David M. Ward, Author at The Attorney Marketing Center

“There are always things to do. Most of them are pointless.”

May 9, 2023 by David M. Ward

I didn’t catch the name of the book but someone I follow said she read this (actually, heard it on an audiobook), and it stopped her in her tracks. Pointless? Most things?

If that’s true, the world has some ‘splainin to do.

Actually, I agree with the statement. I wouldn’t use the word ‘pointless’, but most of what we do is trivial, at least compared to the most important things we do.

Or could do.

Signing up a new client, settling a big case, launching a newsletter or website—these are important. They put food on the table, pay our rent, and help us move forward towards achieving our goals.

We can’t say that about most of the things we do.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t do them. Some things just have to be done and we’re the ones who have to do them. So they’re not pointless. Just not our ‘most important tasks’.

And we should, we must, prioritize our most important tasks, if we are to get where we want to go.

Okay. You probably know your most important tasks. They’re already a priority for you. It’s everything else that’s not so clear.

Writing that demand letter is a priority. Is editing it again (and again) a priority or is ‘good enough’ good enough?

Unfortunately, we spend a lot of time in that gray area. And a lot of time doing things that aren’t worth doing.

If we can identify these less valuable (pointless?) tasks, and eliminate them, do them less often, or do them more quickly, we could multiply our effectiveness.

(Yes, this is the 80/20 Principle).

Here’s a thought about how to do that:

Assume that everything on your list is ‘pointless’. Unnecessary. Or not worth the time or energy it takes to do. And make every task ‘prove’ to you otherwise.

Challenge everything and ruthlessly cut anything that doesn’t pass the test.

And, when you’re ready to add a new task (or step) to your list, make “no” or “not now” your default.

Denny Crane

May 8, 2023 by David M. Ward

My wife and I are watching Boston Legal. Yeah, first time. I don’t have anything I want to tell you about any of the characters or storyline, or how that firm does rainmaking, but at some point, I know I will. .

So I’ve started a page in my notes app to record ideas about that.

Other than a title, that page is currently blank. But it serves an important purpose because every time I see that note, it will remind me (and my subconscious mind) to find something to write about.

That note is a placeholder for a future blog post.

Yes, I could simply put the idea in a list of blog post ideas, just as I do for future projects or someday/maybe tasks. But there’s something about opening a new folder that makes an idea a bit more likely to happen.

It also gives you a place to collect notes and information for that project or idea, which helps you get started on it.

Tiago Forte says, “When you have a place for something, you find more of it.”

Set up a placeholder for the book you want to write, the investment you want to research, or the project you want to start. Set up a note for the blog post you’re thinking about.

You’ll probably feel compelled to add notes, ideas, web clippings, photos, quotes, bullet points, research, and other things related to that project or post.

Which means you’ll be a stop closer to getting started.

Filed Under: Content creation, Productivity

I should have done this years ago

May 5, 2023 by David M. Ward

For a long time, I’ve talked about the value of choosing tomorrow’s tasks today. Instead of writing your task list each morning, write it the night before.

And for years, that’s what I’ve done.

Previously, I had to wake up my brain each morning and plan my day, and it was often quite a while before I started working. Now, I know what’s on tap for the day and I can get to work immediately.

One of my daily tasks is writing a blog and newsletter. Choosing the subject the day before has made a big difference for me, especially since I often find it takes longer to choose the topic than to write the post. Choosing the topic the day before has the added benefit of allowing my subconscious mind to work on the topic overnight.

This has worked well for me. But here’s the thing. . .

Sometimes, I get towards the end of the day and see I still need to choose tomorrow’s blog topic. I do it, but if I’m tired or finishing up something else or I’m hungry and ready to call it a day, I may not have the presence of mind to do it.

So recently, I changed my workflow. A small change, but it has made a big difference.

Now, as soon as I finish and publish “today’s” post, I choose the following day’s topic. I don’t do this in the afternoon or evening, as before, I do it immediately.

It’s not a separate task, it’s part of the “write blog post” task. So effectively, I have one less task to do that day. One less thing to think about, or do, especially when I’d rather do something else.

If you write a blog or newsletter or post content on social, try it. Choose your next subject as part of finishing the one you work on today. .

Actually, you can do this with any type of task, not just writing.

Before you finish working on a case or project, choose the next one to work on. Make it part of your process, so you can roll from one into the next one. You may find, as I have, that it makes for a more productive day.

Filed Under: Content creation, Productivity

Every lawyer does it

May 4, 2023 by David M. Ward

Not all lawyers litigate, negotiate, or speak in front of groups. But every lawyer writes.

Writing is a lawyer’s super power.

Write well and you can persuade people to write you, call you, and hire you. Write well and you can get clients to hire you again, share your content, and tell others about you. Write well and you can create content that gets more people to your website, to learn more about what you do and how you can help them.

Write well and you can get more leads, better clients, and bigger cases. Write well and you might even generate an additional source of income through books, courses, and consulting.

Writing gives you space to think, to figure out what you want, and why, and discover what you’re willing to do to get it.

Writing can make you a better lawyer, and a more successful and happy one.

Years ago, I took a look at my work product and realized that form letters and boilerplate documents might make my work easier but did nothing to improve my writing. And I wanted to improve my writing because it was stilted and boring.

I started by writing more creative demand letters. I got some adjusters and lawyers to notice and while I can’t say this lead to better outcomes (or it didn’t), I enjoyed it and was encouraged to continue.

So then, I wrote articles, reports, and ads that were different than most lawyers write. Later, when I started a newsletter and blog, and wrote books and courses, my commitment to liberating my writing served me well.

It will serve you, too.

What’s the best way to improve your writing? By reading about good writing, by reading good writing itself, and mostly by writing more.

Write something every day. Practice. Play with words and ideas. You’ll get better at explaining the law, telling stories, and crafting persuasive arguments—the kind that win cases and new clients.

And have fun with it. Start small if you want to. A single colorful sentence or turn of phrase can be enough to make you stand out and convince yourself that there’s more to writing than form letters and boilerplate.

How to write emails that bring in more clients

Filed Under: Writing

How-to articles for lawyers are good. This is better.

May 3, 2023 by David M. Ward

Lawyers write a lot of blog posts and other content that explains how to do things. That’s good because “how to” is a very popular search term for people with legal issues.

But prospective clients also want to know “why”.

You tell them to do something, or avoid doing something, but your advice is much more persuasive and valuable to them if you tell them why.

If you handle personal injury cases, don’t just tell people what to say to the other driver, and what to avoid saying. Tell them why.

In fact, it’s a good idea to write blog posts and articles with a headline or title that features the word “why”. When someone sees that word, they become curious. “Why should I do that?” “Why is that a mistake?” and they read the article to find out.

You should also use the word “why” in your calls-to-action.

You want them to call and make an appointment? Tell them why. What do they get if they do? What are the benefits? What will that appointment help them do or avoid?

You want them to download your report? Fill out a form? Sign up for your webinar? Hire you (instead of any other lawyer)?

Tell them why.

Don’t stop writing how-to articles. They always have and always will be effective. But they are more effective when you also tell people why.

Filed Under: Blogging, Content creation, Copywriting, Newsletters, Writing

You cost more because you’re worth more

May 2, 2023 by David M. Ward

If you can show prospective clients why it costs them more to NOT hire you, do you think more clients would choose you?

I do too.

One way to do that is to show them how “doing nothing,” i.e., ignoring their legal problem, or trying to fix it themselves, often costs them more in the long run. Their problems can worsen, they can develop secondary issues, and the additional damages they incur, and the additional legal fees that come with them, can be fear greater than what they might pay by taking care of the problem immediately.

Give them examples of people who waited and it cost them.

(Note, it is a better overall strategy to focus on prospective clients who know they need an attorney and are willing and able to pay them, and ignore the ones who don’t. But sometimes you might need to have a conversation with someone about “why legal fees are so high,” etc.)

Then, show them why they should choose you instead of any other lawyer. Show them that you cost more than other lawyers because you’re worth more.

Show them you have greater skills, experience, higher settlements and judgements, and more success stories. Show them that you “specialize” in their industry or niche, and your reputation and contacts can deliver better results for your clients.

You can also show them how your clients get additional benefits other lawyers don’t provide.

Extra services, better payment terms, and how you keep your clients informed, might not be the sole reason a client will choose you, but it can tip the balance in your favor if they are comparing you to other lawyers who don’t offer these benefits.

Show prospective clients that while it costs more to hire you than other attorneys, it actually costs more to NOT hire you.

Filed Under: Attorneys fees, Marketing legal services

Alternatives to a free consultation?

May 1, 2023 by David M. Ward

It is axiomatic that if you talk to more prospects, you’ll sign up more clients. Does this mean you should offer free consultations across the board? Or, if you already do that, you should look for ways to do more of them?

Not necessarily.

Because while these consultations are free for the prospective client, there is a cost to you. Especially if you ordinarily get paid for consultations.

For some lawyers, free consultations are an anathema. For others, they are a simple and profitable marketing strategy. And necessary for lawyers who practice in areas where most lawyers offer them.

But does it have to be so black and white? Are there any other options?

Maybe there are.

Instead of offering free consultations to everyone who asks, perhaps you could set up a screening process whereby the prospect has to first fill out a questionnaire or speak to someone in your office, to allow you to determine if they are qualified to speak to you personally.

Another option is to offer discounted consultations, a nominal fee perhaps, fully credited if the prospect becomes a client.

You might offer ten-minute free consultations and a paid consultation option if they need or want more.

What if you allow prospective clients to dial into a scheduled conference call where they can describe their situation and ask questions anonymously? The way some lawyers do it on radio call-in shows, or when a lawyer takes questions from the audience after a presentation.

Prospective clients get some feedback about their situation and you get to determine if you want to speak to them further.

Maybe you can record these and put them (or transcripts) on your website. Prospective clients can get some general feedback about their situation, and a sense of what it would be like speaking to you personally.

These options might not give you enough information to allow meaningful feedback, or help the prospective client decide if they want to hire you, but they are clearly better than the alternative.

Ask yourself, what else could I do to talk to more prospective clients?

Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With: free consultations

Screening calls

April 28, 2023 by David M. Ward

People call with a question, about your services or about their case. Or they call to sell you something. Everyone wants to speak to you immediately, and if they leave a message, they want you to call them back the same day.

But you can’t talk to everyone immediately, or call back everyone the same day. At least you shouldn’t. You need to a gatekeeper to screen calls for you.

If a client calls with a question about their case or another legal matter, your gatekeeper needs to know what to do. Your clients need to know what will happen when they call. Who will they speak to? Where can they get additional information? What to do in an emergency?

Clients should be told all of this the day they become a client, so they can get the help they need in a timely manner, and not panic if you’re not available.

What about prospective clients? They might expect to speak to you when they call, or at least speak to someone. If they cannot, they need to be told (by the gatekeeper, voicemail, website) what to expect so they don’t call someone else.

People with something to sell? You don’t have to take their call, return their call, or reply to their email. And you probably shouldn’t.

Okay, the basics. But you might want to refine the basics to make things run more smoothly.

One way to do that is to have different policies for different types of calls and emails:

Prospective clients with a certain type of case
New clients
Long-time clients
Business clients
Consumer clients
Referred clients
Emails (who gets a form reply, who gets a personal reply, who gets called)
Inquires from old/dormant clients
Calls/emails from other lawyers (non-case related)

What to do, what to tell them, and when (or if) you will follow up.

You might create a list of clients your screener should always put through to you, and another list of clients you don’t want to speak to. A list of clients to call back immediately and a list of those who should be called back within 48 hours.

Lists like these can make life easier for your clients and prospects, and more profitable for you.

Filed Under: Client relations, Law office management

If it’s Tuesday, it must be Belgium

April 27, 2023 by David M. Ward

If you write a blog or a newsletter, have a podcast or channel, write articles or post content on social media, I bet there are times when you don’t know what to write. So you skip this week or this month but, unfortunately, before you know it, you’re not producing anything.

You know you should, and you want to, but life (and work) get in the way.

You’ve tried setting up a schedule. You want to write a weekly blog post or newsletter, for example, and have calendared Thursdays for doing that. But Thursday rolls around and you still don’t do it.

Sure, collect ideas throughout the week, so you have more than enough for next Thursday. But there’s something else you can do.

What’s that?

First, choose 4 or 5 areas in your niche your subscribers and followers are interested in. One of those areas would obviously be your core practice area.

If you handle personal injury, this would include writing about the law, procedure, insurance, negotiation, settlement, litigation, trial, appeals, and so on. If you have other practice areas, they would be one of your other subjects. You could also create content about debt, investing, credit, and other consumer-oriented matters.

Once you have chosen your broad content areas, make a list of subjects related to each. Then, calendar one of those areas or subjects per week (for a weekly newsletter, etc.). Dedicate that week to that subject and rotate through these areas on a recurring basis.

The first week of the month, you might write about the law in your field. The second week, you might provide consumer (or business) tips. The third week, you might share stories about interesting cases or clients you’ve had or heard about, or something law-related in the news. The fourth week, you might write about how you do what you do (interviewing clients, opening and closing files, research, investigation, etc.)

Next month, you do it again.

This way, you keep things fresh and interesting for your readers and never run out of things to talk about.

Newsletter marketing for attorneys

Filed Under: Content creation, Newsletters