The Attorney Marketing Center--Earn More. Work Less

The quickest way to generate additional income for your practice

May 6, 2024 by David M. Ward

The quickest way to increase your revenue is to sell new services to your existing clients. It’s easier and faster and more profitable than finding new clients for your existing services.

Your existing clients know and trust you. They hired you once and will hire you again. And you can communicate with (sell to) them at no cost.

Start getting excited.

Hold on. What if you don’t have another service to offer?

Could you re-configure your existing services to create a “premium” version? Something worth more that can justify a higher fee?

(Start working on that.)

How about optional add-ons or extra services to add to your current services? Perhaps an annual consultation package advising clients about taxes or investments, for example. You might team up with other professionals who specialize in those areas.

Could you develop a smaller version of your standard services, without all the trimmings, to appeal to clients who don’t need (or can’t afford) your standard package? How about branching out to different niche markets with specialized services for those markets, or by appealing to different languages and cultural features?

Could you develop a consumer “division” of your business firm? Could you start a small business division for consumer clients who are interested in starting or buying a business?

And, if you don’t want to develop a new service, or change any of your existing offers, there are always referrals—to and from other lawyers and businesses who may be able to reciprocate.

Your clients have lives and interests beyond the services they hire you to perform. Find out what else they need or want and figure out a way to help them get it.

Filed Under: Increase your income, Law office management, Marketing legal services

Simple habits that will fix 97% of your problems

May 3, 2024 by David M. Ward

I stole the title of this post from a video that caught my attention. I’m sharing the headline with you as an example of a headline or title that works.

It works because it is bold and promises a valuable, albeit impossible sounding benefit. But even if I’m dubious about the headline’s promise, I’d still like to know what those habits are, wouldn’t you?

I’d like to know if I’m doing them and, if not, what it would take to start. And, if I already do them, is there a way I might do them better?

Effective titles promise a desirable benefit or make the reader curious about something that interests them. This headline does both.

But you don’t need to analyze every headline that makes you stop to get something out of them. Just note when something catches your eye, for whatever reason, because if it attracted you, it’s likely to do the same for others.

Sometimes, with modifications; sometimes, “as is”.

A headline that said, “3 simple habits that can fix up to one-third of your legal marketing problems” for example, would get your attention, wouldn’t it?

Pay attention to headlines and titles that speak to you. Collect them, learn from them, and repurpose them in your content.

Because the right headline, in the right context, will fix 97% of your legal marketing problems.

Filed Under: Copywriting

Business development leapfrog

May 1, 2024 by David M. Ward

It’s all about networking. Meeting people who know people you’d like to know. High-level decision makers, General Counsels, CEOs, advisors, business owners, and other influential people in your target market.

Your job is to identity people you’d like to meet and work backwards to identify people they know who can introduce you. Eventually, you identify someone you already know or can easily meet because they belong to a group you belong to or know people who do.

Start with “categories”—types of advisors or professionals or decision makers in your target industry or market. When you know you’d like to meet a financial advisor, General Counsel or manager of medical groups (of a certain size or specialty), for example, it makes everything easier.

Create a profile. Then, identify “candidates”—actual advisors or decision makers you’d like to meet. Then, talk to your clients and existing business contacts and ask if they know these people, or know someone who does. If they do, ask them if they would introduce you, or if it would be okay for you to mention their name when you talk to them.

And yes, it is as simple as that.

You don’t have to score a home run every time. A single or double here and there may be enough to get you face to face with someone who wants to know more about what you do and how you can help their company or their clients.

If you “only” meet one or two of these top-level decision makers per year, it can lead to a lot of business.

It’s all about networking. But you don’t have to attend a single networking event.

Because the people you already know, know people you’d like to know, and you can leverage your relationship to meet them.

Here’s what to do, step-by-step

Filed Under: Networking, Referrals

The key to managing your time

April 30, 2024 by David M. Ward

You have a lot of tasks on your list. You know what to do, how, and why, but do you know “when”?

“When” you will do a task is the key to effectively managing your time.

If you know when, and schedule the day (and time), you’re more likely to do it. If you don’t know when, you may not do it at all.

Our days are full. Once we complete our scheduled tasks (appointments, meetings, calls), we might not have enough time or energy to do other things.

Which means we often won’t do them.

I’m not advocating time-blocking our entire day or giving everything a due date. But maybe we should give everything a “do” date.

When you schedule when to do something, you’ve decided it’s important. If you don’t know, everything becomes “someday/maybe” and that often means “never”.

Decide “when” you will do the task and schedule it. Mark the day and time on your calendar or tag it on your list. If you’re not sure of the time, at least schedule the day. If you’re not sure of the day, at least schedule the week.

You can always change the day or week. But to do that, you’ll need to reconsider the importance of the task, and then renew your commitment to doing it or remove it from your list.

Look at it this way: if a task isn’t important enough to schedule, maybe it’s not important at all.

What if you’re not sure when you will do it? Schedule a date and time to review the task and then decide.

Because “when” is the key to managing your time.

Filed Under: Productivity, Time Management

Closing the sale

April 29, 2024 by David M. Ward

You’re sitting with a prospective client talking about their case or the services you can provide. You’ve made the case for why they need your help, explained what you will do, talked about fees, answered their questions, and you think they’re ready to sign up.

But you’re not sure.

What should you do?

One thing you can do is “assume the sale”. Hand them the paperwork and a pen (or stylus) and tell them where to put their name. You might start with an authorization instead of a fee agreement or another document to fill out.

If they fill it out, they’re saying yes to the dress.

If they have more questions or objections, they’ll let you know.

If you’re still not sure, ask them. “Are you ready to get started?”

It can be as simple as that.

Actually, it should be. If they need you, can afford you, and don’t need to get anyone’s approval, it should be a done deal.

So ask.

“Are you ready to get started?” Or, “Would you like me to get started?” Or, “When would you like to get started?” Or, “Would you like to get started this week or is next week better for you?”

It’s all good.

You’re not asking for the sale. You’re asking what they want to do. If they’re ready, great. If they want to wait, that’s fine (although there are things you can say to get them to reverse course), but the best thing for you to do is to let them do what they want to do.

Remember, they need you.

Also remember, nobody likes to be pushed. And pushing makes you look desperate. And you don’t have to push.

Ask if they’re ready. If they’re not, their reasons or objections will tell you what you need to say to help them get ready.

And there’s nothing better than a client who’s ready to put you to work.

Filed Under: Closing the sale

A few thoughts about GTD contexts

April 26, 2024 by David M. Ward

Getting Things Done (GTD) teaches us to identify our tasks by context—location, people, tools, and so on—so we can do things when and where we’re best equipped to do them.

I stopped using most contexts a long time ago, since I can do just about anything from just about anywhere.

Calls, emails, reading, writing—I can do from the office in my pocket.

I still use the @waiting and @errand contexts, but not much else.

I’m going to take another look at my use of contexts, however, based on a short video I saw which makes the case for contexts based on “time plus energy”.

GTD has long recommended contexts for time and energy, but I like the way the presenter combines them:

Short Dashes: Tasks that require more than 2 minutes but less than 15 minutes. Most calls and emails fit here, don’t they?
Full Focus: Tasks requiring maximum energy, no distractions, and longer periods of time; deep work.
Brain Dead: When you can’t do anything that requires a lot of thought.
Routines: Your weekly review, exercise, writing a blog post.
Hanging Around: Tasks that don’t require a lot of time or energy and don’t have a deadline, e.g., light research, organizing notes, buying something online.

What do you think? Do any of these appeal to you? Do you already use something similar?

I like “Brain Dead” or “Hanging Around,” especially for things I can do after I’ve shut down work for the night. I’ll give this some thought later today.

But first, I have some “Short Dashes” to take care of.

I’m travelling today; this is a (slightly edited) re-post from 2021.

Filed Under: Productivity Tagged With: Contexts, gtd

Go deep with fewer people

April 25, 2024 by David M. Ward

You don’t have to go to networking events, do seminars, write a newsletter or blog, advertise, or “chat” on social media. It can be beneficial if you do, but you don’t have to. As long as you regularly connect with the key people you know or want to know—your best clients, top referral sources, most promising business contacts.

The plan is simple. Make a list of 5-25 connections who fit that description and call or email them once a month.

What do you say? Anything. Because anything you say can make a difference. But here are some suggestions:

“What’s new with you?” What’s new in their business, what are they working on, what’s the latest in their personal life?
Congratulate them on something they’ve done (personal or business).
Comment about news you read about their company, industry or market.
How can I help? (Referrals, introductions, advice, information).
Compliment their new venture, campaign, website, product, or service.
Invite them to coffee or lunch; invite them to play golf.
Invite them to accompany you to your next networking event.
Volunteer for their committee.
Offer to do a private seminar for their business.
Contribute to their favorite charity or promote their favorite cause.
Interview them (or let them interview you).
Send articles, videos, books that may interest them.
Ask, “What are you reading?” Get the book, share your thoughts.
Introduce them to your other business contacts.
Help their kids (get into college, support their team, buy their Girl Scout cookies).

If you can’t think of anything else, just call and say hello.

Keep in touch with your most valuable business contacts. Help them, build relationships with them, be a friend. Inevitably, they will help you.

The Attorney Marketing Formula

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan

Not motivated? Try this…

April 23, 2024 by David M. Ward

You don’t want to do it. You might not want to do anything. You’re in a funk.

Action is the cure for what ails you.

The good news is it doesn’t need to have anything to do with the task you’re avoiding. Any meaningful action you take can reset your brain and get you back on track.

Grab a sheet of paper and write down one thing you would feel good about getting done today. It doesn’t matter what it is, or how big it is, only that it’s something you would like to get done.

It could be sending an email to someone who’s asked you a question, jotting down bullet points for an article or letter or brief you need to write, or reviewing a file and thinking about what’s next.

Once you choose something, do it. A small win is a win. Enjoy it. It might be all you need to snap out of it and get back to work.

If you’re still resisting, set a timer for 25 minutes (Pomodoro), or if you’re not up to that, set a timer for 5 minutes, and work on the task. When you’re done, you should feel a bit better. Energized, maybe. Feeling a hit of dopamine from completing a task on your list.

You can also reward yourself by doing something fun. Watch a short video or play your favorite game for a few minutes. More dopamine.

By now, you may feel ready to tackle the thing you’ve been avoiding. If not, do something else meaningful, continue doing that, building momentum, until you are ready.

If that doesn’t happen, if you’re still not up to it, take the rest of the day off and start over tomorrow. New day, new you.

Filed Under: Productivity

How often should you email your newsletter list?

April 22, 2024 by David M. Ward

More often than you think. Because you (probably) think that if you email “too often,” you’ll annoy them and they’ll unsubscribe.

That’s true for some people. But not all.

In fact, the people who need your help the most, and are arguably more likely to hire you, typically want to hear from you more often, not less.

On the other hand, people who signed up to get your free report and aren’t really interested in your newsletter (or your services) might not like it if you email often and may leave.

That’s okay. They weren’t a prospective client. Just a subscriber. And subscribers come and go.

But things aren’t always black and white.

Many subscribers are interested in your services, but aren’t ready to hire you and may not be for a very long time. You don’t want to push them away; you want them to stay on your list until they eventually hire you or refer you.

But I wouldn’t worry about it. If you provide valuable and interesting information in your newsletter, things usually take care of themselves.

So, choose the frequency that feels right to you.

Consider your market (business or consumer) and the length and complexity of your newsletter. Does it require research or are you having a chat with the folks?

Most of all, consider how often you can comfortably publish so you can keep doing it.

For most attorneys, a short email once a week is about right.

Email Marketing for Attorneys

Filed Under: Email, Newsletters

Compelling reasons to hire you

April 18, 2024 by David M. Ward

They need you. They want you. But that doesn’t mean they’re ready to hire you. A lot of things can get in the way between “interested” and “take my money”. It’s up to you to convince them to take the next step. Or more accurately, to provide them with sufficient facts and emotional appeals to enable them to convince themself.

For starters, that requires understanding their problem and how it affects them. Where is their pain? What do they fear? What is their objective and, if they don’t achieve it, what it will cost them and how will they feel?

If they don’t know this, you need to tell them. And provide examples of what happened to other people in their situation.

If they do know what can happen, tell them anyway, and invoke their emotions.

Remind them of the consequences and how bad things can get. And remind them that all is not lost, there are things you can do.

This may take a while. You should be prepared to tell them these things not once but repeatedly until they’re ready to act.

Vary your approach. One time, give them good news. Rainbows and furry animals. Next time, remind them that war is hell and paint a picture of the bloodshed that may ensure.

Use different examples and arguments. Bullet points and essays. The Yin and the Yang. If before you dispassionately told them “just the facts,” now you might get in their face with urgency and alarm.

And don’t stop. You can’t just send them a memo and expect that this will do the trick. You need to stay in touch with prospects (and clients), alternatively poking them and hugging them, and all the while, letting them know you’re ready to talk to them.

The words you use, your copywriting strategy, your tone, are all important. But nothing is as important as continually being “in their minds and mailboxes”.

This is where you hold an edge over your competitors. They may have a better track record or other reasons why someone should hire them, but most don’t stay in touch.

They don’t understand that marketing legal services is a process, not an event.

But you do. And that’s how you win.

Filed Under: Closing the sale, Copywriting