What’s all the fuss about habits?

August 31, 2018 by
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Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Your value isn’t determined by what you know it’s determined by what you do.

All the little things you do or don’t do cumulate, compound, and create who you are. They also determine what you achieve.

One author put it this way: “You are at this point in your life because of the way you have treated every ‘today’ for decades. You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.”

If you keep some kind of journal, you might start tracking your habits. Write down the things you do (and fail to do) during the course of your day.

Some habits are good. Some are bad. And some are neither good nor bad, except for the fact that they use time and energy that might be used for something else.

Note your good habits and look for ways to do them more often or for longer periods of time. Look for ways to improve the way you do them and, therefore, the results they bring.

Note your bad habits and look for ways to eliminate them, do them less often, or neutralize them by changing them in some way.

Note your habits that are neither good nor bad. The potential time-wasters. Look for ways to do them less often or for shorter periods of time, and find positive habits to replace them.

Because you are what you repeatedly do.

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Filed Under: Personal development Tagged With:

It’s hard to tell things apart when everything looks the same

August 30, 2018 by
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An app I use is being updated. The developer asked for feedback on the proposed new design. One commenter said:

Please add highlighting or color coding to lists/list items.

I love the simplicity of the design, but viewing everything in black and white with only bold text and CAPS for emphasis is not enough. It’s hard to tell things apart when everything looks the same.

That comment dovetails with what I said yesterday. I said that not all clients are alike and suggested you create profiles for your different types of clients and market segments so you can tailor your marketing to each one.

Guess what? Lawyers aren’t alike, either, but many think we are.

To most prospective clients, we all look alike. We offer the same services, solve the same problems, and provide the same benefits. You are no different than any other lawyer.

As long as they think this way, getting hired is mostly a matter of luck.

The good news is that it is relatively easy to stand out.

Do something or say something your competition doesn’t say or do. Or give them a preview of what it will be like to work with you.

A small difference, a few details, can be enough to help you get noticed, remembered and hired.

How to stand out from your competition

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services

Not all clients are alike

August 29, 2018 by
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You have older clients and younger clients, clients who speak a second language and clients who speak another second language, wealthy clients and middle-class clients, business clients and consumer clients, and different clients for each of your different services.

Each group of clients is different. They need different services, they want different benefits, and they will respond to different offers.

They don’t read the same books or blogs, listen to the same stations or watch the same channels. They live in different parts of town and hang out with different people. They patronize different businesses, insurance and real estate agents, and tax professionals.

Some have to use a credit card or dip into savings to pay your fee. Some can write you a check. Some need lots of legal help, some might not need you ever again.

The point? You need a different strategy for each type of client, each market segment and each service you offer.

Go through your client list for the last few years and look for patterns. Create a profile of your ideal client for each service, for each market segment.

Then, when you write to them or speak to them, when you do a presentation for them, share content with them or advertise to them, you can tailor it to them. Use words and examples that resonate with them. Use stories of clients like them who have had similar issues and benefited by hiring you.

A lot of work? Yes. But it might allow you to double your income, lower your marketing costs, and bring in a better crop of clients.

This will help

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Filed Under: Copywriting, Marketing legal services

What’s obvious to you is amazing to others

August 28, 2018 by
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Author Derek Sivers once said, “What is obvious to you is amazing to others.” From time to time, take a moment to remember that.

You know things most people don’t. Don’t take what you know for granted.

The next time you talk to a client and explain the law, their options, and your recommendations, note the depth of your knowledge, the alacrity with which you’re able to summon it, and your ability to communicate it.

The next time you do a presentation, record a video or write an article, or you are interviewed, review the finished product so you can see how good you really are.

You know things and you’re able to do things. You can quickly spot issues and form arguments for and against them. In a matter of minutes, you’re able to pull essential information out of a client or witness.

Don’t discount your knowledge, your ability to explain things, or your ability to persuade people to your point of view.

Unfortunately, many attorneys don’t appreciate their value. They charge less than they deserve and the market will bear.

What is obvious to you is amazing to others. Don’t forget that.

Marketing is everything you do to get and keep good clients. Start here

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Filed Under: Attorneys fees, Inspiration

Is your cat too thin?

August 27, 2018 by
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The last time my daughter was in town she commented on how much weight our cat had lost. My wife and I didn’t see it. Maybe he was a little thinner but not that much.

But we were wrong. Our vet confirmed that the cat had lost too much weight. (Change of food and other measures and he’s back to normal now.)

Why was our daughter able to see that the cat had was too thin and we couldn’t? We couldn’t see his gradual loss of weight because we saw him every day and our daughter didn’t.

We were too close and couldn’t see what was right in front of us.

I want to make the case for periodically taking a step back from your routines and changing up what you do. When you interview a new client, for example, instead of following the same checklist in the same order, mix it up. Ask the questions in a different order or ask different questions.

You may be surprised at what you find.

The same goes for anything you do habitually. Your exercise routine, the way you do research, the way you arrange your desk or the desktop on your computer.

When you always do the same things, and you always do them the same way, you can get stale and miss things.

Change your routines. Change the people you hang out with. Change the way you drive to work.

Change your perspective and you may see things you no longer see (or have never seen).

Your cat’s health may depend on it.

Change your marketing habits

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Filed Under: Personal development, Productivity Tagged With: ,

4 simple steps to building your contact list

August 24, 2018 by
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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

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Filed Under: Networking

How many tasks should you put on your list?

August 23, 2018 by
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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 can 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. 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.

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Filed Under: Productivity

Procrastination might be your friend

August 22, 2018 by
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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 don’t know what to do about it? Well, it’s obvious you’re doing the wrong thing, aren’t you? . . . You’re being warned, aren’t you? Your subconscious is saying I don’t like you anymore. You’re writing about things I don’t give a damn for. . . If you have writers’ block you can cure it this evening by stopping what you’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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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 it–research, outline, first draft, etc.–how about trying a different process? Maybe start with 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. 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.

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Filed Under: Productivity, Writing Tagged With: , ,

Building your practice by playing with matches

August 21, 2018 by
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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

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services

Failure is an option

August 20, 2018 by
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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:

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really: Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’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 that’s where you will find success.”

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.

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Filed Under: Personal development Tagged With:
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