Do you have a ‘client loyalty plan’? Should you? 

July 2, 2026 by
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It sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it? Encourage first-time clients to hire you again, occasional clients to hire you more often. A plan that helps you increase revenue and decrease the expense and effort of attracting new clients–what lawyer or firm wouldn’t think that’s a good idea?

Maybe lawyers who think the whole idea smacks of commercialism, leaving a bad taste in their mouth. Maybe lawyers who see this as appropriate for a retail business, not a professional. “Are coupons and discounts next?”

Me? I say, “it depends”. It depends on how you do it. 

If you announce the launch of a ‘client loyalty plan” and promote the idea to your clients and prospects and to other professionals, you might be playing with fire. If you quietly embrace the idea, and carefully and selectively implement it, you might be onto something big. 

When a client gives you more business or otherwise demonstrates their patronage by providing you with referrals, testimonials, endorsements, invitations, and introductions, when they mention you in an article or quote something you said or mention something you did in their newsletter, when they hire you again for the third year in a row, when they invite you to speak at their networking event, why not acknowledge this and yes, reward them? 

Maybe return the favor and introduce them to someone they should know. Maybe hold off for another six months or a year on fee increases your other clients are getting because they’ve been with you a long time. Maybe provide them with an extra service you ordinarily charge for, or promote their business or event in your newsletter.

Or maybe volunteer (i.e., without being asked) to write a recommendation for their child’s college application, because they are a valued client. 

Show people you appreciate them. That’s the kind of client loyalty plan every lawyer should implement. 

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Law office management, Relationship marketing

How to become the top lawyer in your niche

June 25, 2026 by
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Being a good lawyer isn’t enough anymore. Good lawyers abound. At least that’s what many people think because it’s not easy to tell when one lawyer is “better” than another. And yet, you want your clients and prospective clients to believe that you are the best choice, at least for them.

How do you do that? 

The answer is to consistently give people more than they expect. 

They expect you to work hard, deliver good results, and treat them well. What else could you possibly give them? 

That’s what you need to figure out. It’s one of the best investments you can make in your practice. 

The top lawyers in any niche or market (or any profession) consistently do something “average” professionals don’t. They know they can’t be just like their competition, delivering average effort and average results. They know they can’t merely give clients the same level of service, or even ddeliver better results their competition.

Not if they want to be the best. 

The best lawyers go beyond “good” in every aspect of what they do, in specific, tangible ways. 

They don’t just do the work and deliver solutions. They don’t merely respond to inquires and answer questions. They let their clients know that they aren’t merely avaiable when the client needs or wants them, they can be relied on to proactively and enthusiastically communicate with their clients to tell them what they need to know or might need to know sometime down the road.

They also go beyond merely conveying information. They present that information in a context specific to that client’s business or life and experience. 

The best lawyers know their value isn’t confined to solving problems or doing competent legal work. It’s about taking care of clients on a personal level and always making sure those clients feel taken care of. 

Understood. Appreciated. Protected. 

One way they do that is by telling clients when they don’t have the right solution for them and helping them find another lawyer who does. Or telling the client why he doesn’t need a certain type of service he’s asked about, and know that you will contact them if and when that changes. 

Again, it’s not about the work, or about you; it’s about the client. 

When a client trusts that you always and completely put them first,your relationship transcends that of client and attorney and earns a level of trust that means you never have to sell them on hiring you, convince them to tell others about you, or explain the details about what you do and how you can help them. 

They trust you, they follow your advice, and never think about going anywhere else. You’re not just their attorney, you re a important part of their life.

Repeat business, referrals, and an abiding and often lifelong relationship is the result.

You become the top lawyer in your niche one client at a time. 

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Filed Under: Communication, Relationship marketing

My best marketing advice. In three words.

March 19, 2026 by
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Marketing legal services can be complicated and take a lot of time and expense, which is why many attorneys say they don’t like it, do it inconsistently, or don’t do it at all. On the other hand, marketing can be relatively simple and not require a lot of time or expense.

Marketing can be easy.

How? Three words: “Deep, not wide”. 

Going “deep” means building upon your existing relationships, skills, and knowledge to grow your practice instead of going “wide” in search of something new and better.

Your existing relationships, the people who already know, like, and trust you, your clients and business contacts, will lead you to people they know, through introductions and referrals. You’ll get new clients and discover new opportunities. That process will continue and compound, providing you with a steady stream of business and your practice will continue to grow.

The same is true for your existing niche or target market and your successful ads and marketing strategies. Your articles and blog posts will continue to bring you traffic and inquires, your reputation, testimonials, and success stories will continue to persuade prospective clients and the people who refer them that you can deliver the results your clients need and want. 

What you already have that’s working for you is all you need to take your practice to the next level.

You can speed things up if you want by building new relationships, acquiring additional knowledge, and trying new ideas, and you may do that at some point. 

Or you may not.

You can stick to your knitting and continue doing more of what’s working, or you can go wide. 

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Filed Under: Marketing Plan, Relationship marketing

What are you working on? 

March 10, 2026 by
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What’s the best way to build a successful law practice? Great minds may differ but I say it is to build stronger relationships with your existing clients and professional contacts. When you do that, 

  • You get more repeat business and referrals
  • You get bigger cases and better clients
  • You get more introductions to key people in your market
  • You get more testimonials and endorsements
  • You get invited to speak at prestigious events and and build your reputation
  • More people share your content, opt-in to your newsletter, and talk about you on social media

Marketing is easier. Growth happens more quickly. You spend less time and money building your practice. 

Building a successful practice is a byproduct of those relationships. 

Building stronger relationships starts with paying attention. Showing your clients and contacts that you’re interested in them and care about them personally, beyond your relationship as attorney and client or fellow professionals. And this is not difficult to do. 

In his newsletter, James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, put it this way:

“One easy way to show you care about others is to ask them questions about their life.

What are they excited about? 

What are they working on?

What are they hoping for?

Simply asking the question and listening thoughtfully is an act of generosity. You’re giving them the gift of attention.”

You’re an attorney. Asking questions is your thing. 

And so is listening.

I suggest you also take notes. When someone tells you what they’re working on, shares a problem or desire, put that information in a file and the next time you speak with them or write to them, ask for an update about what they told you. 

Building relationships can take time and effort but it’s easy to get started. Just ask questions and pay attention. 

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Relationship marketing

Stop writing articles and blog posts 

February 17, 2026 by
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You know that articles and blog posts and other forms of content can attract prospective clients and repeat clients, and you know how to write them. But, unless I miss my guess, you don’t write them as often as you should. 

Because they take a lot of time. Planning, research, writing, editing, posting, reading and responding to comments—it’s a lot of work and you’re busy guy or gal.

So, don’t write them. Write an email instead. 

Emails are easy to write and don’t take a lot of time. And because it’s “just” an email, you don’t feel the pressure to write something worthy of publication, so you don’t resist writing it. 

Write an email to your prospect or client, or professional contact and tell them something you think they need to or want to know. Share a thought, ask a question, tell them something you recently learned or did or thought, and thought might interest them. 

So much easier than writing an article, isn’t it? No pressure. It’s just an email. A couple of hundred words and you can write it and get it out the door in ten or 15 minutes. 

Which is why you’ll do it. 

And guess what? The best part is that a short, informal email like this is often more effective than longer, formal articles and other content. 

Because your reader doesn’t have to set aside time to read them or take notes, so they read them more often They open their email, skim your article, think about you in a positive light, and go on with their day. 

What’s quick and easy for you to write is quick and easy for them to read. And they do.

Content marketing isn’t just about being a lawyer and showing how much you know. or do It’s at least as much about connecting with people and letting them know you’re still around and thinking about them. 

Yeah, staying in touch. 

If you want, you can convert your emails into longer content. I’ve published several volumes of books based on my blog posts and emails, and you can, too. 

Start with a daily or weekly, or even a monthly email to stay in touch with the people in your professional life. 

In fact, I challenge you to do that right now. Grab an idea, write a few paragraphs, and send it to someone. 

No planning or research, simple prose, edit spelling and punctuation, copy, paste and send. 

You can still publish blog posts and articles or other content. But if you resist doing that, don’t write them, write an email instead. 

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Filed Under: Blogging, Communication, Content creation, Relationship marketing, Writing

The brutal truth about marketing

February 5, 2026 by
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Many lawyers say they don’t have time for marketing, but the reality is, they “do” marketing every day. 

Because everything a lawyer does in his or her practice is marketing. 

The way you speak to a prospective client is marketing. Your words and how you say them make the client feel hopeful about their situation and confident about your ability to help them, and that’s the quintessence of marketing. 

The way you do your work is also marketing. You do it efficiently, expeditiously, and effectively, and show your clients and market why they should hire you and refer you.

It’s all marketing. 

From the way you greet a new client at their first appointment, to the way you describe the documents you ask them to sign, how you talk about your fees, the trinkets on your desktop, the clothes you wear—it’s all marketing. 

And you do it well, or you don’t. 

Take a look at your website the way a client might. Does it look clean and modern and inspire confidence in your practice? Does it provide answers to FAQs, explain the law and describe your services in enough detail that visitors understand what you do and convince them that you’re very good at what you do?

Marketing. 

How often do you stay in touch with clients and prospects? What do you say to them and send them? Do you share success stories, warn them about changes in the law, and strenuously tell them what to do to protect their business or family?

It’s all marketing. 

Some people look for you on social media to see what others say about you or ask you and how you respond. Do you say the right things? Do you “talk” too much or too little? What impression do you make? 

When you turn down a case, do you make sure the client understands why and feels good about you even if you can’t help them? When you deliver bad news, do you do it with compassion and intelligence and help clients see that you did everything you could for them?  

When something goes wrong, when there’s a delay, when you don’t get the results you expected, how do you handle that? How do you explain what happened? How do you respond when a client is angry?

What do you say about the other party or their counsel? What do you tell clients about your personal life? When you speak with another professional, do you show interest in their business or personal life, or are you all-business-all-the-time? 

How about your staff? Are they friendly? Dedicated? Interesting? Do they treat clients with complete respect? Is it obvious that you hire good people, train them well and support them?

It makes a difference. Everything you do makes a difference. Everything you do is marketing.

And you’re doing it well or you aren’t. 

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Relationship marketing

You don’t need a big network

January 20, 2026 by
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You don’t have a lot of business contacts? Social media isn’t your thing? You don’t do a lot of networking or socializing?

Me neither. 

Contrary to popular business sentiment, success doesn’t depend on having an extensive network. I don’t have one. Never did. And yet I built a successful law practice and several businesses, including—are you ready—a successful network marketing business. 

Networking is a great way to build a business or professional practice, but it’s not the only way. 

If that sounds like good news to you, welcome to the club. 

More good news? If you want to incorporate networking into your practice-building array, you can do that without putting in a lot of time or effort. 

Because you you don’t need a big network. You need an influential network. 

A few people who are well-known and well-respected in your niche or market, and who feel the same way about you. 

A few influential contacts are all you need because they will lead you to a few more.

They know other influential people in your market, professionals, business owners, consultants, people in media, people who write or speak or who are simply good at their job and know other people they can refer. 

And you need only a few. 

It’s about the depth of your relationships, not the breadth. 

Build strong relationships with a few influential people who are a good fit for you and the markets you target, or want to, and you’re good. 

Quality over quality. 

This year, set a goal to develop one new “good” contact. That sounds doable, doesn’t it? Even for those of us who don’t like networking or aren’t good at it. 

One is a great number. 

And guess what? You might not even have to find someone new. You might simply get closer to someone you already know. 

Call them. Buy them a coffee. Talk to them about what they’re doing and what they’d like to do this year. 

You never know, they might be “the one” or lead you “the one” and, wonder of wonders, they’ve been in your phone book all this time, waiting for you to call.

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Filed Under: Networking, Relationship marketing, Social media marketing

How to ethically ask for reviews and referrals

January 6, 2026 by
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I have homework for you. You need to research the latest ethical rules and guidelines in your state or jurisdiction regarding asking for reviews, testimonials, endorsements, and referrals. 

Here are three reasons:

  1. Compliance. You don’t want to violate any rules, and since rules change and are often ambiguous, you want as much currency and clarity as possible. 
  2. Educate clients and contacts. You want them to know what they can and can’t do to help you and avoid inadvertently getting you in trouble, or getting themselves in trouble if they are also an attorney or other licensed professional. 

Staying current with the rules and guidelines can not only protect you and your contacts, but sharing those rules and guidelines can make it more likely your clients and contacts will be comfortable providing you with referrals, testimonials, and reviews. 

Which leads to the third and perhaps most important reason for doing this: 

  1. Building connections. Sharing your knowledge about the rules and best practices you discover and practice, not only shows your commitment to the highest professional standards, it gives you a great “excuse” for bringing up this subject—in conversation, in presentations, articles, social media, and in other content—without looking like you’re “always” asking for help.

In short, taking the time to stay up to date with the law and ethical rules and widely sharing this information not only protects you and your contacts, it’s a simple way to build your reputation and bring you more business. 

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Filed Under: Client relations, Content creation, Continuing Legal Education, Image, Referrals, Relationship marketing, Social media, Testimonials

Treating your competition

December 4, 2025 by
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You read that right–”treating” your competition, not the conventional advice about “beating” them. 

It’s a different philosophy. 

Reach out to other lawyers in your niche or market and get to know them, or, if you already know them, get to know them better. 

See them not as a threat but as a friend. Not someone to “beat” but someone to work with.

Treat them to lunch, share your presentation or article, find something positive to say about theirs.

Yes, even though they might target the same cases or clients you target. Even if they are literally your competition.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I’m suggesting this because if these other attorneys or firms see you as a friend, you might get some referrals from them when they have a conflict or a case or client that’s not right for them. 

This is obviously true and how I started my practice. But the philosophy of reaching out to other attorneys in your niche goes beyond that. You can learn from them and be inspired by them, even if just by observing them. 

What are they doing that’s working? Maybe you can do it, too. What mistakes have they made? Perhaps you can avoid doing what they did. Who do they know you should know, if not by name but by category?

Why would other lawyers be willing to embrace you this way? After all, you might look at them as a friend or business asset, but most attorneys, raised on a zero-sum “beat the competition” mindset, are unlikely to see you the same way. 

Maybe. In which case, their reticence might become a self-sorting mechanism, showing you who might be worth knowing and who might be best kept at a distance. 

On the other hand, maybe your openness will unlock something in them that could be mutually beneficial. Maybe they would love to get to know you (or know you better), learn from you and be inspired by you.

In the end, it’s not about them. It’s about you. Your habit of seeing everyone as a potential friend and a willingness to see where that could lead. 

I know lawyers who are like that. Natural networkers, with lots of friends and contacts, and very successful practices as a result. 

It’s not the only path to building a professional practice, not something I’m good at or enjoy. But it’s something I’ve been willing to do over the years, and it has almost always led to good things.

We don’t have competition, you and I. Just people we don’t yet know, or know well enough to call a friend.

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Filed Under: Increase your income, Law office management, Legal industry, Marketing legal services, Networking, Relationship marketing

Referral marketing on steroids

October 23, 2025 by
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No matter what other types of marketing you do, referrals will always be key to marketing your legal services. Prospective clients contact you because someone they know and trust recommends you. They come to you pre-screened as to need, or at least interest, and the ability to pay.

The odds are they’ll hire you. You usually don’t have to do a lot to make that happen. 

And, not only are referred clients easier to sign up, they usually turn out to be better clients. 

There are other benefits to prioritizing referrals as a marketing strategy for a law practice. Among other things, that focus can also lead to more traffic to your website, more seminar attendees, more invitations to speak, and more subscribers and followers.

Because it’s based on relationships.

It’s an idea as old as marketing itself. And while many attorneys benefit do this, they usually “watch it happen” rather than taking steps to “make it happen”. 

What do I mean?

I mean, most attorneys don’t systematically identify other professionals and businesses that already serve their target market (and don’t compete with them), approach them, and propose a marketing alliance.

A mutually beneficial strategic relationship, leading to referrals and other benefits. You promote their products or services, endorse and recommend them, send them referrals and traffic and so on, and they do the same for you.

You help them build their business or practice; they help you build yours. 

Hold on, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that business people and professionals who might make a good strategic alliance partner for you already have referral relationships with attorneys and law firms in your market. 

They don’t need you. 

But they do.

Because the attorneys they currently work with often

  • Target different sub-niches, industries, or types of businesses or clients than you do
  • Offer different services or use different fee and billing arrangements than you do
  • Can’t handle, or don’t want to handle big cases, or may not want the mid-size or small cases you prefer 
  • Have conflicts of interest and can’t take every case or client 
  • Get busy and can’t handle all the work that comes their way
  • Retire, die, move, or get into trouble and are no longer available

They also might not have the same reputation, experience, or skill set you bring to the table, making you a better fit for their contacts.

And even if none of this is true today, tomorrow might be another story.

Which is why you should continually look for and get to know potential referral partners. 

It should be a cornerstone of your marketing. 

Routinely ask yourself, “Which business leader or professional in my market sells to, advises, or otherwise influences prospective clients who would be a good fit for my practice?”

Identify them, meet them, and show them how they can benefit by working with you. 

That’s the plan. 

Okay, I know what else you’re thinking. You’re thinking this is extremely difficult and time-consuming. It’s not worth the effort. 

It might be difficult, but it isn’t impossible. And it is indeed worth the effort. 

Not only can it pay off big time for you, but you don’t need dozens of strategic alliance partners, you only need a few. 

In fact, just one can make a tremendous difference. 

Not only can one new referral partner send you business, they can also introduce you to other professionals and businesses they work with who might also form a marketing alliance with you. 

Good referral relationships might not be easy to come by, but when they come, they can compound. 

Prove it for yourself. Do you have any business or professional relationships right now? Even one? 

Have a chat with them and ask them to introduce you to someone they know who might also want to work with you. 

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Filed Under: Marketing Plan, Referral sources, Referrals, Relationship marketing
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