Inspiration Archives - Page 14 of 19 - The Attorney Marketing Center

Rainmaking 101: The two things you need to be successful

February 10, 2014 by David M. Ward

Last week, I got an email from an attorney who gets it. I wanted to share it with you to illustrate the two things you need to be successful in marketing. See if you can read between the lines and deduce the “two things”:

Dear David:

I have written you before thanking for the daily dose of encouragement,Â tips, etc. Thank you again!

I think I have purchased every one of your materials and have implementedÂ your strategies. I am in my 7th month as a “solo.” Through networking,Â utilizing your suggestions, I was able to land a huge client last week.Â Prior to that, I brought in several smaller clients that amounted to theÂ same net income as that one client. Also, my website is generating trafficÂ and things are looking up on that end, as well. Your tips/hints/etc. work.

With your help, I am transforming myself into a rainmaker. I have beenÂ approached by a seasoned practitioner to move forward with him in hisÂ practice. Together we would be able to hunt down bigger animals. We areÂ currently revamping his website and billing system. Hopefully in the nextÂ 6-8 months we will be in an even better financial position.

I can’t say it has been all rainbows and sunshine – you know that as well asÂ any other who has gone through the gauntlet.

Please excuse my short rant. I just got excited about rainmaking and wantedÂ to share with you.

Yours,
Vasko Alexander

So, what do you think? It should be pretty obvious that the first of the two things is “action”. Mr. Alexander didn’t just think about it or talk about it, he did it.

For starters, he actually read my stuff. I have people on my list who get my emails but never (or rarely) read them. Or, they buy my courses but never “crack” them open. I’m sorry, you can’t bring in business through osmosis. You can’t “grok” the information, you actually have to read and internalize it.

Then, he actually tried things. Lots of them. Some worked, some didn’t. Some worked well, some not as much. But he is taking action and getting results. One day at a time.

What made him take action where many others don’t? And, what made him keep going when he hit a bump in the road?

Attitude. He has a positive attitude about the process. He believes in what he’s doing and knows that if he takes action and keeps an open mind, he will eventually get where he wants to go.

Some people have a positive mental attitude. Some have a positively mental attitude.

Attitude is the second of the two things and it precedes action. If you have a positive attitude, you’ll take action and figure out a way to make it work. If you don’t, you won’t.

NEGATIVE ATTITUDE

It won’t work
It won’t work for me
It will take too up too much time
It’s too hard
It’s taking too long
I shouldn’t have to do that
I don’t want to do any marketing
I already knew that (but you aren’t doing it)

POSITIVE ATTITUDE

I’ll start and learn as I go along
I’ll do my best
It’s worth it
I’ll try lots of ideas and see what works best for me
I’ll find something I like and I’m good at
If it’s worked for others, it can work for me
I know I have to put in time and effort to get results, and I will
I’m not expecting big things to happen overnight
I’ll make the time

Napoleon Hill said, “Remember, the thoughts you think and the statements you make regarding yourself determine your mental attitude. If you have a worthwhile objective, find the one reason why you can achieve it rather than hundreds of reasons why you can’t.”

Some say, “What if it doesn’t work?” Mr. Alexander said, “What if does?”

Rainmaking is easier when you know The Formula

Filed Under: Inspiration, Marketing legal services, Personal development Tagged With: Napoleon Hill, positive mental attitude, rainmaker, rainmaking

Being good isn’t good enough. Or is it?

February 5, 2014 by David M. Ward

Being good isn’t good enoughÂ is a stunningly beautiful song about determination and greatness, a personal anthem for anyone who has ever wanted to be the best at something, like the athletes in the forthcoming Olympic games.

For most of us, however, the lyric, “I’ll be the best or nothing at all,” is inspiring, but hardly practical. Who is the best singer, football player, or lawyer?

Besides, we don’t have to be “the best” at what we do to be happy or successful. In fact, we don’t even have to be good.

We can hire people (or take on partners) who are good at things we don’t do well or don’t enjoy. You don’t like research? You’re not good at networking? It doesn’t matter. You’re good at something and that’s what you should focus on.

Speaking of focus, I was reading a review of Daniel Goleman’s book, Focus, about what it takes to achieve excellence. It’s not as simple as “10,000 hours of practice” or intelligence. There are a lot of factors, one of the most important of which is determination or grit.

Think about the successful people you know, especially the ones who aren’t particularly gifted, disciplined, or hard working. How did they make it big when so many others in their field did not? Often, the answer is simply that they wanted it more, and believed they could have it. Their desire, and refusal to settle for anything less, made the difference.

You don’t have to be the best at what you do. You just need to know what you want and keep going until you get it.

Need more referrals? Here’sÂ a great way to get them.

Filed Under: Inspiration, Personal development, success Tagged With: being the best, Daniel Goleman, excellence, success

One of my favorite words is also one of my least favorites

January 31, 2014 by David M. Ward

One of my favorite words is “why”. It’s better than “how”. How is easy. Look it up. Ask someone how they do it. Hire someone to do it for you.

“What” is a great word. It’s vital to know what you want, what the client wants, what the world wants. Without knowing what we want, our life is dictated by randomness.

“When” is an important word, but one of my least favorite. Deadlines, due dates, promises, statutes of limitations, all necessary, but a major source of anxiety.

“Who” can be good or bad. Who we marry, who hires us, who we associate with, can bring us great joy or great despair. Often, it’s neither because most of our relationships aren’t especially deep or overly time consuming.

Which brings us back to why.

Why connects us with our deepest desires and purpose. You may know what you want, and that’s essential, but why you want it is the emotional lubricant that gets you moving towards it. And when you are having a hard time and feel like quitting, remembering why pulls you back from the abyss and back on track.

Why bypasses logic and transcends limitations. Why is your inner child speaking. Why is raw emotion and gut feeling.

Think about something important you want to accomplish this year. Perhaps you want to earn a certain amount of money. That’s “what”. But it’s never the money, it’s what you could do with that money. That’s your why.

Think about your why. It should feel good. Put a smile on your face. If you are tense right now, thinking about your why should relax you. Give you hope. And inspire you to act.

Yes, why is one of my favorite words. But sometimes, why can also be one of my least favorite words.

Why didn’t you finish? Why did you say that? Why isn’t this important to you? Why is this taking so long?

Questions like these speak to our deepest emotions because they make us aware of our frailties and faults and remind us that we don’t have what we want.

You must not dwell on these thoughts. Answering them is useless and harmful. Let them go.

Think about what you want, and why. Everything else will take care of itself.

Filed Under: Inspiration, Personal development Tagged With: your why

Imagine there’s no clients

January 28, 2014 by David M. Ward

Imagine there’s no clients. It’s easy if you try. Yes, I have the Beatles on my mind.

But I really do want you to imagine that you have no clients. (Don’t panic. You’ll get them back in a minute. If you want to. . .).

I want you to think about what you would do if you were starting your practice today. Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?

Would you choose a different practice area? Would you target different clients? Would you have partners? Employees?

Where would you office? Would you use a different billing system?

What would you do to bring in new clients? What would you NOT do?

You may want to partner up with another lawyer or a friend and do this exercise. Tell each other what you would change about your practice, knowing what you know now.

So, what do you think? What would you do differently if you were starting over?

Here’s the thing. Whatever it is you said, no matter how weird or frightening it might seem, you should do it now. Make those changes, or at least start in that direction.

You don’t have to turn your practice completely upside down or do anything reckless. You don’t have to tell all your clients to get lost. But you know things today you didn’t know before–about the market, about the day-to-day activities of a practicing lawyer, and about yourself–and you should use what you know.

In fact, knowing what you know now, taking it step by step, you could completely remake your practice in just a year or two. You could be in a completely different (and happier) place in less time than you spent in law school. If you start now.

What if you told yourself you wouldn’t go into private practice, you’d do something else? If imaging there’s no clients made you smile, don’t ignore the feeling. It may take a bit longer, but you should probably think about doing something else. Find something you would love to do and start working towards it. Three or four years from now, you could be there.

And, if you discovered that you wouldn’t change much of anything, that’s good, too. You’ve done a “level three diagnostic” and been cleared for your continuing mission.

Hellen Keller said, “Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing.” I agree. You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one.

Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Inspiration, Law office management, Marketing Plan, Personal development

Help me if you can I’m feeling down

January 27, 2014 by David M. Ward

Actually, I’m fine. Just singin me some Beatles and thinking about how difficult it is for folks to ask for help. It’s an ego thing. We don’t want to appear weak. So we don’t ask, and when help is offered, we often turn it down.

But people want to help. It makes them feel good. I know this because I know how good it feels when I help others.

So we should ask each other for help more often. It’s good for them and good for you.

You can get just about anything you want just by asking. You can ask your clients for all kinds of help. You can ask the readers of your newsletter, personal friends, professional contacts, anyone, including strangers.

What do you want? Whatever it is, someone can help you get it.

referrals
information
advice
introductions
copies (forms, letters, checklists)
recommendations (products, software, books)
time (as a volunteer)
testimonials
someone to talk to
donations (to your cause)
write a guest post or allow you to write one
invite you to their next networking event
speak at their event
pass out your cards, reports
feedback
mentoring
Likes, Re-tweets, and Shares
a ride to the airport

Just about anything.

Time out. Take a break. Sing along with me and the Fab Four:

When I was younger,
So much younger than today
I never needed anybody’s
Help in any way
But now those days are gone
I’m not so self assured
Now I find, I’ve changed my mind
I’ve opened up the door

Help me if you can,
I’m feeling down
And I do, appreciate you being round
Help me get my feet back on the ground
Won’t you please, please help me

And now my life has changed
In oh so many ways
My independence seems to vanish in the haze
But every now and then
I feel so insecure
I know that I just need you
Like I’ve never done before

Okay, you may need some help asking for help. You’re out of practice. You haven’t asked for help since you needed Mom to tie your shoes. How do you get started?

First, make a list of what you want. Big things, little things, and everything in between. What could you ask for? Write down as many things as you can think of that would make your life better.

Next, write down the names of people you know who could help you get the things on your list. Match people with tasks suited to their interests, strengths, and resources. (Later, when you get better at asking, you can ask strangers.)

Then, choose something, contact someone and ask for help. Be direct. Tell them why you’re asking them.

Compliment them if possible. Tell them you value their feedback or insights, or value them as a friend or client and know you can count on them.

Start with something small, and easy. Something that’s hard to turn down. Have them read something you wrote, for example, and tell you what you think. Or ask them to recommend a good movie. Be specific. “Would you introduce me to your life insurance agent?” is better than “Would you introduce me to some professionals?”

You start small to get used to asking. Get over your resistance and see that people are willing to help. See how good it feels when they say yes.

Later, you’ll graduate to bigger things. Eventually, you’ll get good at asking. And you’ll be amazed at how much people are willing to do.

You may also surprise yourself at how much you have to give others. When people do for you, you will feel obliged to do something for them. When you do, you’ll feel good about that. You’ll want to do more. The more you do, the more others will want to do for you.

And so it goes. Help begets help.

If you’re having trouble asking, start by offering. Call someone, find out what they need and help them get it.

Years ago, I read, “The Aladdin Factor: How to Ask For and Get What You Want in Every Area of Your Life” a book by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, the team that brought you “Chicken Soup for the Soul” and its progeny. If you’re interested in this topic and you like inspiring stories about people who experienced amazing changes in their lives by asking for help, you should pick up a copy.

Okay, now I’m going to ask you a favor. If you like this post, would you forward it to someone you care about? Thank you. I knew I could count on you. Now, what can I do for you?

Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Communication, Inspiration, Marketing legal services, Personal development, Relationship marketing Tagged With: asking for help, The Aladdin Factor

The one thing. . .

January 24, 2014 by David M. Ward

If an angel sat on your shoulder and whispered in your ear the one thing you need to know or do right now, what would it be?

Not two or ten things, just one.

You may have to search for it, but deep down, you know the answer. Thereâ€™s a message you need to hear, something that will profoundly change your life in a positive way. What is it?

Itâ€™s simple, a single word or a short phrase, but important. Youâ€™ve thought about it before. Now itâ€™s time to embrace it.

It might be personal, like a reminder to â€œlose weightâ€ or â€œsmileâ€ or â€œcall herâ€. It might be work related like â€œnew clientsâ€ or â€œstart the blogâ€ or â€œnetworkingâ€.

It might be anything.

When you have the answer, write it down and keep it in front of you, so you will see it often. You might put sticky notes on your computer, on your bathroom mirror, and on the visor in your car. If you have a reminder app, set it to pop up several times a day and display your “one thing”.

Mine came to me last night. The message to myself is â€œwrite fasterâ€. I have several projects in the works that involve writing and Iâ€™m not an especially fast writer. If I can get the work done more quickly, good things will happen for me.

Note, these arenâ€™t affirmations or goals or anything formal or structured. Just something to think about. A place to start. You might turn it into a project, with specific tasks, or you may leave it as a simple touchstone.

This is supposed to be easy, and inspiring. When you look at your â€œone thingâ€ you should feel good. If what you wrote makes you feel guilty or unhappy or any other negative emotion, change it.

Aside from inspiration, there is a practical application for writing down your one thing. It summons the power of your subconscious mind to make your one thing come true.

Every time I look at “write faster,” my subconscious mind is working on my behalf to make it so. It will help me notice tools and techniques that can help me write faster. It will help me stop editing as I write, so I will get first drafts done more quickly. When I slow down or go off on a tangent, it will pull me back to the task at hand.

When I got up this morning, I had forgotten that I had written down my â€œone thingâ€. When I saw it for the first time, I smiled and started thinking about what it will be like to write faster and get more done, and what a wonderful year it will be to have that play out.

Whatâ€™s your â€œone thingâ€?

Filed Under: Goal Setting, Inspiration, Personal development Tagged With: focus

You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone

December 6, 2013 by David M. Ward

I don’t know if Joni Mitchell’s The Big Yellow Taxi was the first song to use the lyric, but it’s the one I remember: “Don’t it always seem to go/That you don’t know what you’ve got/Till it’s gone”.

And it’s true. We don’t know how good we have it until we have it no more.

Our health is probably the best example. Most people take it for granted. You don’t realize how well off you are because you’re never sick or injured. One day, something happens. That’s when you appreciate what you had. It’s the same when a loved one dies or a relationship breaks up. You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.

It also works the other way. We don’t always know what we’re missing until we get it.

My new laptop arrived yesterday. The old one was slow and noisy and I figured it was on it’s way out. But I never realized how bad it was until I started using the new one. It’s almost silent. It’s quick. The screen is much brighter. What have I been doing to my eyesight? I never realized how bad the old unit was. I didn’t know what I was missing.

Another Thanksgiving holiday has come and gone. We dutifully gave thanks for the good things in our lives. We shared our appreciation with people we love and care about. And then we were done. Okay, check that off the list. Back to work. See ya next holiday.

We need to give thanks every day. For the big things and the small things. For our health and our relationships, for indoor plumbing, for our baby’s smile, and for new laptops.

And we need to stop complaining about what we don’t have.

The new computer keyboard is different. The delete key is in a different place from what I’m used to. The down arrow is smaller than I like. Some people will see these as problems and focus on them. I see them as differences and I will adjust. Some people say Windows 8 is bad. I say it’s just different and I will get used to it.

Think about what you have and be grateful. You’ll get more of it. Because we get what we think about.

Thank you for being a part of my life. We may have never spoken, but I know you are there and I appreciate you.

Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Inspiration, Personal development Tagged With: appreciation, joni mitchell, law of attraction

Law school admissions are down. So what?

November 5, 2013 by David M. Ward

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the “Number of LSAT Test Takers is Down 45% Since 2009”. Fewer test takers, fewer law students, fewer attorneys.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Neither. It’s just a thing.

Sure, fewer lawyers means less competition, but don’t get too excited. It doesn’t matter how many other attorneys do what you do. What matters is if there are enough clients.

If you handle bio tech law, for example, and you are in a small town where there are no clients for your services,. the fact that you are the only attorney in town doesn’t help you. If you are in Silicon Valley, however, where there are lots of clients, it doesn’t matter that there are lots of attorneys competing for those clients. You’re in the right place.

Go where there’s lots of competition and be better.

Work harder. Deliver more value. Be different. And infuse into what you do the uniqueness that is you because in the end, it’s not just about the legal work, it’s about the relationship.

If you own a law school, declining law school admissions matter. If you are an economist or a think-tanker, measuring the ratio of lawyers to clients nationwide, declining law school admissions matter. But if you are a practicing attorney thinking about your future, it doesn’t matter how many attorneys there are or whether or not there is enough business for all of them. What matters is if there is enough business for you.

And there is. So don’t worry about the competition. But don’t get too comfy when there appears to be less of it.

Do your clients always pay you on time and in full? If not, this can help.

Filed Under: Inspiration, Legal industry Tagged With: competition, law school admissions, Law School Admissions Test, LSAT, Wall Street Journal

Attention lawyers who hate practicing law

August 26, 2013 by David M. Ward

If you hate practicing law I have a question for you: If you were earning five times the income, would you hate it any less?

If the answer is yes, you’re lucky. All you need to do is increase your income. Keep reading. I’ve got something that can help.

If the answer is no, then you might need to get a new career. Before you decide to jump ship, however, let’s see if there’s anything we can do about the things you don’t like (and that includes “not enough income”).

I’m going to give you a simple exercise to do. I’ve done this exercise before and I can tell you that it really does help.

Grab a legal pad and write at the top of the page: “What I don’t like about practicing law” or “. . .about my practice”. Draw a line down the middle of the page.

On the left side of the page, write down everything that you don’t like about your practice. Write fast. Don’t worry about repeating yourself. Take as much time as you want and get it all out.

Done? Good. How did that feel? When I’ve done this before I’ve had mixed feelings. It feels good to give voice to my frustrations. Cathartic. Therapy on paper. But I also feel angry that I have allowed things I don’t like to continue for so long.

The point of this isn’t to make you feel bad or to dwell on the things you don’t want, however. It is to find solutions. So, on the right side of the page, next to each item that you don’t like, write down what you can do about it.

You don’t like the stress of litigation? What can you do about that? Don’t think too much, just write whatever comes to mind. If you can’t think of anything, perhaps you can ask someone who might know or you can do some research. Write that down. Or, just skip it and keep writing.

What can you do about your high overhead, inconsistent income, or ungrateful and overly demanding clients?Â Write down what you can do even if it’s radical, strange, or not something you want to do. If it’s something you CAN do, write it down.

There will be things on your list that you can’t do anything about it. You can’t change people, for example, only yourself. Don’t worry about what you can’t do or can’t change.

Write down as many “can do’s” as possible. When you’re done, go through the list again and see if there’s anything you can add.

You don’t have to tolerate things you don’t like. You can fix them, delegate them, or get rid of them. You can find ways to make things better.

A “can do” list is very empowering. It gives you a list of tasks and projects you can begin to work on. It gives you a checklist of ways to make your practice better, more profitable, more fulfilling. Even if you choose not to do some of the things on your can do list, you’ll feel better knowing that you have that power.

Look at your list of can do’s. Before you had problems and frustrations. Now, you have a list of things you can do. Imagine how good you’ll feel getting those things done!

What’s next? Transfer your list of “can do’s” to your task management system and hide your original list. No sense looking at what makes you frustrated (the left side of the list). It’s time to focus on taking action to eliminate problems and improve results.

A few months from now, when things are better, take a peek at your original list to see how far you’ve come. Smile. Then, start another list.

Need more income? Want to know what you “can do”? Study thisÂ and this.

Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Increase your income, Inspiration, Personal development, Productivity Tagged With: lawyers who hate practicing law