3 ways to leverage every case or client to get your next case or client

July 15, 2013 by
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Get a client. Do the work. Look for the next client.

That’s what you do, isn’t it? It’s always been that way. It always will be that way. It’s the circle of life.

Hakuna matata.

You can’t change the process. But you might make it more fruitful. Before you move from one case or client to the next, take a few minutes to reflect on how you can leverage that case or client to expand, enhance, or streamline your practice.

Here are three ways to do that:

TALK ABOUT IT

No matter how routine or boring, there’s always something you can talk about. It could be as simple as saying, “I have a new client who. . .” or, “I just finished a case where. . .” and then sharing a detail or two about your client’s background, industry, occupation, demographic, or niche, as well as their issue and what you did for them.

Talk about your cases and clients in conversations with clients, prospects, and professional contacts. It gives you ways to start a conversation or validate a point being made by someone else. It gives you ways to illustrate points in your presentations. And it allows you to remind people about what you do and for whom you do it without talking about yourself.

WRITE ABOUT IT

Every case and client is a story. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. You should be telling those stories in your blog, newsletter, and articles.

If it’s a great story, feature it. If it’s routine, mention it in connection with other mentions about other cases or clients, e.g., “my last three clients.”

Use these stories to illustrate points in your reports or marketing documents. Or use them as prompts when you don’t know what to write about.

At the end of every case, make a few notes and put them in an idea file. You won’t write about every one but you never know which one might provide you with exactly the idea you need.

THINK ABOUT IT

At the conclusion of every matter, take five minutes and ask yourself two questions:

  1. What did I do well?
  2. What can I do better?

By answering these questions, you will almost always find ways to improve your work, your client relations, or your marketing.

There’s one more thing you can do at the end of every case.

Send thank you notes.

To your clients, to expert witnesses, to opposing counsel. Thank them for putting their faith in you, for their help, for their professionalism.

Every case or client presents an opportunity to connect further with someone and set the stage for a deeper relationship. Thank you notes will bring you repeat business, referrals, and a reputation for being someone worth knowing.

Marketing is everything we do to get and keep good clients. Here’s The Formula.

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Filed Under: Client relations, Communication, Law office management, Marketing legal services, Networking, Presentations, Thank you letters, Writing Tagged With:

Use emotional word pictures to sell more legal services

June 14, 2013 by
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Let’s say I’m selling oranges instead of legal services. I want you to buy my orange so I give you the facts: oranges are good for your health, they taste good, and they are economical. I am very experienced in growing oranges. Many people have bought my oranges and been satisfied with their purchase.

So, do you want to buy my orange?

Maybe, maybe not.

How about if I tell you my orange has a brightly colored peel and a nob at the top and the skin is not too thick and not too thin. You can picture my orange, can’t you? It looks pretty good, doesn’t it?

But you still may not be ready to buy. Let me have another go at it:

The orange is hefty in my hand and as I squeeze it and tear away the upper part of the peel, juice squirts into the air and I can smell the distinct orange fragrance. The naked orange feels sticky in my hands. I dig my thumbs into the top and pull it apart and juice drips onto my fingers. I put a slice into my mouth and the sweet liquid makes my mouth pucker. As I bite down, juice explodes inside my mouth and cascades down my throat.

Not only can see the orange, you can smell it, feel it, and taste it.

My mouth is watering right now, how about yours?

Emotional word pictures stimulate the right side of the brain, where our emotions operate. Engaging the emotions of your listener not only makes it easier for them to understand your message, it also makes it more likely that they will be persuaded by it.

You may not always be able to invoke their other senses, but if you can help them picture what you are describing, or better yet, the results of what you are offering to do for them, you will make it more likely that they will hire you to get it.

Learn more about how to be more persuasive in The Attorney Marketing Formula.

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Filed Under: Communication, Copywriting, Marketing legal services, Presentations, Public Speaking, Writing Tagged With:

The secret to success in the courtroom, boardroom, and new car showroom

May 30, 2013 by
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If you want to win more trials, negotiate better deals, and make lots of money so you can buy new cars, the secret has just been revealed.

According to a study of over a billion Tweets during sporting events, being confident makes you more popular than being right. “The more opinionated [the tweeters] were, the more influential and trustworthy they were perceived to be,” the study found.

I’m not surprised. People are attracted to confident people. They listen to them and want to follow them.

I am a little surprised, however, by the researcher’s correlation of “loud” and “confident”. “Despite professional pundits and amateur fans making a similar amount of correct and incorrect predictions, the tweeters who ‘yelled’ louder were seen as more trustworthy and had more followers,” they said.

I don’t know about you, but when I hear people “shouting,” I see it as a lack of confidence. When you have the facts on your side, you don’t need to shout. But maybe that’s not true on Twitter where you have to make noise so you can be heard above the incessant chatter.

In the real world, I have occasionally raised my voice slightly to emphasize a point in a negotiation or in oral argument. It is done sparingly and it is very brief, no more than a word or two. Mostly, I rely on a calm and sober recitation of the facts. I’ll bet you do, too.

Maybe that’s why many attorneys aren’t loving social media. We’re too self-conscious. We want to win friends and influence people but we don’t want to shout to do it.

Fortunately, there is another way to be popular on social media. According to another study, referenced on the same page, “Twitter users who posted positive, easy-to-read messages that contained news and other factual information, gained 30 times more followers than grumpy, self-centred [sic] tweeters.”

So, if you want more friends and followers, and you want to win more arguments and more trials, be confident, stay positive, and share valuable information. And if you are inclined to shout, make sure it’s not about you.

Want to attract more good clients? Click here to learn how.

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Filed Under: Communication, Image, Personal development, Presentations, Public Speaking, Social media Tagged With:

Marketing legal services like a trial lawyer: show them the evidence

April 15, 2013 by
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Marketing legal services is like conducting a trial. No matter how charming and eloquent you are, you’re not going to win the case or the client unless you show people the evidence. But you can’t just throw the evidence at them all at once. First, you need to lay a foundation.

If your prospective clients aren’t convinced they need an attorney, for example, you’re probably wasting your time showing them why you are the best choice. Start by educating them about the benefits of hiring an attorney and the risks of doing things yourself, before you show them your bona fides.

The Wall Street Journal’s recent article, When it Helps to Have a Lawyer, references a 25 year study that shows that trademark applicants represented by attorneys are 50% more likely to get their application approved than those who try to do it themselves. Solid evidence in favor of hiring an attorney. The kind of evidence that IP attorneys should be pointing to and writing about.

No matter what your practice area, you should be utilizing studies and surveys and other evidence that proves the need for and value of what you do. Quantify the benefits of hiring an attorney. Show people that doing it themselves is ultimately more expensive, more risky, or less effective. Personal injury attorneys, for example, can point to studies showing that clients tend to net more after legal fees.

SIDE BAR: If you have a choice, it’s almost always better to target prospective clients who already know they need an attorney and are trying to decide which one. You don’t have to convince them to spend money, only why they should spend it on you.

Of course you should also present evidence that shows the client why he should choose you. You probably can’t prove you get higher settlements or verdicts but you can show him you’ve tried more cases or represented more clients than most.

Testimonials are very persuasive (if you are permitted to use them). So are endorsements by other lawyers and centers of influence in your target market or community. Speaking and publishing credits, awards and honors, number of years in practice, prestigious employers (or clients), all serve as credible evidence of your abilities.

If you aren’t already collecting evidence to prove why clients need a lawyer and why they should choose you, start now. Open a file and call it, “Why you should hire me.” Start collecting evidence you can use in your marketing. The next time someone asks, “Why you?” you’ll be ready to show them.

Want more ways to show clients why they should choose you? Get this.

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Filed Under: Closing the sale, Marketing legal services, Presentations, Salesmanship

How to find ideas for blog posts

March 28, 2013 by
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If you would like to know how to find ideas for blog posts, I’ve got an easy one for you.

Go to Google and type in a question related to your legal services. Before you complete the sentence, Google’s autocomplete mechanism (assuming you have it enabled) will provide you with a list of possible searches based on what you have written so far.

I did just that by entering in, “What is the difference between a will” and as you can see in the graphic below, Google gave me several options for completing my search request, to wit, “What is the difference between a will and a trust,” “What is the difference between a will and a living will,” “What is the difference between a will and estate planning,” and so on, based on what other people have searched for in the past.

How to find ideas for blog posts

Armed with this information, you can write a blog post that answers the very questions your prospective clients are searching for. Use one of these search phrases as the title of your article and you will increase your chances of being found in subsequent searches.

You can use the other search queries as key word phrases in your post, or write other articles with these titles.

This can help you find “long tail” search terms, meaning longer, more specific search phrases you can use instead of the more common, shorter and highly competitive phrases.

For example, you would have a hard time getting found by targeting the search term, “slip and fall.” There are too many lawyers competing for that phrase, in both generic search and in Adwords. But type in “slip and fall” into Google and you will find another suggestion: “slip and fall statute of limitations california”. Make that the title of your article (or bid on this term in Adwords) and you should have very little competition.

I used Google to generate the title of this post. I typed in, “How to find ideas for” and it suggested, “How to find ideas for blog posts,” and not “newsletter,” “ezine,” or “articles.”

Prospective clients are looking for information. Now you know an easy way to find out what they want to know so you can give it to them.

The law is complicated. Marketing is simple.

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Filed Under: Blogging, Newsletters, Online Marketing, Presentations, Writing Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Public speaking tips for lawyers

March 6, 2013 by
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Public speaking is a great way for lawyers to build their reputation and meet new contacts. But great material isn’t enough to make a great presentation. You have to deliver that material with a great performance.

The first rule of public speaking is displaying good energy. You may be passionate about your subject matter but unless you transfer that emotion to the audience, through your words, tone of voice, and body language, your message won’t get through.

I’ve had to work on this myself. I recall a time about ten years ago I gave a presentation and when I got off stage I asked my co-presenter what he thought about my talk. He said, “Do you drink coffee?” When I said I did, he told me I should drink more.

If you do any live presentations (or want to), here are a few tips for doing a better presentation:

  • Don’t attempt to teach your audience everything. A few key points is all you need and all anyone can handle.
  • Never tell “the history of” anything. Get to the point: what do I need to know right now?
  • If you use slides, don’t cram them with text. A few lines with a few words each.
  • Speak into the microphone and project your voice to the back of the room. Nobody will hear you or understand you if you sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher.
  • Modulate your voice. Use a mixture of highs and lows, fast and slow pace.
  • Talk to the audience, not at them. Ask questions, tell stories, say something unusual or funny.
  • Make eye contact with as many people as you can. Use their names if you know them or you can read their name tags.
  • Don’t just stand there, move. Walk around, gesture, throw something (just kidding).
  • Keep it short. Twenty minutes is about all anyone can handle before their mind wanders.
  • Tell them what to do next. Give them a web site and tell them what to do when they get there. Offer something in return for their business card. Or give them a homework assignment.
  • Thank your hosts, thank the audience, and thank God nobody fell asleep.

I’m certainly not the best speaker in the world. But I’m better today than I was last year and I’ll be better next year than I am this year. Speaking is a skill and it can be learned. Practice, get feedback, and practice some more.

Being an attorney will get you asked to speak. Being a good speaker will get you asked back.

Want more ways to build your reputation? Here’s The Formula.

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Personal development, Presentations, Public Speaking Tagged With: ,

Law practice development tools: sports, museums, and hip hop

January 8, 2013 by
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I read a lot about marketing and productivity. That’s my field and I need to keep up. Most of what I read, however, is cumulative: things I know, things I already do and teach. There are occasional new twists on old ideas and changes in technology keep things fresh and interesting. But by and large, when you are an expert, unless you are doing original research, you already know what there is to know.

If you’ve been practicing for more than a few years, you may feel the same way about your area of expertise. Still, we read. There is always something new, something we can learn. But if we only read in our areas of expertise, eventually, we get stale.

I get some of my best ideas from reading about things that have nothing to do with marketing or the law. I read blogs and magazines and listen to radio. I talk to people in different fields. I pay attention to what’s going on in my neighborhood and in world politics. I’m not interested in sports but I know that Alabama just clobbered Notre Dame. I’ve never listened to Justin Bieber or One Direction but I know who they are.

I encourage you to read broadly, outside your field. Keep your eyes and ears open to what is going on around you, in sports and pop culture. Study history and economics. Listen to TED talks on science and psychology.

Alfred Whitehead, said, “Novel ideas are more apt to spring from an unusual assortment of knowledge – not necessarily from vast knowledge, but from a thorough conception of the methods and ideas of distinct lines of thought.”

The more diversity you have in your knowledge, the more ideas you will have and the more interesting you will be in conversation, in writing and speaking, and as a lawyer doing your job.

Would you like to earn more than you ever thought possible? Click here to find out how.

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Filed Under: Communication, Marketing legal services, Personal development, Presentations, Public Speaking, Writing

The most important part of a live presentation

October 31, 2012 by
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Last night I did a one hour presentation. At the end, I was introduced to a young man who had been in the audience. The gentleman who introduced him told me what the young man liked best about the presentation: my suit.

Not my content. Not my delivery. Not my jokes. My suit.

I didn’t know if I should take this as a compliment or an insult. Didn’t he like what I said? After all, he was there for information, not a floor show.

Granted, it was a nice suit and I was wearing a very spiffy red tie, but what about what I said? Did I. . . blow it?

Not at all. He was persuaded by what I said and wanted to take the next step. He just liked my suit.

I thought about this and realized that while content is important, it’s not the only thing you have to get right in a presentation. People look at your appearance. They notice the lighting and sound quality, the music, even the coffee. All of the little things are important and you have to get them right.

A month from now, if this young man thinks about last night he’ll probably remember my suit. Not my name or anything I said. My suit and my snazzy tie. That’s the image he’ll remember. Someone else might remember a song they liked, the hostess’ smile, or a story I told that evoked a pleasant memory.

People rarely remember what you said. And that’s okay. What you say isn’t the most important part of the presentation. The most important part of a presentation, what people remember long after it’s done, is not what you said, it’s how they felt when you were saying it.

When you give your next presentation, whatever the objective–a verdict, a new client, or a response that says “tell me more”–don’t rely solely on your content, however logical and persuasive it might be. You have to get all the little things right, too. Do what you can to make people feel good about you, about what you’re saying, and especially, about themselves. Use humor if you can. Tell stories. Make sure the coffee is good. And wear a nice suit.

The Attorney Marketing Formula really works. More clients, more income. Hey, it’s a formula.

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Filed Under: Communication, Marketing legal services, Presentations

Getting started with mind maps for notes, outlines, and brainstorming

September 28, 2012 by
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Mind maps are a non-linear method of organizing information. I use them to take notes, to create outlines for presentations and projects, and to brainstorm ideas. If you have not used them, I suggest you take a look at this excellent overview.

I usually create mind maps on paper. I grab a legal pad and put the basic idea in the middle. As ideas come to me, I quickly add them as branches and sub-branches. In a minute or two, I can outline a complete presentation or project.

As the overview clearly shows, the advantage to the mind map is that it allows you to capture ideas as they occur to you, “out of order” so to speak, which is how the mind works. One idea leads to another and that leads to another, and so on, which is very different from the linear outlines we’re so used to. Once you have captured those ideas, however, it’s easy to re-write them into a formal outline.

I also use mind map software. Freemind is simple and easy to use and, well, free. There are many other choices. I don’t use the software often, but I do use it for bigger projects.

I’ve downloaded a few mind map apps on my iPhone but find them difficult to use. The “canvas” is too small, at least for me, and I find myself spending too much time working with the app rather than capturing ideas. Some apps do integrate with their desktop counterparts, however, so you could create the mind map on your computer and view it on your mobile device.

Some people create very detailed mind maps, with many sub-branches. They might outline an entire book (or legal case) on a large white board or fill several pages in a notebook. I usually keep things simple, using the map to get a general picture, but I have also used them to outline bigger projects.

If you’ve never tried a mind map you may be in for a pleasant surprise. Not only are they a practical way to discover and capture information you may otherwise overlook, they are a lot of fun.

I used mind maps to outline portions of The Attorney Marketing Formula. If you want to see how my mind works, download a copy today.

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Filed Under: Presentations, Writing Tagged With: , , , ,

4 tools for finding ideas and content for blogs, articles, and presentations

September 19, 2012 by
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How do I create content that will rank well and bring me traffic? What are my prospects searching for? What should I write about?

If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, help is on the way. I just discovered 4 tools for finding out what people are looking for (aka, what people want to read), generating ideas for content, or fleshing out content you’re already working on.

I know I’m going to be spending some time playing around with these. (After I’ve updated to iOS 6, of course).

Check out the post on this page for a description of these 4 tools.

I don’t spend much time on SEO. Frankly, the whole subject is daunting. But I do pay attention to writing content that people want to read and I am always looking for ideas. That’s why these tools are helpful.

If you have used these tools, or others like them, please let us know in the comments.

Find out how to earn more than you ever thought possible. Download The Attorney Marketing Formula.

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Filed Under: Communication, Marketing legal services, Newsletters, Online Marketing, Presentations, Public Speaking, Social media marketing, Technology, Web traffic, Writing Tagged With:
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