The Attorney Marketing Center--Earn More. Work Less

4 simple steps to building your contact list

August 24, 2018 by David M. Ward

Want to meet some new people (prospective clients, professionals, influencers. . .) without leaving your home or office? Want to do it by investing just a few minutes a day?

Okay, listen up. Here’s what to do:

Step one: Choose a category

What type of contacts would you like to add to your list? If you want to “meet” other lawyers, which practice areas? If you want to meet business owners, executives, or prospective clients, which type of business or industry?

Step two: Make a list

Find a directory, list, or some websites comprised of the kinds of people in your chosen categories. Note their contact information.

Step three: Create an “excuse” to contact them

It could be to invite them to an event you’re hosting or promoting (e.g., a meetup, golf tourney, charitable event, membership drive, restaurant opening for one of your clients or friends, etc.)

It could be to invite them to speak at your event, post an article on your blog, let you interview them for your video channel, or fill out a survey you’ve posted.

It could be to meet you for coffee because you have something in common (target market, client, neighborhood, practice area) and you want to see how you might work together.

It could be because a mutual client, business contact, or friend said something nice about them and you wanted to “meet” them.

Step four: Call

Yes, call. It’s much more effective than email or a letter for a first contact. You want them to see you as a real person, not a faceless collection of electrons spamming their inbox. You want them to hear your voice and you want to hear theirs.

And hey, if a conversation ensues, that’s a good thing.

Introduce yourself, tell them where you got their name, say something nice about them (e.g., you like their website, you heard nice things about them), and invite them to speak, meet, write, etc.

If they’re not in, leave a message. Circle back to them at another time.

Told you it was simple.

How to get more referrals from lawyers and other professionals

Filed Under: Networking

How many tasks should you put on your list?

August 23, 2018 by David M. Ward

Many experts recommend adding a specific number of tasks to your task list each day, or a specific number of projects for the week or month. They recommend limiting your “work in progress” to three to five tasks or projects and moving everything else to another list.

Choosing a small number of items helps you avoid feeling overwhelmed. You canÂ see what’s on tap for the day or week, what to do first and what to do after that.

But no matter how many items you put on your list, in a way your list is always just one item.Â At any moment, you choose one thing you need to do or want to do and do it. If you’re smart, you don’t think about anything else until you’ve completed your number one task or taken it as far as you can go.

First things first. Second things never.

Gary Keller says, “Until my number one priority is done, everything else is a distraction.”

Okay, I’ve got to admit, I know what I’m going to work on after I finish this. After that? I don’t know. Its more fun that way.

Earn more, work less. This shows you how.

Filed Under: Productivity

Procrastination might be your friend

August 22, 2018 by David M. Ward

In an interview, Ray Bradbury spoke about writer’s block, noting that it’s a warning that you’re doing the wrong thing:

“What if you have a blockage and you donâ€™t know what to do about it? Well, itâ€™s obvious youâ€™re doing the wrong thing, arenâ€™t you? . . . Youâ€™re being warned, arenâ€™t you? Your subconscious is saying I donâ€™t like you anymore. Youâ€™re writing about things I donâ€™t give a damn for. . . If you have writersâ€™ block you can cure it this evening by stopping what youâ€™re doing and writing something else. You picked the wrong subject.”

So, trust your gut.

Could the same be said whenever we find ourselves procrastinating?

I think it could. But things aren’t that simple.

If you’re doing work for a client, the work has to be done. You can’t change the work just because your gut’s telling you something’s not right.

But that doesn’t mean we should ignore our gut. It might be trying to do you a favor.

When you feel resistance to doing something, take a moment to ask yourself some questions:

Does this have to be done? Maybe there’s another way to accomplish the same result. It couldn’t hurt to take a moment to consider this.
If the work has to be done, does it have to be done now? Maybe a delay would help you sort out some things that your gut says are a problem.
Am I the one who has to do it? If someone else could do it, that might be a simple solution to what ails ya.
Is there another way to get it done? If the work has to be done, now, by you, maybe you can do it in some other way? How might you do it differently?

Let’s noodle for a moment about that last one.

Suppose you are hired to write an appellate brief but your gut is telling you there’s a problem. You’re blocked, but you know it has to be done and you’re the one to do it.

Instead of writing the brief the way you usually do itâ€“research, outline, first draft, etc.â€“how about trying a different process? Maybe start withÂ a quick stream-of-consciousness draft of what’s on your mind about the case or the people, before you do any research. Maybe by doing that, you’ll realize some things about the case you didn’t think about before.Â And maybe this will provide you with a breakthrough and help you turn out a brilliant piece of work.

All hail your gut. It knows things you don’t know.

Filed Under: Productivity, Writing Tagged With: procrastination, trust your gut, writers block

Building your practice by playing with matches

August 21, 2018 by David M. Ward

You can’t build a campfire by trying to ignite big logs. You have to start with kindling–twigs and leaves and small branches. Get the fire going, add some small logs, and when the fire is big enough you add the big logs.

That’s how most of us started our law practice.

Most of us didn’t start by renting a big office and hiring a big staff, we started by finding a desk and a place to see clients and going out and getting a few.

We got some experience, made some contacts, and brought in some income. That’s the kindling. When we had something going, we added some logs. Eventually, we got (or will get) the big office and staff.

And it’s the same way with marketing.

You don’t start with $50,000 a month in ad spends. You start with $200 on some pay-per-click ads and see what you can see.

You set up a one-page website or a landing page and an autoresponder and start building an email list. You invest a couple of hours at a networking function and get your feet wet. You write a couple of articles and put them out into the world.

You start small and build your practice like you build a campfire.

That’s why you can build a thriving practice spending just 15 minutes a day on marketing. Make a few calls, write an article or email, sketch out a script for a video or seminar.

A little bit every day and eventually your practice turns into a bonfire.

How to build an email list from scratch

Filed Under: Marketing legal services

Failure is an option

August 20, 2018 by David M. Ward

Nobody likes to fail so most of us tend to avoid doing things we’re not good at, things we’ve failed at before.

Thomas J. Watson, the founder of IBM, said that’s the opposite of what we should do:

â€œWould you like me to give you a formula for success? Itâ€™s quite simple, really: Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isnâ€™t at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, so go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember thatâ€™s where you will find success.â€

I don’t think he meant we should literally increase our “rate” of failure, meaning the percentage of mistakes or failures. I can’t see how intentionally doing worse would help us to become more successful. I think he meant we should double the “number” of failures, meaning the number of times we “attempt” things we’ve failed at.

The more attempts we make, the better we get. We’ll rack up more failures but each failure brings us closer to success.

What are you avoiding that you’re not good at it or don’t like it but know you need to do?

Instead of avoiding these things, increase your knowledge, work on your skills, and forge ahead. Screw up more, embarrass yourself more, bitch and moan more, and eventually, you’ll have a breakthrough.

Because failure is an option and it’s not a bad thing.

Filed Under: Personal development Tagged With: failure

The art of scaring clients

August 17, 2018 by David M. Ward

IÂ heard an ad for a tax remediation firm. It did a lot of things right, including telling business owners the bad things the IRS can do to you if you don’t pay.

It was a long list of scary things, and very aggressive. They can do this, they can do that, they can even take your business.

What, they don’t pull down your pants and spank your tushy?

Anyway, you’ve heard me prattle on about the importance of scaring prospective clients. You know that “fear of loss” is more powerful than “desire for gain.” And you know that you are doing clients a favor if, by putting the fear of God in them, you get them to (finally) take action that is in their best interests.

You scare them to get their attention. You scare them to get them to take your message seriously. You scare them to get them to call or fill out a form or download your report.

But sometimes, you can scare them so much they don’t do any of those things. They shut down and stop listening.

A little context.

A business owner who hasn’t paid Uncle Sam knows that bad things happen. They’ve gotten the delinquent notices and notices of intent and seen the penalties and interest accrue. They may even know that they can lose their business. But they think they have time. Or they’re in denial about how bad things really are.

They rationalize, procrastinate, and compartmentalize, and when they hear your message of doom and gloom, it’s too much to handle so they tune it out.

What should you do instead? You should provide some relief.

Yes, the ad talks about getting rid of liens and paying off the debt with pennies on the dollar. But it doesn’t tell them how they will feel to finally get this monkey off their back.

The ad should get them to see, in their mind’s eye, how good they will feel and what they’ll be able to do once this problem is taken care of. Tell them about other clients who have been in their shoes and are now sitting pretty.

Give them some hope. Give them something to look forward to. Show them the light at the end of the tunnel.

So you need a mix. A warning and a promise. Pain and pleasure. Blackness and light.

You also have to let them hear your compassion and understanding. Talk to them like a fellow human being who wants to help them, instead of blaring at them like Big Brother.

Filed Under: Copywriting

Posture

August 16, 2018 by David M. Ward

Yesterday, I talked about how some lawyers are afraid of their clients. They bendÂ over backward to give them whatever they want, even if they don’t deserve it, because they’re afraid of losing the client or having them say bad things about them.

They try to please everyone, thinking they’ll attract more clients, but all they do is drive clients away.

When you’re too eager to please, too available, or too generous, you project an image of neediness. Clients can sense it.

When clients see you as needy, they get nervous. It’s like pulling up to a restaurant at 6 pm and seeing an empty parking lot. Nobody wants to eat where nobody else is eating.

People want to hire attorneys who don’t need their business. True or not, that’s what you want them to think.

Don’t be so quick to give them what they want. Make them wait a day or a week to book an appointment. Have them speak to someone on your staff or fill out a form on your website before they get to speak to you.

To pull this off, you have to believe that they need you more than you need them. If you don’t believe this, you need to work on that. For starters, make your services different and better than what other lawyers offer, or at least package and present them that way.

It’s called posture and the most successful attorneys have it in spades.

Have you seen attorneys who accept new clients “by referral only”? That’s posture.

You want to attract clients, not chase them. You want them to see you as the best choice, not just another pretty face in the crowd.

On the other hand, don’t do what some attorneys do. Don’t overplay your hand. Some attorneys come off as cocky, expensive, and too unavailable. Hey, if a client wanted that they’d hire a doctor, not a lawyer.

How to get clients to see you as the one they want

Filed Under: Client relations, Image Tagged With: posture

Are you afraid of your clients?

August 15, 2018 by David M. Ward

I heard an interview with an expert on international affairs. He was asked why Europe was the way it was. (I’ll let you fill in the blank about what that means.)

He said, “They’re afraid of their people.”

Europe has a history of revolutions and uprisings. Monarchs have been dethroned (and beheaded), corrupt leaders have been convicted and jailed, and the current heads of state are simply fearful of a similar fate.

Interesting. Explains why they outlawed guns, doesn’t it?

Anyway, my question for you is, “Are you afraid of your people?”

Do you operate out of fear of what your clients may say or do? If they ask for something, do you give it to them even if they don’t deserve it or you can’t “afford” it, because you’re afraid of losing them or offending them or being accused of something untoward?

If you do, stop it. Person up. (That’s how they say toughen up in Europe, y’all.)

Your job isn’t to make everyone happy no matter what. Your job is to do your job, and you get to choose for whom you do it.

You also get to choose to give more value to your best clients, the ones who deserve it, because it’s smart for you to do that, and not to every client because you’re afraid of losing your head.

How to make your clients happy

Filed Under: Client relations Tagged With: posture

Doing the impossible

August 14, 2018 by David M. Ward

If Alexander Graham Bell had been a professional electrician, he would never have invented the telephone. He would have know that it was impossible.

What aren’t you doing because you know it’s impossible?

If you’ve ever wondered why lawyers with half your intelligence and charm and none of your good looks seem to get more clients, make more money, and lead a charmed life, it may be because they don’t know what you know. They’re able to charge forward, unburdened by the knowledge that what they’re doing isn’t supposed to work.

Mark Twain said, “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.”

So maybe you’re too smart for your own good.

You can’t unlearn what you know. You can’t ignore what you know can go wrong.

Or can you?

Sometimes, I put what I know in a mental lock box and charge ahead in self-imposed ignorance. I don’t think, I just do. I don’t edit, I just write. And I remind myself that it’s okay to make mistakes.

My motto: “progress, not perfection”. I give myself permission to write crap or mess up royally. Only when I’ve gotten far enough along do I stop and take a look at what I’ve done.

I’m often pleasantly surprised. But then, what do I know?

How to get more referrals without really trying

Filed Under: Inspiration

How to conquer fear

August 13, 2018 by David M. Ward

Fear is a bitch. It stops you from doing things you need to do and things you want to do and it makes things you do more difficult.

I’m not talking about big scary stop-in-your-tracks kind of fear. They don’t crop up that often and when they do, it’s often better to give in to them. If you’re afraid of sky-diving, for example, don’t do it. Do something else on your bucket list.

No, I’m talking about micro-fears, little nagging worries that make you avoid situations or people, doubt your process, procrastinate, abandon half-finished projects, or move so slowly that you miss the opportunity.

You may not see what these fears do to you because they are small and familiar but they add up and make for a poorer quality of life.

What can you do?

You can do more research. You can delegate the task. You can do something else that makes the original task unnecessary or easier. Or you can get someone to do “it” with you–yep, hold your hand as you take your first steps.

I’ve done all of these at various times in my life. I’m sure you have, too.

But there’s something else we can do to defeat our fears or to get the thing done despite them.

Do it anyway.

Dale Carnegie said, “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

Easier said than done? Maybe. But here’s something that can make it easier.

It’s called “the five-minute rule”. Whatever it is that you’re avoiding, do it for just five minutes.

You can do just about anything for five minutes. When you do, you will have done the hard partâ€“you got started, and getting started is the antidote for what ails you.

How to get better at delegating

Filed Under: Personal development, Productivity Tagged With: avoiding procrastination