The Attorney Marketing Center--Earn More. Work Less

The 3 types of prospective clients

January 3, 2018 by David M. Ward

There are 3 types of prospective clients you could target:

1) People who need your help (but don’t know it).

These people have a problem but don’t know they do. Or they believe the problem isn’t that bad, it will resolve on its own, or that they can fix it without an attorney.

Attorneys who target this type of client conduct seminars, post videos, write blog posts and social media posts, and do other things to educate people about the problem, the risks of inaction or self-help, the benefits of hiring a lawyer, the options for doing so, and the reasons why they are the best lawyer for the job.

It is a viable strategy but takes the most time.

To target this type of prospective client, the best course of action is to build relationships with prospective clients and especially the people who can refer them, before the client has a problem or is ready to hire an attorney.

2) People with a “felt need”.

It’s easier to market to people who know they have a problem and are prepared to do something about it. Your task is to show them the benefits of hiring an attorney and the risks of delay. As you do that, you’ll also show them that you have the knowledge and experience to help them with their problem and they will naturally be inclined towards choosing you.

Your best course of action is to build an opt-in list and stay in touch with these people. You should also educate your clients (and others) about your ideal client and how to refer them.

3) People who are actively looking for an attorney.

This is the most competitive and “expensive” option. Your task is to show prospective clients why you are the best choice. Show them how you are better or different from the competition.

An effective strategy here is to target specific segments of the bigger market (niche markets) and dominate those niches. Show prospective clients and referral sources that you focus on this market, have experience with the market’s needs and a proven track record of helping clients in that market solve their problems and provide for those needs.

Which of these 3 should you target? That depends on what you do and a host of other factors.

If you’re not sure what’s best for you, the best course of action, for now at least, is to combine strategies: target niche markets, build a list and stay in touch, educate people about their problems and the need for an attorney, teach people how to recognize your ideal client and how to refer them, and show people why you are the attorney they should choose.

For help sorting things out, get The Formula

Filed Under: Marketing legal services

A few thoughts about goal setting

January 2, 2018 by David M. Ward

If you’re about to sit down and write some goals for the new year, there are a few things you should consider.

First, understand that the purpose of goal setting is to gain clarity about what’s important to you, and thus worthy of your focus and commitment.Â You have limited time and resources so limit your goals to no more than three. One is better. One big goal for the year, the achievement of which will make everything else easier or better.

Second, goal setting isn’t done until you determine what you need to do to achieve the goal and you commit to doing it.

You can’t control outcomes, you can only control your behavior. What activities will you do to achieve your goal? What new habits will you acquire? What will you give up so you have the time and energy to do what’s needed?

Finally, make sure your goal is something you truly want, not something you think you should want or something someone else wants for you.

When you think about the goal and imagine having achieved it, you should feel excited. As you imagine yourself doing the daily work needed to achieve your goal, you should be just as excited.

The right goal will pull you forward. When you wake up each day, your first thoughts will naturally be about your goal and the work you are doing to achieve it, and you will feel good about that. You’ll want to run to your desk and get to work. You’ll want to stay up late reading, making notes, writing down ideas.

If it’s the right goal, you will, as Napoleon Hill said, have a burning desire to achieve it. You will be single-minded in your devotion to it. You will be like a successful friend of mine who describes himself as, “a monomaniac on a mission”.

Examine the goal you have chosen and see how you feel about it. If it feels good, you won’t struggle to achieve it. Yes, you’ll work hard but the time will pass quickly, and if you fall short, you won’t mind that much because you’ll know where you’re going and you’ll know you’ll get there.

This will help you set and achieve yourÂ marketing goals

Filed Under: Goal Setting

Stealing from other lawyers

December 29, 2017 by David M. Ward

Yesterday, I said you should plagiarize yourself, that is, take your previously written, recorded, and presented material and re-use or re-purpose it. I also suggested that you pay attention to the emails, documents, and other materials sent to you by other lawyers, and use it for ideas for creating your own materials.

Today, I’m going to take things a bit further and suggest you blatantly steal from other lawyers.

Now, don’t lose your lunch. I’m not going to tell you to do anything illegal, immoral, unethical, or unbecoming of a professional.

What I mean is this:

Go online and find content in your practice area that other attorneys are publishing–on their blogs, in guest posts, articles and anywhere else you can find it. Look especially for material that is getting a lot of traffic, upvotes (Medium), Likes, shares, comments, and so on. You might use a tool like Buzzsumo.

Once you’ve found some popular articles, look for ways to cover the same subject or idea in a different or better way. A few ideas:

Take a post by a lawyer in another state and write a version of that post for your state
Write a more in-depth article on the subject, or a shorter, more accessible summary
Write a version of the article for a different type of client or market
Link to the article and provide additional arguments, stories, statutes, or case law, to support the argument posited in the article and why you agree with it
Link to the article and show why you disagree with it or explain when and why things can be different
Take one section of the article and explore it in depth
Take something barely mentioned (or not mentioned) in the article but relevant to the subject and write about it
Interview or survey other attorneys or subject matter experts on the subject for your own article

Re-write the headline, optimize the headline and body for keywords you target, and you’ll not only have new content for your blog or website, you’ll have something you know is likely to bring traffic and engagement.

And you’ll never again say, “I don’t know what to write about”.

More ideasÂ here

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Newsletters, Online Marketing

Go plagiarize yourself

December 28, 2017 by David M. Ward

I have another project for you for the new year. In a nutshell, you’re going to inventory everything you’ve written or recorded in the past so you can use it again.

It’s about leverage. Getting more value out of your previous work, and saving a bunch of time and effort in the process.

First, gather up the following and put them into digital files:

Forms, documents, and other work product.
Frequently used emails and letters.
Content: articles, blog posts, newsletters, podcast, video, and interview transcripts, presentations, reports, ebooks, etc.

You might break up work product by practice area, type of matter, type of client, or stage of the proceeding. Instead of files, you can use tags or labels.

Calendar some time in the coming weeks to go through your files, and then:

Update forms and documents. Create an index of these documents, with searchable tags.
Convert emails and letters into boilerplate: transmittal, demands, notices, client updates, marketing, newsletters, etc.

Re-use, update, or re-purpose other content:

Re-publish blog posts, newsletters, and articles. Or combine parts of several posts to create new ones.
Convert blog posts, articles, podcasts, and interviews into ebooks, reports, presentations, social media posts, lead magnets (giveaways), and bonuses. Convert presentations, ebooks, reports, etc., into blog posts.
Update older posts, etc., with new information, new results, different opinions, predictions, etc. Consolidate several posts into round-up posts. Break up longer posts into shorter ones.
Modify marketing documents for use with different types of readers or markets

Do a little bit each week and you should soon find yourself saving time and getting better results.

You should also set up files to save copies of “incoming” content from other lawyers–documents, emails they sent you, (subscribe to their newsletters), forms they use (when you sub-in on a file), and so on. No, don’t plagiarize their stuff, use it for ideas for updating yours.

C’mon, you know they’re doing that with your stuff, don’t you?

Evernote for Lawyers

Filed Under: Law office management, Leverage, Productivity

A simple way to build trust

December 27, 2017 by David M. Ward

I don’t know if you know this but, uh, you’re not perfect. You can’t do everything, nor do you do everything equally well. Instead of trying to hide your weaknesses and risk sounding defensive when they are inevitably discovered, you’ll do better admitting them up front.

You know this is true in the courtroom. You tell the jury about the weaknesses in your case before your opposition does it. You know that this not only deflates their power over you, your transparency makes the jury more likely to believe you when you tell them about your case’s strengths.

Admitting your weaknesses also helps build trust in marketing.

Tell prospective clients the types of cases or matters you don’t handle,Â but let them know you can recommend someone who does.

When I went from a general practice to a 100% personal injury practice, I turned down or referred everything that wasn’t PI and watched my PI practice quickly grow.

Today, I freely acknowledge that I am not an expert in social media marketing. Far from it. In fact, in just about every interview I give, I make a point of telling the interviewer this, early in the conversation. When most other marketing ex-purts are telling lawyers they have to get on board the social media train, my position gives me a point of differentiation. (It also gives me an advantage among lawyers who don’t like social media and would rather not do it.)

Tell the world what you do, and also what you don’t do. Admit your weaknesses, turn down work that isn’t a strength, and watch your practice grow.

How to choose the right specialty for you

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Specializing

Goals for the new year beyond

December 26, 2017 by David M. Ward

My daughter and her husband are in town and have been going with me on some of my walks. I learned from them that I don’t need a wearable device to measure the number of steps I take in a day, I can do that with an app. And so now I’m tracking my steps.

But that damn app is mocking me. Granted, it’s only been a couple of days (over Christmas), but it’s telling me I’m nowhere near the 10,000 steps it sets as the default.

I’ve been walking six days a week now for several months and it’s going well. I’m losing weight and getting stronger and it’s a habit I know I can keep. But I’m so far from the goal it’s not motivating me, it’s doing just the opposite.

What to do?

Do I lower the goal from 10,000 steps for now and increase it once I hit it?

Do I leave the goal at 10,000 steps and work harder?

Or do I give it a week, see how it’s going, then decide?

You might have a similar process to go through in your goal setting for the coming year.

Let’s say you would like to gross one million dollars in 2018. You know that’s unlikely but not impossible. You also know that if you get to the middle of the year and you’re not even close to the pace you need to be, you’ll probably get discouraged and tell yourself “next year”. (You know this because that’s what happened last year.)

I have a suggestion. Something I’ve written about before (and done). It’s a way to set goals that you never fail to achieve.

That’s because instead of setting a singular goal, you set three versions of the goal.

Version one is your “dream” goal. Let’s say that’s $1,000,000 gross. You know you probably won’t hit it but just thinking about it gets you excited and motivated to explore new ideas and increase your activity level.

Version two is your “target” goal, something you know will take significant effort but is not out of reach. If you grossed $500,000 this year, your target goal for next year might be $600,000. You know you will have to work hard to get there but you see that this is something you can probably accomplish without herculean effort.

The third version of your goal is your “minimum”. It’s something you absolutely know you can do without much in the way of extra effort. You keep doing what you’ve been doing, and a little more, and you’re almost certain to get there. Your minimum goal might be $550,000.

Breaking up your goals this way all but ensures that you’ll accomplish one of them. You are thus continually hitting goals, feeling good about it, and inspired to reach higher.

If I apply this to walking, my dream goal is 10,000 steps, 5,000 is my target, and 4,000 is my minimum.

And, yippy skippy, I see I’m already close to hitting my minimum for the day.

What are the three versions of yourÂ marketing goals?

Filed Under: Goal Setting

So much wasted time

December 22, 2017 by David M. Ward

David Cassidy died recently. His daughter, from whom he had been estranged, reported that his last words were, “So much wasted time”.

As Christmas approaches, this might be a good time to reflect on that sentiment.

Call someone you haven’t spoken to in a long time. Renew ties. Make amends. Hug your kids. Tell them you love them.

It’s also a good time to think about the future. What have you been putting off? What’s on your bucket list? What would you regret not doing if you found that your time was up?

I wish you a happy holiday, a Merry Christmas, and a productive new year.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

What you read says a lot about you

December 21, 2017 by David M. Ward

No doubt you’ve heard this before:

“Small people talk about other people. Average people talk about things. Great people talk about ideas.”

Think about some of the people you know. Family, clients, colleagues. I’ll bet you find this observation to be remarkably accurate.

On a similar note, a flight attendant recently related her observations about what passengers in different sections of the plane did with their time.

She said that passengers in economy class tended to watch TV or movies.

In business class, most passengers did work–reviewing and writing documents, writing emails, reading reports, making notes.

What do you suppose she said about passengers in first class? What do the preponderance do with their time?

If you said “reading books” you’re right.

Learning new ideas. Improving their knowledge and skills.

Although not scientific by any means, her observations make sense. Because, as know, “success leaves clues”.

Filed Under: Personal development

Opening your own law office?

December 20, 2017 by David M. Ward

Statistically speaking, most new businesses fail. But although most new law practices struggle in the beginning, they eventually make a go of it.

Why?

One reason is low overhead. A lawyer can hang out a shingle just about anywhere and start taking clients. No inventory, employees or expensive office needed–just a smart person, a laptop, and a phone.

Another reason is high margins. When you are paid thousands of dollars a throw, you don’t need dozens of clients to pay your bills.

Low overhead and high margins give you time and space to figure things out. It took me five years to do that, but in the interim, somehow, I was able to survive.

A few suggestions on how to do that.

1) When you’re new and don’t have much business, one thing you do have is lots of time. Use it. Get out and meet people. Speak, network, volunteer. Get out of your comfort zone and hustle. Make 50 calls a day and talk to lawyers, other professionals, business owners, and other centers of influence in your niche or local market.

Introduce yourself. Ask for advice about getting started. Ask to interview them for your newsletter.

You might get some business this way but don’t count on it. Look at it as a way to learn from and model successful people, and through them, meet others who might someday become clients or referral sources.

2) Be prepared to do “whatever it takes”. Take cases and clients who aren’t even close to being ideal. Take overflow and appearance work from other attorneys. Accept lower retainers or no retainers. Charge lower fees.

3) Conserve cash. Negotiate everything. Watch your pennies. Stick to a budget.

Things always take longer than you think and you will need that cash (and open lines of cash) to stay afloat. And, when that’s no longer the case, continue being thrifty, and build up a reserve of 12 to 18 months of income.

Accept that this is where you are right now, cutting your teeth, paying your dues and that eventually, things will be different. And find a way to enjoy the process. You may not enjoy the struggle but if you think about the future you are creating, you’ll know that one day, it will all be worth it.

Filed Under: Law office management

The list’s the thing

December 19, 2017 by David M. Ward

We like lists, don’t we? They help us remember what to do, when, and in what order. They help us do our work, buy our groceries, and remember who was naughty and who was nice.

As you sit down to plan the upcoming year, you might want to add a few more lists to your collection. Here are some examples, along with what you might include on each list:

Daily: Outgoing phone calls, exercise, vitamins, writing in your journal, 15 minutes for marketing, personal development, reading, tidy up desktop
Weekly: Weekly review, staff meeting, writing your newsletter, paying bills
Monthly: Planning, review accounting ledgers, review goals, meetings, review advertising
Quarterly: Board meeting(s), pay estimated taxes, update software, remind clients to conduct board meeting
Yearly: Year-end review, goal setting, planning, sending docs to CPA, physical checkup, Christmas cards, remind clients to review leases

You’ll want to have sub-lists for many of these. For example, a checklist for your weekly review.

If you’re really into lists, you might also consider a list for every morning, every evening, every weekday, or every Saturday.

Put the date and time of the activities on your lists on your calendar. I suggest you maintain the actual lists elsewhere, however, to make it easier to review and update them.

I also suggest you create a “list of lists”. If you keep your lists in Evernote, for example, create a “Table of Contents” note with links to each of your lists. Drag that master list to your “favorites” in the left sidebar for quick access.