When I opened my first office fresh out of law school I knew nothing about marketing and it showed. For several years, I struggled to bring in clients and pay my bills. Fast forward five years and I had built a very successful practice and was on my way to teaching other lawyers how to get more clients and increase their income.
What changed? I did. I had learned a lot about marketing and I acquired some new skills. Those skills allowed me to apply that knowledge in the real world, transforming the abstract into dollars and cents.
If you want to develop your practice, I consider these 3 skills to be essential:
I LEARNED HOW TO SELL
Many attorneys I speak to tell me, “I didn’t go to law school to become a sales person.” “Actually, you did,” I reply. “They just didn’t teach you very well.”
Okay, I get snarky sometimes. But the truth is, while attorneys may not be sales people in the literal sense of the word, attorneys do sell.
The best attorneys are very good at persuading people to do something they otherwise might not do (or do as much). Sometimes we use intimidation and thinly disguised threats to accomplish these outcomes. Sometimes we appeal to logic and reason. Sometimes, we appeal to emotion.
Some people see selling as manipulative but couldn’t the same be said for what attorneys do?
Actually, selling is not manipulative, at least not done correctly. If you’re among those who believe that selling is less than honorable, an article in INC. Magazine, How to Sell if you Hate Selling, might help you to see that selling is a natural extension of being an advisor and advocate, and a benevolent one at that. It is benevolent because it allows you to do a better job of helping people to get what they want and isn’t that what we are paid to do? Of course sales skills will also help you get what you want but isn’t that at least part of the reason you went to law school?
Learning how to sell was the most valuable of the 3 key skills I acquired in my transformation from struggling neophyte to successful professional. But 2 other skills were also essential.
I LEARNED HOW TO WRITE
It started with demand letters. I let go of the legalese and formality that I had been hiding behind and started writing letters that communicated and persuaded. I stopped writing in the “third person”. I began using active verbs and specific nouns. I used personal references and I told stories. I can’t say it always brought in higher settlements. Most of the time it probably made little difference. But it opened my eyes to what is possible with a good command of the written word.
I read many books about writing and I began journaling. I wrote as much as possible and continually improved my abilities. I also studied copy writing and with a lot of practice, got good at that, too. Eventually, I wrote all of the ads, sales letters, and collateral material that sold millions of dollars of my Referral Magic marketing course.
Yes, you can hire people to write brochures and sales copy for you. But just as learning how to sell makes you better at every aspect of marketing, so too does learning how to write.
I LEARNED HOW TO SPEAK
Seminars or luncheon presentations may not be a primary marketing tool for your practice, but becoming a good public speaker is an invaluable skill for every attorney.
Speaking is very different from writing. You may present the same information and you may achieve the same result, but speaking and writing are two completely different sets of skills.
I’ve spoken to small groups and to groups of thousands. I’ve been on many webinars and conference calls and done hundreds of live presentations. I’ve trained lawyers and business owners and influenced the buying decisions of thousands of prospects. In addition to bringing in a lot of business, my speaking skills have made me a better writer, a better sales person, and a better lawyer.
Selling, writing, and speaking are 3 marketing and communication skills that are essential for every attorney. I hope I’ve sold you on making them an important focus of your personal development.
My political views finally revealed (not)
When I first got stated on Facebook, one of my “friends” posted an incendiary political comment on my wall. In response, friends with opposing viewpoints took him on. Back and forth they went, telling each other in heated tones who was right. Others joined in. Soon, a full blown flame war was taking place.
It was great theater.
I let the two sides go at each other for while and I stayed out of it. No way was I going to get involved in that mess.
And then it really got ugly.
The original poster starting insulting people. Despite repeated requests by the majority to curtail the invective and stick to the issues, he continued his name calling. The more he was asked to tone things down, the worse he got. I had no choice but to remove him as a friend.
Even though this was an extreme situation, it reinforced the notion that discussing politics in public is not a good idea. Unless you are certain that everyone in “the room” is of a like mind, you’re just asking for trouble.
If you’re a professional or in business, your political views should not be posted on social media. Why risk alienating half of your friends and followers? Even when the discourse is civil, political postings provide an insight into your thoughts that can drive a wedge between people who might otherwise get along just fine.
I have political views. Not a day goes by that I don’t feel like posting my opinion about one thing or another, or re-posting what someone else has said.
I’d be nuts to do it.
So I bite my tongue. And save it for a private conversation.
It’s called being in business.
I have many friends on the other side of political aisle. We like each other. We do business together. We can talk about almost anything. Â But not politics. We don’t go there.
In business, you can’t go there.