Blog – Page 263

Every lawyer needs to be able to tell these 5 stories

August 8, 2014 by David M. Ward

When speaking to prospective clients, an audience, interviewers, or professional contacts, you need to be able to tell them about you and what you offer in a way that is interesting and memorable. They should be able to see and understand the people behind the brochure or the web page.

Here are 5 stories you should be prepared to tell that make that possible:

1. Why us

What you do for your clients, the benefits you offer, the kinds of clients you work with, and why someone should hire you instead of other lawyers.

2. Your/your firm’s mission

The big picture about the work you do, your vision for the future.

3. Your personal story

Stories about your past, personal interests, family. The person, not the lawyer, although you can add why you became a lawyer.

4. Client stories

Success stories about people who hired you and received positive results. Have one or two for each practice area/problem and niche market.

5. Partner and/or staff stories

Be prepared to talk about other people in your firm. Clients like to know something about other people who might work with them.

A list of credentials and accomplishments has its place, but to be more effective, talk about people: yourself, your staff, and your clients. Tell stories that show who you are and how you make a difference. Because facts tell, but stories sell.

Filed Under: Communication, Image, Marketing legal services, Networking, Public Speaking Tagged With: stories

You think you’re so smart. Good!

August 7, 2014 by David M. Ward

Lawyers tend to have big egos. Mostly, that’s a good thing. It’s what allows them to be successful. Imagine what it would be like if you constantly doubted yourself and your abilities.

InÂ 10 Things Highly Productive People Don’t Do,Â item 4 caught my attention:

They are not realistic when it comes to their abilities

When it comes to your own skills and expectations; itâ€™s better to be an illusionist than being modest or realistic. Successful people and high achievers are overconfident of their abilities. They believe that they can achieve anything and expect the very best to come. This is very important in order to be productive.

Holding such beliefs about yourself will make you (even if you are the laziest person on earth) tend to take actions in order to justify your own beliefs. It will lower your resistance against hard work.

If you feel incompetent, simply ask yourself if holding such a belief has ever helped you. If not get rid of it and get a new belief because at the end of the day a wrong belief that makes you feel good is far better than a more realistic one that makes you feel incompetent.

Now before you can say this is a recipe for malpractice, it doesn’t mean you should take on work you’re not competent to do and blindly do it. It means believing you can get the work done and that you can figure out how to make that happen.

In the early days of my practice, I often took cases I was nowhere near ready to handle. I believed that if some of the attorneys I’d met could do it, I could too. I spent long hours in the library. I hired experienced secretaries and paralegals. I asked other attorneys for advice. And when I was truly over my head, I associated with bigger firms, watched, learned, and earned.

If I didn’t believe in myself, I would have turned down the business and perhaps never learned what to do.

Successful people start with vision. They see themselves where they want to be, doing the things they want to do. They believe that they are able to do it, and that’s how they become able to do it.

Filed Under: Personal development, Productivity Tagged With: ego, self-confidence, vision

Judgments about trustworthiness are made in less than a second

August 6, 2014 by David M. Ward

According to new research, “people only need to meet someone for less than a second before they decide how trustworthy they are.”

Yikes.

When you meet a prospective client they make up their minds about you instantly. In a single glance, the jury decides whether or not to trust your client or witness. When you are networking or speaking, you areÂ judged before you say a single word.

It has to do with the human face and how our brains process the image. I’ll spare you the scientific details behind the research but the process occurs at a subconscious level, and quickly.

We used to think that people make up their minds about us in the first minute or two, giving us time to make a good impression. You know, smile, make eye contact, show people you are interested in them. Now we know that by the time we do that, people have already made up their minds about us.

Now what? We can’t change our appearance. Our face says “trustworthy” or it does not. All we can do is move forward with the things we’ve always done to make a good impression and earn trust. We’ll thus reinforce the person’s first impression of us as trustworthy, and thus strengthen it, or we’ll counter their first impression of untrustworthy and, one hopes, overcome it.

But then I’m assuming it’s possible to overcome a bad first impression. It has to be. If it were not, it would mean there are people walking around with a face that tells everyone, “you can’t trust me,” and there’s nothing they can do to change that impression. I know life isn’t fair but I think that’s going too far.

How to improve your trustworthiness. Click here.

Filed Under: Image, Networking, Personal development, Public Speaking Tagged With: trust, trustworthiness

How to stand out in a crowded market

August 5, 2014 by David M. Ward

In The Attorney Marketing Formula I talk about how to differentiate yourself from other lawyers. There are many things you can do within your core practice areas to show people how you are different and give them a reason to hire you instead of other lawyers.

Half the battle is being noticed and remembered. We all look alike. We all wear the same suits and speak the same language. Go downtown and you can spot the lawyers half a block away.

Anyway, what if you had something else you were known for? Something that has nothing to do with being a lawyer but everything to do with being you?

Perhaps you are the personal injury lawyer who likes opera. Or theÂ Texas criminal defense lawyer who loves the Yankees. Or a small business lawyer who put herself through law school playing in poker tournaments.

Different. And memorable.

Take something from your personal life, present or past, and wear it like an emblem. When people see you walking down the street, they’ll remember you as the lawyer who used to play in a rock band or the lawyer who collects Native American art.

It’s a little hook to help you stand out, but it also opens up possibilities for networking in a niche market where you have knowledge and contacts.

When I was in grammar school, there was a kid who always wore green socks. Every day, in fact. He had an Irish surname but I think I asked him once and he told me he just liked green. Today, decades later, I still remember his name and those green socks.

Maybe you could be the lawyer who always wears green socks. Or red. Or bow ties. Or a scorpion lapel pin.

I don’t know what your thing is, but whatever it is, once I associate it with you, I’ll probably remember you. It might not be enough to hire you or send your referrals, but you’ve got a better shotÂ than than the lawyers I met once but can’t remember.

Learn more about how to stand out in a crowded market. Get this.

Filed Under: Image, Marketing legal services

Prioritizing tasks: If it’s not a nine or 10, it’s a one

August 4, 2014 by David M. Ward

One of my favorite sayings is, “You can do anything you want, you just can’t do everything you want.” There isn’t enough time to do everything, but there is plenty ofÂ time to do what’s important.

The problem is, when you look at your list of tasks and projects, at a certain level, everything seems important. That’s why we wrote it down. To be productive and reach our goals, we need to decide which tasks are the most importantÂ and should receive top priority.

Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, suggests using “The 90% Rule” for prioritizing tasks. It allows you to take a step back and look at your list objectively.

Laura Vanderkam at Fast Company explains McKeownâ€™s method:

Youâ€™re looking at a new opportunity. Rank it on a scale of 1 to 10 on how amazing you think it is. Then try this little thought experiment: â€œIf itâ€™s not a nine or 10, then itâ€™s a one,â€ says McKeown. The goal is to take on tasks that are â€œa superb use of my time,â€ he says, â€œand I donâ€™t mean that selfishly. I mean, is this the best way I can contribute to others, to society, is this my very highest point of contribution?â€ The point is that â€œwe need to see the difference between things that are good and things that are exceptionally good,â€ he says. â€œItâ€™s an important distinction in a world exploding with options.â€

Out of ten tasks, one or two are likely to deliver the most value or biggest results. Put those tasks into their own category and put everything else aside. If this sounds like a variation of the 80/20 rule, I agree. And that’s why I like it.

Don’t get hung up in deciding what’s a six and what’s a seven. If it’s not a nine or 10, it’s a one.

Filed Under: Productivity, Time Management Tagged With: prioritazation, prioritizing, prioritizing-tasks

Happiness is a choice

July 31, 2014 by David M. Ward

Yesterday, I had one of those moments. You know the one I mean. It’s when you’re having a bad day and you are convinced that you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re not good at anything, and you should probably give up and go do something else.

Yeah, that kind of moment.

But then I paused and thought about it. I thought about things that were going well, things that had amazing potential, and things that I was really good at, and the cloud of doom over my head floated away.

Just like that, I went from near despair to being excited about the future, and with that, I got back to work.

Do we really have that kind of power? Can we really just think ourselves into being happy?

You betcha.

Dale Carnegie said, “Remember, happiness doesn’t depend on who you are or what you have; it depends solely on what you think.”

Yes, you can work your way through a funk. But had I tried to suck it up and work my way through my malaise, I’m pretty sure I would have simply found more “proof” of my inadequacies and justification for feeling sorry for myself.

Eventually, I would have forgotten about what was bothering me and returned to my regular chipper self. But instead of having an entire day being down, I was able to get back to “me” in just a few seconds.

When you are feeling blue, or experiencing any kind of negative emotion, instead of charging ahead despite those feelings, “change the subject”. Think about something that feels better when you think it. I might have thought about walking on the beach. That would certainly have felt better and my mood would surely have improved.

I chose another way. Instead of distracting myself from the issue (not being good enough), I found some aspect of that thought that felt better (thinking about what I was good at).

Either way works.

When we are unhappy, we can wait until our circumstances improve and thenÂ be happy. Or we can choose to be happy now and use that feeling to improve our circumstances.

Because happiness is a choice.

Filed Under: Dealing with stress, Inspiration, Personal development Tagged With: happiness, happiness-steve-jobs

How to get more traffic and more clients

July 30, 2014 by David M. Ward

Put more people in your posts and articles. You’ll get more traffic, more people reading your content, and more people sharing it. Bottom line, more clients.

People like to read about people. Content about people (instead of concepts) is more interesting to read and more interesting to write.

You could interview people about their life and accomplishments, about their case or cause, or about their process and recommendations. You could present a transcript of yourÂ interview or a summary and quotes. You could do a profile. Or simply mention them. You could review their books or articles or performances.

You could write a print piece, create a video or audio, or all of the above. You could talk to them in person, on the phone, or via chat, orÂ emailÂ some questions and have them email their answers.

You could tell their story or have them tell it. You could agree with them and champion their ideas, or present their words and your rebuttal. You could name them or keep them anonymous.

You could write about:

Your clients
People in the news/famous people
Centers of influence in your target market or community
Prospective clients you have met or consulted
People you meet at networking or speaking events
People you meet on airplanes
Other lawyers in your field
Lawyers in other practice areas
Professionals in allied fields
Business owners who sell to your target market
Authors, bloggers, speakers, consultants, and expert witnesses
Your family and friends

Asking people you know for interviews or quotes will flatter them and strengthen your relationship. Reaching out to people you don’t know for an interview or comment will open doors to new clients, new referral sources, and new speaking and writing opportunities. You’ll get ideas for improving the marketing and management of your law office. And you have an endless supply of material for your blog or newsletter.

For more ideas on creating content and marketing online get Make the Phone Ring

Filed Under: Blogging, Marketing legal services, Newsletters, Online Marketing, Web traffic

Visualizing success

July 29, 2014 by David M. Ward

There’s an oft cited experiment by Australian psychologist Alan Richardson. The objective was to see if and to what extent visualization could improve sports performance.

Richardson tested three groups of twenty student basketball players shooting free throws and recorded their results. For the next 20 days, he had the first group practice free throws for twenty minutes each day. The second group spent 20 minutes each day visualizing themselves making free throws, without actually practicing. The third group was the control. They did no practicing or visualizing during the twenty day period.

On the twentieth day the three groups were tested again. The group that practiced every day improved their shooting percentage by 24 percent. The control group’s results were unchanged. The group that did no physical practice but merely visualized shooting free throws improved by 23 percent–nearly as much as the group that actually practiced.

In his paper about the experiment, Richardson wrote that best results occurred when the subject used their imagination to “feel” the ball in their hands, “hear” it bounce, and “see” it go through the hoop. The more vivid the experience, the more likely they were to improve.

When I was studying for the bar exam, I routinely visualized myself writing the exam. I pictured myself writing freely and easily, fully in command of the material. I even took a self-hypnosis class to help the process. I don’t know how much (or even if) this helped me pass the bar (the first time, thank you), but I remember going into the exam relaxed and confident.

Lawyers can use visualization to prepare for a speech, an interview, a trial, or a meeting with an important prospective client. If all it does is give you confidence, it’s worth it.

In the basketball experiment, we are asked to believe that visualizing alone provided improvement nearly equivalent to that achieved through actual practice. I understand that this was a test of a relatively simple activity and not on a par with studying for an exam or practicing a closing argument, but it is intriguing, isn’t it? It makes you wonder what else we could improve with the power of our imagination.

Most of Â what we do in our work probably can’t be improved by thoughts alone. I wasn’t about to go into the bar exam without studying and doing practice exams. But I’d sure like to know if my visualization contributed to my results in any material way beyond helping me relax.

Unfortunately, the basketball experiment wasn’t complete. In my view, there should have been a fourth group tested. This group would have been asked to both practice and visualize. What might those results have told us?

Today, my wife is reporting for jury duty. I’ve told her to visualize being excused early in the day. Of course I’ve also reminded her to emphasize her husband’s background. Hey, it couldn’t hurt.

Filed Under: Personal development, Presentations Tagged With: practice, visualization

A little less planning, a little more action

July 28, 2014 by David M. Ward

How much planning is enough? Less than you think.

You don’t need to plan out the entire case. There are two many variables. You need a plan to get it started. Your experience and instincts will take you the rest of the way.

You don’t need to plan all of your marketing. You need to know what you want to accomplish and a few ideas that might help you get there. Your results (or lack thereof) will guide you towards next steps.

You don’t need to plan your entire career–when you will retire, and how. It’s impossible to know how much you will need or calculate specific rates of return. Start putting something away and periodically take inventory.

Planning is good, but too often it is an impediment. Either we procrastinate because we haven’t yet perfected the plan, or we miss opportunities because they aren’t consistent with the plan. Detailed plans never foster creativity, they stifle it.

We accomplish more by taking action. It’s simple. The more we do, the more we accomplish. Yes, more action also leads to more failure but we learn from those failures. Those experiences help us make adjustments and grow. They help us improve future results.

Plan just enough to get the project started. Then do the thing until youÂ get some results. Review those results and make a new plan.

Plan. Do. Review.

For a simple marketing plan that really works, get this

Filed Under: Marketing Plan, Personal development, Productivity