The Attorney Marketing Center--Earn More. Work Less

4 ways to learn (anything)

June 26, 2023 by David M. Ward

Most formal learning occurs through reading, watching videos, listening to presentations and interviews, and taking courses. Learned knowledge is the most common way we acquire information, but it’s just one way we learn.

We also learn by doing activities—trying out the information, practicing the skills—and we often learn more because we’re using more of our senses and getting feedback about our activities.

You can learn how to how to improve your closing arguments by reading books, but you learn more by practicing the skills and techniques in those books.

Taking notes on what we read or hear is also activity knowledge. As we process the information we’ve seen or heard, and record our thoughts or questions about that information, we internalize our learned knowledge, give it context, and make it more likely we will remember it.

But there’s a third way we learn—by modeling others.

You can learn how to get more referrals by reading blogs and books and getting ideas and tips. Then, you might rehearse what to say, say it, and thus get better at it. You’ll get better still by observing someone who is good at talking about referrals with their clients or colleagues, because you can watch their body language, observe their timing, and see how they handle questions and objections. You can also ask them questions and ask them to observe you and provide feedback.

Finally, there is “teaching” knowledge. We learn the most by teaching others what we know and do. Want to learn how to get better at negotiating? Prepare a presentation on that subject or teach a CLE class.

Learned knowledge, activity knowledge, modeling knowledge, and teaching knowledge. 4 ways to learn new information and improve your skills.

Learn how to get more referrals from your clients

Filed Under: Personal development

Need a topic for your blog, stat?

June 23, 2023 by David M. Ward

It’s happens to everyone. They need to post an article on their blog or in their newsletter, but don’t know what to write. And the clock is ticking.

No problem.

It’s okay to write about subjects you’ve written about before. Your “go to” topics. Things you know well and can talk about with ease.

It’s also okay to grab something you’ve written before and use it again.

Yep.

An article, part of a presentation or report, any content in your archive.

Re-post or re-publish it, as is. With no changes or additions.

I do it. Everyone does it. And guess what? Your readers either won’t notice or won’t care.

You have new subscribers or visitors who never saw it. You have old subscribers who saw it but didn’t care about it because they didn’t have that problem (but now they do). Your article might be precisely the thing they need to see today and they will marvel at how you must be reading their mind, and be grateful that you are.

Or forward it to a friend who just told them they have that problem.

And guess what? Even if your readers have seen it before, that doesn’t mean they paid attention. (How many times have you reminded your clients not to do something or say something? Or to come in to talk to you about something?)

Remind them again in your newsletter.

Of course, if you have a little time, go ahead and update your old post. Re-write or re-edit it, change the headline or title (or keywords), emphasize different points, add new examples, add a different graphic if you want to, or shorten or lengthen the post.

Your newsletter, your rules.

Okay, maybe don’t re-use posts you published last month; give it some time.

And relax. Be easy about this. You won’t get a knock on the door from the blog police hastling you for reposting something.

After publishing thousands of articles and blog posts, and endlessly repeating topics, I’ve never once had anyone say, “Again? Don’t you have anything else to write about?”

Of course, there’s always a first time

More easy ways to create content for a newsletter or blog

Filed Under: Blogging, Content creation, Newsletters

3 sentences

June 22, 2023 by David M. Ward

If you aren’t publishing a newsletter because it takes too much time, I have a question for you. What if it didn’t?

What if you could write, click, and send a newsletter in two minutes? Would you do it?

If it’s only a few minutes, once a day, once a week, or once in a while, you’d do that, wouldn’t you? Because you understand the value of staying in touch with clients and prospects and business contacts. You know that each time you do it, you remind them that you are available to help them and people they know, and you get more business.

Pop the champagne. You can do that because the definition of “newsletter” has changed.

A newsletter doesn’t have to contain news. Or advice. And it doesn’t have to be lengthy. A few sentences is fine. Because the point isn’t to impress them with your knowledge or give them a mountain of helpful information.

It’s letting them hear from you. To see your name and a link to your website and remember who you are. And you can send them anything to accomplish that. Okay, not anything. There has to be some value in what you send.

What is value? Whatever you want it to be.

Years ago, when social media was newish, I thought I’d try posting and see what happens. But I didn’t know what to say and didn’t want to take a lot of time saying it. So, once a day, I found a quote I liked and posted that.

People told me they liked the quote. Thanked me. Said they were going to share it.

Did I become a social media star because of this? Hardly. But I was able to stay in touch with folks and give them something to chew on that day. I kept my name in front of them with nothing more than a few words from someone else.

You can do the same thing in a newsletter.

Yes, just a quote. Or something you saw someone write in a book or say on a podcast. Or something you want to write or say or recommend.

“I just found this website, and it has a ton of great resources. I really liked an article about (whatever). Here’s the link:”

That’s value. That’s a newsletter.

Sure, you can publish something more lengthy and thoughtful and you probably will want to. But you don’t have to.

And because you don’t have to, you’ll write something. And get your name in front of people who enjoy hearing from you.

Everything you need to do (and then some): here

Filed Under: Newsletters

It’s your client’s birthday. What do you send them?

June 21, 2023 by David M. Ward

A birthday card is nice. Especially when it is handwritten and signed by you personally. It shows you took the time to acknowledge them on their day, and you did it yourself instead of having your assistant stick something in the mail your firm sends to everyone.

What about a gift?

That’s nice, too. Everyone enjoys getting gifts. But gift giving can be more complicated, and expensive, so maybe a personal gift for only your “best” clients. A gift certificate to a local restaurant is a good choice.

On the other hand, there is something you could send to every client (and business contact), that isn’t expensive but can make a lasting impression.

I’m talking about giving a book. Especially one you liked and recommend.

Add a note: “This is one of my favorite books” or “I got a lot out of this book and thought you might like it, too”.

Even if they don’t read the book, or like it, they will appreciate you for thinking of them. I know I would, wouldn’t you?

Filed Under: Client relations, Law office management

Build family to build your practice

June 20, 2023 by David M. Ward

Your clients and former clients, your professional contacts, everyone who knows your name and would take your call—that’s your family.

One of the simplest and best ways to grow your practice is to grow your family.

That means (a) increasing their number, and (b) increasing the strength and depth of your relationships

And you do that by going out of your way to serve them and help them, not just with legal matters but with other areas of their business or personal life.

Make them feel good about themselves for hiring you or referring people to you

You also increase their number by looking for opportunities to meet the people they know—their employees, partners, friends and colleagues. People they can introduce to you and who can become a part of your ever-growing professional family.

As your family grows, look for ways to get to know these people better and help them. Give them referrals, advice, and introductions. Give them helpful information and stay in touch with them.

In other words, by networking with the people you know and the people they know., your family will grow and so will your practice.

What does it take to do this successfully?

You need to be willing to talk to people who aren’t necessarily in need of an attorney, and be genuinely interested in them and not just what they can do for you. You need to be a good listener, because that’s how you show them you are interested in them and how you learn what they need or want so you can help them get it.

And you only need to find a few.

Yes, you need to talk to more than a few to find that few. But just long enough to learn what they do to see if they might be a good match for you.

Find a few of the right people and they can lead you to more.

To start, commit to getting to know your clients better than you do now. Call or email them off the clock, say hello and ask how they’re doing. Don’t be surprised when they’re glad you called and ask you about a new legal matter or tell you about someone they know who might need your help.

If that happens, enjoy the win. But don’t contact them solely for that purpose. Contact them to say hello.

Heres a step-by-step plan for growing your professional family

Filed Under: Leverage, Networking, Referrals

Always be closing?

June 19, 2023 by David M. Ward

Sales people are taught to continually look for opportunities to close the deal and that these can occur at any time. When a prospective customer or client says something about price or fees, for example, this is often one of those opportunities, because it usually means they have decided they (probably) do need or want the product or service and are thinking about how they can get it.

So, generally speaking, “Always be Closing” is good advice. But there is such a thing as trying to close too soon.

When you talk to a prospective client for the first time, handing them a retainer agreement and a pen may be the right thing to do, or it might blow up in your face if they see it as being too presumptive or aggressive.

Which is why sales experts tell you to not only look for opportunities to close but to see if you can create them.

You do that by using “trial closes” or questions designed to elicit responses that are consistent with someone who is ready to buy. “Are you leaning towards (Package A) or (Package B)?” is one example.

When the prospect looks they are ready, go for the close. If they don’t, don’t push it. Don’t close before they’re ready.

But we see marketers do this all the time.

You see ads with a call to action that says, “Call today for an appointment”. That might be the right way to go, but what if the prospect is just starting to research their problem and isn’t ready to consider hiring an attorney? If the choice is between “Call for an appointment” or nothing, guess which one they’re going to choose?

On the other hand, doing nothing might be best for you, too. If you’re doing lead generation advertising, you might only want leads of people who are ready to talk to or hire an attorney.

But what about people who are ready to make an appointment? Shouldn’t you encourage them to do that?

Maybe. Or maybe you should give them a choice: “Call for an appointment or to learn more. . .”

What should you do?

Should you close for the appointment? Tell them to sign up or your webinar? Tell them to call to ask questions or to download your report? Visit your website to learn more about the law or to learn about you and how you can help them?

Lots of options.

I can’t tell you the right approach and neither can your marketing or advertising team. The only way to know for sure is to try several approaches and see works best.

One offer may get lots of leads, but very few new clients. Another offer might bring in relatively few leads, but result in enough new clients to be very profitable. Another offer might lose money on your promotion but bring in a few clients who have lots of work for you after the initial case or engagement.

You “test” one offer against others. And let the numbers tell you what works best. And it works the same way with closing. When a prospective client looks like they’re ready to sign up, close them. If they aren’t ready, they will let you know.

Filed Under: Advertising, Closing the sale, Marketing legal services

Going on a research diet

June 16, 2023 by David M. Ward

If you’re like me, you never know if you’ve done enough research. There’s always more to look at and, God bless us, we can’t help ourselves—we keep looking.

In school, in business, and in a law practice, due dates and deadlines come to our rescue. We “call a lid” because we have to get the work out the door—or else.

When there is no deadline imposed by a teacher, a client or court, however, it’s a different story.

How long have you been planning and researching that book or business project?. Exactly.

You never know when you’ve done enough research so you keep doing more, just in case.

Perfectionism? Self-doubt? Imposter syndrome? Call it by any name, but it boils down to our fear of making a mistake.

But we can’t spend our life in perpetual research. At some point we have to say, “enough”.

But how?

One way is to redefine the project or goal. Instead of doing enough research to write the book, for example, the task is to do enough research to START writing the book.

But that’s only a partial solution because you will inevitably see something that calls for you to do more research.

What then? How do you know when you’ve done enough?

You don’t. Not by any logical metric, anyway. You’re better off trusting your gut. When you feel pulled towards the finish line more than you feel pulled to doing more research, you go with that.

It’s your only option. Unless you’re prepared to hold yourself accountable to someone else. A partner, spouse, or friend—someone who won’t let you get away with endless research.

Someone who will kick your butt for you. Like your teacher, your client, or the court.

Filed Under: Personal development, Publicity, success, Writing

3 keys to effective content

June 15, 2023 by David M. Ward

The reason you publish a blog or newsletter, post anything on social media, or deliver presentations, is to achieve a desired outcome. You’re not merely exercising your fingers or your voice, you want to inform or persuade people to do something.

If you do, your content is effective. If you don’t, you might want to make some changes.

There are lots of things you can do to improve your content and make it more effective. Editing, formatting, optimizing for readability and search, and more. But there are 3 things your content should always be or have:

Clarity. Nothing you write or offer will do you or your readers any good if they don’t understand it. Your message must be clear and easy to follow, with sufficient detail and precision so that readers know what you want them to know or do. Explain terms, provide examples, and show them what you want them to see. If you maintain a publishing checklist, make sure “clarity” is at the top.
Helpful. Your message should help readers be, do, or have something they want or need. Your message should give them a reward or benefit for taking the time to read or listen. Teach them something important or useful, get them to think about something, or help them make a better decision. And if you can’t write something helpful, at least write something they will find interesting.
Next. Tell them what to do with this information. How to start, how to do it better, where to go to find additional information. End your piece with a “call to action” so they know exactly what you want them to do. That might be to call you, share your content, fill out a form, sign up for your webinar, or download your report. Tell them what to do, and why, i.e., how they will benefit from doing that.

Make your message clear and easy to follow, provide helpful or interesting information, and tell them what to do next. These are the keys to effective content.

Filed Under: Communication, Content creation, Writing

“You’ve got to explode out of the mud!”

June 14, 2023 by David M. Ward

When you can’t seem to get started on a big project, or make progress on one, or you’re struggling with a difficult situation and don’t know what to do, typically, you change your approach. You do more research, try different tools and different strategies, and little by little, step by step, you climb out of the mud.

And that usually works.

But sometimes, the mud turns into quicksand, and you’re stuck. And the harder you try, the harder it is to get out.

You need a different approach. Instead of tinkering and looking for incremental solutions, you have to do something radical.

“You’ve got to explode out of the mud,” says CEO and author John Addison.

To do that, you’ need to change how you think about things. And use your imagination.

Look at what others have done when faced with similar challenges and ask yourself, “What would (this person) do if they were in my position?” You couldn’t find the answer. Maybe they can.

If your goal seems impossibly difficult, ask yourself, “What would I do if this was easy?” If things are going too slowly, ask, “What would have to happen for me to finish this project in the next 30 days?” Or, “What would I do if I had one year to live and failure was not an option?”

If you’re stuck, pretend you’re not. Pretend you know what to do to explode out of the mud.

Filed Under: Productivity, success

Some lawyers are weird

June 13, 2023 by David M. Ward

It’s true. Some lawyers have strange interests or hobbies, extreme lifestyle choices or political views. But most people know this because most lawyers do a good job of keeping their personal life to themselves.

Other lawyers do the opposite. They tell too much about their personal views and lifestyle. If you look up the phrase “over sharing” in the dictionary, you might see their photo.

Of course, neither extreme is advisable.

The thing is, most lawyers lean towards not sharing any personal information. Not on social media, on their blog or in a presentation. They may be great lawyers, but they look and sound like every other lawyer in their field (except the weird ones).

And have a hard time standing out or being remembered.

I get it. They want to maintain their image as a hard-working, dedicated professional, who works night and day to serve their clients. Anything personal might make them look weak or is at least irrelevant to their job.

But clients know their lawyers are humans and they like them that way. They like knowing some things about their lawyer and what they do when they’re not working.

The solution? Share a little personal information, but not too much.

Do you have kids? Tell people about them. People like people who have kids. And all you have to do (if you don’t want to do more) is refer to them parenthetically.

“I picked up my daughter from ballet class the other day. . .” tells your readers that you have a child and you are involved in their life. You don’t have to say more.

But you can if you want to.

When I took my daughter to ballet class years ago, I had trouble putting her hair in a bun and asked one of the moms for help. That added detail makes the experience easier to picture and might make it more relatable to parents who have had a similar experience.

Don’t over-share (especially if you’re weird), but do share some details of your personal life. Clients want their lawyer to fight for them and deliver good results, but they also like their attorney to be normal.

Filed Under: Communication, Writing