Could you make it on Rodeo Drive?

March 25, 2015 by
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Years ago, when I lived and worked in Beverly Hills, I wore Brioni suits, had a penthouse suite on Wilshire Boulevard, and was busier than a one-legged Irish dancer. So when I needed a haircut, naturally I shot over to Rodeo Drive and visited Vidal Sassoon.

Expensive? Yes. But worth it, at least to me at that time in my life.

They saw me on time and got me out quickly so I could get back to work. Everyone treated me like royalty. And it was peaceful–no chemical smells, bright lights, or incessant chatter.

There were other amenities: easy parking, pretty shampoo girls, soft drinks and snacks of my choosing.

A very pleasant experience, one that I looked forward to as a respite in my tumultuous day.

Oh, they gave a pretty good haircut, too.

I was reminded of those days when I read about a barbershop that charges more by providing better service than most barbershops. The article profiled a customer in New York City who couldn’t imagine paying more than for a haircut but who found, as I had, that it was worth paying more.

But enough about haircuts. The question of the day is, “How much more would your clients pay you for better service?”

Could you charge 20% more? 30% Double?

Doubling your fees is crazy, right? Well, I’m pretty sure I paid Sassoon triple what I would have paid elsewhere. Depending on what you charge now, perhaps double isn’t out of the question.

Next question: “What would you have to do to get that much?”

I can’t answer that for you, but I can tell you it always comes down to the little things. The little extras that make the client feel important, appreciated, and safe. The things that make them say, “Yes, I pay more but it’s worth every penny.”

Now, you may be thinking, “There’s no way my clients would pay a nickel more, no matter what I do.” I’m pretty sure that’s not true, but if it is, you need to get some new clients.

You don’t need to be on Rodeo Drive to be able to charge more. You might want to hire some pretty shampoo girls, however.

Marketing is easier when you know The Formula

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Filed Under: Attorneys fees, Client relations, Increase your income, Law office management, Marketing legal services

If you could only have one client. . .

March 20, 2015 by
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If you could only have one client, who would it be?

Write down their name. Picture them in your mind’s eye.

Now, why would you choose them?

Do they give you lots of work and pay you lots of money? Do they regularly give you referrals? Do you like them and enjoy working with them?

Write down all of the reasons you would choose this client and like to have more like them.

Next, write down everything you know about them. Go through your files, visit their website and social media profiles, think about everything they’ve told you about their job or their business and their personal life.

What are their goals? What are their problems? What do they do best?

Where did they go to school? What does their spouse do for a living? What sports do their kids play?

What do they read? What kind of car do they drive? What’s the favorite restaurant?

Why do this? Because this is your best client and you should learn everything you can about them. You should study them, so you can get closer to them, help them, and find more like them.

We attract what we think about so think about your ideal client. Spend time with them. Appreciate them. Remember their birthdays and anniversaries.

Next, think about your second best client and go through the same exercise. Keep going until you have a short list of five or ten best clients you’d like to clone.

Your ideal clients will lead you to other clients, many of whom will be very much like they are. Birds of a feather, and all that.

Next on the list: do the same thing for your best referral source. If you could only have one. . .

Need help identifying your ideal client? Here you go

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Filed Under: Client relations, Increase your income, Marketing legal services

If Bruce Lee had practiced law

March 19, 2015 by
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If Bruce Lee had practiced law he would have specialized in one practice area. Maybe a subset of one area.

Lee believed in being the best and never settled for good enough. And he knew that being the best requires focus, discipline, and a lot of hard work.

Lee said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

I did a consultation with an attorney recently. He doesn’t have a general practice, but he doesn’t specialize either. We talked about the benefits of specializing. I ran down the list:

  • More clients (because clients prefer to hire specialists)
  • Higher fees (because clients are willing to pay specialists higher fees)
  • More referrals (because other lawyers who won’t see you as a competitor)
  • More effective marketing (because your message is more focused)
  • Less work and overhead (because you only have to stay up to date in your practice area)

He said he’d like to specialize but he lives in a small town and there’s not enough work there for any one of the things he does.

“How far is the closest city?” I asked. “Thirty miles,” he said.

“How about opening a satellite office in the city?” I said. He should be able to find more than enough work in the practice area of his choosing.

He’d never thought of that.

Start slowly if you want. Find an attorney with a different practice area with a conference room or extra office you can use one or two days week to see clients. Let him use your office as a satellite for his practice.

If you’re not where you want to be in your career, take a step back and look at your situation with fresh eyes. You may see the answer, right there in front of you. If not, come talk to me.

Marketing is easier when you know The Formula

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Filed Under: Increase your income, Law office management, Marketing legal services, Specializing

Global marketing for local lawyers

March 18, 2015 by
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You may only be licensed in one jurisdiction but that doesn’t mean you should limit your marketing to that jurisdiction. Prospective clients and the people that refer them are everywhere.

Right now, scores of people in other jurisdictions are planning to move to your area, own property in your area, or are looking to expand their business into your area. Countless professionals in foreign lands have clients and contacts who who fit this description.

Prospective clients and the people who refer them are out there and they need to know about you.

Here are few ways to get started.

First, make sure your website is optimized so that the world can find you. Use keywords in your posts and pages that speak to foreign people who are looking for an attorney like you. Add content to your site about the issues that concern them so that when they find you, they’ll see why you are the right choice.

If you handle immigration, write something for would-be immigrants from countries you want to target. If you handle real estate or tax or estate planning, write something that an out-of-state or foreign national might need to know.

Second, find prospective referral sources in other states and countries who are most likely to have clients and contacts who might need you. Introduce yourself to them, and make sure they know what you do and who you can help. Find out what kinds of clients and information they seek and see what you can do to help them.

Third, reach out to professionals and business owners in your market who currently market to people in other states or countries. You might partner up with someone in the travel or real estate re-location business and write a guide for vacationers, business travelers, or people looking to retire in your area.

It’s a big world out there. You may be local but clients are everywhere.

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services

Why didn’t you write this?

March 12, 2015 by
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I saw a post on Mashable this morning and thought of you. The title is How to decide whether to elect an S-corp for your business. I’m mentioning it to you because I wanted to ask, “Why didn’t you write this?”

In the five hours since it was published (as of this writing), it has 1300 shares. If you had written this, a lot of people would have seen your name, your bio, and a link to your website.

The post is around 900 words. You could have written this in less than an hour. You might not have had it published on Mashable, but maybe you would. The author isn’t an attorney. She got it published. Why not you?

You could write a basic article like this about any practice area. And there are hundreds of places to have your article published. Blogs, magazines, and newsletters galore that need content, written by authorities like you.

Maybe you haven’t written an article like this before and don’t know where to start. No problem. Start with this article (or find one in your practice area) and reverse engineer it.

Make an outline from the article, then write your article from that outline. Add different information, add stories from your clients files, write in your own voice and style, and change the title. Done.

Here’s your homework:

  1. Set up a file for this project and start adding ideas for articles you could write.
  2. Do a search with keywords appropriate for your practice area and find articles you could have written. Add the links or actual articles to your file. Use these articles to write your own version of these articles, or to get more ideas.
  3. Search for websites and blogs in your target market. Find their “editorial guidelines” (article length, topics, focus, etc.) and their submission or query process. If all of the articles appear to be staff written, you can still query the editor. You never know. Yours might be the first outside post they accept.
  4. Write your first article this week. If you’re not ready to submit it to a blog or magazine, publish it on your website.

Publishing articles brings website traffic, enhances your bio, and gives you material your can re-purpose for reports, ebooks, and presentations. It can get you invitations to speaking engagements and interviews, and opens doors to getting more articles published.

Still not sure? Write a “practice” article that you won’t show anyone. Give yourself permission to write something awful.

When I was getting started writing, that’s what I did. I told myself to just get a first draft written, no matter how bad, and I could fix it later. When that draft was done, I found it really wasn’t that bad. It was actually quite good. A little editing and I had something publishable.

I’m betting it will work out that way for you.

Need ideas for writing? Get this

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Filed Under: Blogging, List building, Marketing legal services, Newsletters, Online Marketing, Web traffic, Writing Tagged With:

The biggest mistake lawyers make with online marketing

March 10, 2015 by
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Last week I referenced an article about “lethal mistakes” lawyers make with their online marketing. I agreed with some of the mistakes, disagreed with some, and was mystified by the absence of others.

I asked what you thought was missing, and by your responses, you showed me that you are paying attention.

Your list of mistakes included things like

  • The absence of fresh content
  • Too much about “the firm” and not enough about the client/visitor and his problems
  •  No call to action (telling visitors what to do)
  • Too impersonal, formal, unapproachable

Correctamundo.

You get it.

Why weren’t these in the article?

I don’t know.

Anyway, before I reveal to you the number one lethal mistake lawyers make with their website, I want to mention another article about lawyers’ websites that provided some alarming, but not surprising, statistics:

According to this article

  • Nearly 40% of small law firms don’t have websites
  • 70% don’t have a call to action on their home page
  • 97% of law firm websites fail to deliver any kind of personalized content
  • Only 35% have been updated in the last three years
  • 68% don’t have an email address on their home page [see my comments below]
  • 27% don’t have a phone number on their home page
  • Only one-third are optimized for mobile devices

The last issue is especially noteworthy in view of Google’s recent announcement about penalizing sites that aren’t mobile friendly.

The article also said that “only 14% of law firms send a triggered email to a visitor who submits a form online”. That number is skewed, I am sure, because most law firm sites don’t even have a form that allows visitors to email them.

Your site needs a contact form, so visitors who aren’t ready to call you can communicate with you by email. Posting your email is good, but using a form is better. It makes it easier for visitors to contact you, and that means more will (and that’s a good thing, yo.). A form can also reduce spam and allow you to direct visitors to supply information you will need when you reply.

That form should send an automated reply so people will immediately know “message received” and what will happen next. Without this, visitors are likely to keep looking.

Okay, now for the biggest mistake.

Your emails to me mentioned it. So you know it’s important. I’m not sure if you realize how important, however.

The biggest mistake is not having a form for visitors to subscribe to your email list or newsletter.

You need a form and you need to tell people to subscribe. Tell them on every page. And give them reasons why they should. Tell them how they will benefit by filling out your form. What will they get, learn, or avoid?

Why is it so important to get people to subscribe? Because most people who visit your website for the first time

(a) aren’t ready to hire you,
(b) aren’t ready to contact you to ask questions or schedule an appointment, and
(c) aren’t likely to return to your website.

First time visitors are gathering information, about the law and procedure and their options, and about lawyers who can help them.

News flash: yours isn’t the only website they visit.

If you don’t capture their name and email on the first visit, and use that to stay in touch with them, the odds are you will never hear from them again.

Which means you’re losing business. A lot more than you may realize.

When visitors subscribe to your email list, you can continue to send them information, remind them about the solutions you offer, and show them why they should choose you instead of any other lawyer. You can continue to sell yourself and your services.

Six days, six weeks, or six months from now, you can continue having that conversation and convert more people into paying clients.

Even if they’re not ready to hire you, even if they never hire you, they can send you referrals and traffic and promote your events and share your content and help you build your email list further.

But none of that will occur if you don’t know who they are.

Without a list, you can’t stay in touch with visitors, earn their trust, seek their feedback, ask for their testimonials, invite them to your seminars, tell them about updates to your site, or do anything else to build a relationship with them.

And that’s why building a list is numero uno.

Your website’s content is critically important. But if that’s all you focus on, you’re asking your site to do too much.

You could take away my blog, my social media accounts, remove any mention of me from search engines, and cancel anything else I do to promote my products and services, and I would survive because I would still have my list.

Building a list is the most important thing a lawyer can do to market their practice, and most lawyers don’t do it.

Learn how to build your list and market your practice online.

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Filed Under: Email, Legal industry, List building, Marketing legal services, Online Marketing, Web traffic

Tazing clients for fun and profit

March 9, 2015 by
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Let’s face it, you’re boring. Predictable. Normal. And forgettable. Just like most lawyers.

Yes, people trust you, because they see you as a reliable and stable professional, but that strength, from a marketing standpoint, can also be a weakness.

You don’t want to look and sound like every other lawyer. You want to stand out.

Where’s the flair? The panache? The spark of originality?

Actor and comedian Jonah Hill said, “It’s always better to shock people and change people’s expectations than to give them exactly what they think you can do.”

And he’s right.

That doesn’t mean you should be reckless. Or weird. Just a little different. Maybe not always, but at least once in awhile.

Do something people would never expect you to do. Something small, but significant.

Surprise your clients with a gift. Invite them to your first stand up comedy gig. Write a poem and post it on your website.

Pass out a box of Good N’ Plenty with your business card. Come up with a memorable slogan.

Show your fun side. Be unpredictable. A little shocking.

You want people to notice you and remember you and talk about you, so give them something to talk about.

Of course you want to be known more for your legal talents than your whimsy. But before you can dazzle anyone with your brilliance, you have to get their attention.

So, how will you shock your clients today?

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Filed Under: Client relations, Legal industry, Marketing legal services

Internet marketing for lawyers: Is your website leaking?

March 6, 2015 by
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I just read an article that made my head hurt.

While I agree with some of the author’s “mistakes” in, “7 Lethal Internet Marketing Mistakes Law Firms Make”, I’m wondering where on earth he dug up the others. I’m also chaffing about why he didn’t include some of the truly lethal (and oh-so-common) mistakes.

Here are his “7 mistakes” and my comments.

1. Not having an online presence

Yep.

No question about it, this is a lethal mistake and many lawyers make it. If prospective clients can’t find you online, you’re loosing a boatload of business.

Many more lawyers do have an online presence, but it is ineffective. They have a website, it just doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do. (If you have studied, Make the Phone Ring you know the 9 keys to an effective website.)

2. Advertising your fees on your website

I agree with this, too. It’s a mistake.

You can give people a general idea of what to expect (e.g., minimum fee, range) but make them call before you quote a specific fee.

3. Letting Membership in ABA lapse

Huh?

The author says (a) it’s important to network at ABA functions and (b) your membership looks good on social media.

Networking is good, and ABA functions may be a good place to do it, but there are many other options.

Does ABA membership look good on your website? It doesn’t look bad but most people really don’t care. The ones who know anything about the ABA know that any lawyer can join.

4. Ignoring Pro Bono work

Uhhh. . .

Pro Bono work is certainly a good thing, and mentioning it publicly may make you look good, but not mentioning it (or doing it) is nowhere near lethal.

5. Not understanding keywords and SEO

Yes and no.

You should have a basic understanding of the concepts, but you don’t need more than that. Read a few articles on the subject, and you’ll know what to do.

6. Not dressing professionally in photos

Absolutely.

Clients, referral sources, writers, et. al., expect to you see you looking like a lawyer. You can ALSO include some casual photos, e.g., you at the firm picnic, however.

7. Not having video on your website

Not lethal. Not even a mistake.

Video is nice but hardly necessary. Done wrong, you look cheesy. Done right, I don’t think it makes that much difference. (The author recommends hiring a professional crew to videotape you and make you look good.)

Now, what’s wrong with this picture? What’s missing from this list of mistakes? What’s more important for marketing online than belonging to the ABA?

If you’ve been reading my posts for any length of time, I think you can come up with a few ideas.

Post your answer as a comment to this blog post (or reply to this email) and tell me what you would include.

Yesterday, I was interviewed about marketing professional services. It wasn’t specifically about Internet marketing, but I was asked, “What’s the most important thing lawyers can do with online marketing?”

What do you think I said?

No, it’s not on the list of “7 Mistakes”.

It’s something I talk about a lot. It’s also something most lawyers, even ones with a decent website, don’t do.

More to follow. . .

Internet marketing for lawyers: How to Make the Phone Ring

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Online Marketing

Marketing legal services is like driving in the dark without headlights

March 5, 2015 by
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The hard part of marketing legal services isn’t the work. The work is easy, and you can do it in as little as 15 minutes a day.

No, the hard part is not knowing if what you are doing will actually bring in business.

If you knew that making the calls, writing the emails and articles, and networking with prospective clients and referrals sources, for example, would eventually pay off, you’d keep doing them, wouldn’t you?

Sure. But you don’t know. You’re driving blind.

Marketing legal services is like driving in the dark without headlights. You can’t see where you are and you can’t see where you’re going. You have to trust that you’re on the right road and that you will eventually get to your destination.

How do you keep going for six months or a year without meaningful results? How do you trust that what you’re doing will actually work?

You start by doing your homework.

You don’t merely jump on the marketing idea of the day and hope for the best. You find successful lawyers in your field and model them. You read their blogs or books or courses, or you spend time with them, and learn all you can about what they did to build their practice.

If it worked for another lawyer in your field or market, it can work for you.  It might not work as well for you. It may take you longer. But you know that if you do what they did, you will eventually get to the promised land.

Continue studying other lawyers, and also other professionals and business owners. Continue to read marketing books. Immerse yourself in knowledge. Jim Rohn said, “If you want to be successful, study success.”

Be prepared to tweak and refine your activities. But don’t stop what you’re doing because you don’t see any results or you think you’ve found something better. The odds are that the people you study achieved their success by mastering the basics. Follow their lead. Master the mundane. You can add new ideas later.

One more analogy?

Marketing legal services is like making popcorn. You add the kernels to the oil and put it on the stove, but nothing happens right away. You leave it alone and eventually hear the pop of the first kernel. Then, more popping, faster and faster, and before you know it, the pot is overflowing.

The same thing happens with marketing. Nothing, nothing, nothing, then something, and eventually, boom!

Once you have a plan, keep at it. Work your plan every day. Don’t stop and start.

You won’t get a big bowl of popcorn if you take the pot off the stove every other minute. You won’t get a big bowl of clients, either.

For a simple marketing plan that really works, get this

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan Tagged With:

Work smarter by working backwards

March 4, 2015 by
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Yesterday, I talked about networking and used it as a paradigm for creating a simple marketing plan. You plan, you do, you review.

Today, I return to the subject of networking and ask the question that may be on your mind: “How do I find the best networking groups for me?”

There are lots of ways to find them but the simplest, and arguably the best path to discovery, is to find out where your existing clients and contacts network and go there.

If you represent business clients, find out where they go to meet other people in their industry. If they don’t network (much), ask them to introduce you to professionals they know and ask them where they network.

For consumer clients, ask your existing referral sources where they network.

Keep in mind that some people don’t think of what they do as networking per se. They belong to groups–charity, hobby (e.g., golf club), social, community, etc.–and spend time at those groups’ functions, where they regularly meet new people. These non-business groups can also be a fruitful source of new business for you.

You can also turn to your clients and contacts for help with other kinds of marketing. If you want to know where to submit articles or guest posts, or a good place to advertise, ask your clients and contacts what they read or listen to.

Questions like these should be a fixture on your new client intake sheet. Find out who your new clients know, what they read, who influences them, and where they spend their time. Ask the same kinds of questions (eventually) of your new professionals contacts.

Want more clients like your best clients? Talk to them. Work smarter by working backwards.

Lawyers are complicated. Marketing is simple. More here. . .

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Filed Under: Leverage, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan, Networking
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