It all comes down to fundamentals

February 7, 2018 by
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I know what you want. You want bigger cases, better clients, more money, more fulfilling work, a better life. The good news is that you can have all of these things, but only if you focus on the fundamentals.

First, you need to work on yourself every day. Work on your legal skills, your presentation and writing skills, and your marketing. More than anything else, work on your interpersonal skills because if you don’t, you might get the bigger cases and better clients but chase them away.

Second, you need quantity. You learn how to handle bigger cases by taking lots of small ones. You learn how to serve high-end clients by handling lots of regular folks. Quantity will lead to quality when you’re ready to handle it. (See number one above).

Third, you need to give it time. No matter how good you are or how hard you work, you can’t expect things to happen in a matter of months. Assume it will take years. You’re not cranking out widgets, here, you’re building a professional practice and that takes time.

Become the kind of lawyer (and person) who deserves and can handle the type of practice (and life) you desire. And let it happen when it happens.

Build your practice on a foundation of referrals

 

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Filed Under: Personal development, success

You can fake your way to the top but you can’t stay there

February 6, 2018 by
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Many years ago I knew an attorney who had everything going for him. Penthouse suite in Beverly Hills, a roster of big-name clients (including several celebrities), competent staff—the works. He drove a Rolls Royce.

Those of him in the building admired what he had accomplished. And yet, most of us didn’t like him. He was distant and looked down at those of us who didn’t have what he had.

One year later, his practice was in trouble and he went down fast.

It turned out he wasn’t the success we were lead to believe. He was living beyond his means, spending money right and left, tapping out lines of credit, borrowing from friends, and doing everything he could to keep up appearances. Finally, out of desperation, he got involved in something shady and when it came to light, everything fell apart.

What we saw as arrogance was fear run amok. He was in trouble and didn’t know what to do. He was caught up in his own Ponzi scheme and he couldn’t get out.

We all put on appearances to some extent, because of ego, because we know that success (or the appearance thereof) begets success and because we know that nobody wants to hire a broke lawyer. But most of us are grounded enough, or have enough positive influences in our lives, to keep things under control.

It’s good to aspire to great things. And we shouldn’t be afraid to take some risks. But as this cautionary tale illustrates, you can’t fake your way to the top and expect to stay there. The law (of the universe) will eventually catch up with you.

Building your marketing chops

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Filed Under: Personal development

Cleaning up your email inbox

February 5, 2018 by
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How much of your day is spent writing and responding to email?

Yeah, a lot.

When you don’t get through it, not only can bad things happen (mistakes, missed opportunities, unresolved problems, broken promises, etc.), these “open loops” weigh on your subconscious mind and bedevil you. (The Zeigarnik effect is the psychological tendency to remember uncompleted tasks.)

So, if you don’t have your email inbox under control, here’s a reminder to make it so and a checklist of what to do, courtesy of David Allen (Getting Things Done):

  1. Take out the trash. Go through the inbox and delete everything you don’t need or want. Just do it, already. (Or, archive them if you’re not sure.)
  2. Use the “two-minute rule”. Any actionable emails that you can read and reply to (or complete the required action) in two minutes or less, do it.
  3. Tag/file/label “waiting for” items. If you ordered something and you’re waiting for it arrive, if you tasked someone to do something and you’re waiting for them to complete it, move the corresponding emails to a folder or label them accordingly. (I forward them to Evernote.) Tip: when you confirm by email that someone will do something, cc or bcc yourself and label that email “waiting”.
  4. File/tag “action” items. Anything you need to do that will take longer than two minutes should be filed in an “action” folder or tagged or labeled accordingly. (If forward these to Evernote, too).
  5. File reference material. For emails that don’t require action but you want to keep, move them to their own folder or tag or label them. (Once again, I forward these to Evernote.)

When you’re done, your inbox should be empty. I did this several years ago, over a period of several days, and it felt great to get it done. Everything was out of sight and in the place it needed to be and I knew where to find it. Nothing screaming at me for attention. No open loops.

Try it and let me know what you think. (I already know what I’ll do with your email.)

Evernote for Lawyers

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Filed Under: Email, Productivity Tagged With: , ,

I’m a quitter, baby

February 2, 2018 by
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I know, the subject of this message sounds like something George Costanza says as he comes to terms with one of his weaknesses and proclaims it as a strength. But being a quitter really is a strength.

We’re all quitters. We try lots of things, quit most of them, and stick with the ones that work. That’s why we go to school. That’s why we date. That’s why we don’t continue doing the same job we did as a teenager for the rest of our lives.

If we weren’t quitters, we’d still be playing with toys. Okay, bad example. We still play with toys, they’re just more sophisticated and expensive.

How about this: If we weren’t quitters, we wouldn’t have room in our lives to try anything new or to expand on the things that serve us.

Quitting is good. It’s a key to success. The trick is to know when to do it and to do it without guilt or doubt.

If you’re not happy, if you’re not making money or feeling like you’re making a difference in the world and you don’t see this changing, quit. Maybe not immediately. Think about it, talk to people you trust, educate yourself, and work out a plan for what’s next. But don’t stay stuck in something that makes you miserable.

In your practice, look at what you’re doing that’s not working. A practice area, a type of client, a target market, a marketing strategy. If you can fix it, great. If not, quit that thing (or your practice) and do something else.

In your personal life, look at your relationships. I’m sure there are some you know you should quit, just as there are some you know you should embrace and develop. Quit the bad ones (or curtail them) so you’ll have the time and energy for the good ones.

I’m a quitter, baby. How about you?

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Filed Under: Personal development

Do you (still) work nights and weekends?

February 1, 2018 by
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When I started practicing, even though I had few clients, I showed up at the office every day, including Saturdays. I spent most of that time setting up form files and writing form letters I could use once I got some new clients, and doing whatever I could think of to try to make that happen.

When I finally got some new clients, I started staying late at the office and bringing work home with me. I thought that’s what I had to do to make it and I was too scared to do anything else.

Maybe you are where I was. Maybe you’re working longer hours than you need to, or should. Even if you are getting things done and making money, at some point, you have to ask if this is the right way to go.

What if you set up some boundaries for yourself? What if you worked a full day but reserved your nights and weekends for yourself and your family? What if you actually scheduled took a vacation?

In the short term, as you work fewer hours, you’ll probably earn less income. In the long term, probably sooner than you think, you might see your practice explode, as mine did when I made the switch.

All work and no play really does make Jack a dull boy.

Start living a little. At night, on weekends, read novels, play games, take the kids to the park and toss a ball. If you don’t have kids, start making some. You’ll have the energy now, so get busy.

Leave your work at the office. Turn off your phone. Use your free time to get in shape. Start a hobby. Take a class or join a club. Not only will you have some fun, you’ll meet some new people (who share your interest) and have something to talk about besides work.

You’ll be more relaxed. More interesting. And have more energy. You’ll attract new friends, business contacts, and clients. You’ll have time to work on taking your practice to the next level.

You’ll earn more without working more. And finally realize that work isn’t the goal, it’s how you reach the goal.

How to earn more without working more: go here

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Filed Under: Dealing with stress, Increase your income, Inspiration, success Tagged With:

You’ve got to make people feel something

January 31, 2018 by
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We’re good with facts, you and I. We’re good at explaining the facts and helping people understand what they mean.

That’s important, but marketing requires a different skill.

To get people to hire you, send you business, share your content, sign up for your list, or do anything else you want, you can’t rely on just giving them the facts.

You’ve got to make them feel something.

Make them feel safe, understood, appreciated, or cared for. Talk about the relief they will feel when they hire you and the pain they will feel if they don’t.

You’ve heard the expression, “Facts tell, but stories sell”? Stories sell because they touch people’s emotions. That’s why you tell people about clients who didn’t listen (and got hurt), and about clients who did and got saved.

But don’t ignore the facts. People “buy” for emotional reasons, and justify their purchases based on logic. When you quote a big fee, for example, and tell the prospect what might happen if they don’t take action, you should also show them how they will save money in the long run by taking care of the problem now, before it gets worse.

In your next article or post, or the next time to speak with a prospective client, if you’re telling them to do something you know to be in their best interest, make sure you include an emotional appeal.

If you don’t, and they get hurt, it’s your fault, not theirs. If you do, and they get saved, you’re a hero.

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Filed Under: Communication, Copywriting, Salesmanship

Don’t let your ego deter you from your dream

January 30, 2018 by
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Writer and entrepreneur, Ben Arment, said this:

“Rainmakers generate revenue by making asks. They ask for donations. They ask for contracts. They ask for deals. They ask for opportunities. They ask to meet with leaders or speak to them over the phone. They ask for publicity. They come up with ideas and ask for a few minutes of your time to pitch it. They ask for help.”

So that’s it? That’s why you don’t like marketing? Because of all the asking? Because asking makes you look weak or needy? Because it takes you out of your comfort zone? Because you’re a professional, not a business person or a sales person?

That’s your ego talking, sister. And it’s holding you back.

Arment continued:

“Don’t let rainmaking deter you from your dream. It’s one of the barriers to entry, and you can overcome it. Once you taste the sweet victory of a positive response, you’ll not only become comfortable with it, you might even enjoy it. But making asks is the only way to bring your dream to life.”

And hey, asking isn’t as difficult as you think. Start with something simple. Like this: “Here’s my card. Here’s a couple of extras, in case you run into someone who might need my help.”

Could you do that? Congratulations, you’re a rainmaker.

How to talk to clients about referrals

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With:

Reverse engineering your big goals

January 29, 2018 by
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Let’s say you have a two-year goal of having 20 referrals per month coming into your practice from professional contacts.

How do you get there?

You get there by asking yourself, “What has to happen first?” and working backwards until you know what to do today.

Let’s say you estimate that you can achieve this goal by having 20 referral sources who send you an average of one referral per month.

You don’t have that now. What has to happen first?

You figure that to have 20 solid referral sources, you need 60 professionals who tell you they’ll do their best to send you business. You know that some will send you a few, some won’t send any, and some will send you more than a few. You can’t possibly know how it will work out, but you figure (for now) that it will average out to 20 referrals per month. (If it doesn’t, you’ll need to change your numbers, find different referral sources, or re-assess your strategy.)

So, what has to happen first?

To get 60 professionals who have the ability to send you referrals and say they will, you figure that, over time, you need to have conversations with 300. If 80% tell you no, that leaves 60 who say yes.

What has to happen first?

Before you can have those conversations, you need to make a list of candidates. Professionals who seem to have the right client base that would be a good match for you. Let’s say that to find 300 who seem to have the right client base, you need to work your way through a list of 2000.

What has to happen first?

First, you need to do some research and find lists, directories, associations, et al, with names and contact information. You also need to work on a script.

And then, you need to schedule the time to make calls.

And now, you have a plan. And you can start working on that plan.

For help on finding lists and creating scripts, get this

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Filed Under: Law office management, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan

Stirring the marketing pot

January 26, 2018 by
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I assume you have a list of professionals you know and respect and who know and respect you. People who could send you referrals but haven’t. Or haven’t done so in a long time.

Don’t wait for them to send you referrals on their own. Stir the pot. Make something happen.

Call through your list. One a day, five a day, whatever you can handle.

Say something like, “I want to start working with you (again). Can you send me some information I could share with my clients? Not a brochure or sales piece, a report, an article, an ebook, or something else you wrote that you send to prospective clients?”

When they tell you they do, tell them great, send it over. (If they don’t have anything, ask if they could put something together.)

Before you hang up, say, “If any of my clients want to talk to you, ask some questions or get some additional information about what you do, can I tell them to call you? Is email better?”

Make sure they are open to being contacted and you know their preferred method. Plant the seed that this might happen.

Finally, say, “I’ll make sure they mention my name so you know where they came from.”

What’s next?

Send the information to your clients and prospects, along with a note about your friend. Say something nice about them. Tell how you met, share a story. Encourage your clients to call them if they have any questions or want more information about what they do, and to mention your name.

And, that’s it.

What will happen? You think I have a crystal ball? Something will happen. I don’t know what, or when.

Okay, some of your contacts will ask you to send them something they can send to their clients. Some will ask this before you finish that first conversation. Others will do that down the line.

Either way, go ahead and send their information to your list.

And then, wait.

Something will happen. The professional will contact you and tell you they signed up one of your clients. Or your client will contact you and tell you they had a nice conversation with that professional and thank you for putting them in touch.

Eventually, more will happen. Clients will sign up, money will change hands, and out of nothing, you will have created something. Which is better than waiting and doing nothing.

How to get referrals from other professionals: here

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Filed Under: Referral sources, Referrals

Are you doing the best you can?

January 25, 2018 by
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If you’re not achieving the results you want in your life, but you’re doing the best you can, there’s a question you need to ask yourself:

“Am I doing the best I can or am I doing the best that can be done?”

You want to live an extraordinary life. To do that, you need to achieve at an extraordinary level. If you’re not, if you’re doing the best you can but not the best that can be done, something has to change.

You have to improve your skills, your habits, or your commitment. You have figure out how to do (whatever it is) better than you’ve ever done it before.

You have to reinvent yourself and become the person who can do it the best that it can be done.

And, if you can’t do that, if you don’t have time to do that, or you don’t want to do that, you have to turn the job over to someone else.

Refer the case. Delegate the task. Ask your partner to handle that client. Find someone who can do the job better than you.

That may be difficult to hear but we all need to hear it from time to time. We have to admit to ourselves that our best may not be good enough.

If you want to achieve at an extraordinary level, you need to focus on your strengths, the things you do best, and eliminate or repair the things you don’t.

The good news is that if you are only good at one thing, and it’s the right thing, you don’t have to worry about anything else.

Want to get good at making money? Get good at getting referrals

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Filed Under: success
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