The Attorney Marketing Center--Earn More. Work Less

Leveraging other people’s talent, knowledge, and resources

October 19, 2023 by David M. Ward

One of the best ways to grow a law practice is to conduct joint ventures with other professionals and businesses that target the same markets and clients you target.

If you handle family law and target high-income executives in the health-care industry, for example, you should talk to business owners, insurance brokers, financial planners, consultants, accountants, and other (non-competing) lawyers who have an established clientele and/or actively target the types of people who fit the profile of your ideal client (and the people who can refer them).

You identify joint venture candidates, find ways to meet them, and learn more about what they do. You then tell them what you do and see if there is some common ground for working together for your mutual benefit.

This might mean conducting seminars together, sharing the costs of a mailing, or interviewing each other for your respective newsletters or blogs.

It might mean inviting each other to networking functions, co-authoring articles or books, or sending emails to each other’s lists with information or offers.

It might be keeping each other on a list of recommended “vendors” and referring to each other when a client or contact says they are looking for someone who does what you (and they) do.

And it might simply mean providing suggestions, feedback and encouragement to each other in your individual marketing ventures.

But don’t try to figure that out right now.

Just make a profile of the kinds of joint venture partners who might make a good fit for you. Once you’ve done that, you may discover that you already know people who fit that profile. Talk to them, tell them you think you should talk about “working together” and see what develops.

How to get referrals from, and set up joint ventures with, lawyer and other professionals

Filed Under: Leverage, Referral sources, Referrals, Relationship marketing Tagged With: Joint ventures

When your calendar and task app aren’t enough

October 18, 2023 by David M. Ward

Do you ever get notifications about an upcoming appointment or scheduled task and miss it? You don’t see the pop-up or hear the chime and, oh well, there has a be a better way.

Besides having an assistant knock on your door to tell you your next appointment has arrived.

I just heard about a guy who uses a stupidly simple way to make sure he doesn’t miss things. Or ignore them. In addition to setting notifications for events on his calendar et al., he sets the alarm clock on his phone. When it rings or buzzes or chirps or plays a song, he can’t ignore it because it doesn’t stop until he stops it.

And, unlike the polite notifications most of our apps give us, the alarms on our phones are loud. And obnoxious. Which is why we use them to wake up (especially when we have an early plane to catch and it’s still dark out).

He sets an alarm to notify him to wake up, of course, but also for meetings, to eat, exercise, shut down for the day (and plan the next day), and for important tasks and time blocks that often get away from him.

I thought this was a great idea and set up my first alarm for 9am tomorrow to try it out. You might want to give it a go yourself.

Especially to notify you it’s time to do something you don’t want to do.

Filed Under: Productivity

How to write a blog post or article in 30 minutes or less

October 17, 2023 by David M. Ward

Yesterday, I said you have all the time you need to market your practice. I used the example of creating content, which might seem to be problematic for a lawyer who has a lot to say and feels they have to say it all.

Fear not. You really can write an article or blog post in 30 minutes, if you do these three things:

(1) SCHEDULE IT

If you write “when you have the time,” you’re unlikely to do much writing. When you commit to a writing schedule, however, put the days and times on your calendar, tell your subscribers when to expect your next post, and tell your staff not to book any appointments for you during those times, you’ll be much more likely to keep your schedule. And because it is a commitment, when the deadline is approaching, you’ll work quickly to get the work done.

(2) TOPIC

Despite committing to a schedule, it’s human nature to find excuses for not sticking to it. One of the most common is “not knowing what to write about”. The simplest way to overcome this is to maintain a running list or file of topics you can choose, and continually add to it.

Keep a list of ideas in a file or in your second brain. Collect ideas, articles by others, notes from books or videos, and copies of content you’ve created before because you can create new content by updating it.
Read a lot. You can write what other lawyers write about, for example, agree with it or disagree, or write from a different angle.
Write a lot. You’ll get better at finding topics and angles and ideas related to them, and get better and quicker at writing.
Choose your topic the day before so can get right to it. Your idea might be a single sentence or you might note your lead or intro, bullet points, examples or stories, or your conclusion.

(3) WRITE LESS

By “less,” I mean shorter articles or posts. When you know you only need to write a few paragraphs or a few hundred words, you’re less likely to resist starting and more likely to finish.

Give yourself 10 to 20 minutes to write a first draft and 10 minutes to edit.

Yes, that means you have to write fast. And that’s the point.

An article doesn’t have to be lengthy or scholarly. You don’t need to include every argument or example or write perfect prose.

Good enough is good enough and you can get good enough done in 30 minutes.

For more ways to write quickly, see this

Filed Under: Writing

No, you don’t need to find time for marketing

October 16, 2023 by David M. Ward

You don’t need to find time for marketing your practice. You already have all the time you need.

I’ll prove it.

To make this simple, let’s assume the marketing activity you think you don’t have time to do is creating content. Things like writing a blog or newsletter, creating videos, doing seminars—that kind of thing. You’d like to do it, but you’re busy. So you don’t. Or you don’t do it as much as you’d like.

Answer me this: if you were paid your usual hourly rate or fee to create said content, would you “find” the time to do it?

Me thinks you would. Time is time, money is money. If you could earn $500 per hour (let’s say) creating content, why wouldn’t you?

The good news is that if you create that content (and do a decent job of it—not great, decent), you can be paid as much for your time as you would doing your other work.

Because your content will bring in new clients who pay you as much. That’s why you do any type of marketing, after all.

Marketing isn’t (shouldn’t be) a cost; it’s an investment.

At a minimum, you should break even. Your profit will come from repeat business and referrals on the back end.

But you could do more. A lot more.

Even if your content is “only” decent, it will live forever on the Internet and continue to bring in more business while you’re doing other things.

I know, it sounds good but you don’t believe that writing some blog posts or article can bring in enough new business to cover the costs of your time creating it.

Or, you don’t believe that writing “decent” content is enough.

Talk to some other lawyers who use content marketing in their practice (and have done it for a while) and see what they tell you.

Or try it for yourself. You might be pleasantly surprised. Or very pleasantly surprised, as I was when I started doing it.

This shows you everything you need to know

Filed Under: Content creation, Marketing legal services

Your marketing plan

October 13, 2023 by David M. Ward

One of the biggest components of a marketing plan is the allocation of resources. How much time or money will you allocate, and on what? This will depend on the marketing methods you use, your practice areas, your target market, your objectives, and other resources available to you, such as your staff and your contacts.

Your plan might call for something like this:

25% prospecting (networking, advertising and lead generation, speaking, content creation, working with referral sources, etc.)
25% following up (scheduling consultations, return calls/email, closing, newsletters/staying in touch, etc.)
25% client relations (added value for clients, cross-selling, up-selling, stimulating reviews and referrals, creating offers or incentives, etc.)
25% promoting (your services, your website, your content, events, etc.)

You might have these same broad categories, but different sub-categories. You might advertise primarily for lead generation or to build name recognition in your niche. You might might allocate more time for certain marketing activities and little or none for others.

You might invest 50% of your “marketing time” working with existing clients and prospects, or include working with your referral sources, joint venture partners and professional contacts.

The point is, you get to choose how to spend your marketing time (and dollars), and on which activities. Figure out what works for you and schedule everything.

Start by making a list of the activities you currently do (or plan to) and put these in appropriate categories. Then, consider the total time and dollars you do or will invest each week or month, and then divide up that total by category, as above.

This is, of course, just one way to do it. It may not be the right way for you, but it is a place to start. And that’s all any plan gives you.

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan

Be selective, not exhaustive

October 12, 2023 by David M. Ward

I’m sure you’ve figured out that you will never get everything done. But you do your best. You go through your lists of tasks and projects and goals, prioritize them, work as hard as you can, but you still don’t (seem to) make a dent.

Stop trying so hard.

Choose a few things that are important to you and let go of the rest. You’ll feel much better. And get much more (important things) done.

One area to do this is with your reading list. You don’t have time to read all those books and articles and watch all those videos. And you shouldn’t try.

Skim through the pile if you feel you must or delegate that to staff. Or buy “book summaries” instead of the whole enchilada.

Commit to consuming only the highest quality material and ruthlessly eliminate everything else.

Yes, it will take time to sort through everything, but the tradeoff is that you’ll be able to delete perhaps 95% of your reading pile. Most things are unimportant, cumulative, or irrelevant. Get rid of it in favor of the precious few.

(I’m reminding myself of this as I type. . .)

What then? Stop skimming and start studying.

Read (the good stuff) slowly. If it fizzles out, jettison it and move on to something else.

Highlight key points and think about the ideas presented—what they mean, questions they answer, other questions they pose—and put the important points in your notes, in your own words. They’ll have more meaning for you that way because you’ll need to reflect on them before you record them.

What do you agree with? What do you like? What bothers you? How will this information benefit you?

And decide what you will do with this material. Tag your notes for your current and upcoming projects and add links to other notes you’ve made on the subject.

Don’t rush. This is the good stuff, remember, so take your time. Write an outline or summary. And then read the material again.

Yes, more time. But you have that time because you got rid of 95% of everything else.

Filed Under: Productivity

I don’t know

October 11, 2023 by David M. Ward

We tell clients that if they’re not sure about something, it’s okay to say “I don’t know”. In fact, we encourage it. But when a client or prospective client asks us a question and we don’t know the answer, we’re often uncomfortable “admitting” we don’t know.

Because we’re supposed to know.

And if we don’t know and we should, or the client thinks we should, we look bad. So we avoid answering the question directly, change the subject, or stall.

That can be even worse.

It makes it look like you’re hiding something, aren’t the expert we purport to be, or want them to cough up more fees before we answer what the client believes is a simple question.

What should we do?

I don’t know. No, really, it’s one of those things that doesn’t have an easy answer.

Is it a complex issue? Unsettled law? Unclear fracts? What is your relationship with the client? What do you need to ask them before you can provide a complete and accurate response? How much time is available to answer?

And, is it the type of question you ordinarily get paid to answer?

Clients don’t expect you to know everything. Or tell them everything. But you should tell them something.

Tell them what you do know, or tell them some of the issues that make it difficult to answer on the spot. And then tell them you need to do some (more) research, ask them (more) questions, or give it some thought.

Or tell them there are issues that are outside the scope of your practice area and you need to consult with (or refer the client to) another lawyer.

Of course you could also just tell them you don’t know or you’re not sure and, say it with me, “you don’t want to guess”.

Filed Under: Client relations, Communication

Survey says!

October 10, 2023 by David M. Ward

“Got a minute? Please take my one-minute survey about your favorite ways to market your services.”

That’s how easy it is to survey your clients, readers, or audience. You can survey them by email, in a blog post, during a presentation, even when you’re chatting in person. “Can I ask you a question?” Yeah, that’s a survey too.

Why do it? Because surveys can help you learn what your audience wants or needs, what they think, what they do, and what they might do in a given situation. And you can use this information to improve your marketing.

Surveys can help the people you survey recognize the need for your services and generate more leads and appointments. They can also help you build your list.

Surveys can show clients and prospects what others do (or mistakenly didn’t do), building interest in your solutions, offering social proof of their need, and creating urgency for taking action.

Surveys also provide you with material you can use in your content, improve your offers and packages, and identify better ways to describe what you do and why people need to talk to you.

In short, surveys help you build your practice.

You can survey new clients about how they found you, why they chose you, if they have other issues you can help them with, and if they know anyone who might need to talk to you or get a copy of your report.

You can survey former clients and find out if they need an update, need help with any other legal matter, or know anyone who might like to read your latest article.

You can survey prospective clients, subscribers, social media connections, or visitors to your website. You can distribute surveys via flyers, advertising, or at the bottom of an article.

Surveys are flexible and powerful. And everyone who sees your survey, even if they don’t respond to it, sees your name and learns what you do.

It’s all good. And it’s all easy to do.

Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With: surveys

Keeping it simple doesn’t make you a simpleton

October 9, 2023 by David M. Ward

In your job as an attorney, one of your top priorities is to get people to understand you and see that you understand them. That’s true whether you’re negotiating, speaking on stage or in front of a jury, or writing a brief, a blog post or a demand letter.

Generally, that requires being clear and precise, using simple words, and presenting your ideas in a logical order.

But it can take some work to get it right.

When I first started practicing, I thought I needed to impress people with a big vocabulary and a formal writing style. I wanted to sound like a lawyer but, looking back, I’m sure I either confused people or made them laugh.

How did I change my wicked ways? First, by deciding it was important, and then rewriting, editing and polishing again and again until I found the right balance.

I worked at it and still do today. Because it’s worth it.

Unless there is a very good reason for using a formal writing style, or a ten-dollar word when a .50 cent word will do, don’t do it. It makes you look like you’re trying to impress people and makes people wonder why you feel the need to do that.

Similarly, don’t dumb down your message, or use emoticons or the latest buzzwords just because all the cool kids do.

You’re a lawyer. Sound like one. Just not one one who is overly impressed with themself.

Filed Under: Communication, Writing

The worst clients are (sometimes) the best clients

October 6, 2023 by David M. Ward

Most lawyers are leery of clients who already have an attorney and are looking to switch. They’re often considered difficult to work with, impossible to please, micro-managers, complainers, and a one-way ticket to trouble.

And that’s often true. But not always.

Sometimes, their attorney is the problem. Sometimes the chemistry isn’t right. Sometimes the client had unreasonable expectations, perhaps because someone was in their ear about what to expect, and they have now come to their senses.

Yeah, it’s complicated. It could be a combination of factors. Which suggests the wisdom of spending time to find out instead of rejecting them at the first sign of (potential) trouble.

One thing is certain, dissatisfied clients are motivated and if you talk to them while they’re looking for a new attorney, or thinking about it, they could be easy to sign up and a great client, at least for you.

When you don’t do the same things their previous attorney did, when they are relieved that they found you and wondering “where were you when I first starting looking for an attorney,” not only could they be easy to work with, they could become a great source of referrals.

I know, you might think that’s crazy talk, especially if you’ve been burned by “problem clients” in the past. And, if your gut tells you “no,” you probably should go with that.

But sometimes, your gut is trigger-happy and you should sleep on it before you decide.

In fact, instead of avoiding prospective clients who are unhappy about their case or their attorney, you might consider “specializing” in them. Focus on people who are dissatisfied with their current provider. Marketing is easier when you target this type of client, especially when most attorney are so quick to avoid them.

Yes, they might be trouble. You have to get good at sizing them up and lay out ground rules for working with you if you agree to represent them. If you do, and you hit the right notes with these clients, you might find this to be a very lucrative niche for you.

Filed Under: Client relations