The Attorney Marketing Center--Earn More. Work Less

Every dud knows a stud

March 2, 2023 by David M. Ward

In the corporate and legal worlds, employees and pre-qualified before they are hired. Prospective clients and customers are similarly screened, to determine their needs and wants and ability to pay.

In the network marketing world, however, prospective distributors aren’t pre-screened or pre-qualified because it is a waste of time.

You never know whether a prospective distributor will sign up in your business, or if they do, if they will get to work.

And it doesn’t matter because it’s not about them, it’s about who they know and can lead you to.

Your friend might have no interest in becoming a distributor, but might know people who are very interested. You talk to your friend and find out who they know.

Because duds lead you to studs.

Yes, we’re talking about referrals.

Lawyers should pre-qualify prospective employees and prospective clients, but not prospective referral sources or business contacts, because it’s not about them, it’s about who they know.

You might meet a business owner who doesn’t need your services, but they can lead you to people who do. Or to people who know people who do.

Guess what? The same is true of your clients. They might not be able to send you referrals, but might know people who can.

When you embrace this idea, you understand that it’s not about anyone you know or meet, it’s about who they know.

Your job is to find out who they know.

How to get more referrals from your clients

Filed Under: Referrals

Give it time

February 28, 2023 by David M. Ward

I’ve heard it takes 3 to 4 years to fully get to know someone. If that’s true, it means that a lot of people you “know” you’re really just starting to get to know.

And you should give it time.

As you get to know them (better), and they get to know you, your relationship can grow from new acquaintances to solid business connections, referral partners, and friends. And that might take awhile.

True, sometimes you hit it off immediately. The circumstances are right, the chemistry is right, and while it will probably take time to fully know each other, you can tell there’s something there and it’s worth it.

But that doesn’t happen often.

Which means we shouldn’t be so quick to judge someone, or make up our minds as to where they might fit into our life.

What do you do while you’re giving things time to develop? Asking about their business or family. Sending them information about things they might need or want. Asking if they need help with anything. Inviting them to meet for coffee. Or just staying in touch.

And not expecting them to do the same for you.

Not everyone will reciprocate. You might reach out often, promote their business or cause, offer to introduce them to someone they should know, or send them a boatload of goodies, and they might do none of that for you.

That doesn’t mean you can’t have a relationship.

Keep the fires burning, or at least keep them from going out. One day, they might need your help with something, or reflect on how much you’ve done for them already, and realize how much you mean to them.

And this could be the start of your “romance”.

But don’t expect (or demand) more from them. Let the relationship develop naturally.

If the day comes when you realize that things aren’t going anywhere—they don’t return your calls or respond to your email, they don’t show appreciation for anything you’ve done, back off. Give them less time and attention.

But don’t shut the door.

Keep them on your list of people you stay in touch with (via email, predominately), and reserve personal time for other folks who have shown you they want you in their life.

You might hear from them eventually. The time might finally be right for them, which means it’s also right for you

If not, that’s okay. There are plenty of other fish in the sea.

The Attorney Marketing Formula

Filed Under: Networking, Relationship marketing

Trust me, I’m not a doctor

February 27, 2023 by David M. Ward

I don’t know about you but in the last few years, I’ve lost what little remaining trust I had in the medical community.

I now “DON’T trust AND verify”.

Which is problematic for me given this statement I recently found online:

“Medicine works best when the patient has complete confidence in his doctor’s skills. Doubts about the doctor delay recovery.”

I don’t know if this is based on research but it makes sense. If you believe you’ll recover (with a doctor’s advice and treatment), it seems you’ll be more likely to do so.

When I read this statement, I wondered if the same can be said about attorneys. If a client doesn’t trust their attorney, are they less likely to have a successful outcome?

And I thought the answer to that question would have to be “no”. Because what someone thinks about their attorney doesn’t affect the job that attorney does for them.

But it does.

If the client doesn’t trust their attorney, they might hold back important details, and exaggerate others. The attorney’s perception of the case clearly depends on what the client tells them, at least initially, and if the client isn’t forthcoming, the case can suffer.

While an experienced attorney can usually figure out what they need to know, having a client who holds back certainly makes things more difficult.

In addition, clients who don’t trust their attorney are more likely to question the attorney’s fees or handling of the case, which isn’t good for anyone.

On the other hand, clients who trust the attorney are more likely to hire the attorney in the first place, and bring them repeat businss and more referrals.

Bottom line, you want your clients to have faith in you and it’s up to you to make that happen.

Filed Under: Client relations

I’m working

February 24, 2023 by David M. Ward

One of the nice things about being a writer, or an attorney who does a lot of writing, is being able to indulge our other interests.

When we watch videos about something that interests us, for no other reason than because we enjoy it, we not only give our brains and bodies a brief respite from our busy schedules, we learn things we can use in our writing.

Examples, stories, new ideas or new ways of looking at old ideas help us illustrate our points and make our articles and posts more interesting.

They can also stimulate us to be more creative and productive. Seeing how others do presentations, structure their articles, or make their points can give us new ways of doing what we do.

Reading books about history can make us better leaders and problem solvers. Reading about entrepreneurship can help us get better at building our practice or business. Reading mysteries or doing crossword puzzles can make us better problem solvers and keep our brains from getting rusty.

Read widely. Every day, even if just for ten minutes. Take notes, even if it’s just a quote or one sentence about what you read.

Follow your curiosity. Go for walks and think about whatever is on your mind.

And don’t feel guilty about taking time to do this.

What you read can teach you, inspire you, and help you become better at what you do.

You may not be able to bill for the time you spend doing something other than your core work, but you’re still getting paid.

Filed Under: success, Writing

Start with what, not how

February 23, 2023 by David M. Ward

I’m guilty of this myself. Trying to figure out how to do something or improve something when that’s the wrong question to start with.

The right question is, “What do I want?“

Because when you know what you want (to be, do, or have), you can almost always figure out how.

Asking “how“ before you know “what“, often leads to wasting time on less important projects or goals.

Finding solutions without a problem.

Example? You’re trying to figure out how to set up a new website. All your energy is dedicated to looking for ways to do that, or finding people who can do it for you.

If you had first asked, “What do I want?” you might have realized that you want more opt-ins to your email list, and while a new and improved website might help, there are other things you can do to get what you want that don’t require a new website.

“What” is more important than “how”.

If you’re not sure of what you want, or even if you are, a good follow-up question to ask yourself is “why?” Why do I want that? Why is it important to me?

The answer to that question will confirm that what you said you want is indeed important and valuable to you, (or it isn’t), and provide you with the motivation to move forward.

Why do you want more opt-ins? Because this is a simple way to get what I want: more clients from the visitors to my website.

First, figure out WHAT you want (and why). Then, figure out HOW to get it.

Email marketing for attorneys

Filed Under: Email, Law office management, Marketing Plan, Online Marketing, Productivity

Tending to your digital garden

February 22, 2023 by David M. Ward

What would you do if you opened your task app and found it empty? No tasks, no projects, no ideas—nothing. (And you don’t have a backup.)

Would you panic? Not be able to do any work. Or would you see it as an opportunity to make a new and better list?

That’s what I would do.

In fact, periodically, that’s exactly what I do. I put all my tasks and projects out of sight and build a new list from scratch. The new list is, of course, much shorter than the original. Which is the point. The new list contains the most important things I know I have to do. No fluff, no busy work.

Just the essentials.

Once I’ve created the new list from memory, I go through the old lists and add a few things to the new list I’d forgotten. But only a few. The point of this exercise is to get rid of the clutter so I can focus (and do) the most important tasks and work on the most valuable projects.

My re-constituted list is a joy to look at and work through. Because it isn’t a never-ending mass of “too many,” it’s a lean sprinkling of “just right”.

I do something similar with my notes. I have too many to do this much housecleaning, but I regularly archive old notes, eliminate duplicates, and organize notes that relate to current, upcoming, or ongoing projects.

And I suggest you do the same.

The best time to do this is when you start using a new app. It feels good to populate your shiny new app with the things that are most important to you.

If you’re not not changing apps, or you’re not sure about doing this, start with your someday/maybe list. You know, that dumping ground of ideas you told yourself you want to get to one day. Be ruthless, here. Cut out most of them. (If it’s something you really want to do someday, it will find its way back onto your list).

When you reduce the digital clutter in your life, it helps you identify your priorities and focus on them. You do your most important work, your day is likely shorter and less stressful, and you have peace of mind knowing you’re on top of your work.

You’re doing what’s important, not just staying busy.

Filed Under: Productivity

The power of clarity

February 21, 2023 by David M. Ward

We all know the value of focusing as a mechanism for creating successful outcomes in our life. The more we concentrate our time and resources on something, the more likely we are to be successful at it.

In law school, we focused on learning the law. When we started practicing, we focused on bringing in clients, doing the work, and running the business side of things.

What we focus on grows. Which is why it is important to choose what we want to focus on instead of aimlessly doing whatever might be in front of us.

The first step is knowing what you want.

When you know you want something, you activate your Reticular Activating System (RAS), the part of your brain that helps you notice things that are important to you and filter out things that aren’t.

When we lived in caves, what was important to us was finding food and staying safe from enemies. Our RAS helped us stay alert about the strangers we encountered and notice the berries that were safe to eat.

Today, if you’re interested in buying a red car, you suddenly notice red cars everywhere. And tend not to notice ones that are green or blue.

If you want to build your practice, your RAS will help you notice things that will help you do that. Articles, people, ideas, and opportunities you might not have noticed before are seemingly everywhere.

How can you use this to your advantage? By getting clear on what you want. Decide what’s important to you—your goals, your purpose, your values—and let your RAS go to work.

When it does, pay attention. The things it helps you notice are consistent with what you said you wanted.

Filed Under: success

The simplest way to get more (of anything)

February 20, 2023 by David M. Ward

You want new clients. Repeat business. Referrals.

You want more people making an appointment, booking you as the speaker at their event, posting a review, signing up for your list, or liking and sharing your post.

Bottom line, you want more people to do something.

The simplest way to accomplish that? Ask them again.

Because they forget. Or aren’t yet convinced. Or need to give themselves permission to spend the money.

If you don’t ask again, if your messages (email, calls, conversations) are “one and done“ you are missing out on as much as 50% of the sales or “yesses” to whatever it is you’re asking.

Maybe more.

I know you know this makes sense. I also know you might not want to do it, or do it as much as you could, because (a) you don’t want to appear needy or greedy, or, (b) annoy anyone.

But think about this:

If you have something valuable to offer, something people need and want and will benefit greatly from getting, you need to do everything you can to help them get it.

If you don’t, how will you feel if something happens to them that might have been prevented or mitigated if you had followed up?

This doesn’t mean you should pound on people to sign-up. Just remind them, respectfully, but repeatedly, and keep doing that until they get it.

And guess what? They want you to do this.

They want you to tell them again. Remind them of the benefits and/or what they’ll lose if they don’t take action.

They appreciate being reminded of an approaching deadline. They appreciate that you respect them enough to stick with them while they figure out how and when they can sign up.

Sometimes, they need to hear from you again before they’re convinced of the seriousness or urgency of your request or offer.

Assume they didn’t get your previous message or got busy with other things. Assume they need to hear more reasons, more examples, or what more people say about your services.

Because they do. If they didn’t, they (might have) signed up the first time they heard from you.

Follow-up is essential to building your practice. And you need to do it.

The only thing you have to figure out is how often.

But you don’t have to figure that out in advance. All you need to do is figure out the next follow-up, and put that on your calendar.

The easiest way to follow-up is with email

Filed Under: Communication, Increase your income, Marketing legal services

Simply the best

February 17, 2023 by David M. Ward

You are the best in your field. The most talented, the most successful, the most dedicated to your clients.

That’s why your clients hire you; that’s why prospective clients should do the same.

Unfortunately, you can’t go around saying you’re the best. Even if it’s true.

You want others to say this about you. Which is why you should do everything you can to obtain testimonials, positive reviews, and praiseworthy survey responses from your clients, and endorsements from prominent people (especially other lawyers).

It’s also why you should get yourself invited to be interviewed by centers of influence in your niche and be seen in their company.

If you say you’re the best, people will doubt you. Maybe laugh at you. If your clients and others say you’re the best, it must be true.

Not only does third party praise help you bring in more business, these kinds of comments give your clients a warm and fuzzy feeling knowing that they made a wise decision to hire you.

It also means you’ll attract higher-paying clients and a lot more referrals, because you’re not just competent, you’re the best.

Don’t be shy about asking your clients for reviews and testimonials. If they’re happy campers, they should be happy to provide them. But you have to ask because they may not know how important this is to you.

And, while you’re collecting these, you can create the same effect by liberally adding client success stories to your articles, posts, presentations, and other content. That’s where you describe a client’s case or situation before they came to you and how you rescued them and made everything better.

Set up a file to collect emails and quotes from people who say something nice about you. Thank them, tell them how much it means to you, and ask, “May I quote you?”

Happy clients are the foundation of a successful practice

Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Law office management, Marketing legal services, Referrals