Image Archives - Page 8 of 13 - The Attorney Marketing Center

How to stand out in a crowded market

August 5, 2014 by David M. Ward

In The Attorney Marketing Formula I talk about how to differentiate yourself from other lawyers. There are many things you can do within your core practice areas to show people how you are different and give them a reason to hire you instead of other lawyers.

Half the battle is being noticed and remembered. We all look alike. We all wear the same suits and speak the same language. Go downtown and you can spot the lawyers half a block away.

Anyway, what if you had something else you were known for? Something that has nothing to do with being a lawyer but everything to do with being you?

Perhaps you are the personal injury lawyer who likes opera. Or theÂ Texas criminal defense lawyer who loves the Yankees. Or a small business lawyer who put herself through law school playing in poker tournaments.

Different. And memorable.

Take something from your personal life, present or past, and wear it like an emblem. When people see you walking down the street, they’ll remember you as the lawyer who used to play in a rock band or the lawyer who collects Native American art.

It’s a little hook to help you stand out, but it also opens up possibilities for networking in a niche market where you have knowledge and contacts.

When I was in grammar school, there was a kid who always wore green socks. Every day, in fact. He had an Irish surname but I think I asked him once and he told me he just liked green. Today, decades later, I still remember his name and those green socks.

Maybe you could be the lawyer who always wears green socks. Or red. Or bow ties. Or a scorpion lapel pin.

I don’t know what your thing is, but whatever it is, once I associate it with you, I’ll probably remember you. It might not be enough to hire you or send your referrals, but you’ve got a better shotÂ than than the lawyers I met once but can’t remember.

Learn more about how to stand out in a crowded market. Get this.

Filed Under: Image, Marketing legal services

The Better Business Bureau for lawyers: what are the benefits?

July 14, 2014 by David M. Ward

What are the benefits of the Better Business Bureau for lawyers? More than anything: trust. Being able to say that you are a member in good standing of the BBB tells clients and prospective clients (and those who might refer them) that you are one of the good guys.

Being accredited by the BBB allows you to post their badge on your website and in your office, and use it in your advertising. If that makes even one prospective client choose you instead of another attorney, it will be well worth it.

To prospective clients, lawyers’ ads and websites all look pretty much the same. Clients look for anything that can distinguish you from your competition in even the smallest way. BBB membership could be just the thing that tips the balance in your favor.

Being a member also gives you verisimilitude when you talk and write about the subject of trust. As a member of the BBB, you are holding yourself accountable by aligning yourself with an organization that encourages feedback from the public.

The BBB doesn’t rate you in the same way that Martindale or AVVO might. An A+ rating from the BBB is easier to achieve than A-V, however, and more people are familiar with the BBB.

There are additional benefits to belonging, as this articleÂ points out. I wouldn’t count on getting any business through the directory or through these other methods, but you certainly might.

In a world that increasingly distrusts lawyers, anything you can do to foster trust is a good thing. Take a look at what your local BBBÂ has to offer.

For more ways to build trust, get this

Filed Under: Image, Law office management, Marketing legal services Tagged With: BBB, Better Business Bureau, building trust

Striking a balance between accessibility and availability

July 3, 2014 by David M. Ward

At one extreme are lawyers who are always available. They give out their cell phone number to everyone, answer their own phone, and respond almost immediately to email. There is no buffer between them and the world.

At the other extreme are lawyers who are hard to reach and hardly ever available. Clients and prospects speak to intermediaries. If they want to speak with the lawyer, they make an appointment and it might be days or weeks before that takes place.

Always being available is neither good posture, nor a good way to value and manage your time. If you are always reachable, people will start to expect it. You don’t make your schedule, others do. Â It doesn’t allow you to focus on the most important people and tasks in front of you. And, if people can’t reach you when they want to, as they have come to expect, you will have disappointed them.

Some lawyers can (and do) successfully maintain the other extreme. They are very difficult to reach and are thus seen as successful and desirable. Not everyone can pick up the phone and speak to Donald Trump whenever they want to. You have to pass through the gauntlet before you get an audience with The Donald.

It takes the right practice area and clientele to pull this off, however, as well as a high degree of confidence. If you are inclined towards this position, do you establish these guidelines first, before you are busy and successful, or do you evolve into this persona when you’ve got the chops to prove it? Tough call.

For most lawyers, it’s probably best to strike a balance between availability and accessibility. Be reasonably accessible but not always available. Don’t give out your cell phone number to everyone, reserve that for your inner circle or perhaps also for your best clients. Don’t make people wait weeks to see you, but don’t tell them they can see you “any time this week”. (Give them a couple of open time slots later in the week.) Don’t ignore messages or turn everything over to intermediaries. Return messages in a reasonably timely manner.

Show people that you are accessible but that you value your time and are busy doing important work. Unless it is an emergency, they need to accommodate your schedule, and they may need to speak to someone else before they can speak to you.

Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Client relations, Image, Law office management, Productivity

People tell me I’m funny, but looks aren’t everything

May 5, 2014 by David M. Ward

Apparently, being funny is good for your career. According to this article, there are lots of benefits to a sense of humor in the workplace.

But what if you’re not funny?

We all know people who seem to be humorless. They may appreciate other people’s humor but they simply don’t have it in them to make anyone laugh.

Can you learn to be funny? I’m thinking not. And the only thing worse than having no sense of humor is thinking you do.

Trying to be funny when you don’t have a funny bone could do a lot of harm. In front of a jury, for example, a natural sense of humor, used appropriately, can score points. If you miss, it could be disastrous.

Some lawyers take “stand up comedy” courses. Others take acting classes to learn how to loosen up in front of a crowd. Do they help? Maybe. But at the end of the day, I’m in the camp that says you either have it or you don’t.

If you’re not naturally funny, it’s okay. On the Star Trek series, the Klingon characterÂ Worf is depicted as someone with no sense of humor. Nevertheless, he is respected, trusted, and generally liked. He would die to protect his friends and colleagues, he just won’t die laughing.

A sense of humor is a valuable asset but there are other ways to improve communication and foster liking and trust. Becoming a good listener is a notable example and it is a skill that can be learned.

In Dale Carnegie’s, “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” he doesn’tÂ say anything aboutÂ being funny. He does talk about the next best thing: smiling. When you smile, people see you as happy and friendly and nice, and they like you because of it. When you smile, they smile and they feel good about themselves, and about you.

Smile and the world smiles with you. Tell a bad joke and the world rolls their eyes.

Filed Under: Communication, Image, Networking, Personal development, Public Speaking Tagged With: humor, smiling

How do I become an expert in my field?

April 25, 2014 by David M. Ward

“How do I become an expert in my field?” Good news. In the eyes of most prospective clients, you already are.

You have the license, the big leather chair, and you wear a suit and tie. With most consumers, it doesn’t take more than that. With many business clients, it doesn’t take a lot more.

But what about other lawyers? Do they see you as an expert? If they do, you probably get lots of referrals from them, and not just any referrals but big cases and valuable clients. You may also be sought after for interviews and speaking engagements that further enhance your reputation.

Being an expert has it’s privileges, yes? So, how do you develop an expert reputation?

Winning big cases and having prestigious clients, that’s how. But. . . how do you get the big cases and prestigious clients if you don’t have the reputation?

It is a “Catch 22”. But fortunately, in marketing, perception is everything. You are an expert if people perceive you to beÂ one and there are things you can do to enhance that perception.

One of the best things you can do to be seen as an expert is to associate with experts. Identify people who are already acknowledged as successful in your field or marketÂ and associate with them. Go to the events they go to and meet them. Get your picture taken with them. Introduce them to other people you know at the event (even if you just met them that day).

Mention their name on your blog. Congratulate them on their recent victory. Link to their website. Quote them in your writing and speaking.

Contact them and ask to interview them for your blog, article, or newsletter. Suggest their name as a guest speaker at other events you attend. Send them some business.

You start where you are. Eventually, you’re having lunch with acknowledged experts, being seen with them, learning from them, and being introduced by them to other experts, on your way to being seen as an expert in your own right.

We are judged by the company we keep. If you associate with successful people, othersÂ will assume that you have their seal of approval and accept you into their circles. Then, someone hires you or give you a referral and you’re on your way.

I love it when a plan comes together, don’t you?

Your clients and contacts can help you quickly get a lot of business. Here’s how.

Filed Under: Image, Networking, Referral sources Tagged With: Law of Association

How to get maximum bang for your marketing buck

February 11, 2014 by David M. Ward

I talk a lot about the value of doing a few minutes of marketing activity every day rather than several hours once in awhile. I do that because if you’re like me (and I know you are), if you don’t do something every day you probably won’t do it at all.

(I find it easier to write a daily blog post than the monthly print newsletter I used to write because my daily scribblings are now part of my regular routine.)

But if you want to get maximum returns for your marketing efforts, think in terms of marketing campaigns.

Here’s what I mean.

Instead of writing a blog post this week, doing a speaking engagement next week, and a video the week after that, do it all in the same week. Don’t run one ad per month over the next year, run 12 spots this week. Instead of setting up a table at a networking event (if that’s something you are inclined to do), do the table, run an ad in the newsletter, get yourself booked to speak, and invite three centers of influence who belong to that group to lunch–in the same week.

Pile up the activity in a short period of time. And use one thing (e.g., your ad) to promote another (e.g., your talk).

In this way, prospective clients and referral sources will see and hear you “everywhere”. You will appear to be more prominent and in demand. More people will notice you, remember you, and want to associate with you.

If I told you that this week I’ll be the guest on three different podcasts and have two articles and a new book coming out, even if you don’t hear the podcasts or see the articles or book, I will have made an impression on you. You’re thinking, “he’s busy, he’s in demand, I should probably listen to him.” I would not have made that impression if that activity were spaced out over the next year.

But here’s the thing. With a whirlwind week like that, I might not do much else for several months and you won’t notice. The impression that I’m busy will remain.

Do something every day that could be called marketing. Release it to the world in waves.

Have you done a 30 Day Referral Blitz?Â

Filed Under: Image, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan Tagged With: focus, marketing campaigns

Law firm marketing: why you need to zag when other lawyers zig

December 20, 2013 by David M. Ward

Most lawyers are pretty much like their counterparts. We all do the same kinds of work for the same kinds of clients and get it done with the same degree of skill and efficiency.

At least that’s what most people think.

If you’re better than average, you need to let the world know. Brag a little. Strut your stuff. Prove that you’re the better choice.

If you’ve got a successful track record, awards, endorsements, testimonials, and the like, they should be featured in your marketing.

But what if you don’t? Or what if your accolades aren’t any more impressive than the next guy’s or gal’s? What if you’re just getting started in your law career? How do you stand out in a massively crowded field?

You need to be different. When everyone zigs you need to zag.

If you do what everyone else does, the way everyone else does it, you’ll blend into the fabric of lawyerdom, where everyone looks alike and smells alike, and you will get lost.

Instead, I encourage you to get creative about how you package and present yourself. The good news is that because most lawyers are bland and boring conformists, it doesn’t take much to stand out.

What do most lawyers in your market do? What do they look like? What kinds of fees do they charge? How do they package their services? What’s on their website? What’s not on their website?

What can you do that’s different?

It might be something as simple as wearing red socks or a green bow tie. Make it your signature. You’ll stand out and people will remember you. It might also define you in a positive way. “Oh, she’s the lawyer who always wears a rhino pin on her lapel. She must have thick skin and a hard head.”

It might be something as complicated as taking a controversial stand on an important issue, when doing so risks alienating a large segment of the market. You might relinquish your claim to half of the market, but in return, gain the lion’s share of the remaining half.

If most lawyers charge by the hour, you can stand out by offering flat fees. If most lawyers avoid sharing information about their outside interests, you might stand out by promoting photos of your antique cuckoo clock collection.

As you make plans for the coming year, think about what you can do to stand out from the crowd. I know that might make you nervous. Lawyers don’t like to take chances. And if we’re honest about it, we really don’t want to stand out, unless it’s to get noticed for our good work.

But you should. Go a little crazy. Throw caution to the wind. Get down with your bad self. Because if you don’t get noticed and talked about and remembered, it might not matter how good you are at what you do.

Don’t like bow ties? This shows you more traditional ways to stand out in your law firm marketing

Filed Under: Image, Increase your income, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan Tagged With: stand out from the crowd, stand out in the crowd

Email best practices for small business and professionals

December 12, 2013 by David M. Ward

I’m an email bigot. I judge you by your email. Unfortunately, so do your clients. And other professionals. If your email practices are anything but professional, it is hurting you.

There are also some practical applications for setting up and using email effectively. Here is a short list of email best practices for small business and professionals:

Work email (your fiirm). Use your work email only for official firm business, where you are required to do so. Use your own (professional) email for everything else, i.e., marketing. If you leave the firm, you lose your email address and all the contacts that go with it. The same goes for your email subscriptions.
AOL/Gmail/Hotmail/Outlook, et. al. These aren’t appropriate for business or professionals. Don’t use your ISP, either. I have an email through my cable provider but I never use it. Not only does it sound unprofessional, if I ever change cable companies, I have to notify everyone of the change. Get your own domain name, you@yourname.com. You can still use gmail, et. al, as I do, and simply forward your professional email to your gmail or hotmail or outlook.com account.
Your name. Use your name, either first or first and last, @ yourdomain.com. Don’t use anything cutesy (i.e., bighunklawyer@domain.com). That’s fine for personal email, but not for work.
“From”. Set up your email so that your name appears in the “From” portion. There’s nothing worse than getting an email from someone who doesn’t identify themselves. And use your name, not your firm’s name. Firms don’t write emails, people do.
Email signature. Make sure you put your name and contact information at the bottom of every email. Include your website. You don’t need anything fancy, but do show people how to connect with you and find out more about what you do.
Disclaimers and disclosures. Keep these to a minimum. In fact, if you aren’t required to use them, don’t. They are off-putting and annoying. They make you look distrustful and boring. Nobody actually reads them. They probably don’t protect you. You’re killing electronic trees.
Formatting. Don’t write emails that extend across the entire “page”. They are harder to read. Put a return after approximately 72 characters (mono). DON’T WRITE IN ALL CAPS. Keep sentences and paragraphs short. In fact, keep your emails short.
Subject. The most important part of the email because if you don’t get people to open your email, it doesn’t matter what you say. Say something that lets the recipient know that there is something of value or interest inside.

I write about this subject periodically because I continue to see emails from professionals who don’t follow these simple basic principles. If you write to me, don’t tell me your name, and your email is booboo2785@aol.com, you can’t expect me to treat you seriously. Wake up and smell the coffee.

Here’s a good articleÂ on how to change your email address without messing things up.

Here’s a great way to get referrals quickly.

Filed Under: Email, Image, Marketing legal services, Technology Tagged With: email best practices

Lawyers: your messy desk is costing you business

October 2, 2013 by David M. Ward

I’ve written before about how to clean up a messy desk and how doing so can make you more productive. But there’s another reason why a messy desk is bad for business: It gives your clients (and others in your office) a negative impression.

A messy desk implies that

You have an equally messy (confused) mind
You are inefficient and waste time
You are disorganized and may forget things
You take longer to do things, costing your clients money
You don’t pay attention to detail
You have too many other clients and don’t have time for new ones
You are sloppy in other areas (i.e., billing, deadlines, negotiating, drafting, research, personal hygiene, etc.)

Most of all, a messy desk tells people you don’t care.

Yes, you want clients to know you are busy. Busy means you are in demand, that other people value your expertise and want to give you money to help them. But you can be busy and organized. You can be busy and care about making a good impression.

If you have a messy desk, some clients won’t hire you again. You make them nervous. Neither will they refer their friends.

Clients want to know that you know what you’re doing, that you do it efficiently, and most of all, that you care about them. Why give them cause to think anything else?

Marketing is everything we do to get and keep good clients. Everything. Here’s the formula

Filed Under: Client relations, Image, Increase your income, Law office management, Productivity, Referrals Tagged With: cluttered desk, first impressions, messy desk versus clean desk

The art of the handshake: how not to be creepy

August 23, 2013 by David M. Ward

“The probing handshake is where the other person probes you with their index finger pressed against the inside of your wrist.” Sounds creepy and, according to this article on “The Art of the Handshake,” it’s not something you ever want to do (or have done to you).

We’ve all been the victim of bad handshakes. My favorite is when the other person doesn’t look you in eye. Ladies, I’m sure you know what I mean.

I wrote before about Bill Clinton’s hand shake. I said, “He doesn’t just clasp your right hand in his, he also touches your arm with his left hand. During the conversation, as he makes a point, he might reach out again to touch your arm or put his hand on your shoulder.” This is the right way to do it, according to the author, who says we should never use the more familiar, “Politician’s Handshake”:

“That is where you use two hands to cover or cup the other personâ€™s hands. No one likes it, it is too personal, and you have to earn the right to do it. Politicians do it thinking you will like them more â€“ you wonâ€™t. If you feel you need to touch more, shake the hand normally and with the other touch the forearm.”

Apparently, Hillary doesn’t have Bill’s touch. The author quotes an executive who said, â€œI shook hands with Hilary Clinton: two-handed and clammy.â€

I used to have an office administrator who had an incredibly limp handshake. I couldn’t stand it. It was like shaking hands with a corpse. Actually, no. A corpse would be stiff. Of course being the he-man that I am, I had to squeeze his hand to show him how it should be done. Apparently, I was an ignorant and ill-mannered boob:

“If you are meeting with a person who gives a very weak handshake, perhaps that is their custom. Donâ€™t grimace and donâ€™t make a face, match their handshake with equal pressure and give thanks you have an opportunity to demonstrate that you have social intelligence and good manners.”

It could have been worse. When Bill Gates was introduced to the president of South Korea on a recent trip, he kept his left hand in his pocket. That’s rude in any country, but especially so in South Korea. But hey, at least he didn’t stare at her chest.

Need a marketing plan? Get this.

Filed Under: Communication, Image, Networking, Personal development Tagged With: hand shake, handshake, shaking hands