The Attorney Marketing Center--Earn More. Work Less

You only need one

November 9, 2017 by David M. Ward

Let’s say you want to get more referrals from other professionals. Where do you start?

You start by finding one professional who can and will send you business. If you already have one, you start by finding one new one.

Because one is all you need to start.

You only need one because, in the course of finding them, you will acquire the knowledge and skills you need to find more.

You’ll learn where to find them, how to approach them, and how to help them get what they want. You’ll learn how to help them even if you don’t have referrals for them. You’ll learn how to build a relationship, nurture it, and help it to grow.

You’ll go through a lot of candidates to find that one. Many will disappoint you. Some will lie and stab you in the back. But eventually, you’ll find one who is the real deal and soon, that one will turn into two.

You’ll get better at finding good referral sources and developing relationships. And soon, you’ll have a few.

And a few is all you need to build a big practice.

A few good professional referral sources can introduce you to powerful people in your niche or community. Those people will trust you because they trust the person who introduced you. They will open doors for you, introduce you to their colleagues and friends, and eventually, important people will know your name.

Your marketing will be easier. You’ll get bigger results. Better clients. And even more referral sources.

You don’t need to figure out how to build an army, just figure out how to get one recruit. Once you do, the next step will reveal itself to you.

But it all starts with one.

Here’s how you find new professional referral sources

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Referral sources

A confused mind says no

November 7, 2017 by David M. Ward

Most lawyers give prospective clients two choices: hire me or don’t. There are no other options. Too often, the prospect chooses to go elsewhere, wait, or do nothing.

If you want to increase your intake of new clients and maximize your revenue, give people more options to work with you or move your relationship forward.

Here are a few examples:

Service A or Service B
Service A and Service B (at a small discount, with extra free services or other benefits)
Package A or Package B (with different services, features, benefits and price points)
Hire me or schedule a free consultation
Schedule a free consultation or call me with questions
Hire me today or download/review this (web pages, articles, your report, your planning guide, etc.)
Attend my free webinar/seminar this week or next month
Hire me or follow me (and watch my videos or read my posts)
Hire me today or sign up for my newsletter so I can send you valuable information

Give folks more options and you’ll increase the chances that they will choose something that’s good for you.

On the other hand, don’t make the mistake of giving people too many options. If you do that, you run the risk that the prospect won’t be able to choose and will wander (or run) away. It’s called “decision fatigue” and it’s a well-documented phenomenon.

In one study, researchers at Columbia University posed as employees at a grocery store and offered passerby samples of jams. When the researchers used six varities, 30% who tried a sample purchased a jar. When researchers offered 24 varieties, however, only 3% bought something.

Of course, hiring a lawyer is a far more complex, expensive, and intimidating transaction than buying jelly. The risks of overwhelming prospects is much greater.

Offer a few options, not dozens. But give them more options besides “hire me or don’t”.

More

Filed Under: Closing the sale, Law office management, Marketing legal services

Antici. . . pation

November 6, 2017 by David M. Ward

I’m excited! I just got a text telling me the storage rack I ordered Saturday night will be delivered today before 8 pm. But I know better. I’ve been tracking the package and know it’s at our local post office right now so I’m pretty sure it will get here this afternoon.

Don’t laugh. My wife does most of the shopping around here so when I get a chance to buy something for my office, I get excited. Even if it’s just a rack to hold some stuff. (You should see me when I’m waiting for a new laptop to be delivered.)

Anyway, I do have a point. The point is that we all need to be aware of how our clients feel when working with us, or more accurately, how they want to feel. We need to know this so we can we can help them get a taste of those feelings before they hire us.

If you handle adoptions, you know your clients get excited when they hear good news from you. They wait by the phone, anticipating your call. In your conversations with prospective clients, in your articles and blog posts, in your marketing documents, you’ll want to talk about what that’s like and share how you feel being able to help people experience one of the happiest days of their lives.

If you handle criminal defense, you know the sense of relief your clients experience when you’re able to tell them that some or all of the counts against them have been dismissed. On your website, blog, videos, or podcast, you’ll want to describe the relief your clients feel when you’re able to deliver that kind of news.

If you handle business transactions or estate planning, you know that your clients enjoy peace of mind and a sense of pride about getting their paperwork done and their business or loved ones protected. That should be the central theme in your marketing.

Give some thought to what your clients want to feel as a result of hiring you. It’s never about the paperwork, the settlement, or the outcome, ultimately, it’s about how they want to feel.

Figure out what those feelings are. Then, do what you have to do to make sure they experience them.

Happy clients are referring clients. Here’s how to make it so

Filed Under: Client relations, Communication, Copywriting

Taking inventory

November 3, 2017 by David M. Ward

The carpets are dry and weâ€™re almost done putting the house back together, all except my office.

Iâ€™m sitting there now, looking at the furniture thatâ€™s in the room but not yet back in place. Iâ€™m thinking about where I want to put things, to see if I can improve my workflow and reduce clutter and visual distractions.

Of special note are the cords that power my computers and other devices. Iâ€™ve got to clean out that nest of snakes.

Iâ€™m also keen on seeing if I can remove an item or two. I have a nearly empty 4-drawer filing cabinet that should go. I donâ€™t need it. Iâ€™ve got enough room in the closet for the few remaining paper files Iâ€™ve hung onto.

My cat just walked in, to see whatâ€™s going on. I asked if he had any ideas. He did, actually. He suggested I convert my office to a playroom for him. I told him I would consider it. You have to be civil to your co-workers.

Anyway, I may wind up putting everything back the way it was (but tidy up the cords). If I do, thatâ€™s okay, too. I looked at things from a different perspective and saw things I couldnâ€™t see before. The late Wayne Dyer said, â€œWhen you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.â€

Itâ€™s important to step back and look at things from a different perspective every once in a while, and not just the furniture. We should periodically examine our client mix, to see who we might want to replace. We should do the same thing with our lists of tasks and projects.

I just got a new phone and had fun deciding which apps to re-install and which ones to let go of. Thereâ€™s something appealing about a clean slate. If you agree, how about coming over this weekend and helping me clean out the garage?

Filed Under: Law office management Tagged With: eliminating clutter

Explain and grow rich

November 2, 2017 by David M. Ward

We had our carpets cleaned yesterday. Excellent service and excellent results from a top rated company. But, in my humble (but accurate) opinion, they dropped the ball on something that could have a profound effect on their business.

They didn’t explain how to prepare for their visit.

When he arrived, the technician complimented my wife on her preparation–vacuuming thoroughly, removing cat hair from the furniture (lint rollers), and said that many customers don’t do this. They expect that he will vacuum and he doesn’t. I’m there to clean the carpet, he tells them, and when they don’t vacuum, his job takes longer and often leads to poorer results.

You can argue that vacuuming should be included in the service and that customers aren’t out of line to expect this, but that’s beside the point. The point is that the company should explain this to the customer well in advance of the appointment. Send them instructions on how to prepare, and what will happen once they start the work.

And, why not offer some add-on services like vacuuming, at additional cost, for those who want it?

But no, other than explaining that the workers don’t move heavy furniture and that the carpets would be cleaned around it, nothing else was explained.

How difficult would it be to send customers an email with a list of what to do and what to expect? How many issues would something simple like that eliminate in advance?

Wait, there’s more.

After the work was done, the worker explained to my wife some things to do to make sure the carpet dried properly and quickly. He also told her what not to do. He was thorough and patient but again, why not put this in writing? Hand customers a booklet that explains everything?

If they supplied customers with written information about preparation and aftercare, they would have happier customers, with even better results.

Happier customers mean more repeat business, more five-star reviews, and more referrals.

I’m sure you have something you send to new clients so they can prepare for their first visit to your office, or take away after the first visit. I’m sure you also have something you give them at the end of the case or matter. I’m also sure that both of these documents answer common questions and tell the client what to expect and what to do in a variety of situations.

If you don’t have these, you should. If you do have them, now would be a good time to review them and make sure they are as thorough and helpful as they can be.

NB: in the aftercare instructions, also explain what to do if they are satisfied with your work: where to post a review and how to make a referral.

How to get (a lot) more referrals from your clients: instructions here

Filed Under: Client relations

Marketing is simple

November 1, 2017 by David M. Ward

Yesterday, I told you about the dentist who sent a gift card to old patients (i.e., me) and how you could do something similar to activate old clients and/or get some referrals.

No doubt you loved the idea. You want old clients to hire you again. You want more referrals. You want to get this done.

But. . .

What if your old clients are unable to hire you again, at least right now?

Or, what if you really love this idea and want to scale it up big time.

No problem.

All you need to do is contact other professionals or business owners and ask them if they would like some business. When they say, “Yes I would, kind sir/madam,” you say, “I’m going to send a letter (email) to my clients and former clients, tell them about you, and offer them a $100 [$500, or whatever] discount card [coupon, voucher, etc.] for your services [products]. Would that be okay?”

If it’s not okay, go find someone else who wants a bunch of new clients or customers.

If they say, “I love it, what do you need from me?” work out the details and send your clients an early Christmas gift, courtesy of your new friend.

Your clients will love you for helping them find a professional/business who does good work and for saving them some cash.

Your new friend will love you for helping them bring in new business.

And you’ll love you because your new friend will be obliged to send your offer to their clients or customers.

Hello? McFly? That means you’ll have a bunch of new clients. Quickly. Which means you’ll love me for telling you about this.

And then? And then, go find another professional and make them the same offer.

Note, your offer (or your friend’s offer) doesn’t have to be a discount. It could be a free consultation, an ebook or report, a checklist of important items to keep track of or do (eg., information to collect when they are in an auto collision, an estate planning guide), or anything else folks like your clients would find valuable.

Whatever it is, you can set this up quickly and start pulling in business long before Rudolph’s nose starts blinking.

Find someone with a list of customers, clients, prospects, or other contacts who might be a good fit for your services. Show them your discount card (or whatever). Tell them the results you got sending it to your older clients (if you did that), and off you go.

Marketing is simple. Try it, you’ll like it.

Getting more referrals from other professionals made simple

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Referrals

Dead clients don’t pay your bills

October 31, 2017 by David M. Ward

One of the best sources of new clients is old clients, that is, former clients who haven’t hired you for a while. That’s one reason I repeatedly pound on you about the value of staying in touch.

Anyway, if you haven’t been doing that, or even if you have, there’s something else you can do to “re-activate” lapsed clients.

In the mail yesterday was a letter (remember those?) from a dentist I don’t know but with a return address that sounded vaguely familiar. I’m always curious to see how professionals market themselves so I opened it. Inside was a $100 gift card, good towards any treatment with this dentist.

I don’t live anywhere near his office so why was he mailing this to me? With a quick search online, I figured it out.

It seems that the dentist I went to nearly ten years ago has retired and moved out of state. Before he retired, he took on a young partner, the dentist who send me the gift card. So, basically, my dentist sold out and moved out.

Mystery solved.

Anyway, the gift card is the size of a credit card and made of hard plastic. If you’re using gift cards in your practice, this is a good way to do it. Doesn’t cost you anything unless they use it and if they use it, well, Bob’s your uncle.

So, if you have former clients you’d like to bring back to the mother ship, why not send them a gift card? (The company that produced this card is www.vivaconcepts.com. I don’t know anything about them and don’t endorse them, I just wanted to tell you where you could get some information.)

The letter enclosed with the gift card said that the end of the year is almost upon us and that “now would be a good time to give the gift of a bright holiday smile, and remind you to utilize any unused insurance before it expires.”

Following this, it says, “Enclosed is a gift card for any treatment you may need addressed. You can also give this card to a family member or friend.”

Bingo. Don’t need any dental (or legal) work? You may know someone who does.

It’s called a referral, in case you’re new around here.

Clients can and do give referrals. Here’s how to get more

Filed Under: Client loyalty, Marketing legal services Tagged With: gift cards

Know thy enemy

October 30, 2017 by David M. Ward

I’m like that teacher you hated who always gave homework. Today is no exception.

The bad news? This will be an ongoing project, something you need to do for the rest of your career.

The good news is that it’s not difficult and shouldn’t take up a lot of time. In fact, most of the assignment can be done by a virtual assistant and I won’t mark you down for cheating.

The assignment is to set up files for tracking the activities of your competition. Doing this will provide you with ideas for doing a better job of managing and marketing your services.

If you can identify firms or individual attorneys who regularly compete with you with ad dollars or at networking events, or elsewhere, start with them. Otherwise, pick someone (at random), in your building or at your networking events, who has the same practice areas you do.

Five or ten competitors is enough to start. Once you have identified them, look at their websites, do a search for their name(s), and see what you can find out:

What market(s) do they target?
Where do they advertise, network, speak, or publish?
What is their theme, message, or USP?
What kinds of content do they publish on their website(s) or blog(s)?
What do they offer prospects to drive traffic to their sites and/or get them to opt-in?
How and where do they use social media?
Which centers of influence (referral sources, endorsers, publishers, etc.) do they associate with?
What services do they offer? What don’t they offer?
Which keywords do they appear to target? Which do they seem to overlook?
What resources, talents, and connections do they have that you don’t have or are weaker in?
What are their weaknesses?
Who are their biggest competitors?
How do they manage their practice in terms of personnel, equipment, and workflows?

Read their content, save copies of their ads, and make lists of where they speak or write and about what topics.

Don’t obsess over this. Just observe and make notes.

Then, periodically review your notes and look for opportunities to improve your marketing and management based on what your competition is doing:

Identify new target markets or market segments
Identify categories of referral sources you don’t currently have in your arsenal
Look for ways to improve your marketing messages, content, website(s), and external content (e.g., guest posts, comments, social media posts)
Examine your strengths and weaknesses relative to the competition; find ways to make your strengths even stronger and eliminate or marginalize your weaknesses
Brainstorm ways to exploit your competition’s weaknesses and overcome their strengths
Look for ways to improve your workflows, tools, and resources

Keep an eye on your competition. You may learn something you can use.

Marketing is easier when you know The Formula

Filed Under: Law office management, Marketing legal services Tagged With: competition, strengths and weaknesses

What if you don’t like what you do but can’t change that?

October 27, 2017 by David M. Ward

In response to yesterday’s trip down memory lane, attorney RG asked, “What if you don’t like what you do (law but can’t change that). . .”

I love a good challenge and “can’t change that” is about as good as it gets.

Of course you can change that, RG.

It might be difficult, emotionally wrenching, expensive, and take a long time, but it can be done. Many lawyers do it and so can you.

Start by asking yourself questions like, “How can I change my situation? What would I like to do instead? How do I find a way to “like” what I do?”

You can change your situation but first you must give yourself permission to do it. Before you can do that, you must give yourself permission to believe that it’s possible.

Onward.

I don’t know what it is that you don’t like about your work but I peeked at your website and see that (a) you are a sole practitioner who offers an array of services, and (b) you do litigation.

My first suggestion is to look at ways to reconstitute your practice areas.

Choose a practice area you like (or hate less) and focus on that. Take a partner or refer everything else out.

If litigation is a source of stress and long hours and “don’t like,” you can change that too. You can outsource some or all of it. Get an “of counsel” relationship with a firm and let them do the heavy lifting. Hire someone and keep it in house. Or refer it out.

Hold on, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that if you have fewer practice areas and outsource your litigation you’ll lose income and you can’t afford that. Am I right?

Well, what if that didn’t happen? What if you find that specializing allows you to increase your income? And what if the time you free up by outsourcing some or all of your litigation gives you room to bring in more of the work you enjoy and that pays well?

That’s what I found when I did it.

At first, turning away business was scary. But the vacuum i created by doing so was soon filled with work that paid more and required less time. If you’ve read my stuff, you know that I quadrupled my income and reduced my work-week to three days.

I’m sure there are other issues that cause you to want to “get out”. Many of these are fixable, too.

But if you can’t fix them, start working on a plan to get out.

Here’s how I did it:

I got good at marketing and built up a war chest that gave me options.

I started two side businesses The first helped me to replace my practice income. The second provided me with passive income which allowed me to retire and do what I love.

I don’t know who said it but this quote seems to fit: â€œYou should either do what you love, or find something that gives you enough time and money to do what you love.â€

How to choose your specialty (and why you should): here

Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Specializing