You tried something new but it didn’t work. You wasted time and wasted money. You’re disappointed. Embarrassed. Hesitant to try the next idea that comes along. You’d rather go back to doing what you know works instead of taking chances on something that might not.

Can we talk?

Most new ideas don’t work the first time you try them. Many things never work. That’s  good because if most things you tried worked right out of the box, it would mean you’re playing it safe, doing what’s easy and familiar and not taking enough risks.

No risks, no growth. No pain, no gain.

That doesn’t mean you should be reckless or jump into things with doing your homework. It means trying lots of new things and not worrying about the results. It means hoping for the best but expecting the worst and when the worst happens, learning from it and trying again or moving on to the next idea.

Think about it. What was the last new thing you tried that didn’t work? Maybe you sent an email to your clients, hoping to get some repeat business or referrals, but nothing happened.

Why? Figure it out. Review the email and see what you might have missed. Show it to someone who knows marketing. Ask a few clients for feedback.

Then, try a different approach. A different subject line. A different offer. You might find the right combination and open a treasure chest of new business.

If the email had worked the first time, you might have continued to use it “as is” and never found something that worked much better.

Try lots of new things and keep track of what works and what doesn’t. If most new things fail or get poor results, smile. You’re on the right track.

Marketing is easier when you know the formula

I’m sure you’ve heard this before: If want to be rich, look at what everyone else is doing and do the opposite. Or, conversely, find someone in your field who is rich and do what they do. Or did.

Since most people aren’t rich (or however you want to define success), doing what they are doing pretty much guarantees that you won’t achieve superior results.

If you do what the average person does, you are likely to achieve average results.

The five or ten percent at the top do things differently. Emulate them, not the masses.

Okay, why is this common sense so uncommon? Why do most lawyers continue the tradition of doing things the way everyone else does them? Why are they so adverse to change?

Fear. They’re afraid of looking different. Or messing up.

What will my colleagues think? What will my clients think? What if I try something different and it doesn’t work?

Remember in school how most kids slouched in their seats and hoped they wouldn’t be called on? Remember the kid who sat in the front and always raised their hand?

They don’t want to be that kid.

If you don’t want to be noticed, if you don’t want to take chances, if you like the idea of being like all the other kids in the courtroom or boardroom, fine. If you want to do better, you can do that, too. All you have to do is raise your hand.

Use this to learn how to earn more and work less

You’ve got problems. Challenges. Difficulties. You try different marketing techniques but they don’t work. Or they take up too much time. Or you hate doing them.

You’ve got clients who drive you crazy. Your rent has gone through the roof. You can’t find decent employees.

You work hard, you do good work, but the bigger cases and better clients seem to elude you.

Practicing law is a lot harder than you thought, or harder than it used to be, and you want things to change. You want it to be easier.

No, you don’t. Stop wishing for what you don’t want.

If it was easy, you would earn less. You are well paid because you’re able to do things other people can’t do.

When I was 16 I had a summer job as a stock clerk in a department store. Although it was physically demanding and I worked long hours, the job was easy. That’s why it paid minimum wage.

Stock clerks don’t have to solve difficult problems or make difficult decisions. They don’t have to worry about marketing or hiring people or making overhead.

They show up, do the work, and as long as they don’t screw up too much, they continue to have a job. But they will never earn much or have the opportunity to do great things.

Because the job is easy.

Building a law practice? That was hard. The hardest thing I’ve ever done. But because it was hard, it forced me to get better. I had to learn how to bring in business, hire and manage people, keep clients happy, work with other professionals, and a host of other things that professionals have to do.

Because it was hard, I had the opportunity to have a prosperous career.

Thank God it was hard.

Every great opportunity comes with problems and challenges. If you’ve got them, be thankful.

Jim Rohn said, “Don’t wish that it was easier, wish you were better”.

Well, don’t just wish it. Do something about it. Work on your skills. Sharpen your saw. Do the things you don’t want to do.

Don’t run from challenges or wish they didn’t exist. Seek them out and let them make you stronger.

Learning how to market my services was a challenge. Here’s how I got good at it.

The other day, someone posted the following comment on chess.com:

“Chess is a cruel game, in that a player can spend an entire game building up a won position, and then throw it all away in a moment of distraction.”

If you play, you know this is true. You must never allow yourself to be distracted. You must never take your mind off the game.

This is also true of a law practice.

A law practice has many moving parts and they must be kept in good working order. A lawsuit, an ethical charge, the loss of a key client–can cause your castle to come tumbling down.

Lawyers have much to do, just to stay in the game. They must keep their library up to date, maintain sufficient insurance, timely file documents, protect their client’s data, hire and supervise competent employees, serve their clients, develop and maintain professional contacts, and continually attract new clients.

They must avoid neglecting their clients, avoid too much work and too much stress, and avoid taking success for granted.

Yes, it’s a cruel game, filled with risk, but also the thrill of the win. And that’s why we play it.

Get your marketing game on: here

You’ve got a goal. And a plan. You’re working hard but your plan isn’t working.

Things are taking too long. There’s too much pain. Too many detours, too many mistakes, not enough victories.

Maybe your plan is flawed. Maybe all your hard work won’t get you where you want to go. Maybe you need a new plan.

Yes, but:

It takes time. I need to keep going.

What if you don’t?

It’s not supposed to be easy.

What if it is?

I’ve invested all this time and money. I can’t change course now.

What if you could? What if you should?

I need to do this right now so I can do what I really want later.

What if that’s not true? What if you could do what you want now, and keep doing it later?

What if instead of trying to make things happen you let go and let them happen? What if instead of pushing and struggling you relax and let it be easy?

Chew on this, Kimosabe:

Be stubborn with your goals but flexible about how you get there.

If you need a new marketing plan, try this