Read this immediately

August 4, 2021 by
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Clients, prospects, anyone who reads or listens to your words, need to be told what to do.

You should tell them because you’ll get more people signing up, calling, engaging, sharing your content, and hiring you when you do.

They’ll do it because it’s good for them, but they’ll do it more often when you tell them to do it.

So, you add a call-to-action to your blog posts and articles and web pages and presentations. You tell people to call, visit, download, sign up, and so on, and why—to get valuable information, to learn more about their case, to help their friends, to find out their options, to get your advice or help.

Yes?

You also add a call-to-action to your networking conversations (“Call me,” “Give me your card,” “Go to my website to get that article,” “Give me your wallet”).

Tell them what to do and why. You’ll get better results when you do.

But you can get even better results by adding one more element: urgency.

Tell them to do it now.

Not tomorrow, not next week, not next month—NOW.

Tell them why it is in their best interest to act immediately. Forthwith. Without delay. Right this minute. Before they do anything else.

Because you’ll get more people doing it when you tell them to do it now. And why.

What benefits do they gain by doing it immediately?

What could they lose if they don’t?

If they might incur additional damages, for example, make sure you point this out. If they can solve their problem quickly, at a lower cost, make sure they know this.

Limited quantity and limited time are other ways to create urgency. But you can also do it by saying something as simple as “So you don’t forget”.

Because if the action you’re asking them to take will bring them an important benefit, surely they don’t want to miss out.

Go through your content, think about your conversations, and ask yourself if you have included urgency in your call-to-action.

If you haven’t, you have work to do.

Do it now so you don’t forget.

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Filed Under: Copywriting Tagged With: ,

I smashed a Like button and had to go to the ER

June 1, 2021 by
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Clicking isn’t good enough, it seems. Everyone wants you to smash the “Like” button. They also want you to subscribe, hit the notification bell, and share the link to their post or channel with everyone you know or have ever met.

Sorry, Charlie, I’ve got other things to do.

Besides, you haven’t told me why I should do any of those things.

What’s in it for me?

Science tells us people are more likely to do what you ask of them if you give them a reason. It doesn’t have to be a good reason, any reason will do.

Tell people it helps your channel or it helps other people looking for this type of content to find it or, simply tell them you appreciate their support.

But while any reason works better than no reason, telling people the benefits they get for doing what you ask works even better.

Click the button so I know you want to see more free content like this.

Download this report, watch this presentation, go to this page, and you’ll learn (some valuable things).

Call to schedule an appointment so you can find out if you have a case and get your questions answered.

Tell people why.

Something else. Don’t ask for everything under the sun. Ask for one thing, maybe two. But not everything.

Ask them to Like (and tell them why) and you might get more Likes. Ask them to Like and subscribe and share and you might get none of the above.

Ask a visitor to your website to download your report (and tell them why) and you might get more downloads (and subscribers). Asking them to also share your post, read another article and sign up for your seminar, and many visitors will simply leave.

The same goes for your services. Talk about one of your services, offers, or packages, don’t give them a menu of everything you do.

Because when you ask people to do too much, or you give them too many options, they get confused and a confused mind usually says no.

Telling people what to do is good marketing and you should do it. But if you want more people to do what you ask, ask for one thing at a time (and tell them why).

Like this:

Please forward this post to a lawyer you know who might want to get more clients. They’ll appreciate you for thinking of them, and so will I.

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Filed Under: Communication, Copywriting, Marketing legal services, Salesmanship

The most important word in marketing

April 29, 2021 by
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You go to my website and read all about me and the services I offer. You like what you see.

I tell you to call to make an appointment. I tell you the number to call, the best time to call, who to ask for and what to say.

What’s missing?

I haven’t told you why.

Why should you make an appointment? What are the benefits? What will you learn or get? How will you be better off?

You shouldn’t assume a prospect knows this, even if it is obvious. You need to tell them.

Tell them you’ll review the facts and explain the law. Tell them they’ll learn their options and what you recommend. Tell them they can ask as many questions as they want and you’ll answer all of them. Tell them that at the end of the appointment, they’ll know what you can do to help them and what happens next.

Because that’s what they want. That’s the benefit. That’s why they will call.

Other lawyers tell people to call but don’t say why. They might say “to talk to a lawyer” but that’s not what people want. They want solutions, relief from their pain or worry, a plan for moving forward.

That’s why they will call. That’s what you need to tell them.

Whatever you’re offering, tell people why they should accept your offer or do what you’re asking them to do. You want them to sign up for your newsletter? Tell them why. What will they learn, what will they get, how will they better off?

When you tell people the benefits, when you tell them what’s in it for them, more people will call or sign up or accept your offer.

You get more subscribers, set more appointments, sign up more clients, and increase your income.

That’s why you tell people why.

Marketing is easier when you have a plan

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Filed Under: Copywriting, Marketing legal services

It’s not about your services, it’s about your solutions

March 12, 2021 by
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You offer services. You want happy clients. One doesn’t necessarily lead to the other.

Before you tell anyone about your services or create any new marketing documents, ask yourself this question:

“What problems am I qualified to solve?”

Because your services (knowledge, skills, experience, etc.) are merely tools you use to solve problems, which is what your clients really want.

So, make a list. What solutions and benefits are you capable of delivering?

Look through your closed client files and take inventory of what you’ve done for your clients. What problems did you solve? What benefits did you help them get?

Clients don’t care about your services. They don’t really need to know how you do what you do.

They want to know what you can do for them.

Okay. Once you know what you can do to help people, make a list of people (businesses, entities) who need what you do.

Who is your ideal client? What are their problems? What do they want?

Once you have answered these questions, you can talk about your services and offers.

More importantly, you’ll know who to target with your marketing message, and what to talk about in that message.

How to quickly grow a big practice

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Filed Under: Communication, Copywriting, Marketing legal services

Just the facts, ma’am

February 5, 2021 by
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In the pantheon of bad marketing advice, is the notion that telling prospective clients about your experience and your services is enough to persuade people to choose you.

Because it’s not.

They’re important. A client wants to know what you offer and what you can do for them, and you need to tell them, but if that’s all you tell them, if you give them just the facts, you’re not giving them enough to make a buying decision, that is, to hire you.

Because people “buy” for emotional reasons and then justify their “purchase” with the facts.

Your job is to trigger an emotional response to your words, to make them feel something that compels them to act.

The simplest and most effective way to do that is by telling stories.

Stories are the juice of marketing. They lubricate your message, give it context, and show the need for and benefits of what you offer. Stories convey importance and urgency and persuade people to act.

Seth Godin said, “Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.”

Stories are especially important when you sell something abstract like legal services.

Stories work because they’re about people. Prospects pay attention to your stories to find out what happened to them.

Oh boy, look at that. Here I am trying to convince you to use stories in your marketing and I haven’t used any. I made an important point, but that point would be more effective and memorable had I told you about these two lawyers in the same market who offer the same services, but who use a slightly different marketing strategy.

Lawyer Moe’s marketing primarily consists of brochures, and a website filled with facts. He describes his practice areas, his experience, and his services, and it’s impressive.

Lawyer Larry also tells the facts, but includes stories from his practice to illustrate what he does for his clients. His stories are usually no more than a few paragraphs, but like any story, they have a beginning (a problem), a middle (complications), and a resolution (problem solved by Larry, our hero).

Moe has more experience than Larry, but Larry earns three times what Moe earns, primarily because his stories “show” instead of “tell”.

Facts tell, but stories sell. Use stories in your marketing.

Put stories in your newsletter

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Filed Under: Communication, Copywriting, Marketing legal services, Writing

The Bandwagon Effect

January 25, 2021 by
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Psychologists tell us most people tend to think or act a certain way when they believe others are doing the same. They don’t want to make a mistake or miss out so they usually follow the crowd.

The “Bandwagon Effect” is a cognitive bias that causes people to buy a certain product or act a certain way because it is the more popular option.

Prospective clients often choose the attorney who appears busier for the same reason.

You can use this innate cognitive bias in your conversations and presentations with prospective clients.

When you present two or more options to a prospective client, e.g., Package A (your “starter” service) and Package B (your bigger service), for example, before you ask what they’d like to do or which option they prefer, tell them which option is more popular: “Most of my clients prefer Package B” (if that’s true) and tell them why.

You can do something similar in your articles and blog posts, and in your sales materials.

“Most of the people I talk to about [issue] tell me they don’t want to wait, they want to take care of this immediately because. . .”

Most people want to follow the ostensibly safer and better path chosen by others, so make sure you tell people what most people usually do.

Ready to make this year your best year ever? This will help

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Filed Under: Advertising, Closing the sale, Communication, Copywriting, Presentations, Public Speaking, Salesmanship

What ancient Egyptian sounded like and how we know

December 4, 2020 by
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Last night I watched a video with the above title. I don’t have a particular interest in the subject; the title caught my eye and made me curious.

Like you would be if you were about to witness the opening of a pyramid for the first time.

Unfortunately, I can’t tell you anything about the subject because it was late and I fell asleep a few minutes after the video began. I woke up and trundled off to bed, but not before recording the title on my phone.

I did this because I collect good titles and headlines. You should, too.

They provide a template of sorts that we can use to write headlines and titles for our blog posts, articles, emails, and books.

Headlines that make people curious to read more.

If you’re a PI lawyer, for example, the title of this video might prompt you to write a blog post with the title, “How much is my case worth and how do you know?”

That’s something clients and prospects frequently ask, isn’t it?

Hopefully, people won’t fall asleep once they start reading your post, or turn the page because you failed to deliver on the promise of your title.

In other words, don’t write clickbait-y titles. That’s a surefire way to alienate people.

So, while you obviously can’t tell anyone what their case is worth in advance, make sure you provide enough information in your post so the reader feels like you didn’t lie to them.

And, when a clickbait-y title gets your attention and makes you curious, add it to your collection. It may prompt you to write a headline that promises something you can actually deliver.

How to write headlines and titles that get more referrals

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Filed Under: Communication, Copywriting, Writing

Do you want to see something really scary?

September 25, 2020 by
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Lawyers sell hope and opportunity. We sell money at a discount. We sell relief.

We tell stories to show prospective clients what it will be like when they hire us to help them.

But we also tell stories of what it will be like if they don’t.

Fear is an important tool in our toolbox and we use it to motivate people to act.

We describe the worst case scenario, enumerate the potential losses, and estimate the potential expense. We dramatize this in our web copy and consultations, and it works. People sign up because they’re afraid of what might happen if they don’t.

So, use fear. Scare your prospects into taking action. You’re doing them a favor, motivating them to do something they need.

But. . . don’t overdo it.

Because if you scare them too much or too often, many people shut down.

They stop listening. They stop reading your emails. They cancel appointments.

So, how much fear is enough but not too much?

Publicly, meaning on your website, newsletter, articles or presentations, offer lots of hope and a sprinkling of fear. Let them know about potential risks or problems, share a story or two of things that went wrong for people in their situation, but don’t go into a lot of detail–or do it too often.

You want them to take the next step, not keep looking for a lawyer who offers hope and opportunity.

Privately, in a consultation or on the phone, you can give them more than a sprinkling of fear. How much, you’ll have to decide in the moment.

How much is at stake? What’s their level of sophistication? How do they feel about their current situation?

Ask lots of open-ended questions and get them talking. They usually tell you everything you need to know to get them to take the next step.

How to get more people on your list to take the next step

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Filed Under: Communication, Copywriting, Newsletters

You’re not in the information delivery business

August 7, 2020 by
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Prospective clients visit your website and dig through your articles or posts. They watch your videos or listen to your podcasts. They consume your FAQs.

They have questions. You have answers. And I’m sure you do a good job of providing valuable information.

There’s just one thing.

If all you do is give people information and answer their questions, you’re dropping the marketing ball.

Prospective clients want information, it’s true. They visit your site, read your article, or watch your presentation because they’re curious about the law, their rights, their risks, and the solutions that are available to them.

If you satisfy their curiosity, however, by explaining the law and telling them everything they need to know, you’re not giving them a reason to hire you or take the next step in that direction.

Basic information? Sure. General guidelines? Of course. But anything you do beyond that is antithetical to the purpose of your marketing.

Which is to convert prospects into clients.

Look at your website. Look at your email sequences, brochures, ads, and other marketing communications. Are you satisfying curiosity by telling people everything, or building curiosity and inspiring them to call or write?

You’re not in the information delivery business. You use information to attract people who are looking for solutions, tell them enough to show them they’ve come to the right place, and persuade them to contact you.

Because if they don’t do that, they don’t get the help they need, and you don’t get the clients you want.

Marketing is easier when you know The Formula

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Filed Under: Copywriting, Marketing legal services

Oh the pain, the pain

July 2, 2020 by
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If you ever watched the campy 1960’s TV series Lost in Space, you may recall one of Dr. Smith’s signature expressions.

If not, perhaps you recall the old Verizon TV commercials where the spokesman walked around town, speaking on the phone, repeatedly asking the other party, “Can you hear me now?”

What do these two have in common? Right, the pain.

The Verizon spots dramatized the biggest pain point for customers of other carriers, poor signal quality and dropped calls.

We all literally said, “Can you hear me now?” as we moved to find a better spot.

This demonstration set the stage for Verizon’s promise of better coverage and clearer signals, which landed them a lot of new customers.

In your marketing, you should do what Verizon did: market to the biggest frustration felt by your prospective clients.

Find your prospective client’s pain point, about their legal situation or their current attorney, and build your marketing message around this.

What makes them angry or keeps them up at night? What troubles them most about their legal issue? What is their biggest complaint about their current attorney?

Talk about that, and promise they won’t have that problem when they hire you.

Make the pain, and the relief you promise to deliver, specific to your practice area and market, because not everyone is frustrated by the same things. But if you need an idea, consider the nearly universal pain point for clients, “My lawyer never calls me back”.

Build your marketing around your prospective clients’ pain and promise to take away that pain. You can’t go wrong with that formula.

By the way, you may have noticed that the actor who portrayed the spokesman in the Verizon ads is now the spokesman for Sprint.

Oh the pain, the pain.

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Filed Under: Communication, Copywriting, Marketing legal services
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