David M. Ward – Page 349

Is blogging a “massive mistake”?

April 28, 2008 by David M. Ward

(Originally sent to my ezine list, The Prosperous Lawyer.)

You haven’t heard from me in a few weeks–because I haven’t written much lately. I’ve posted several articles on the blog , but I haven’t kept pace with my original "posting" schedule.

There’s a simple reason for that: I’ve been busy. Okay, that’s not completely true. I haven’t written much lately mainly because I didn’t feel like it.

Of course professionals have to do things we don’t feel like doing. We have responsibilities. People depend on us. And if we want to keep the income flowing, we have to work. But that’s not my job description anymore.

Nope. I started my other business because I wanted passive income and "time freedom," the ability to do what I want, when I want, and work only if I want to. I’ve accomplished that, and don’t rely on my blog for income (nor do I practice law any more), but I have been recommending to my readers that they set up a blog because of the many advantages they offer.

But my quasi-hiatus did get me thinking about the idea behind blogging, that is, even though there isn’t a lot of work to keeping a blog going, you really can’t stop. Not if you depend on it for your business or practice.

Then I got an email from someone for whom I have a lot of respect, Ken Evoy, a former physician turned online entrepreneur. He is extremely successful and well-regarded. Ken’s company specializes in helping people with little or no experience get a website and, more importantly, get free traffic from search engines, and they do it extraordinarily well. I was one of his original customers when he launched his SBI program years ago, and I have nothing but good things to say about Ken and SBI.

But his email troubled me. Probably because it touched on what I was already thinking.

Ken said that for most people (people like you and me) blogging is not the way to go. He says it’s a mistake, a "time-sapping strategic error." One reason (but not the only one) is that because of the way Google valuates the timeliness of posts, taking a break from blogging will cause your relevancy to drop, and the result is a drop in traffic. And search engine traffic is one of the key advantages of blogging.

Another reason is that because of the way blogs archive information, most visitors never see most of it. They read the most current post or two and never dig deeper.

I didn’t want to hear this. Although I don’t depend on my blog, I’ve posted a lot of content and I’d like to think people are reading it and benefiting from it. Wouldn’t you?

Ken’s going to ruffle a lot of feathers, especially considering the respect he has in the online community. But I read his email and the web page he’s posted explaining it, and I have to admit he does make a compelling case. He shows why a static web site, properly organized and optimized, will bring you more search engine traffic than a blog. What’s more, if you take a break from writing for two months, you won’t be penalized.

Ken says his service, SBI (SiteBuildIt) is a better choice than blogging because it is

Easier to set up
Easier to maintain
Less work (a lot less)
Less expensive
More effective at getting (and keeping) free
search engine traffic

I am not an expert on the subject; not even close. No doubt many experts will weigh in. I’ll see what they say, and
suggest you do, too.

There’s no question Ken is biased. After all, he does sell SBI (and I am an enthusiastic affiliate), but based on what I know
about him, I think he believes every word he says. Read Ken’s argument and see what you think.

I’ve used SBI and recommended it for years. There’s no question that it has monumental benefits, especially for busy lawyers who can’t spend a lot of time on their web site. And SBI has blogging capability built it, for those who want the best of both worlds. So take a look and tell me what you think. I’ll post this on my blog and you can post your comments there.

P.S. Quick links:

Information on SBI, a all-in-one web site solution for service-sellers
Ken’s article on blog vs. build

Filed Under: Blogging, Online Marketing, Productivity, Wealth

When you don’t know what to do, do something.

April 22, 2008 by David M. Ward

There is a true story about a troup of young Hungarian soliders lost in the Alps during training. In abysmal weather, with no food or supplies, they were cut off from their colleagues. After two days of snow and sleet, they were frozen and weak from hunger. They had no idea how to get back to base. They lost the will to live.

Then a miracle happened. Searching for a cigarette in the lining of his tunic, one of the soldiers suddenly found an old map. The soldiers confidently used the map to march through the mountains back to safety.

It was only when they were warm and fed at base camp that they discovered it was a map of the Pyrenees, some 2,000 kilometers away.

This story has two valuable lessons:

It is better to act constructively than to have the right answer and not act.
Each of us has to find our own answer, or adapt someone else’s answer to our own circumstances. The soliders got home safely because they made sense of the map for themselves and related it to their immediate surroundings.

(From, "Living the 80/20 Way," by Richard Koch.)

Filed Under: Productivity Tagged With: when-you-dont-know-what-to-do-do-something

What is personal development and why does it matter?

April 16, 2008 by David M. Ward

Q: What is personal development?

A: Everything we do to improve ourselves. Personal development affects everything, who we are, what we accomplish, how much we earn, our health, our entire quality of life. It involves these areas:

Philosophies/attitudes/beliefs
Habits
Skills
Knowledge
Relationships

Q: How do you do it?

A. Five ways:

Learning: (What you read and listen to, trainings/seminars/conference calls)
Activities: (Practicing; trial and error)
Modeling: (Your associationsâ€“who you spend time with)
Mentoring: (Advice from others)
Teaching: (Helping others, training/speaking)

Q: How do you start?

A: Do this:

(1) Make a commitment to learning.

Schedule thirty minutes a day for reading, listening to training. Think about what you are learning. Take notes. Write down questions.

Your learned knowledge will affect your activities. Youâ€™ll see improvement in your performance and results. Similarly, your activities will affect your learned knowledge by providing feedback and context.

And so it goesâ€“learned knowledge, followed by activity knowledge, followed by more learned knowledge. One builds upon the other; neither is as valuable by itself.

(2) Examine your Associations.

We tend to be the average of the five people we associate with the most: income, attitudes, life style, habits, everything. You are influenced by the people you spend time with. Who are they? What kind of people are they? What are their philosophies? Habits? Do they have the life you want?

As you become aware of your associations, you might see some people you want to spend less time with, or even disassociate from completely. There might be others you want to spend more time. As your associations change, your environment will change, and, over time, so will you.

The â€œLaw of Attractionâ€ says that â€œlike attracts like.â€ You donâ€™t attract what you want in life, you attract what you are. And so if you want to change your life, you must first change yourself, and you do that through personal development.

Filed Under: Personal development

Should your law firm have a marketing committee?

April 15, 2008 by David M. Ward

Marketing professional services cannot be done by committee. It’s something professionals should do. That means you should market "you". Assistants can help with administrative tasks, scheduling, and so forth, but building a law practice means building relationships and that’s something you cannot delegate.

Besides, it’s not the firm that should be marketed. It’s you. Clients don’t typically say, "call my law firm" when they refer you; it’s "call my lawyer" every time. Okay, larger firms can engage in activities that brand the firm’s name and establish good will in their target markets, and a committee would be appropriate for that purpose, but it’s still the individual attorneys that bring in the clients.

On the other hand. . . there are ways a marketing committee can play a role, even in a small or mid-sized firm. A committee can help coordinate the marketing efforts of the individual attorneys, for example. Newsletters, seminars, speaking engagements, mailings, public relations and advertising could well be done more effectively, and at lower cost, when attorneys aren’t duplicating each other’s efforts.

Here are a few other ways a committee could serve and assist the individual attorneys:

Bringing in trainers and consultants to help the attorneys improve marketing skills
Providing technical assistance with graphics, printing, web sites, event booking
Clearance of ethical questions
Coordination of cross-selling efforts
Decisions about the firm’s design issues (letterhead, decorating)
Recognition of attorneys for meeting goals

A committee can’t do the marketing for you. But, like a good secretary, it can certainly make you look good.

Filed Under: Law office management, Marketing legal services, Productivity Tagged With: can-you-do-marketing-by-committee, goal-setting-for-billing, goal-setting-for-billing-assistants-in-a-law-firm, law-firm-marketing-committee, law-firm-marketing-committees, law-firm-purpose, law-firm-purpose-of-marketing-committee, marketing-by-committee, marketing-commitee-law-firms, marketing-commitee-law-firms-where-are-goals, marketing-committee-goals, marketing-committee-law-firm, marketing-committees-law-firms, marketing-law-firms-committee-what-do-they-do, marketing-law-firms-what-do-commitee-do, role-of-marketing-committee-in-legal-firm, what-do-you-have-to-do-to-be-on-a-marketing-committeee, what-is-a-law-firm-marketing-committee, who-should-be-on-a-law-firm-marketing-committee-2011, why-do-attorneys-decorate-their-offices-with-ducks

Referrals mean better clients, bigger income for lawyers

April 2, 2008 by David M. Ward

Where did your clients first find out about you? Chances are it was one of the following:

They were referred to you
They saw an article you wrote or heard you speak
They met you at a networking event
They saw your ad
They saw an article about you or saw you on the news
They found your web site via a search engine

Whatever brought you clients in the past is probably something you should continue to do in the future.

Do it in more places, do it more often, do it better, and you should bring in more clients.

But no matter what other marketing strategies you use, the cornerstone of your marketing efforts should be based on getting more referrals.

Referred clients are the best clients. As a general rule, they come to you pre-sold. You don’t have to convince them to hire you, to pay what you ask, or to follow your advice.

Referred clients tend to be better clients, too. They are less likely to complain and more likely to come back to you again and again. And, because they were themselves referred, they are far more likely to refer other clients to you.

Lawyers who get a lot of referrals tend to have the most profitable (and enjoyable) practices.

Use other marketing methods to bring clients to your attention if they suit your style and budget. But build your practice on a foundation of referrals.

Referrals from clients are the easiest to generate. But while clients may be the most willing to refer, there are usually limits as to how much–or how often–they CAN refer.

Non-client referral sources may have the ability to refer you a lot of business, but they may not (yet) be willing to do so.

You need strategies to deal with both situations.

For clients, the simplest strategy is simply to stay in touch. Clients who don’t have anyone to refer to you today may have referrals tomorrow. Your objective is to be "in their minds and their mailboxes" when that occurs.

For non-client referral sources–attorneys, other professionals, business owners, and so on–don’t count on merely letting them know what you do. You may get some referrals that way, but your best sources are likely to come only after you have built relationships with key centers of influence.

Building those relationships doesn’t necessarily depend on your ability to refer them business. Do it if you can, but if you can’t, you can either

Build a personal relationship, based on friendship and common interests, and/or
Help them professionally in other ways. For example, while you might not be able to refer them much business yourself, you can introduce them to some of your colleagues who might be able to refer them business.

Relationship marketing means helping others first, without demanding or expecting anything in return. It means finding out what prospective referral sources want and looking for ways to help them get it. Put aside what you want for now, and help others, FIRST. Try it and watch what happens.

Zig Ziglar said, "You can get anything you want in the world by helping enough people get what they want."

Shameless plug: The number one resource for lawyers who want to build a referral-based practice is my own, "Referral Magic" marketing course. More than 5,000 attorneys worldwide are using Referral Magic to get more clients and build a successful law practice. You can learn about The Referral Magic Marketing Program on this page.

Filed Under: Increase your income, Marketing legal services, Referrals, Relationship marketing Tagged With: bigger-income-means, following-a-referral-means, means-of-referrals, my-referrals-mean, referals-means, referral-income-mean, referral-mean-in, referral-means, referrals-mean, that-mean-referra, to-recieve-a-referral-means, what-do-referrals-mean, what-is-referral-mean, what-is-referral-means, what-is-referrals-means, what-means-referrals, what-oe-referral-mean, what-reerrals-mean, what-referral-means, what-referrals-mean

The three things that matter most

March 24, 2008 by David M. Ward

What are the three most important things you do in your career? Sure, you do a lot of things, but chances are, three of them are more important than the rest. We’ve talked about the 80/20 Principle before. These three things are the twenty-percent activities that deliver eighty percent of your results. They are worth identifying. If you can identity them, you can do more of them (and less of those things that aren’t of the three).

What’s more, if there are only three things, you can remember them. You don’t need a list. “These are the three areas I focus on,” you’ll say. “This is where I focus eighty percent of my time.” So what are they? If you could only do three things all day long, what would they be? Don’t think too much about this; you already know the answer.

When I was practicing (personal injury), I would have said that these are my three things:

Marketing
Settling Cases
Managing staff

For me, litigation was not one of the three things that matter(ed) most. We did it, but the practice was a high-volume of smaller cases and litigation was not our primary focus. So, it was these three things that mattered most to my practice. If I was doing one of these three things, I was doing “twenty-percent activity”. Anything else was “eighty-percent activity” (which brings in only twenty percent of the results).

Let’s take things a step further, shall we? Once you have identified your “three things that matter most,” what about identifying the three things that matter most about each of those three things? This allows you to get more specific about how you are spending your time and how you are focusing your energy. You will perform “on purpose” instead of reacting to whatever presents itself. And, if you can recall the three things that matter most, you should also be able to recall the three things about each of those things, too. If they are truly important and you are doing them, they will be second nature to you.

In my case, I would have identified the three things about my three things, like this:

MARKETING

Ads in yellow pages
Network with referral sources
Client referral strategies

SETTLE CASES

Client interviews/evidence collection
Demand package
Negotiation

MANAGE STAFF

Interview/hire
Monitor work flow
Recognize and incentivize

What are your three things? And what are the three things about each of those three? Take the time to identity these crucial items and then focus eighty percent of your time and attention on them. You’ll get more done in less time and you’ll get more results. You’ll earn more and work less.

Filed Under: Increase your income, Productivity Tagged With: 5-things-that-matter-most-at-work, 80-20, 80-20-principle, 80/20 principle, 8020, 8020-free-clip-art, 8020-principle-legal-services, 8020-principles-about-relationships, free-images-of-video-camera, icon-vdeo, icon-video, tagline-examples, things-that-matter-most-at-work-for-job-application, three-things-that-are-matter, three-things-that-matter-at-work, three-things-that-matter-most-at-work, vdo-web, video, video-icon, you-tubefacebook

A good slogan (tagline) can be worth its weight in gold

March 11, 2008 by David M. Ward

Most slogans I hear fail to accomplish their purpose: to communicate a cogent, benefit-rich, memorable marketing message. Although attorneys usually donâ€™t use slogans, the ones Iâ€™ve heard have almost always been bad. An attorney in Los Angeles has a slogan that works, however. Miles Berman, the self-proclaimed â€œTop Gun Duiâ€ attorney, uses the following slogan as the tagline for his frequent radio commercials: â€œBecause friends donâ€™t let friends plead guilty.â€

Why does this work? First, it plays on the familiar public service slogan used to promote the use of a designated driver, â€œBecause friends donâ€™t let friends drive drunkâ€. Bermanâ€™s version is tied to something that has been drilled into our heads by millions of dollars in public service advertising, and is thus familiar. In addition to being familiar, itâ€™s relevant. Both slogans deal with different aspects of the same issue. And because it is familiar and relevant, it is memorable, the ideal of any slogan. Finally, the slogan does what few slogans ever do, it promises a benefit. In telling the listener not to plead guilty, it suggests that there are alternative solutions, and all they have to do to get them is to call the â€œTop Gun Dui Defenseâ€ attorney. Very effective.

Eric Swartz is a consultant who bills himself as “The Tagline Guru.” His web site presents the benefits of a good tagline and advice on how to create one. He also has a list of “The 100 Most Influential Taglines Since 1948.” I remember most of these, and you will, too. Good examples of taglines that have created household brands.

You donâ€™t need a tagline, but if you use one, use one that works.

Filed Under: Advertising, Communication, Copywriting, Marketing legal services Tagged With: attorney-slogan, attorney-slogans, attorney-tag-lines, best-slogan-for-attorneys, clever-attorney-slogans, dui-tagline, example-of-tagline, examples-of-a-tagline, give-me-examples-of-a-tagline, good-taglines-for-schools, lawyer-avertising-phrases, lawyer-slogan, lawyer-slogans, logo-tagline-samples, sample-of-tag-line, slogans-for-attorney, tagline-examples, taglines-examples, taglines-for-gold, taglines-for-lawyers

How to achieve any goal you set–guaranteed

March 4, 2008 by David M. Ward

I just finished reading, "Double Your Income Doing What You Love," by Raymond Aaron, which describes a unique method of setting and achieving goals. One of the perennial issues in goal setting is whether we should set big goals, which inspire us to reach high but usually leave us disappointed, or small goals, which we almost always achieve, but don’t take us very far. Aaron presents a system that provides the perfect answer, one I have never seen before.

"Instead of recording a goal, you subdivide your goal into three levels of achievement," he says. The first level is what we are almost certain to do, not based on our hopes but on our actual track record. "It is not much more than a to-do item," he says. But just because you are almost certain to do it doesn’t mean you will and so it is still a goal. This first level can be called the "minimum."

The next level is your "target". This is a stretch beyond what you are confident you can do.

The highest level he calls "outrageous" and it is the most challenging of the three, practically impossible to achieve.

By setting three levels of the same goal, you will always achieve that goal. You are guaranteed to succeed at some level, and thus your self-esteem is enhanced (the rationale behind setting easy goals) while you are simultaneously inspired by your bigger target and outrageous goals. You’ll hit your target goals often enough, and sometimes hit (or make significant progress towards) your outrageous goals. The bottom line of this system is that you hit more goals more often.

Aaron also suggests using monthly goals as your primary time line, long enough to accomplish something meaningful but short enough to be held accountable. Monthly goals are tactical, the mechanics of reaching our long term (annual) strategic goals.

He also tells us that while we are responsible for our lives and, therefore, the accomplishment of our goals, this doesn’t mean we are the ones who have to do everything (or anything) towards their achievement. Aaron is a proponent of delegation, urging us to do only what we love. "When you set a goal, you likely wonder when you are ever going to find time to complete it. When I set a goal, I wonder who is going to do it. If it’s not one of my special talents, I delegate it so that it gets done."

Over the last twenty-four years, Aaron has mentored thousands to success with his goal setting methods, and, not surprisingly, suggests everyone will benefit from "a mentored life." "You do what makes sense to you. Therefore, on your own, you keep doing the same thing all the time, because it makes sense to you. To have a giant leap forward in your life, you need to do what does not make sense to you. Only a very wise mentor can alert you to such new and strange actions you could take to make a huge change in your life."

I recommend Aaron’s book. In fact, I guarantee you’ll get something out of it.

Filed Under: Goal Setting, Mentors & Coaches, Personal development, Productivity Tagged With: achieve-any-goal, how-to-accomplish-any-goal-gaunrateed, set-goal-far-behind-performance-disappointed, Writing

Personal injury lawyer’s newsletter done right

February 28, 2008 by David M. Ward

Ben Glass is a Fairfax, Virginia personal injury attorney who knows how to market his services. One of the many things he does (and does right) is his newsletter, which I just got in the mail.

The first thing Mr. Glass does right is that he has a print newsletter in the first place. I talked about the advantages of print communication in this digital age recently. For the record, Glass also has an online newsletter and more than one blog.

One of the key features of his newsletter, which promotes his web site and blog, is his firm’s "communication policy," which describes how to communicate with Mr. Glass and his staff. He scores a home run with the following statement: "Ben Glass takes no inbound unscheduled phone calls whatsoever. It makes him much more productive and helps get your case resolved faster." This is followed by information on how to schedule a call or in-person meeting. Why is this so powerful? Because it says his clients and their cases are important and he will not allow interruptions. It means when you are in his office or on the phone with him, he won’t make you wait; your call or meeting (and you) are important.

Many lawyers do just the opposite. They take calls from other clients (or whoever), they make clients wait in the waiting room instead of seeing them at their scheduled time, and their attitude is that they are more important than the clients they serve. Showing respect for your clients is simple and effective. Remember, clients don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Another key to the newsletter is telling stories. Facts tells but stories, sell, and Glass’ newsletter is full of stories. For example, one story is about the tiger who killed a boy at the San Francisco Zoo recently. It discusses the law in a very informal, easy to understand way, and provides insights to what readers have seen on the news. It makes people think and quietly positions Glass as an expert in matters involving injuries and legal issues.

Another story is about a $1 million dollar verdict Glass obtained for a client in a "delay in diagnosis" medical malpractice case. It doesn’t overwhelm the reader with facts, the law, or hubris. Further, it concludes with four "lessons from the case" readers can use to protect themselves and their loved ones from a similar fate. And it "proves" that Glass is good at what he does, without him saying so.

Another feature is a "contractor recommendation," lauding a company Glass and his wife hired recently. It’s an endorsement (with web site and phone number) readers will appreciate if they’re looking for a reliable contractor. If the company is a client, Glass also gains points with them. The lesson is that it’s smart to position yourself as the hub of your clients’ life, someone they can count on for information, recommendations and referrals for all matters important. When your client’s think of you first, you’re doing it right.

Finally, the newsletter does a good job of humanizing Glass with a (front page) story about the director of an orphanage where one of his adopted children used to live. Message: he’s a real person and he cares about people.

Well done, Ben!

Filed Under: Client relations, Marketing legal services, Newsletters, Writing Tagged With: attorney-newsletter-services, done-for-you-newsletter, lawyer-news-letter, lawyer-newsletter, lawyer-newsletters, lawyers-lewsletter, lawyers-news-letters, lawyers-newsletter, lawyersnewsletter, legal-newsletter-personal-injury, mss, newsletter-for-lawyers, newsletter-from-lawers, newsletter-lawyers, newsletter-lawyers-news, newsletters-for-lawyers, personal-injury-attorneys-newsletters, personal-injury-lawyer-newsletter, personal-injury-newsletter, the-done-for-you-newsletter

Two-headed client gets whiplash reading lawyer’s retainer agreement!

February 25, 2008 by David M. Ward

Gary Halbert was one of the greatest copywriters of all time. He wrote some of the most successful headlines, ads, and sales letters in the history of direct marketing, earning millions for himself, and billions for his clients. The headline that brought you to this page is my homage to his talent (how can you NOT read this?), based on a fake headline he wrote for one of this clients.

Halbert, who passed away last year, believed that in advertising, the headline is everything. I agree. An ad with a bad headline but brilliant copy will never be read. A mediocre ad with a GREAT headline, however, will pull far greater response simply because more people are reading it.Â

Headlines are not just in ads. The title of your article or report is a headline. Same for your brochure. The title of your seminar is a headline. So is the opening line in your presentation. The “re” in your letter is a headline. And the “P.S.”

What goes at the top of your web page? That’s a headline. What’s the first thing you say when you call a potential referral source to introduce yourself? Yep, a headline.

Halbert, who styled himself, “The Prince of Print,” sometimes spent 80% of his time on a piece crafting the right headline. When you get the headline right, everything else seems to fall into place. Get it wrong, and nothing you do thereafter seems to work.

My love for copy writing began when I subscribed to The Gary Halbert Letter in the late 1980’s. I read and re-read every word he wrote. He was also the inspiration for the sales copy I wrote to promote Referral Magic marketing program and my own newsletter, The Attorney Marketing Letter. Copywriting is the highest paid skill in marketing, but I consider it essential for any kind of marketing, and that includes marketing professional services.

Copywriting can be learned. I used to write like a lawyer but I trained myself to write copy that sells. It is a skill that has earned me millions. One of the best investments you can make in your career is in studying and applying the lessons of the great masters of copywriting. There is, of course, no better place to start than by reading the back issues of Halbert’s newsletter. Fortunately, all of them are posted online at the web site that survives him, TheGaryHalbertLetter.com. I encourage you to spend some time reading through this treasure chest of brilliant lessons in copywriting. But I have to warn you: Don’t start unless you have several hours available, because once you start reading Gary Halbert, you won’t be able to stop.

Filed Under: Advertising, Communication, Copywriting, Marketing legal services, Writing Tagged With: lawyers-retainer-who-is-the-client