Q: I'm starting a solo practice. How do I compete with larger firms who use TV ads?

A: TV ads target everyone, and therefore, no one. The consumer markets are vast and expensive to reach, especially via TV. If you aren't prepared to go head to head with big budget advertisers, I'd suggest that you concentrate your efforts in niche markets.

Niche markets are small, well-defined, sub-segments of the larger mass market. "Health care professionals," "Chinese immigrants," and "people who work for ABC Company" are examples of niche markets.

You can get more bang for your advertising buck in niche markets, and leverage your time by speaking, writing, and networking with centers of influence and/or prospective clients in those markets.

If you handle consumer-type practice areas (bankruptcy, PI, criminal defense, etc.) you'll find clients and referral sources in just about any niche market. You don't need to be especially selective about which niche to choose, just make sure it's large enough to encompass enough people but not so large that you cannot effectively communicate with it. Look for markets with existing publications read by people in those markets, and local organizations where you can speak or network.

If you handle business matters, your choice of niche market(s) needs to be made a bit more carefully. Some business niches are more likely to need your services than others and some markets may already be dominated by a handful of existing law firms. The advantage in business markets is a more established infrastructure of publications, organizations, and centers of influence, ready for you to plug into.

The bottom line is that by focusing on smaller markets, you can dominate them. You'll get the lion's share of the business in those markets and never have to worry about someone outspending you on TV ads.

Why compete when you don't have to?

Experts tell us that 85 percent of success in the business and professional worlds is accomplished through personal contacts and word of mouth. The more people you know, then, the more chances you have of meeting people who can and will further your career.

One of the best ways to develop more personal contacts is by networking within organizations. Bar associations, community and charitable groups, and organizations in your target markets provide opportunities to meet prospective referral sources and clients, as well as others who can provide introductions, information, and advice.

Begin by selecting one or two candidate groups that contain people it would be helpful for you to know in the years ahead. Attend a meeting or two, introduce yourself, and decide if it would be useful for you to join. If you decide to join, attend every meeting and
begin the process of making yourself known.

One of the best ways to do that is to volunteer to work on an important committee within the organization. Choose one that has members on it that you would like to get to know or that is engaged in activities that will bring you into contact with key people both inside and outside the organization.

Your work on committees will require time and effort, but over the long term, the relationships you develop can provide everything you need to ensure a lifetime of success.

Today, networking online has become popular. I'll address that in a future post.

Okay, I'm not going to get into a rant on why lawyers who don't advertise shouldn't denigrate lawyers who do. I'm just going to present this ad by one Linclon & Herndon, Attorneys and Counsellors At Law in Springfield, Illinois, who advertised their availability for hire in what appears to be a newspaper of general circulation.

Getting exposure via published articles has long been a marketing mainstay for lawyers. In the age of the Internet, there are even more opportunities than ever as the need for quality content has multiplied.

Many books have been written on writing and publishing articles. If you are serious about promoting your practice this way, I recommend reading a few books and learning to do it right.

The basics of getting published never change. The first step is to identify those publications that are a suitable outlet for your articles. Offline, the venerable "Writers Market" (from Writer's Digest) lists thousands of magazines and newspapers that accept outside submissions.

Online, numerous directories list electronic newsletters and web sites that accept articles. Go to any search engine and type in and you'll find thousands of ezines and the directories that list them.

Once you have determined which publications you are interested in, the next step is to obtain their "writers' guidelines". This is a description of the kinds of articles they want, how many words, the rights they purchase (i.e., "first publication"), and the procedure for submitting the article for consideration.

You'll probably find writers' guidelines on the publication's web site. If not, contact the editor and ask if they accept articles and if so, what they are looking for.

Once you know the guidelines, the next step is the "query". Some publications want you to submit your article idea in outline form, along with a sample of your other writing, some publications want to see the whole article first. Whatever the guidelines, your query needs to sell the editor on three things:

1. Why their readers would want to read your article
2. Your credentials for writing it
3. Your ability to write it

Your query letter should be well written and to the point. It should demonstrate that the article you propose will be relevant to their readership and interesting to read. Editors read hundreds of queries and sort through them quickly; if you want to be considered, you need to get their attention and immediately make them see the value in your article.

Getting the first article accepted is the hardest. Once you have built up a list of publications that have accepted your work, you should find yourself getting published more frequently. Until then, don't assume that being a lawyer is enough of a pedigree to be accepted for publication. Actually, being a lawyer could work against you. If an editor assumes you "write like a lawyer," you'll have to work harder to show them that you can write something real people would want to read.

Don't hesitate to start with small publications. It will give you experience in writing and submitting articles. You'll also get a list of publishing credits and that will make it easier to get other editors to give you the go ahead.

Don't be concerned about payment for your articles; most publications pay little or nothing anyway. But do negotiate a listing of your web site or other contact information at the end of the article. You want readers to be able to reach you.

Be patient; it will be worth the effort. Even if they don't allow you to list your contact information in the article, just being able to say you have been published carries weight. Reprints of your articles make excellent marketing hand outs that can be used for years. And you can re-cycle your material (make sure you retained the right to do so) in other articles, speaking engagements, web/ezine articles, blog posts, reports, and so forth. Also, having been published can lead to interviews and speaking engagements and could also provide material for press releases. For example, your published article might be referenced in a press release where you offer a free report that amplifies the subject matter of the article.

Writing for publication will give you exposure and credibility as an expert in your field. It can also lead to even more exposure in the form of inquiries from other publications, joint venture partners, meeting holders, teleseminar promoters, and the like. Getting published will help you grow your mailing list, develop new referral sources, and create more clients.  It will also make your mother proud.

A few years ago, Progressive Insurance ran TV commercials touting that they assign a dedicated claims specialist claimants their policyholders can count on for the life of their claim. The benefit is that you can always call "your" representative and never have to worry about what's going on with your claim. Policyholders want to be able to talk to the same person each time they call, someone who understands their claim and is staying on top of it "for them".

Now, most other insurance companies probably do the same thing. But because those companies aren't saying they do it, when Progressive says it, they virtually OWN that benefit.

You can do the same thing. You can promise prospective clients that they will have a dedicated member of your firm assigned to their claim, so that they don't have to worry about who to ask for when they call. They'll feel better just knowing that someone is assigned to their case and that it's not lost in the shuffle.

The fact that most lawyers do the same thing is not important. If you say it and they don't, or you say it FIRST, you can effectively "own" that benefit and preempt other lawyers in your market from using it. It can become your "Unique Selling Proposition" (USP), the competitive advantage that sets you apart from other lawyers in the minds of clients and prospects.

In marketing, perception is everything. If you appear to offer a unique advantage, people will see a benefit to hiring you instead of your competition.

Your USP can be about any meaningful benefit you offer. What do you do faster, better, or more thoroughly? What do you do that you know clients like?

A great way to find a powerful USP is to learn what your clients DON'T like about lawyers in your field, and promise them the opposite. If clients consistently complain that lawyers who do what you do take to long to do it, for example, your promise to do it quickly would likely be seen as valuable and desirable to those who can hire you.

The number one complaint received by state bar associations is lack of communication by their lawyer. Many lawyers have difficulty, it seems, keeping their clients informed about the progress of their legal matter. Even worse, many complaints involve lawyers who don't return phone calls. Something this common, and this easy to fix, would seem to be a great USP for lawyers in many practice areas.

If you're bad at keeping clients informed (or returning calls), resolve to get better. In fact, I'd suggest a goal to become not just better but the best. Make a promise to yourself to return calls within 24 hours, for example. Raise the bar. It's so easy to do and it will have a profound impact on your practice. Fewer unhappy clients, more repeat clients and referrals.

Then, proclaim it to your clients and everyone else. Let them know of your commitment. Make it your unique selling proposition.

If you're already good at keeping clients informed and returning calls, the odds are you don't tell people this, or you don't tell them enough. Consider doing so before some other attorney decides to make it her unique selling proposition.

If I could recommend only one book on the keys to success, it would be "How to Win Friends & Influence People" by Dale Carnegie. It is a classic, a masterpiece of simple, effective advice for getting people to like you.

Mr. Carnegie's second of six keys is this:

"SMILE"

When we smile, there is a chemical reaction in our brains that makes us good. Try it! Even if you don't feel like smiling right now, do it anyway and take note of how it makes you feel.

When we smile at people, they tend to smile back at us. It is a natural human reaction. Our smile says "I like you" and people like people who like them, so they smile back. And they feel good when they do, and associate that feeling with their perception of you.

The more you smile, the better you feel and the more people will like you. This is clear. So why is it that people don't smile more often? One reason is they don't like their teeth. They may be discolored or crooked or there may be gaps or missing teeth. If your teeth need work or aren't as white as they used to be, it's hurting your business and probably your social life, too. Get them fixed, make them whiter, and SMILE!

If you've are a regular reader of this blawg, you know that I have had the BlogRush widget installed on my site since it first came out. You can see it in the right-hand sidebar. It has provided a steady of stream of referrals to me each month, all free traffic. If you have a blog, consider adding the BlogRush widget.

Some months ago, the BlogRush people instituted a new web site–TrafficJam.com. The site lists the top blogs in the BlogRush system in various categories, by popularity of posts. This has also brought traffic to my site. I'm not sure how many lawyers this includes since TrafficJam has a multitude of consumer-related categories, but it doesn't matter. The more traffic I get, the more referrals the BlogRush system gives me.

Anyway, go to TrafficJam.com and click on the category for Law & Legal. As I write this, my recent post, "How to get big personal injury cases" is number three on the list. Pretty good, wouldn't you say? At number 10 on the list is my article, "When the ABA wants to interview you. . .". My post, "Hot practice areas for lawyers? Here's what I think. . ." is number 33. And, as I scroll through the list I see other articles from me (The Attorney Marketing Center). I think what happens is the popularity of the articles depends on the number of clicks they get (so click on mine when you see them!) Actually, I think they also factor in clicks from websites that display the BlogRush widget and other factors.

Check out TrafficJam.com and BlogRush.com and see what you think. If you do sign up, tell your friends who have blogs (lawyers or not). If they sign up, you'll get credits for their referrals (clicks from their web site) which will bring you even more traffic.

A personal injury attorney wrote and asked me if I have a strategy for bringing in bigger cases. I was a personal injury attorney for most of my legal career and when I look back at what I did, I have to say that I did not have that strategy. In fact, I intentionally focused on bringing in a volume of smaller cases.

My thinking was that quantity would bring quality. Bring in thousands of clients over a period of years and you are bound to have some big cases in the mix. And that was certainly true for me. But I also recall thinking, as every personal injury attorney does, that one day, I'll get a case that will bring me millions of dollars in fees and I'll be able to retire if I want to. But in twenty years, that never happened. Big cases, yes, but not a single practice-making monster.

But there's something else I understood and that was that I was not one of the big boys. The biggest cases are almost always handled by the biggest names and most of the time, they are referred there by other attorneys. I wasn't prepared to compete in that arena. I didn't have the expertise and, more importantly, I didn't have the passion for developing it.

The best strategy for getting the biggest cases is to become one of the best lawyers. Win bigger and bigger verdicts, develop your skills and your reputation amongst the bar, and when you have the respect of your colleagues, you will get their referrals.

Another way to get big cases is the one adopted by a lot of attorneys who aren't one of the best and that is to appear to be. They swing a big stick with multiple full page yellow page ads and TV commercials, they sponsor charitable events attended by centers of influence in their community, they network with the right people, send press releases celebrating their victories, and otherwise promote themselves so that they appear to be one of the biggest and one of the best. And by and large, it works.

To do this, you need money and some marketing skills, but most of all, you need drive. The biggest promoters have big, healthy egos. They are driven as much by the desire for attention as the desire for money. I'm not taking anything away from them. They are usually good enough to serve their clients well and smart enough to bring in one of the best when they aren't.

If you're not one of the best and you aren't willing or able to become one, and if you're not willing to do what the big promoters do, there is an alternative: target niche markets. Become the biggest fish in a small market where word of mouth is strong and limited resources (and hubris) can go a long way. Become the attorney everyone in that market thinks of when they think of injuries. Network in that market, write for that market, serve that market and the centers of influence in it, and over time, you'll get big cases. Do it well enough and long enough and you may even get one of the very biggest.

My wife and I just got back from a week in Cancun. We were at a five-star resort, courtesy of a company I work with in another business. They have twelve restaurants and everything is truly first class.

The thing about this resort is that everything is included in your stay. Eat all that you want, drink all that you want, and never reach for your wallet or sign for your room. We had room service every morning and ordered just about everything they had on the breakfast menu (and ate everything, too).

The menus have no prices on them. It doesn't matter; order whatever you want.

There is no tipping. Everything, from the chartered bus ride from the airport, to baggage handling to rides in golf carts to get around the sprawling grounds, are taken care of.

I could go on about how well we were treated, the amenities and so on, but I want to make a point. Two points, actually.

First, while I was there, I thought about how relaxed we were not having to think about how much anything cost. Sure, I can afford the estimated four thousand the trip probably cost, but it's still refreshing to not have to think twice about what anything costs or how much to tip someone. And I thought about how that applies to marketing legal services.

What our experience did was reinforce the efficacy of "flat rate" billing for legal services. When your clients can have your services without having to wonder or worry about how much you're going to charge them for that ten minute phone call or for the photocopies or for bringing in a law clerk to take notes during your meeting, they are much happier clients. They'll be more inclined to hire an attorney who "takes the risk out of the deal" and they are happier and easier to work with throughout the engagement, all because there aren't any surprises and they know they won't be nickle-and-dimed.

The second thing I thought about was how a stay at a resort like this is good for reinforcing a "wealth mindset." If you want to be wealthy, getting a taste of what wealth is like provides your subconscious mind with an example of what you are seeking. The good feelings one associates with not having to look at prices on the menu, for example, are worth experiencing. Do you still look at prices on the menu? Do you do that first? What would it be like if you didn't have to do that anymore?

If Cancun isn't in the cards for you right now, find something small that is, something you can treat yourself to (and pay in advance for) that will give you a taste of what it is like to have financial freedom. Or, do something that doesn't cost anything. Go to an art show, for example, and pretend you can buy anything there without giving it a second thought. Relax and imagine how good it will feel to be able to actually purchase anything on display. If you can get to a place of feeling good about that, if you can "have" the life you seek in your mind, that is the first step towards achieving it in reality.

Unfortunately, most people have trouble doing that. It's not that they can't use their imagination any more. It's that when they do, they think negative thoughts that aren't conducive to attracting wealth. They think about how much things costs and how unlikely it is that they could buy it. They become self-conscious about the experience, thinking they must look foolish or they are wasting their time. Instead of thinking about what they want, they think about (and attract) what they don't have and what they don't want and thus, they wind up getting more of what they don't have and don't want.

How do you get to the point where you can truly relax and enjoy the experience of imagining having the life you want? How can you think about having what you you want instead of why you don't have what you want? You start with where you are and what you are thinking and how those thoughts make you feel.

If thinking about buying a $20,000 painting makes you feel bad (because you can't afford it now and don't know how you'll ever be able to), then reach for a thought that feels better when you think it. If thinking about "buying it now" doesn't feel good, perhaps thinking about "buying it someday" will feel better. If that thought feels better than wherever you are right now, think about that, and from that vantage point, you will have a basis for continuing to think better feeling thoughts until you literally think your way into manifesting your desires. It starts in your mind and with your feelings and while you may not be able to control whether or not you can go to Cancun right now, you have 100% control over what you think and how you feel.

Q: How do I bring in quality clients fast? I think the best way to bring in a steady stream of [type of] clients is to find a good referral source. What should I do?

A: Referrals are the BEST source of quality clients, but they are usually not the FASTEST. It takes time to build relationships, earn trust, develop a reputation.

If you can compensate those sources (i.e., referral fees to other attorneys, if permissible), or work out other kinds of alliances (paid advertising, cross-promotions) where the source has a more immediate incentive for working with you, then you could get some quick business.

Of course your clients are the first place to look. They should be willing to refer, but they may not be able.

Generally speaking, nothing is faster than advertising (except publicity, but you have limited control with that). Cost is obviously an issue. You could try writing for targeted publications and speaking and networking at targeted events. You'll get access to the right markets, at no cost, plus the unspoken endorsement of the meeting holder or publication, and if you get your message in front of the right people, you will get clients.

Remember that you are always marketing to at least two separate markets: prospective clients and prospective referral sources. One is not necessarily better than another, nor faster.

Q: How do I know if I'm targeting the right market?

A: A market is only as good as your ability to communicate with it. Do prospects have an organization you can join? Meetings you can speak at? Publications you can write for or advertise in? Can you find centers of influence in that market with whom you can network?

Most lawyers look at their services first and then look for people who need those services. Better is to find a market with a need, then look for ways you can satisfy that need.

Start with professionals and business contacts you already know. What markets do they serve? What unresolved needs do those markets have? Find the market first, then work backwards.

You'll have greater success giving people what they WANT, which may or may not be what they NEED. Find out what people want and then look for ways to help them get it.