Thinking of going solo? You must be crazy.

June 20, 2012 by
Share

I was reading an article that had questions you should ask yourself before you go solo. Questions like, are you self-disciplined, can you financially and emotionally handle not having a steady income, and do you like wearing many hats because in the beginning, you’ll be doing everything yourself.

If you are a sole practitioner, you may have asked yourself these types of questions before you took the plunge. If you’re thinking about going solo, you may be going through this process right now. But if you’re like a lot of attorneys today, you may not bother asking these types of questions, you’re going solo because you have no choice.

Maybe you’re fresh out of law school and you can’t find a job. Maybe you got laid off and know that the odds of replacing the job you just lost are very slim. Or maybe you just can’t stand what you’re doing and you need to be on your own.

Solo practice sounds exciting. No one to report to, make your own hours, do your own thing. In reality, sole practitioners put in longer hours and have far more pressure on them than their employed counterparts.

You have to bring in the clients and do all the work, and since most newly minted sole practitioners don’t have employees, you have to do all the ancillary chores as well. There are no benefits, paid vacations, or sick days. And when you’re the only one who shows up for work every day, it can get lonely.

A solo practice is actually a very poor business model.

And yet, many attorneys make it work.

I wasn’t one of those who was ideally suited to being a sole practitioner. I just knew I couldn’t work for anyone else.

I had worked for my father for a year out of law school and then opened my own office. I must have been crazy to do it. I had no clients, no money in the bank, and very little experience as an attorney. On top of that, I was 24 and looked 20.

From day one it was a constant struggle to survive and it was five years before I actually had anything resembling a successful practice.

I went solo because I had to. I survived because I had to.

If you’re thinking of going solo, do it because you have the experience, the clients, the financial staying power, and the temperament to run your own show. Or do it because you have no choice.

When you have no other options, you keep going. You figure it out. You do what you have to do.

One more thing. When everyone says you’re crazy for doing it, just keep thinking about how good it will feel when you prove them wrong.

Share
Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Inspiration, Legal industry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Is marketing legal services hard work?

May 22, 2012 by
Share

It’s just work. Marketing, that is. And it’s not hard, really. Compared to the rest of what you do, how hard is it to make a few calls or write a few emails?

It’s not hard to write an article or outline a talk. It’s not hard to invite someone for coffee. It’s not hard to hand write a thank you note to your new clients.

It’s not hard to do these things. It’s just work. But you have to do it.

I heard from an attorney yesterday who has a friend who always seems to have plenty of new clients, yet he doesn’t “do” any marketing. Trust me, he does. If he has a big enough base of clients, which he does after twenty years of practice, marketing for him means little more than saying please and thank you and staying in touch with his former clients. He did the “hard work” years ago when he had no clients. Now, marketing is so easy for him it appears like he isn’t doing any.

The hard part for many attorneys isn’t the work, it’s the ego. If you believe you “shouldn’t have to do this,” you’re going to resent doing it and it will be unpleasant for you. If instead, you believe that marketing is part of the job, not beneath you and really not that difficult, you might actually enjoy it.

You’ve got to get your ego out of the way and just do the work. Schedule time on your calendar every day for marketing and keep the appointment with yourself. Even 15 minutes a day will help you make progress, if you do it every day.

It’s just work.

Share
Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Client relations, Marketing legal services, Personal development, Thank you letters Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Build a more profitable law practice by relaxing and doing less

May 9, 2012 by
Share

Yesterday, I spoke with an attorney who is on the verge of burnout. I could hear it in his voice. After thirty years of practice, he’s struggling to attract clients, he’s stressed out and he doesn’t know what to do.

He tells me he’s competent and people like him when they meet him. “Put me in front of someone and they’ll sign up,” he said. He doesn’t do a lot of networking and admits he doesn’t get in front of enough people.

He has a web site and a blog for each of his five practice areas. He’s spent considerable time and money creating content for his blogs and optimizing them for search engines. Unfortunately, the clients who have contacted him through his site have had little money or were looking for free advice.

Within a couple of minutes, I could see his problem and told him what I thought. I could do that because his “ailment” is so common. Like many attorneys, he’s spread too thin and trying to do too much.

I told him he needed to slow down and get focused. Choose one practice area, the one he likes and is best at, and stick with it. His background is in business law. He doesn’t like doing divorces but that’s the kinds of clients his web site seems to be attracting so he added that to his repertoire. While you can’t ignore what the market wants, you are never a slave to it.

I also told him to specialize in the kinds of clients he represents. Some clients are better than others. They have more money and more legal work, the kind you enjoy doing, and you should concentrate on attracting them. Choose an industry or market niche where you have some knowledge and experience and own it. Everything is easier when you do.

His blogs have a lot of content but I suspect it is content created for search engines more than for real people. When you write for SEO purposes you often wind up with content that is mechanically correct but lifeless. When your content is organic, coming from your experiences with real clients, you attract similar clients who resonate with your message.

The process I recommended was one of subtraction: getting rid of most of what he was doing and starting over with a clean slate. Most of his good clients had come through referrals and that’s where they will continue to come from, once he stops trying so hard.

Marketing professional services should be a natural outgrowth of who you are. It starts with knowing what you want and giving yourself permission to have it, choosing your clients instead of letting them choose you.

Relax, do less, but do what you are, not what an SEO expert says you should be.

Share
Filed Under: Blogging, Career satisfaction, Communication, Dealing with stress, Marketing legal services, Online Marketing, Specializing, Web traffic Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why some lawyers shouldn’t bother with marketing

March 22, 2012 by
Share

On a discussion board I follow, a link had been posted to an article about why attorneys should write a blog. Several attorneys added their comments, most of which were in agreement.

One poster said, “In an industry which is increasingly commoditized, blogging allows a a lawyer to show creativity and wit — skill sets that are underrepresented in the profession, but vital for client development and practice management.”

Another mentioned that blog posts provide a record of your ideas and create an inventory of material you can use elsewhere in your marketing.

Good stuff.

But one comment in particular caught my attention: “I would be concerned that if the public began to know you too well, legal strategies could be predicted.”

Sure, we all have a few tricks up our sleeves we don’t want everyone knowing, but c’mon, that’s not a reason to avoid blogging.

Want to know what I think? I think she’s afraid. She’s afraid that if she writes a blog, she will no longer be able to hide behind her technical skills, she will have to expose her true self to the world.

And she’s right.

Building a law practice means building relationships. You have to meet people and make them like and trust you. You can’t do that without showing them who you really are.

When you write a blog or a newsletter, or do any public speaking or networking, you must do more than state the facts and provide the citations. You must give color and contrast to what you write or say, and that means injecting your personality, your opinions and your experiences.

Clients buy us before they buy our services. If you want people to like and trust you, you have to expose yourself to them and if you’re not willing to do that, you probably shouldn’t bother with marketing. You’ll be happier in a job where client development isn’t required or with a partner who is good at bringing in new business while you handle the paperwork.

There are many reasons why you should write a blog. There’s only one reason you shouldn’t: you don’t want to.

Share
Filed Under: Blogging, Career satisfaction, Image, Marketing legal services Tagged With: , ,

If Goldilocks went to law school

February 27, 2012 by
Share

You can’t blame us for feeling the stress of our jobs as attorneys. After all, we deal with other people’s problems all day long. Some problems have life or death consequences. Others hold us accountable for every word in a fifty page document. A single omission could cost millions.

There are unrelenting demands on our time and we are under tremendous pressure to perform. Some attorneys find it difficult to cope with the stress. We read about them in the back pages of our bar journals. Most attorneys find acceptable ways to handle the pressure, however, and some even thrive on it.

What about you? Do you have too much stress in your life?

When Goldilocks ate the first bowl of porridge, it was too hot. The second bowl was too cold. She found the third bowl was just right and “ate it all up.” I think stress is like that. Too much stress can lead to burn out. There are warning signs and ways to cope, but while there may be ways to handle the stress you have to ask yourself, “Is it worth it?” If not, it’s time to make some fundamental changes in what you’re doing.

If you have no stress in your life, however, if the porridge is too cold, it’s likely that you’re not growing. If you never try anything new, never get outside your comfort zone, at best your routine will become boring. At worst it will lead to stagnation and eventually, the death of your spirit.

Your challenge is to find a level of stress in your life that is “just right”. Not too hot, not too cold. You don’t need to read books or go to therapy to figure this out. All you have to do is regularly ask yourself a simple question: “Am I happy?”

Share
Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Dealing with stress, Personal development Tagged With: , , , , ,

Why attorneys need to drink more booze

January 24, 2012 by
Share

My wife once told me I needed to drink more alcohol. She said I was too uptight and needed to loosen up.

She wasn’t serious (about the alcohol part) but I had to admit she had a point. Attorneys can be pretty serious folks at times.

You and I know a lot of attorneys. As a group, what are they like? Most of the ones I know are intelligent, hard working, responsible, and professional. They have families and hobbies and a life outside of the office. They are successful and well-rounded.

At the same time, most of the attorneys I know are very analytical and a bit uptight.

Like me.

No matter what kind of law we practice, we are all in the people business. People hire (and employ) lawyers they like and if you’re not likable, you’re making things harder on yourself.

So, if you’re a stick in the mud, or have a stick where the sun doesn’t shine, if people don’t “get” you, if you are completely unable to win friends and influence people, you might want to work on that.

I use humor to overcome my natural tendencies. I like to make people laugh. It’s a great ice breaker and helps when I’m speaking to a group.

If you need to loosen up, consider doing something different:

  • Acting classes
  • Public speaking classes
  • Stand up comedy
  • Music/art
  • Exercise
  • Sky diving/race car driving/fire walking
  • Personal development courses
  • Therapy

If you want more people to like you, you don’t have to become the life of the party. You do need to have that stick removed.

Share
Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Personal development, success Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The problem with free consultations (and my offer to you)

January 18, 2012 by
Share

People prefer to hire lawyers they know, like, and trust. One of the best ways to get prospects to know, like, and trust you is to give them a sample of what you do.

To some extent, that’s what you do when you provide free information. Blog posts, reports, articles, seminars, and so on, give prospective clients an insight into what you have done for others, suggesting that you can do the same for them. They can see you know what you’re doing and get a sense for what it would be like to work with you. Through your words, they come to know, like, and trust you, bringing them one step closer to hiring you.

And yet, of all the people who read or listen to your information, only a small percentage actually take it upon themselves to call and book an appointment. There’s too big of a gap between “reader” and “client”. One way to bridge that gap is by offering a free consultation.

Free consultations allow you to initiate a personal relationship with a prospect and provide them with “customized” information. It’s one thing to provide generic information in your practice area, quite another to interpret that information in the context of a prospect’s particular problem. Prospects who read your information may like what you say and the stories you share but this will never take the place of actually speaking with you.

Done right, free consultations can bring in a lot of business. The problem with free consultations, especially in practice areas where they are common, is that they are usually not done right.

“Free” is one of the most powerful words in the dictionary, but just because something is free doesn’t mean anyone will want it. Many prospects today, seeing that most attorneys in your field offer free consultations, don’t see the value in yours. In fact, many prospects see no value in a consultation, believing it is just an excuse to get them into your office so you can do a sales pitch for your services. Unfortunately, for many attorneys, that’s exactly what it is.

One solution is to include a detailed description of everything the prospect gets as part of the free consultation. Tell them what they will learn, what you will explain, what you will do for them, and what you will give them (e.g., reports, checklists, case evaluation, issue summary, etc.).

Also tell them how they will benefit. Yes, you evaluate their situation and explain their options, but so what? What does that mean to them? It means they will be able to make better decisions about what to do, making it more likely that they will resolve their problem or achieve their objective. It means they will save time or money. It means they will be one step closer to eliminating their anxiety and worry and sleepless nights.

In other words, you can’t simply say the magic words “free consultation” and expect people to come running. You have to “sell” it.

Let me give you an example with my own services.

Starting today, until further notice, I’m offering free consultations for my consulting and coaching services. These will be on a first come, first served basis since I can only do so many of these and I expect to get a lot of response.

During our consultation we’ll talk about where you are and where you would like to be in your career. I’ll ask questions and I will give you my advice. I won’t mince words. I’ll tell you straight out what I think you should do. As a result, you’ll know exactly what to do to bring in more clients, increase your income, or otherwise improve your current situation.

In addition, you’ll be able to ask me questions. You can ask about marketing, cash flow, productivity, goals, or anything else that’s on your mind.

As you know, I’m not somebody who simply read a few marketing books and set up a web site. I practiced law for more than twenty years and learned (the hard way) what it takes to bring in good, paying clients. I know what works and what doesn’t, what works quickly and what doesn’t, because I’ve tried it all. I’ve been in your shoes. I know what it’s like to struggle to make rent. I know what it’s like to question whether you made the right choice of career or specialty or market. I also know what it’s like when the business is coming in faster than you can handle.

I have seventeen years experience consulting with attorneys and helping them to get more clients and increase their income. But then if you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know most of this. That’s why you read it.

These consultations are free and there is no obligation to you whatsoever. Sure, I hope that after the consultation you will want to hire me or buy something from me, but that’s not important. What’s important is that I give you so much value during our consultation, so many ideas for taking your practice to a much higher level, that you can’t wait to get started. I know that if I deliver that to you, we’ll do business some day.

Because I expect to get a lot of response to this offer, I must limit these consultations to 15 minutes. Therefore, after we schedule your consultation, please email me as much information as possible about your current situation. Tell me your problems, obstacles, questions and objectives, so that when we talk, we can get right to the solutions.

Fair enough?

If you’re interested in setting up a consultation, please email info[at]attorneymarketing.com and put “consultation 15” in the subject. Give me three dates and times when you will be available for 15 minutes and the best telephone number to reach you. (I’m in California, so mind the time zone.) I’ll email back and we’ll confirm the date and time.

I look forward to helping you make 2012 your best year ever.

Share
Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Coaching, Increase your income, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan, success Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When you’re not the best lawyer in town

January 16, 2012 by
Share

So you’re not the best attorney in your field. You didn’t finish first in your class. You’re not the best presenter, writer, or negotiator.

You’re just you, someone who loves being a lawyer and helping people.

And you know what? That’s enough.

You don’t have to be the best to have a very satisfying and rewarding career. In the long run, your passion for what you do will attract everything you need. You can learn what you need to know and get better at what you do.

But you must be willing to grow.

Unfortunately, many lawyers stop growing the day they receive their license. The got school “out of the way” and then switched gears to focus on building a career.

Oh they go through the motions of continuing their education but mostly because they have to, not because they want to. Soon they find themselves in a rut, a career rut where billable hours and overhead and moving up the ladder are job one. In time, many such lawyers find themselves dissatisfied with their careers, but often they don’t know why.

It’s because they’ve stopped growing.

Charles Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” Lawyers who stop learning stop adapting to the changes around them. If they’re not careful, they’ll find themselves on the endangered species list.

Learning and growth aren’t limited to the law, however. There is much more to being a lawyer. You need to learn marketing. You need to understand human psychology. You should be able to read a balance sheet. And much more.

I heard someone say (on LinkedIn, I think) that it’s no longer acceptable for an attorney to say they are “computer illiterate”. Yet many attorneys are functionally so. Yes, you can hire people to do what you don’t want to do, but in the wired world we live in today, someone who refuses to learn some basic computer skills might as well waive a white flag and call it a day.

Never stop learning. Never stop growing. Never stop adapting to the changes around you. That’s how you will survive in this jungle.

Share
Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Continuing Legal Education, Inspiration, Personal development Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Designing the perfect legal career

January 2, 2012 by
Share

In Steven Covey’s, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” habit 2 is, “Begin with the end in mind“. Determine your destination before you begin so you wind up where you want to go. Covey says, “If your ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step you take gets you to the wrong place faster.”

So, where do you want to go in your career?

I assume you want to be successful. Well, what does success look like for you?

Take some time today to answer this question:

“If my practice/career/job were perfect in every way, what would it look like?”

Write down your answer. Here are some additional questions to help you clarify your “destination”:

  • Where would you be living?
  • Who would you work for?
  • What kind of office would you have or would you work from home?
  • How many hours would you work?
  • What services would you offer?
  • How much would you charge?
  • How much would you earn per month or per year?
  • What kinds of clients would you work with?
  • How many people would you employ?
  • What systems or tools would you use?
  • What makes you different from other attorneys?

Once you’ve got something on paper, take a step back and look at what you wrote. Did you write what you think you should be doing based on where you are right now or did you turn on your dream machine and “go for it”?

Forget logic for a few minutes. Quiet the adult in you and let the little kid speak. Ask your inner genie to grant you three wishes.

No rules. No restrictions. No responsibilities. What does your perfect career (or life) look like?

It’s your career, after all, your journey. Where do you want to wind up?

Share
Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Goal Setting, Inspiration, Personal development Tagged With: , , , , , ,

How to promote your legal services without feeling sleazy

December 30, 2011 by
Share

sleazy lawyer attorneyAre you uncomfortable with self-promotion? I think most people are, even those of us with “healthy” egos.

According to this inc.com article, “How to Self-Promote–Without Being Sleezy,” we feel this way in large part because of what we believe our friends will think.

Of course “being sleazy,” as the author (or her editor) words it, and “feeling sleazy” aren’t necessarily the same thing. It’s not per se sleazy to promote yourself, yet we may still feel that it is.

Why? It comes down to our sense that when we promote ourselves, our friends will be jealous and stop being our friends. Or something like that.

I say, stop worrying about what your friends think. If they are truly your friends, they will support you even if they are a bit jealous. And if they’re not your friends, it’s okay to let them go.

Okay, that’s easier said than done. Let’s turn to the article for some suggestions on how to lesson the impact:

  1. Tell the story of the struggle behind the success.
  2. Be excited, but be humbled.
  3. Give credit where credit is due.
  4. Enlist the help of your friends to get the word out.

Okay, good ideas. But nobody wants to listen to your broken record about how great you are, not even your mother. So if you really want to do a good job of promoting your services, and not turn anybody off or feel sleazy about it, here’s what you should do:

Don’t talk about yourself.

Talk about your clients and prospects. Talk about their problems and the available solutions. Talk about the law and the procedure. And talk about your other clients and what they have been able to achieve.

Do this with intelligence and grace and you won’t have to promote yourself.

Share
Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Image, Marketing legal services Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »