Increase your income by focusing on income producing activities

November 22, 2016 by
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How much of what you do each day could be considered “income producing activities”?

Client work is income producing. So is marketing which brings in (and keeps) the clients. Everything else is is an expense and should be minimized, delegated, or eliminated.

In my opinion, in an eight-hour day, five hours of client work is a good target. Another hour should be invested in marketing. That leaves two hours that can be used for admin, lunch, and (your choice), more client work or more marketing.

If you have lots of clients, do more work. If you need more clients, do more marketing.

Of course this is just a starting point and your mileage may vary.

Next step: hire (more) assistants so you can do more work and more marketing. After that, hire more lawyers and/or legal assistants and have them do most (or all) of the work. Then, hire people to supervise and assist your team so you can continue to grow, open another office, and have time to spend some of the loot you’re bringing in.

That’s how I built my practice. That’s how I quadrupled my income and cut my work down to three days a week.

Sound like a plan?

This will help you do more income producing activities

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Filed Under: Law office management, Marketing Plan

Do you make this mistake when replying to email?

October 12, 2016 by
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I don’t reply to every email I get and neither should you. Vendors and people pitching you something don’t expect a reply and you aren’t obligated to give one.

Prospective clients are another story.

Respond to prospects, even when they ask dumb questions or annoy you. Say ‘thank you’ for the inquiry, answer their question, and tell them what to do next.

You can use a (mostly) canned response. You can have an assistant respond on your behalf. You can point to a page on your site where they can get the information. But always reply and do it as soon as possible. They might be your next client. Or send traffic to your website. Or promote and share your content. Or send you referrals.

Capiche?

Of course, that goes double for clients and former clients.

When a client emails, you should do everything possible to reply within 24 hours (or the following weekday if it is a weekend or holiday). Actually, try to reply within two hours, even if it is to say you’re not able to respond fully just yet but will do so as soon as possible.

People who have paid you money (or sent you referrals) deserve as much respect and attention as you can give them.

Now, for an example of what not to do.

I recently bought somewhat expensive video course. After I went through everything, I had questions. I emailed the guy who produced the course seeking to clarify some points and to ask about a few things he didn’t address.

What happened? Nothing happened. Several days went by with no reply. I emailed again to ask if he had received my first email. Crickets.

I had asked several questions that could have been answered with a yes or no. He should have replied, if only to refer me to the section of the course where the issue was explained.

There is some good material in the course but I’m not inclined to recommend it to anyone, provide a testimonial, or purchase anything else from him. Too bad.

It takes a lot of effort to create a new client or customer. It takes but a simple error in judgment to lose them.

How to use email to get more clients

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Filed Under: Email, Law office management, Marketing legal services

Build a better practice with a better file closing checklist

September 8, 2016 by
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Most attorneys do a good job of onboarding new clients. They have a process for obtaining the information they need and explaining things to the client. They have documents ready for the new client to fill out, review, and sign. They have a routine for calendaring dates and follow-ups, and a set of form letters they mail to get the case started right.

They do these things to protect themselves from omissions, to save time, and because it gives the client a good first impression.

Unfortunately, not as many attorneys are as disciplined or detailed-oriented about how they close their files. But how you close a file is as important as how you open it.

What you do or don’t do at the end of the case can determine whether the client will hire you again, post positive comments and reviews, and refer other clients your way.

Of course, you lay the foundation for these things at every appointment and with every email or letter you send. But the final appointment is your last and best opportunity to “sell” the client and warrant your time and attention.

Your final appointment/file-closing process should include things that are too often taken for granted. You should have a checklist that addresses

  • What you say (e.g., asking if they have additional questions, cross-selling your other services, advising them about possible future needs, etc.)
  • What you give them (e.g., “after-care” instructions, marketing collateral, checklists, reports and other “added value,” etc.)
  • What you do (e.g., scheduling follow-up letters and calls, enrolling them in your newsletter, final billing/accounting, contacting them a few days later to make sure all is well, etc.)
  • What you ask them to do (e.g., asking for referrals and/or to pass out your information, asking for a review or testimonial, asking them to fill out a survey, etc.)

It should also include a review of the file to see what went right and what could be improved.

These things should be planned in advance. You should know who will do them (you, staff) and when. They should be a regular part of your routine and you should continually seek to improve them.

Because how you close a file is as important as how you open it.

How to get more referrals from your clients before, during, and after the engagement: here

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Filed Under: Law office management, Referrals

Do you know your numbers?

August 1, 2016 by
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How many inquiries, leads or calls do you get each month from prospective clients? You need to know that, and you need to know where they are coming from. Which ad? Who referred them? What were they searching for when they found your site?

If you don’t know these things, you won’t know what’s working so you can do more of it, and what’s not working so you can either fix it or move on to other things.

You also need to know how many of your inquiries convert to clients. How many make an appointment? How many keep the appointment? How many sign up?

You need to know this so you can improve your marketing funnel at every step.

Are you getting lots of calls from people who don’t have money to hire you? You need to know that. Are you seeing lots of people who can’t make a hiring decision until they talk to someone? You need to know that too.

You also need to know your numbers so you can establish a baseline and spot trends. Are your numbers different at different times of the year? Are you doing better this month than last month?

You need to know.

Knowing your numbers is a key component to increasing your gross and net income and growing your practice. Set up a simple system to record your numbers on a daily basis and then look at those numbers at least once a month.

If I call you next month and ask you, “How many leads did you get last month?” you should be able to give me a number. If I ask for a breakdown of where they came from, you should be able to provide it. If I ask you how many clients in each category signed up, the answer should be at your fingertips.

Because if you don’t know your numbers, you’re not running your practice, you’re letting it run you.

How to earn more than you ever thought possible

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Filed Under: Law office management Tagged With:

What to do about the legal assistant with a messy desk

July 29, 2016 by
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I once worked in an office with someone who’s desk looked like it had survived World War III. Files and papers strewn across the top, as though a file cabinet had thrown up.

How could anyone work that way? How could anyone get anything done?

I had files on my desk but I kept them in neat stacks. I could quickly find what I needed. I wrote phone numbers and notes on legal pads, not scraps of paper, and then I transferred those notes to the appropriate files.

Reasonably neat and organized, but not obsessively so.

Despite his messiness, the guy did get things done. I’m sure he spent extra time looking for things, but he did his work and did it well.

He had his own style of working. We all do, don’t we? We work at a different pace, our energy levels differ, our short-term priorities might not match, but as long as we get the work done, it shouldn’t matter how we get it done.

You may be aggressive and work at a fast pace and have an employee with a completely different style. He may work slowly, put things aside and come back to them later, and be a perfectionist. You want the work done immediately and your employee’s style may drive you crazy, but do they really have to do it the way you would do it?

The best employers, like the best leaders, don’t micromanage. They lay out the big objectives and let the individuals figure out how to accomplish those objectives.

That’s difficult to do sometimes, especially since your employees are the face of your practice. But you can usually find a way to accommodate an employee’s style without compromising your interests. If you don’t want your clients to see your assistant’s messy desk, for example, you could have them see clients in the conference room.

On the other hand, you could always tell them to shape up or ship out. It might not make you boss of the year but what the hell. If you don’t put your foot down once in awhile, the next thing you know your employees will show up with green hair and spikes in their face.

It’s good to be king.

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Filed Under: Law office management Tagged With:

How’s that Pokemon thing working out?

July 19, 2016 by
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Pokemon Go is big, or so I hear. I really wouldn’t know. I had to ask my wife what it was because I’ve paid almost no attention to it. Based on what I’ve heard about it, it’s definitely not my thing.

How about you?

Do you use, or at least try, the latest apps? Do you follow the latest trends?

Sometimes? Never? What’s a smartphone?

I read somewhere that there are four types of people:

  1. Innovators. They’re the first to do, adopt, or promote something.
  2. Early adopters. They see the trend and jump on board earlier than most.
  3. Late adopters. They wait until many or most are doing it, saying it, or using it.
  4. Dinosaurs. They rarely adopt anything new.

Or something like that.

Me? It depends on the thing. I was on board early with Evernote but I don’t own an iPad. I was one of the first to create a marketing course for attorneys and I started a blog before it was fashionable, but I do almost nothing on social media.

How about you?

I would guess that most lawyers are late adopters but I think we all need to be flexible. Some things are worth exploring early on, even if we don’t adopt them. Some things are worth our time and energy because they make us more productive or they’re just plain fun.

And then there’s Pokemon. I’m pretty sure I’ll take my first selfie before I download that one.

The best way to build your practice is to master the fundamentals

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Filed Under: Law office management, Marketing legal services, Technology Tagged With:

If IKEA managed your law firm

July 11, 2016 by
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Yesterday afternoon, my wife and I visited IKEA. Among other items, I bought a side chair for my home office. This morning, I opened the box and looked at the instructions for setting it up.

Note to self: never look at instructions before having coffee.

I’m sitting here now, coffee mug at hand, remembering the other IKEA furniture I’ve set up. As intimidating as some of the instructions have been, I never once failed to set up anything, and I’m not what anyone would call handy.

IKEA sells millions of items that need to be set up, to millions of people who aren’t handy, many of whom don’t speak English. Or Swedish. They do it by providing caveman-simple picture instructions that spell out everything. No words, just big, easy-to-understand drawings of all of the parts and what to do with them.

If you don’t understand something, they tell you to call to get help. Yep, they use pictures to explain that, too.

Now, do you think your clients would like this kind of help when they buy your services?

Yes they would. They would like to know exactly what you are doing with their case and exactly what they should do and not do. They don’t want to have to call you to explain everything, but they like knowing that if they wanted to, they could.

You need written, detailed, dead-simple instructions for every service you offer, and for every stage of those services. You can’t use pictures, and you probably need to translate everything into other languages, but this is definitely something that should be a hallmark of your practice.

Think about it. When you prep a client for a deposition, you talk to them and explain what’s going to happen and what they should and shouldn’t do. How much of what you tell them registers and is remembered?

You probably role-play with them. You may show them videos that demonstrate the process. That’s all good, but they should also have written, detailed instructions they can refer to, with plenty of if/then statements, explanations, and examples.

If an IKEA rep had EXPLAINED to me how to set up my new chair, even if he role-played with me, without written instructions in front of me, I’m not sure I could set the thing up. Even if I could, I know it would take longer, I would make mistakes, and the entire experience would be a stressful mess.

IKEA does a lot of things right but do you think one of the reasons people buy from them instead of other retailers is that they make things easy? If you make things easy for your clients, do you think some might choose you instead of other lawyers who don’t?

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Filed Under: Law office management

You don’t know what you don’t know

July 8, 2016 by
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New computer arrived and it’s faster than hell. I had no idea that apps and sites and pages could load that fast.

The hard drive is faster, the processor is faster, and it has twice the RAM. I’m sure being new also has something to do with it.

The last time I saw this happen was the last time I got a new computer. “So this is how the rest of the world lives,” I thought.

Anyway, this isn’t about why you should consider replacing your old equipment with something new. It’s about not knowing what you’re missing in your life until you actually experience it.

Like the first time you hire someone who is really good at their job. I once hired a temp who was so fast and competent I begged her to work for me full time. She didn’t, but she set the standard for everyone who followed.

Or the client who is scared to death to hire a lawyer and finds out you’re not scary and you can truly can help them and they are so relieved they want to cry.

We don’t know what we don’t know and the only way to find out is to try a lot of things.

When it comes to marketing and practice management, read everything you can get your hands on and try as many things as time permits. One idea, one technique, one tool, one contact, could change everything.

But you’ll never know unless you try.

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Filed Under: Law office management, Personal development, Technology

Do you have a back-up plan for your practice?

July 7, 2016 by
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My hard drive started making a noise so I ordered a new computer. I also ordered a new external hard drive for back- ups. And yes, I also back up to the cloud.

So I’m good. If disaster strikes, I’m ready.

Going through this process made me think about back-up plans for other areas of my life. I have multiple sources of income but I’m working on new ones. I don’t rely on one marketing method, so if something went awry, I could lean in on the others.

How about you? Do you have back-ups for your machines, your marketing, and your sources of income? Do you have extra food and water at home?

If something bad happens, will you be ready?

In the marketing department, most lawyers get most of their new clients through referrals. At least they should. And when you think about it, referrals have their own built-in back-up plan because referrals come from, or should come from, dozens of individuals–former clients, existing clients, professional referral sources, friends, and so on. If one decides they no longer like you, you still have others.

Referral sources die off, however, and need to be replaced. And you should never rely on referrals just happening, even if they presently do. You should work at making them happen, consistently and in ever-increasing numbers. There are ways to do this, as detailed in my several courses on referrals.

Okay, you’re with me. You regularly do things to stimulate referrals. You’re getting most of your new clients from referrals and that number is growing. Or at least you’re working in that direction.

Good. But what’s your back-up plan?

Yes, a back-up plan for your back-up plan. What else do you do to bring in business? What else will you start doing?

Suggestion? A content-rich website. Just make sure you back that up, too.

How to get more client referrals

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Filed Under: Law office management, Marketing legal services Tagged With:

Are you yelp-proofing your practice?

June 24, 2016 by
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The other day our washing machine decided it needed to go on vacation and stopped working. My wife called the service company we’ve used in the past and booked an appointment. They were due to come out today between 8 and 11.

My wife has a busy day today and called to see where we were in the queue. Yep, you guessed it, they had no record of the appointment.

It seems that their computer also needed a vacation and lost a bunch of bookings. They had no way of knowing who to call so it was a good thing my wife decided to call them. (They’ll be here later today).

What about the customers who don’t call to confirm? When the repair person is a no show do you think some of them might call another service? And then rip into them on review sites?

Yeah, I do too.

The company needs a fail-safe mechanism to minimize the risk of this happening again. How about something simple like instructing the person who answers the phone to write down the name and phone number of every caller, on paper, before entering the info into the computer?

Problem. Solved.

If I owned the company, not only would I implement this, I would make a point of dramatizing it in my marketing. In our ads, on our website, on the phone, I would explain that since computers have glitches and the Internet sometimes goes down, we use “double entry” appointments to protect our customers. Or something like that.

This may seem like a small point but marketing is about small points. Showing the world how you are different and better than the other guys by dramatizing the little things you do to give your customers a better experience.

I’m guessing this company won’t do any of this. They won’t apologize or offer us a discount or a freebie to make amends. But if they did, they would go a long way towards strengthening relationships with the people who not only pay their bills but who can recommend them to their friends.

Client referrals start with good client relations

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Filed Under: Client relations, Law office management Tagged With:
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