Communication Archives - Page 19 of 30 - The Attorney Marketing Center

How much do you know about your prospective clients?

November 15, 2013 by David M. Ward

You’ll notice that in the headline to this post (or email subject if you are reading it as an email), I use the term “prospective clients” and not “prospects.” That’s because lawyers don’t use the word prospects. Prospects are for sales people. Lawyers have clients and everyone else is a prospective client.

Minor difference? Perhaps. But it’s important to show people you understand them and that starts with speaking the same language.

This morning, I received an email inviting me to join a group. The group describes itself as “An exchange where businesses source legal services.” Some of the benefits of the group:

“Free online project management tools allow you to collaborate with your customer, create project schedules, upload files and receive feedback effortlessly. [company] handles all payment and invoicing on your behalf.”

I don’t really understand what they do and I’m not really interested in learning more. Their email told me everything I needed to know: they don’t know the first thing about lawyers.

If they did, they wouldn’t say things like “collaborate with your customer”. They’re clients, bub, and we don’t collaborate with them. When we get hired, we don’t call them projects. Before I even consider uploading files, I’ve got a million questions you’ll have to answer, and even then, I’d have to think about it. And, thanks for the offer, but we like to take care of the invoicing and money ourselves.

So, from concept to terminology, I knew I wasn’t going to waste any time looking into this.

In marketing legal services, you really need to know your patient.

The Attorney Marketing Formula is for attorneys (and by an attorney). See it here.

Filed Under: Communication, Marketing legal services, Writing

How to deliver a great presentation

November 7, 2013 by David M. Ward

If you’ve never seen Simon Sinek’s TED Talk on inspiring action you’re in for a treat. In it, Sinek explains why companies like Apple captivate and dominate their market when legions of other companies sell boxes that do essentially the same thing. He tells us why the Wright Brothers were first to flight with no funding or credentials that would have predicted their success.

Sinek also helps us to understand the difference between a leader and those who lead, and why great ideas and great products often languish while smaller ideas catch fire.

His talk is filled with wisdom. In a few minutes, he will help you understand the key to success in marketing your services and building a firm that sustains and grows.Â I heartily recommend that you take the time to watch his presentation and learn why it is the second most popular TED Talk with more than 12 million views.

But there’s another reason to watch it. Not only will you learn great insights about marketing and business, you’ll also see a great presentation. As you know, a presentation isn’t just what you say, it’s how you say it. It’s how the information you deliver is packaged and staged. A great presentation connects with the minds and emotions of the audience, and this is a great presentation.

If you want to know how to deliver a great presentation, study this one. See how he packages and presents his information. Learn how you can make your next presentation more effective.

This postÂ makes it easier. It analyzes the structure, style, and delivery of Sinek’s talk, helping us to understand why in a world of presentations, this is one of the greats.

Do you know The Attorney Marketing Formula? Check it out here.

Filed Under: Communication, Law office management, Marketing legal services, Personal development, Presentations, Writing Tagged With: Simon Sinek, TED Talks

The gold standard for legal writing

November 4, 2013 by David M. Ward

Writing for clients and prospects is different than writing for lawyers and judges. I know you know that but are you doing that? Do you write blog posts and articles and books that clients want to read?

I just read several reviews of a lawyer’s book for start-ups and small business owners. I don’t know if the book is any good by legal standards but if the reviews are any indication, the book is a winner. Here’s what one reviewer said:

“I’ve tried to read legal books before, and this is definitely the best. The writing style is crisp and conversational, and the author uses the word “I” and “my clients” to tell stories, so it feels like talking to a very smart and experienced business person rather than plowing through a textbook. The book used a lot of real-life examples, which is the only way I can get my head around legal issues, so I feel like I got more out of this book than the big start-up textbooks I tried before.

. . .really is just like having a two-hour coffee chat with an unusually friendly attorney.”

Another reviewer said

“I suspect this book was written by a real human being, not a conference room full of lawyers. For one thing, it’s not boring. . . .this book talks about business almost as much as it talks about law.”

Readers liked the book and, presumably, the author. For marketing purposes, this lawyer has hit a home run.

She accomplished this by writing to the reader, conversationally, and by using stories about her clients and cases. She also inserted herself into the narrative.

Reviewers also liked that the book “talks about business almost as much as it talks about law”. The author shows that she understands the reader from their point of view in running a business. She understands what it’s like dealing with vendors, for example, and talks about strategy, not just law.

Legal writing for clients and prospects is about connection more than content. Yes, the information is important, but if that connection is absent, the writing will have missed it’s mark.

You want to inform readers about the law. Even more, you want to reach out from the page and speak to them in a way that helps them imagine what it would be like to have you as their lawyer.

For more on legal writing for clients and prospects, get this.

Filed Under: Communication, Marketing legal services, Writing

The wave of the future for attorney marketing

October 24, 2013 by David M. Ward

In the 1967 film, The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman’s character was at a party, wondering about his future career, when he was taken aside and offered some advice. “Plastics. There’s a great future in plastics,” he was told.

Plastics were the next big thing in 1967. Today? Who knows.

The thing is, when it comes to attorney marketing, there is no next big thing. It’s still all about information and people. Always was. Always will be.

Technology changes. Fundamentals don’t.

Educate your market place about the law, about problems and solutions, and about the process. Stay in touch with your clients and prospects. Treat people the way you would like to be treated. That’s all attorneys have ever had to do to build a successful practice and it still is.

Don’t get hung up on what “everyone” else is doing or feel left behind if you aren’t following the latest trend. But don’t stick your head in the sand, either. Technology does make things easier, quicker, and cheaper.

Put content on a website or blog because it makes it easier to educate your market and communicate with clients and prospects, not because someone said you must. Use social media to find and engage people because it expands your reach (and you enjoy it), not because all the cool lawyers do it.

The wave of the future for attorney marketing is information and people, same as always. Slicker and more fun with an iPad, but still the same.

Starting or expanding your website or blog? Start here.

Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Client relations, Communication, Legal industry, Marketing legal services, Online Marketing, Social media, Technology

How often should I send my newsletter?

October 16, 2013 by David M. Ward

Back before email, you know, in the days when people used paper, lawyers routinely asked me, “How often should I send my newsletter?” I usually suggested monthly. In part, because of the cost of printing and mailing, but also because it might take a whole month to accumulate enough material for a print newsletter.

Not anymore.

With email, there is essentially no cost. And you don’t need to have pages of content to call it a newsletter. You can send a few paragraphs and call it a day.

So, today, when I’m asked, “how often should I send my newsletter?” my answer is weekly. At a minimum. Mail often.Â Here’s why.

Marketing has always been about building relationships. You carry on a conversation with prospects, finding out what they need and want, giving them information and recommendations, and also asking them to do something for you from time to time. Do this and when these people need legal services, or know someone who does, there’s no question about who they’re going to call.

People only have so much room in their lives for relationships with other people (lawyers). And they can only read so many emails. You are competing with other lawyers in your space to be “the one”.

I get quite a few attorneys telling me always they read my emails and those from one or two other lawyer marketing folks. There are dozens, perhaps hundreds, they could choose to read, but they choose me.

One reason is that I deliver a quality message. It’s not “sell, sell, sell,” like some others do. I believe in giving my subscribers what I want: practical information that helps improve my life, presented in an interesting (i.e., non-academic) way. I aim for 95% value and 5% “sell”.

It works. Just yesterday I received an email from an attorney who said,

“. . .you are really providing substantive, useful content. Not. . . designed primarily to add me to â€œyour listâ€. Actual content. Actual value. I am getting something out of almost every single posting. Damn! I am going out of my way to read your stuff. Thank you.”

He also bought several of my courses yesterday. Thank you, Jere!

The other reason I am on many lawyer’s short reading list is that I email five days a week. The frequency of my emails helps me stay in front of subscribers, reminding them that I’m still here.

So, email frequently.Â And don’t just send legal stuff. Mix it up with consumer tips, personal stories, and profiles. Tell them what you are doing to be more productive. Tell them what you are reading. Share videos you find online.

I’ve written about this subject before and I will do so again. It’s important. Lawyers need to have a list and they need to stay in touch with the people on that list. The easiest way to do that is with email.

Sales pitch alert: My course, “Make the Phone Ring,” shows you how to get clients online and through email. If you don’t have an email list, you’ll find out what to do. If you do have a list, you’ll find out what to send.

Marketing with email is simple. Build a list. Deliver value. Email often.

Filed Under: Communication, Email, Marketing legal services, Newsletters, Online Marketing Tagged With: email frequency, how often to send email newsletter, weekly newsletter

Creating an operations manual for your law practice

October 1, 2013 by David M. Ward

Early in my career I rented space from an attorney who had a very lucrative high volume personal injury practice.

He had half a dozen employees, including one attorney, and everything ran very smoothly. The office was busy but quiet. Everything was orderly. They never seemed to miss deadlines or suffer a major crisis.

One reason why the office was so successful was that the attorney had prepared an operations manual. Every aspect of the practice was documented. Every employee knew what they were supposed to do.

He created the manual, I was told, so that if someone quit or went on maternity leave or got sick, the new hire or temp would be able to quickly get up to speed.

The manual explained how to open a new file, how to close a file, and everything in between. There were forms and checklists for every stage of the case, and fill-in-the-blank form letters, too. The calendaring procedure was spelled out in detail.

As a result, nothing fell through the cracks. The cases got worked and settled or tried. Things moved quickly. Mistakes were rare.

I never saw the actual manual but hearing about it inspired me to create my own. I started by making extra copies of every letter I wrote and putting them in a separate file. I created checklists for repetitive tasks. I asked other attorneys I knew for copies of their forms and form letters and re-wrote them to suit my style and work flow.

I was also able to build a sizable practice with a relatively small staff, in part, because of my manual.

One of the benefits of going through this process is that it forces you to think about everything you do, allowing you to find ways to do them better. You find holes in your procedures, places where mistakes can happen, and you can patch them. You find wasteful tasks and can eliminate them. You see opportunities for doing things faster.

You also find ways to improve client relations. For example, you may discover gaps in communicating progress to clients about their case, or find ways to make their experience less stressful. Repeat business and referrals will increase because you always send welcome letters and thank you letters and remember clients’ birthdays.

The bottom line is that creating an operations manual for your law practice will save time, save money, help you avoid errors (and malpractice claims), and make your practice run more smoothly and more profitably.

If you don’t have an operations manual for your practice, I encourage you to start one. If you have staff, enlist their aid. If you do have a manual, make a note to review it periodically, so you can update it with changes in the law, new forms, and new ideas.

You’ll thank me later.

For more on creating an operations manual, see The Attorney Marketing Formula

Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Client loyalty, Client relations, Communication, Increase your income, Law office management, Marketing legal services, Productivity Tagged With: avoiding malpractice, client satisfaction, creating an operations manual, law practice management, managing your law firm, training new employees

When was the last time a client made you cry?

September 27, 2013 by David M. Ward

You say you care about your clients but is this really true?

Do you comfort them when they are afraid? Do you offer a shoulder to cry on when they are in pain? Do you offer them hope for a better future when they despair?

Many lawyers go through the motions with their clients, saying things that need to be said but not really meaning it. I know, you can’t do a good job for your clients if you fall apart emotionally. But I also know you can’t do a good job for your clients if you don’t feel anything.

Being a lawyer is about getting results, but even more, it’s about making people feel that you will do everything you can to help them, not because they paid you to do so but because you truly care about them.

You can’t fake it. Leadership author John C. Maxwell said, “People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.”

Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Communication, Personal development

Marketing wisdom from the founders of two great companies

September 20, 2013 by David M. Ward

Edwin Land, co-founder of Polaroid, said, “Marketing is what you do when your product is no good.”

I don’t think he literally meant that a good product sells itself, but darn close. Clearly, marketing is easier when you have the right product or service.

Lawyers don’t sell innovative products that make people go “wow”. They sell results and effort. Clients can see the former. They often don’t see or appreciate the latter. Your job is to make sure they do.

For lawyers, marketing is more than what you do, it’s who you are. Your values. Your compassion. Your hard work. You must care about your clients and your clients must know it. They must feel about you the way you feel about them.

David Packard, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, said, “Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department.” For lawyers, truer words were never spoken.

Marketing is simple, when you know The Formula

Filed Under: Client relations, Communication, Marketing legal services Tagged With: david packard, edwin land, marketing quotes

How often should I write to my clients and prospects?

September 13, 2013 by David M. Ward

When it comes to writing clients and prospects, many lawyers are worried about writing too often. Instead, they should be worried about not writing often enough.

You need to stay in touch with people on your lists, to remind them that you are still around, and still available to solve legal problems. They need to continually see your name and think nice thoughts about you, so that when they have a legal problem, or know someone who does, you’ll be “in their minds and in their mailboxes”.

The more often you write, the more business you’ll get.

Is there such a thing as too much or too often?

Sure. If you write boring, self-serving crappola, once is too much.

On the other hand, if you send interesting, helpful information that your clients and prospects want to read, you almost can’t write too often.

Let’s not make this more complicated than it needs to be. Make a vow to send high quality information, interesting stories, and valuable resources to the people on your list. Then, pick a schedule and stick to it.

Write often. It doesn’t have to be long. A few paragraphs is enough if that’s all you have to say. Link to an article or video you thought they would like to see and tell them why. Tell them about a change in the law that might affect them. Give them a few tips.

Instead of a monthly newsletter with several articles, send one article once a week. That gives you four opportunities to connect, and shorter articles probably have a better chance of being read instead of set aside “for later” and never opened.

Actually, it really doesn’t matter if they read what you write. What’s important is that they see your name. Better once a week than once in awhile.

If you want hundreds of ideas for articles, blogs posts, and emails, get this.

Filed Under: Blogging, Client loyalty, Communication, Email, Marketing legal services, Newsletters, Online Marketing, Referrals Tagged With: attorney newsletter, client newsletters, email frequency

What are you NOT telling your clients?

September 12, 2013 by David M. Ward

There are no little things in marketing or client relations. Everything is important.

I just spoke to someone who went to his dentist expecting to pay $80 for a cleaning but when he went to pay the bill, he had to fork over $128. It seems that when he called to inquire about the cost of the cleaning (he’s on a budget and wanted to make sure he had enough in his account), he was told it would be $80. He was NOT told that there would be an additional charge for the exam.

It is a lot of money (to him). It is a big deal (to him). When he called to ask “how much,” the dentist should have made sure he was told what the total charge would be.

A professional (or any business) cannot be sloppy about details, especially when it comes to money. People notice. Any trust they had for you before will be in jeopardy.

“What else aren’t they telling me?”

Never assume your clients know anything. If you’ve told them the fees and costs, tell them again. If there might be extras, make sure they know and get their okay before you go ahead.

I’m not suggesting you get all paranoid and lawyer-like, (wait, that’s redundant) and get their initials on everything, in triplicate. Just be aware. And sensitive.

Your client is your mother, and trust me, you don’t want to mess with Mom.

Marketing is everything we do to get and keep good clients. Everything.Â

Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Communication, Fees and Billing, Law office management, Marketing legal services