David M. Ward – Page 45

Front loading

May 15, 2023 by David M. Ward

Top athletes don’t train at the same level of intensity throughout the day. They front load their workouts, doing the heaviest parts earlier in the day, when they have the most energy.

They also front load their week, doing the most strenuous workouts Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, for example, and leaving the rest of the week for less intense parts of their training.

This allows them to build muscle, speed, and endurance while getting sufficient rest so they can go at it again.

We can work the same thing in our work.

The idea is simple. You start your day or week (or project) doing the most important tasks. This allows you to get started when you have more energy, so that if the rest of the day or the week you don’t work with the same intensity, or you work on tasks that are less important, you still make progress.

This doesn’t mean you need to start with the most disagreeable or difficult tasks, a la, Eat That Frog. Just start with your MITs, your “most important tasks”.

You don’t need to do them as soon as you roll out of bed. But when you’re ready to start your workday or a new week, you’re starting a new project or diving into a work-in-progress, do the most important tasks or steps first.

When you structure your time this way, you make progress even if you don’t do that much with the rest of the day or the week.

If you’re working on a new presentation, do the outline and first draft early in the day or week. Do the second draft, editing, and creating visuals later.

Many people do things just the opposite. They start their day doing easy tasks, to tick them off their list and make room to work on the important things. The problem with working this way is that we often run out of time and/or energy before getting to the important things.

Front load your time by prioritizing the most important things on your list and doing them first.

Make that your SOP and, who knows, you might find that a four-day work week is your new reality.

Filed Under: Productivity

Talk it into existence

May 12, 2023 by David M. Ward

There’s something to be said for being the “strong silent type” and letting your work speak for itself. There’s also something to be said for talking about what you do and how you help people.

Because people who need your help want to know what you can do to help them.

That doesn’t mean you should talk about yourself all the time. We all know people who do that and wish they would stop. It does mean finding ways to communicate the benefits you offer without talking about them directly. At least not all the time.

An effective way to do that is to collect and use testimonials and reviews from satisfied clients, and endorsements from lawyers and other influential people who know you and your work.

Let others do (most of) the talking for you.

You can also share success stories about the cases and clients you’ve helped. Not to brag, but to illustrate what you do in the context of real cases and clients.

Success stories are implied testimonials.

You can also use this strategy to get more referrals.

How?

It’s simple. When you talk about a case you’re handling, or have done in the past, simply mention that the case was referred to you (by a client with a similar case, or by another lawyer, etc.)

This tells people that others think enough of you and your work that they tell others about you. It suggests that you have experience helping people with the same or similar issue.

You get more referrals not by asking because you are “referrable.”

What else can you do to talk it (referrals) into existence? When you sign up a new client, give them some extra business cards (reports, brochures, etc.), and say, “I’m giving you a few extras in case you talk to someone who needs my help”.

That’s it.

You plant the seed that they might speak to someone who needs your help and equip them to tell them about you.

How to get more referrals from your clients

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Referrals

Legal marketing made eas(ier)

May 11, 2023 by David M. Ward

Would it be okay if I showed you how to make marketing your practice easier? How to get the same (or better) results with less effort? So you don’t overwork yourself or hate what you’re doing and stop doing it?

I’ll take that as a yes.

Okay, grab a pen. Here are 3 things to do to make your life easier and your practice more profitable.

(1) Don’t do everything.

There are a lot of marketing strategies you could use but you’ll drive yourself crazy (and get poor results) if you try to do them all.

Choose no more than two or three primary strategies and focus on those. Learn all you can about them, get good at them, and make the most of them. They may be all you (ever) need.

Me? I chose referrals. Later, I added advertising. Later still, I started a blog and a newsletter.

Fewer strategies are easier and usually lead to better results. The same goes for the tools you use to implement those strategies.

(2) Don’t do everything yourself

Delegation is your friend. Let your staff do as much as possible and/or outsource.

Me? I only did things that only I could do. I saved time and got better results because I didn’t do things I wasn’t good at or didn’t enjoy.

(3) Look for additional opportunities that are low-effort/high-impact

There are other things you can do in addition to your primary strategies that have the potential to bring in new clients, new business contacts, and opportunities you might not otherwise discover.

For example, speaking and networking might not be something you regularly do, but if you are invited by a client or business contact to speak at or attend an event in your target market, or as a guest on a podcast in that market, go for it. Go flap your gums and shake a few hands.

Something else that is relatively low-effort but high-impact is writing a book. (Low effort because you can get help). Publishing a book is a great way to build your reputation, generate leads, and make your other marketing strategies more effective.

The key word is ‘leverage’. Things you can do that are easy, don’t take a lot of time, and have the potential to deliver excellent results.

The other keyword is ‘focus’. Do a few things and do them well. (But, never say never to other ideas.)

The Attorney Marketing Formula

Filed Under: Marketing Plan

“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.

Filed Under: Productivity Tagged With: 80/20 principle, pareto principle

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