Planning your day made simple

May 1, 2017 by
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Here’s a simple method for planning your day. It’s just three lists, which fit nicely on a single piece of paper:

(1) MUST DO

This includes appointments and scheduled tasks, anything with a deadline or due date, and your core work tasks.

If it’s on your calendar (or should be), it’s a “Must Do”. If it is a core function of your work, e.g., returning phone calls, replying to letters and emails, reviewing and preparing documents, and so on, it also goes on your Must Do list.

(2) SHOULD DO

Your Should Do list contains 1-3 important tasks that bring value to your clients or to yourself and help you make progress towards achieving your goals.

These are discretionary tasks and projects and often don’t have an immediate payoff. That’s why people procrastinate on them, and why they need to be on your Should Do list.

Should Do tasks include things like writing articles, creating presentations, contacting prospective referral sources, and other marketing and management tasks. Should Do tasks can be grouped together, i.e., “call three clients to touch base”.

You might want to designate ONE of your Should Do tasks as your “Most Important Task” (MIT) of the day. Think of it this way: If you only did this one thing today, you would be satisfied.

(3) COULD DO

Anything else. Choose up to 5 additional tasks to do after you have done everything in the first two categories. These aren’t important but they may be necessary, e.g., errands, organizing files, additional research.

You should also maintain a running list or notebook with someday/maybe projects, ideas, and other things you’re not ready to do. Go through this list regularly and add tasks to your “Should Do” and “Could Do” lists.

At the end of each day, if you haven’t done everything on your three lists, add them to your next day’s lists.

If you have done everything on your three lists, you can either dip into your idea notebook for additional tasks or go home. You’ve had a great day.

I use Evernote to collect ideas and someday/maybes

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Filed Under: Productivity

Better routines help you earn more without working more

April 28, 2017 by
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What’s the first thing you do when you get to the office in the morning? After you hang up your jacket and grab another cup of coffee, do you check your phone messages next? Take a look at the calendar? Dig through the mail?

One thing I tried to do as soon as I got to the office was review and sign letters and documents and give them back to my secretary. I wanted to keep her busy because I knew she would be back with another pile of things for me to review before the day was done.

So what’s your routine?

You have one, you know. Just as you have routines for interviewing new clients, writing demand letters, and getting ready for trial. You have routines for writing articles, cleaning up your desk at the end of the day, and preparing to go out of town.

The question is, do your routines serve you?

Are they efficient, helping you to get more done in less time? Do they make your staff’s job easier? Do they help you minimize errors? Do they give your clients the right impression?

Better routines help you streamline your work flow so you can earn more without working more.

Think about what you do throughout the day and how you might improve your routines. Consider preparing checklists, forms, and form letters or templates, or updating the ones you already have.

After you’ve gotten another cup of coffee, of course.

Earn more by delegating more

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Filed Under: Productivity

What’s stopping you?

April 27, 2017 by
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Think of something you want. A goal, an accomplishment, an acquisition, or anything else that’s important to you.

What do you want to be, do, or have?

Got it? Good. Now, answer this: why don’t you have it already?

Write down everything you can think of that’s stopping you from being or having or doing what you want.

It could be anything:

  • Not knowing what to do or how to do it
  • A lack of capital
  • A lack of skills
  • Not knowing the right people
  • Not enough time
  • Fear of failure or fear of success
  • A lack of buy-in from partners
  • Physical limitations
  • Inferior market
  • Anything!

Keep thinking and adding to your list. When you’re done, ask your spouse or a friend or your law partner for their input. Why do they think you don’t have X? Add their thoughts to your list.

Next up, take another sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle. In the left column, write “Obstacles” at the top of the page. Re-write your list of obstacles. Skip a line between each one.

In the right-hand column, at the top of the page, write “What can I do about it?” Then, for each obstacle, write down what you can do.

If the obstacle is “Not knowing what to do,” your “can-dos” might include doing research, taking a course, and asking someone you know for help. If you don’t know anyone who can help you, your can-do would be to ask people you know if they know anyone with the requisite knowledge or experience, and would they introduce you?

If you don’t have any “can-dos” for a given obstacle, cross that obstacle off of your list. Why dwell on something you can’t do anything about?

Ah, but there is almost always something you can do. Keep thinking. Keep adding to your list.

Congratulations. You now have a list of things you can do to remove the obstacles to having what you want.

Go through your list again and choose an obstacle. Then, choose one or more “can-dos” for that obstacle and transfer them to your regular task list or project planner.

Get to work and remove the obstacle. Then, go back and tackle the next obstacle.

The point of this exercise is to get clear on what you want, what’s stopping you, and what you can do to change that dynamic. In other words, to focus on solutions.

You have a plan. You have things you can do. Go do them.

Here’s a plan to get more referrals

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Filed Under: Goal Setting, Personal development

Is free a viable marketing strategy for lawyers?

April 26, 2017 by
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Four or five years ago a business partner bought me a magazine subscription as a gift. After a year, the subscription ran out. I didn’t renew it but I continued to get the magazine each month, and still do.

It’s no secret why the publisher continues to mail the magazine to lapsed subscribers. They earn most of their money through advertising, renting their list, and selling other products. The more “subscribers” on their rolls, the more they earn.

Business 101.

So how can you use this strategy to build your practice? What can you give away that will bring you more clients and more revenue?

How about your services?

Do you have (or could you cobble together) a free service that is likely to lead to paid services? Example: a free simple will package, because a certain percentage of those new clients will need a trust or other services.

More examples: first hour free, first collection case free, free incorporation, free consultation.

Like the magazine publisher, it’s not how much you give away, it’s how much you earn on the back end.

Onward.

Do you volunteer time on committees or to raise funds for a cause? If not, you might look into doing that, not just because you want to help the organization or cause but because you get something in return.

You get to meet people who can hire you, refer you, or introduce you. You get invited to write or speak or be interviewed, exposing you to other people’s clients, customers, and subscribers. You get to be seen in the public eye, associated with a worthy cause.

Yes?

Okay, what else can you give away?

Information. Reports, books, videos, blog posts, articles, and so on. Give them away and get traffic to your website, new social media followers and newsletter subscribers, and new clients who consume your content and sell themselves on hiring you.

Give away lots of information and get lots of traffic to your website, new social media followers and newsletter subscribers, and new clients who consume your content and sell themselves on hiring you.

They read, they like, they call. They also share with other people who need your help.

So yeah, free is a viable marketing strategy for lawyers. And yeah, that’s free advice I’m giving you.

Legal marketing made simple

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services

How to approach a prospective referral source

April 25, 2017 by
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The Internet presents endless resources for finding people who might become a referral source for you.

They’re out there, in droves.

But once found, how do you approach them? How do you get their attention without appearing needy? How do you start a conversation and bring up the subject of referrals?

How about simply introducing yourself?

Tell them who you are, what you do, and why you are contacting them.

I assume you can handle the who you are and what you do part, but make it brief. One or two sentences. Only enough so they know you’re a fellow professional.

As for why you’re contacting them, well, why are you doing that?

Because you see a connection with them. (If you don’t, contact someone else.) Tell them about the connection.

You found their website or social media profile and see that you and they target the same market. You represent the same types of clients. You offer services that dovetail with theirs. Or they’ve written an article that deals with issues you’ve written about or care about.

Introduce yourself. Mention the connection. Invite them to chat.

“I thought I’d reach out to you, find out more about what you do, tell you more about what I do, and see if there might be a way we could work together.”

If you’re speaking to them on the phone, continue the conversation. Of invite them to meet you for a cup of coffee. If you have contacted them via email, ask, “When would be a good time to chat for a couple minutes?”

You’ve been honest with them, you have suggested a possible benefit to them, and you haven’t pushed.

They’re either interested in speaking to you or they are not. If they’re interested, move forward. If they’re not, move on.

When you talk, ask lots of questions and keep the focus on them. Get them to tell you about what they want or need. What are their goals and plans for the future? What obstacles are in their way?

Look for ways you could help them or their clients, either directly or by introducing them to someone you know.

Then ask, “Who would make a good referral for you?”

Powerful question, that. It tells them you’re serious about working with them.

When it’s your turn, tell them about your practice and tell them who would make a good referral for you. Tell them you’ll send them more information and invite them to do the same.

Is that all you have to do to get business from someone you just met? Usually not. But sometimes, it is. Sometimes, in speaking with you, they think about someone they know who might need your help.

After your chat, send business if you can. Send information about something they want or need or that might benefit their clients. Share marketing ideas with them. Introduce them to vendors and freelancers who can help them. Invite them to write an article for your client newsletter. Offer to interview them for your blog or podcast.

They will (at some point) do the same for you.

There’s more you can do to build a referral relationship. A lot more. But you’ve opened the door and started the process, and that’s the most important part.

Learn what to say and do to get referrals from other professionals, here

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Filed Under: Referral sources

The most valuable skill in a lawyer’s tool chest

April 24, 2017 by
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You may not be the best writer or speaker. Your trial skills may not win any awards (or big verdicts). You might be just okay at managing your team or your money. But you can be amazingly successful in your practice if you master this skill.

Actually, it is a set of skills, usually referred to as “client relations”. Which encompasses a lot of things, big and small, but boils down to the ability to make people like you.

Think about it, a prospective client comes to see you. They have a problem. They’re nervous about their case and nervous about you. Can you help them? Are you honest? Will you charge a reasonable fee? Will you be nice and friendly or mean and scary?

All these doubts and fears swirling in their head, making them even more nervous as they open up and tell you about their situation.

Within minutes, they feel better. Relieved. Encouraged. They like you. And trust you. And feel confident that you can help them.

And they hire you on the spot.

Or they don’t. Because you don’t have this skill. In which case, all of your core legal skills, experience, and reputation don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.

Once the client hires you, they see that you are attentive and work hard to serve them. They see that you appreciate them. They come back to you. And tell others about you.

Or they don’t. Because you didn’t continue to earn their trust or make them feel appreciated.

We’re in the people business and client relations is a set of skills that can make or break your practice. Like any skills, they can be learned.

You can learn how to make people like and trust you. You can learn how to inspire loyalty. And if you’re already good at these things, you can learn to get better.

And you should. Because if you want to build a successful practice, no other skills are as valuable.

Learn how to make people like and trust you

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Filed Under: Client relations

The easiest way to increase your income

April 21, 2017 by
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How much do you spend to acquire a new client?

If you don’t know, go through your paid bills for the last 12-18 months and tag everything marketing-related: advertising, direct mail, websites, networking groups, newsletters, software, outside services, signage, marketing assistants, and everything else.

Add it up. These are your hard costs.

Next, look at your calendar and figure out how much time you spent on marketing activities: networking, writing articles, blog posts, and emails, conducting interviews, creating and delivering presentations, meeting with referral sources, posting on social media, and so on.

Assign a dollar value to that time and add the result to your hard costs.

Take your total marketing expenses and divide by the number of new clients you brought in. The result is your average cost to acquire a new client. If a new client is worth $10,000 to you, you can make an intelligent decision about how much you’re willing to spend to acquire them.

Next, go back and look at the breakdown of your expenses. Assuming you track where new clients come from, (please say you do), you’ll be able to increase your profits by managing your marketing expenses.

If your ads are working, you might increase ad spending. If you’re wasting time with networking, you might cut down on the number of groups you belong to.

By far, the easiest way to increase your income is to focus less on acquiring new clients and more on retaining the clients you already have.

Repeat clients (and the referrals they provide) come to you at very little cost. You’ve already paid to acquire the client. From this point forward, what they pay you is nearly all profit.

Referrals are the quintessence of profitability. Here’s how to get more

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

Small but tasty morsels versus a huge buffet

April 20, 2017 by
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As I’ve mentioned, I’m a beta tester for a plain text writing app under development. The app still has a way to go, but I’m excited about its future.

I don’t use the app every day, however. I’m using another new plain text app which is further along in the development curve. In fact, I’m using it right now to write this post.

The two apps approach releases differently. With the first app, months go by with no news and then we get a big update.

The second app provides small updates almost every week.

When I get notified that the next update is available, I get excited. Even though the updates are usually minor, I can’t wait to download the app and try it out.

But this isn’t about writing apps or software development. It’s about the psychological effect of frequent updates and why you should use them to connect with your clients and contacts.

Don’t save up all your news and information and send a big newsletter once or twice a year, as many lawyers do. Send shorter messages more often.

A few paragraphs is all you need. Mention the new article on your website. Offer a legal tip. Talk about an interesting case or client. Recommend a book, website, or app.

Say something interesting or entertaining and your clients will look forward to hearing from you.

No, they probably won’t get as excited about your news as I get about updates to writing apps. But whatever level of interest they have will be enhanced by hearing from you often instead of once in awhile.

How to get more clients online

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Filed Under: Email, Newsletters

It’s time for you to come out

April 19, 2017 by
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I know, you didn’t go to law school to become a sales person. But guess what? That’s exactly what you are.

When a client hires you, money is paid, services are delivered—a sale takes place. You make that happen. You sell legal services.

Be proud.

You help people. You provide solutions to their problems. You remove or ameliorate their pain. You protect them, make their lives better and safer and more prosperous.

Tell people what you do. Don’t make them guess. Don’t make them ask. Tell them.

You don’t have to be pushy. You don’t have to hard sell, manipulate, or unduly frighten anyone into buying your services.

Just tell them what you can do for them.

Tell them about the problems you solve and the benefits you deliver. Tell them how you have helped other people with the same problems. Tell them what happens when they hire you. Tell them why they should hire you instead of anyone else.

Give them information. Encourage them to contact you if they have questions. Tell them what to do when they’re ready to take the next step.

If you’ve told them all this before, tell them again. Never stop telling them because you never know when someone might be ready to take that next step.

Is there more to selling legal services? Sure. There are techniques that can make the process easier for you and for the client. And you should learn some of those techniques.

But the most important part of selling your legal services is continually telling people how you can help them and that you’re only a click or a phone call away.

Learn the basics of attorney marketing

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Salesmanship

If marketing was easier would you do it more?

April 18, 2017 by
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Marketing is hard. I don’t have the time. It takes too long to get results. I don’t like [marketing activity]. I’m not good at [marketing activity]. I tried [marketing activity] and it didn’t work. I already do [marketing activity]; I don’t need to do anything else. I’m not a sales person.  I don’t need marketing, I get clients by being a good lawyer.

Wow. You really don’t like marketing.

And yet. . . you want to get more clients and increase your income.

You want to buy nice things and send your kids to good schools. And maybe not work so hard so you can stay healthy and live longer.

Remember free time? You had it once for about two weeks before you started law school. Yeah, some more of that would be nice, wouldn’t it?

And let’s not forget retirement. Crazy, I know. But still. . .

Let’s cut to the chase. You want money and the time to enjoy it. You can have them. Through marketing. That’s how I did it. That’s how you can do it.

What’s that? You say marketing is hard? You don’t like it? You don’t have the time?

Enough with the whining.

Okay, let’s make a deal. If I can show you how to make marketing a little easier, would you agree to do some?

Sweet.

Let’s start with something simple. Like sending birthday cards to your clients. You know, the people who help pay your mortgage?

Yeah, those people.

You already do that? Well look at you, you sly devil. You’re marketing. I won’t tell anyone. It’ll be our secret.

Just to make sure, you sign the cards yourself, right? In blue ink so the client knows it’s a real signature? Maybe add a personal note, like, “How did Joey do on that test?” so they know you’re thinking about them and actually wrote the card yourself?

I know, it’s hard. You might have to sign three or four cards a day. Risk getting paper cuts and glue poisoning from licking all those stamps. Yeah, use a real postage stamp, not the meter. And hand-write the name and address on the envelope. No labels.

The personal touch. Showing your clients you know who they are and you appreciate them.

Yes, that’s marketing. A few minutes a day. But oh so powerful.

Marketing is easier when you know the formula

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services
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