the next step is also accomplished through salesmanship.Â One thing I like to do at the end of a presentation is to invoke “social proof”. By asking for a show of hands of those who are committed to coming to the next event or who are signing up (or whatever the next step is) , not only will the people who reply in the affirmative be more likely to follow through, the undecideds will be more likely to cross over into the action column.

In marketing, or in the courtroom or boardroom, many lawyers rely on the weight and persuasiveness of their information to get the job done. Often, it’s not enough. You must also inspire your audience and promote the next step.

The ultimate goal isn’t to educate. It’s to get the check.

If you want to get more checks and bigger checks, pick up a copy ofÂ The Attorney Marketing Formula:

Filed Under: Closing the sale, Communication, Marketing legal services, Presentations, Public Speaking, Salesmanship Tagged With: three-goals-and-presentations

How do you handle wealthy clients who want to negotiate fees?

September 5, 2012 by David M. Ward

An attorney asked for advice in dealing with a wealthy client who tries to negotiate every bill. “I really want to fire him but how do I make him understand?”

If you bill by the hour, it is not uncommon for clients to have doubts about your bill. They question whether the work was necessary and why it took so long, and even though they agreed to your hourly rate, they can’t understand why it is so high.Â That’s why clients prefer flat rate billing. They know in advance how much something is going to cost and there are no surprises.

Whatever fee model you use, you must help clients to see the value of what you do for them. This is primarily done in advance, before they sign your retainer agreement.

Educate them about what you do and how you do it. Explain what they get for their money and why it is necessary. Talk to them about the options and contingencies. Show them other cases you have handled like theirs, explain the time line, and tell them how much those clients paid.

Of course you must also show them what those clients got for their money. What outcomes? What benefits? How were they better off as a result of hiring you?

If you do this right, clients will see the value of what you are about to do for them and they will rarely question your bill.

What about the wealthy client who tries to negotiate every bill? Here’s my advice:

Lawyers should never negotiate fees. It sounds like you have done this with him in the past and unfortunately, this puts you in a weaker position.Â You have three choices.

You could change your billing model. Quote him a flat rate for each matter, a monthly rate that covers everything, or a hybrid that covers much of what you do flat rate but allows for additional charges in the event of certain contingencies.
You could sit him down and show him the value of what you do, as described above. Do this one time. If he is convinced that you’re being fair with him, he must agree not to question you in the future. Kiss and make up.
You could fire him. Be honest. Tell him it’s obvious that he doesn’t see the value of what you’re doing for him and that you don’t negotiate fees (or will not do so in the future if you have previously). Tell him you can recommend an attorney who charges less than you do.

If a client doesn’t see the value of what you do, it’s your fault, not his. Yes, there are clients who try to negotiate everything (it’s in their DNA), but you must not give in to this. Do what you have to do to get them to see that you are worth every penny you ask (and then some) and if they don’t get it, move on.

For more on how to convey the value of what you do, see The Attorney Marketing Formula.

Filed Under: Attorneys fees, Fees and Billing, Law office management Tagged With: how-to-make-a-client-understand-you-dont-bargain, negotiating fees, negotiating-with-wealthy, what-information-do-wealthy-clients, when-clients-want-to-negotiage, where-to-meet-your-wealthy-clients

Turn voice mail and email away message into a commercial

September 4, 2012 by David M. Ward

Many phone systems now allow you to customize your “on hold” messages. You can program your message so that callers hear about your various practice areas, office hours, directions, or any other information. It’s a simple way to promote your services or offer.

You could

Describe your different practice areas or feature a new one
Promote a free consultation or special offer
Offer a free report, video, or ebook
Promote your web site content
Promote your upcoming seminar
Invite people to connect with you on social media
Ask for referrals
Promote your charity event (i.e., golf tournament)
Announce a new hire or new feature (i.e., “We now offer free consultations by phone”)

You could also do this in your voice mail message or in your email “away” (“out of office”) autoresponse.

For example, your voice mail message might be

This is Joe Lawyer. Please leave your name, number and reason for the call and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. By the way, on September 21 I’m doing a free phone seminar and you’re invited. It’s called, “12 simple steps to protecting your money.” You can get the details on my web page at JoeLawyer.com or mention the seminar when you leave your message and I’ll have someone call you back with the details. Thank you very much.

When you tell people you’re on vacation, away from the office, or just not available to take their call, use that email or voice mail to promote something or offer something of value.

Yep, marketing is simple.

Filed Under: Advertising, Email, Law office management, Marketing legal services Tagged With: attorney-marketing, commercial-email-locus, email away message, law firm marketing, lawyer-marketing, Marketing legal services, on hold advertising, on hold marketing, voice mail marketing, voice-mail-away-message, voice-mail-message-examples-for-lawyers

How to answer the phone in your law office

August 31, 2012 by David M. Ward

If you want to be more productive and deliver a higher level of service (aka “earn more income”), every element of your law office operations should be planned in advance. Put it in a checklist, template, form, or script, so that everyone knows what to do, they do it right, and they do it that way every single time.

A good place to start is how you want the phone to be answered. Here’s how:

Greeting (“Good Morning,” etc.)
Lawyer/Firm Name (“Mr. Jones’ office,” “Jones & Michaels”)
Name (“This is Sally speaking,”)
“How may I help you?” (or, “How may I direct your call?”)

This lets the caller know they have reached the right place and that you are organized, professional, friendly, and ready to help. Ending with a question (“How may I help you?”) gets the caller focused on stating his or her business.

You should also have a standing instruction that no caller should be put on hold for more than 29 seconds. 30 seconds is too long. The receptionist should come back on the line, tell the caller why they are still on hold, and ask if they would like to continue to hold or be put through to voicemail (or take a message).

This is far more important than you might imagine. Clients, prospects, opposing counsel, and everyone else, judge you on these things.

Do yourself a favor, call your office right now and listen to how the phone is answered. If it’s not exactly the way you want it, write down what you want and make sure everyone who answers the phones has a copy and practices it.

Including you.

Filed Under: Client relations, Communication, Image, Law office management, Productivity Tagged With: answering the phone, answering-the-phone-for-your-clients, answering-the-phone-templates-for-office, evernote-for-lawyers, fp, how-should-a-law-office-answer-the-phone, how-should-an-attorney-answer-the-phone, how-to-answer-a-phone-a-at-law-office, how-to-answer-phone-in-office, how-to-answer-phone-law-office, how-to-answer-telephone-for-attorneys, how-to-answer-the-phone, how-to-answer-the-phone-at-the-office, how-to-answer-the-phone-in-a-law-office, how-to-answer-the-phone-in-attorney-office, how-to-market-a-law-office, law-office-everyone-answers-the-phones, template-to-answer-phones-for-law-firm, why-do-attorneys-answer-the-phone-with-law-office

Get more client referrals by giving away a $6 t-shirt

August 30, 2012 by David M. Ward

I had a client once who liked me so much she showed up at my office one day with a gift. It was a t-shirt she had made up that said, “My Attorney is David M. Ward” printed in big letters on the front. She had one made for me and one for herself.

Imagine your happy clients going shopping or taking the kids to soccer or ballet, wearing a shirt with your name on it. Do you think this might start some conversations? Can you see how you might get some referrals?

You can buy imprintedÂ t-shirts in quantity for a few dollars a piece. You can be “professional” and print your name, a slogan or practice area, and your web site in the breast pocket area. Or you can do something whimsical like my client, with big, block letters “bill board” style. Or something in between.

Give away the t-shirts to all your clients. Prospects, too. Give them extras for their spouse and kids.

You would be surprised how many people will wear them, even if only to run errands or go to the gym. They’ll advertise your firm and get people asking about you. New clients can’t be far behind.

The Attorney Marketing Formula shows you how to earn more than you ever thought possible. To learn more, click here!Â

Filed Under: Advertising, Marketing legal services Tagged With: ad specialties, ad specs, giving-out-lawyer-follow-up-for-client, lawyer-t-shirts-for-clients, promotional items, the-attorney-marketing-formula

How to clean up your messy desk or messy mind

August 29, 2012 by David M. Ward

I was reading an article, “10 Simple Steps to Conquering Your Messy Desk,” and there are some good tips in it. Things like, “Use your walls” (cork board or white board), “Lose the paper trail” (scan paper documents and trash the original), and “Schedule daily maintenance” (10 minutes at the end of the day to tidy up).

My favorite is,”Files are your friend: If it’s a completed or upcoming project, file it away. . .If it’s ancient or obsolete, trash it. If it’s something you’re actively working on that day, it can stay in a file folder on top of your desk.”

It occurred to me that our desks get messy the same way our minds get messy–we’re trying to keep track of too many things.

I’ve written before about why people have messy desks:

Un-piling your desk isnâ€™t difficult. I think the hard part for some people is the notion that if they file something away, they wonâ€™t remember a task they need to do or they wonâ€™t remember where they filed something they need. Ironically, thatâ€™s exactly what their mess of a desk does.

The solution is to have a system that (a) allows you to remember what you need to do, and (b) lets you quickly find what you have filed when you need it.”

The path to a clean desk (or digital desktop) and a “mind like water” is to put everything away, out of sight and out of mind, and trust your system. Focus on the one thing you have decided to do next, and nothing else:

Take out the one thing you have decided to work on, and nothing else.
Work on this task until it is done, if possible, or as far as you can go if it is not.
If the task is done, cross it off your list. If a project is complete, file it away in an archive.
If the task or project is not done, put the documents away and make a note regarding the next step. Put a reminder on your calendar or in your tickler system or keep it on your list and review that list during your weekly review or daily planning session.
Take out the next thing you’re going to work on.
And so on.

Do you have some tips for conquering a messy desk or messy mind? Please post them in the comments.

Filed Under: Productivity Tagged With: clean-up-your-cluttered-desk, cleaning-up-messy-desk, desk-messy, evernote, getting things done, gtd, how-to-clean-a-messy-desk, how-to-clean-my-desk-mess, how-to-clean-up-a-cluttered-desk, how-to-clean-up-a-messy-mind, how-to-make-a-mess-on-the-desk, messy desk, messy-desk-messy-mind, messy-desk-mind, messy-mind, mind like water, my-minds-a-mess-how-to-clean-it-up

The most important question you can ask a new client

August 28, 2012 by David M. Ward

How many new clients did you get last month?

If you don’t know the number, either you didn’t get any new clients or you’re not keeping track.

You need to keep track.

You also need to keep track of where they came from. Who referred them? Which keyword did they use to find your website? Which ad did they click on?

You need to know how every new client made his or her way to your doorstep. That’s why the most important question you can ask a new client is: “How did you hear about us?”

You need to know so you know what’s working. Are your ads pulling or are you throwing your money away? Which ad is working better? Are you getting clients through your efforts on social media or are you wasting your time? Which social media platform is working better? Which posts?

John Wanamaker, who owned department stores in the early part of the twentieth century and spent a fortune on advertising, once said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.”

Department stores do “brand advertising”. They don’t usually track response. Although they can do focus groups and track coupons, they don’t know with any degree of accuracy if what they are doing is working. You won’t have that problem if you ask, “How did you hear about us?”

Don’t just ask new clients, however, ask everyone. If they call your office, if they contact you through email, if they show up at your door, ask them.

In my office, our new client intake form had a space to record the name of the person who referred the new client. We kept track, so we knew who to thank. It also allowed us to bring up the subject of referrals with the new client.

We had a form next to the phone to record the name of the referring person or the phone book or other ad that prompted them to call. We tracked them after the call, to see if they became a client. In this way, we learned which of our ads generated new business and which ones didn’t. (Some brought a lot of calls but not a lot of clients.)

Today, there are other options for measuring response to ads and traffic to our web sites. But nothing beats asking, “How did you hear about us?”

Filed Under: Advertising, Law office management, Marketing legal services, Referrals Tagged With: an-important-question-is-how-do, how-yoo-call-your-most-important-clients, Testing, the-client-is-the-most-important-person, tracking, what-is-another-way-to-ask-what-is-most-important-to-you, what-questions-do-you-ask-a-new-client