Your marketing questions answered in free webinar

June 25, 2013 by
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Tomorrow, attorney Mitch Jackson and I are the guests on a free webinar where we’ll discuss marketing and productivity. Please join us.

The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, June 26, 2013 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM EDT. You can register here.

The subject is “Trial Attorneys: Dilemmas and Solutions,” but is open to, and appropriate for, attorneys of all kinds. We’ll be speaking about marketing online and offline, referrals, social media, and more. Bring your questions on any marketing topic and, time permitting, we’ll get them answered.

Mitch is a very successful trial attorney (2013 California Trial Attorney of the Year), social media expert, and host of his own video podcast program. I’m excited to be sharing the microphone with him.

The webinar is hosted by Draft n Craft, a legal outsourcing company, and will be approximately 60 minutes. It will be recorded (technology permitting) so get registered even if you can’t make it live and I’m sure they will notify you when the replay is available.

There are no products for sale and no agenda other than helping you. I look forward to seeing you on the webinar.

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, News, Online Marketing, Referrals Tagged With: ,

How to attract new clients

June 24, 2013 by
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So, you want to know how to attract new clients? Well, you can’t merely offer services people need and are willing to pay for. That just gets you in the running, along with legions of other lawyers who offer the same services. If you want to attract new clients, you need to be attractive.

You. Personally. Because people hire lawyers, not law firms.

People meet you at networking events, not your firm. They hear you speak, not your firm. They read something you wrote, not something written by your firm. And when they they give referrals, they say, “call my lawyer,” not, “call my law firm”.

One way to be attractive is to show people an advantage to choosing you. Show them how you are better or different. Show them benefits they get hiring you that other lawyers don’t provide. Prove that you are the better choice.

I cover this extensively in Make the Phone Ring: A Step-by-Step System for Attracting Good Clients. It shows you how to get clients to see you not only as the best choice, but in many cases, the only choice.

If you don’t have it, you can pick it up here.

One way to show people an advantage is to show them that you are a leader in your target market or community. Someone people want to follow and listen to. Someone with good ideas. Someone who inspires others to take action.

Leaders attract people who like what they see and hear and want to follow.

In his book, Tribes, Seth Godin said, “The secret of leadership is simple: Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow.”

Do you believe in what you are doing in you practice or are you just making a living? Are you painting a picture of a better future and showing people where you are going? Are you someone worth following?

If you’re not sure if you are a leader, turn around. If there’s nobody behind you, you’ve got some work to do.

Learn how to attract new clients online and offline, click here.

 

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Online Marketing, Personal development Tagged With: ,

How to stop other lawyers from stealing your ideas

June 21, 2013 by
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I got an email from a lawyer who says other lawyers are copying her firm’s marketing. Some are lawyers who left her firm and opened a competing practice. “I know this is supposed to be the highest form of flattery, but it drives me nuts. Why can’t people come up with their own ideas?”

Wow, a lawyer with marketing ideas worth copying. You don’t see that every day.

Anyway, let me address the issue of what to do about people who are stealing your ideas.

You might be expecting me to say something about non-compete and non-disclosure agreements, copyrights and trademarks, but I have to assume she has that covered. She knows what to do to protect herself legally. She wants to know if there’s anything she can do to make it harder to copy her ideas in the first place.

Yes, there is something you can do.

First, whatever it is you are doing, don’t be quiet about it. Don’t try to sneak in under the radar, do it big. Do it loud enough so that everyone knows you are doing it.

True, your competitors will also notice, but they are going to find out anyway. You can’t stop them. And you can’t stop them from using your ideas. But you can make enough noise so that when they do copy you, the market will see what they’re doing and realize that they are copycats and you are the original.

If I were to start a computer company today and tried to copy Apple’s marketing, I would be laughed at (and sued). Everyone would know that I was a wannabe and that Apple was the original. My marketing would remind everyone that Apple was the first and the best and I would wind up selling more Apple products than my own.

If you are the Apple of law firms in your practice area and market, nobody will be able to touch you.

The other thing you should do is infuse into your marketing as much of your personality and style as possible. Don’t make it about “the idea,” make it about YOU. Because you are unique. You can’t be copied.

Use your name and photo in all of your marketing collateral. Tell personal stories that nobody else can tell. Record audios and videos and do webinars and interviews that feature you as the face of your firm.

Your ideas will still be copied but you will always be the original, and the best.

One more thing. The fact that other lawyers stealing your ideas “drives you nuts” will only serve to perpetuate your frustration. It’s the Law of Attraction. What you focus on, you get more of.

You have to let it go.

There have been many times in my life when I was frustrated about something. As long as I continued to think about what I didn’t want, I continued to get more of what I didn’t want. When I was (finally) able to let go of my emotional attachment to what I didn’t want, that’s when I got what I did want.

I know, kind of airy-fairy. But true.

Think about the reality of people stealing your ideas. Not a good feeling, right? Now, think about some aspect of this that feels better. Maybe that even though they are stealing your ideas, your firm is still doing well. Or that you realize that ideas are a dime a dozen and that it’s the implementation that counts. Or maybe that the idea of becoming the Apple of law firms in your market challenges and excites you.

Let go of your frustration and continue to think thoughts that feel good when you think them. Get excited about all of the goodness that lies ahead for you. When you do, you will be at a place that is so far ahead of other lawyers, they won’t ever be able to catch you.

Need marketing ideas? Try this or this.

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Filed Under: Dealing with stress, Law office management, Marketing legal services, Personal development Tagged With: , , , ,

Negative reviews of lawyers

June 20, 2013 by
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Apparently, some attorneys have interpreted my suggestion to post a review of your competition on your website to mean, “post a negative review” and don’t like the idea. They think a negative review will reflect badly on them in the eyes of prospective clients or cause the legal community to see them as a trouble maker.

Fair enough. But I never said you had to post a negative review. The point of my post wasn’t that you should report negative information about another attorney in an effort to dissuade prospective clients from hiring them. The point was to mention this lawyer’s name so that when someone searches on that name they will find your site, read your review, and look at what you have to offer.

You don’t have to post negative reviews of lawyers.

You can post a neutral, “here’s what I know about this firm,” review. Talk about what they do, how many attorneys they have, how long they have been around. Basic information you may know about them or can find on their website.

Or, you can post a positive review. Describe cases where you have worked together and how they were always professional and courteous. If you have witnessed them in court and thought they were good, say that. If you have talked to other lawyers who know them and think highly of them, repeat what they have told you.

You can almost always find something nice to say about another lawyer. (What would you tell a jury about them if you were defending them?)

And yes, a neutral or positive review will make you look good in the eyes of prospective clients and keep legal wolves from baying at the moon. But while this may be the safe approach, it may not be the intellectually honest one.

If you think your competition is a scoundrel, if you have proof that they don’t play fair or they are borderline incompetent, if they have numerous complaints against them, do you think it’s right to sweep this under a rug? If your sister was thinking about hiring that lawyer and asked for your opinion, would you lie (by omission) and let her hire them?

You can post a negative review. If it’s fair and you can back up what you say. Will you make some enemies? Probably. The lawyer you outed won’t like you, but so what? Other lawyers may look down on you for breaching the code that says “we protect our own even when they are bad,” but again, so what?

You may make enemies but you will also make friends. You will be admired for being honest and protecting the public. You will be seen as a leader and you will attract people who want to know you and follow you. People will write about you and link to your blog. They will ask to interview you. They will hire you and refer cases to you.

On the other hand, the odds are that your competition isn’t all bad. So, post a balanced review. Comment on the lawyer’s strengths and positive aspects, and also comment about their weaknesses or shortcomings. Talk about the positive first, then the negative. Or, if negative is too strong a word, comment on their differences.

One more thing. If the idea of writing a review about another lawyer makes you queasy and you don’t want to do it, don’t do it. There are other ways to mention the names of your competition.

You can comment on one of their cases you are familiar with.

You can comment on their ads or their website.

You can create a post that includes them in a “directory” of attorneys in your area who do what you do.

You can promote the charity event they are sponsoring. Or congratulate them on getting married, having a child, or winning an award.

If you want more search engine traffic, it doesn’t matter what you say about them. Just make sure you spell their name right.

Learn more about internet marketing for attorneys. Click here.

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Online Marketing Tagged With: , ,

Stop giving clients what they pay for

June 19, 2013 by
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Do you give your clients fair value? In other words, if they pay you 00, do you give them 00 worth of legal services?

If your answer is yes, stop it. Stop giving clients what they pay for and start giving them more.

Lou Vickery said, “Four short words sum up what has lifted most successful individuals above the crowd: a little bit more. They did all that was expected of them and a little bit more.”

When you give clients a little bit more than they pay for, more than they expect and more than they may even deserve, you really do stand out. Most attorneys don’t give more. And many attorneys give less. At least that’s what the public perceives, otherwise attorneys wouldn’t continually be described as expensive.

Have you ever been to Five Guys Burgers and Fries? When you order any size of fries (great fries, by the way), you get waaay more than you pay for. At least it seems that way because there are more fries in the bag that have spilled over from the cup than there are in the cup.

Their fries aren’t cheap. In fact, compared to other fast food places, one might say they are expensive. But because they give you more than you expect, and because they are really great tasting fries, you come away feeling good about the experience.

Stop giving clients what they pay for and start giving them a little bit more.

Marketing is easy when you know what to do. Here’s the Formula.

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Image, Marketing legal services

How to steal your competitor’s clients

June 18, 2013 by
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Would you like to know a simple way to legally and ethically steal clients from other lawyers?

Sure you would. Here’s what to do.

First, who is your number one competitor? The one lawyer or law firm in your market who is tops in your practice area. It doesn’t matter if they are good lawyers or bad lawyers. Just make sure they bring in a lot of business. 

So, who’s client’s would you like to steal?

Got it?

Okay, now, I want you to write a short article about this lawyer or law firm. A review. You can praise them, write about their shortcomings, or do a balanced article and talk about the pluses and minuses of hiring their firm.

Next, publish this article on your website or blog. Make sure it is optimized for search engines. Put the lawyer or firm’s name in your title.

The reason? Well, three out of four people use the Internet to find lawyers. Some begin by doing a search based on the practice area or legal issue. Others hear about a lawyer somewhere and go online to check them out.

When a prospective client goes to Google or Bing to do some due diligence on the lawyer or firm you wrote about, they’ll see your review and come to your site to read it. When they do, they’ll find out about you and what you do and if they like what they see, they may hire you instead.

Every time Joe Lawyer runs a radio ad, for example, lots of prospective clients go online to see what other people think about him. In fact, there’s a good chance they’ll type “Joe Lawyer review” into the search box. You might want to make that the keyword phrase you optimize for.

Just make sure your site shows them why they should hire you instead of Joe.

And that’s how to steal your competitor’s clients. Well, their traffic, anyway.

If you want to get more clients on the Internet, you need this. 

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Online Marketing Tagged With: , , ,

Give your clients free onion rings

June 17, 2013 by
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My daughter sent me a gift card to Outback Steakhouse for Father’s Day. My wife and I were at the restaurant at 5 PM and not surprisingly, it was crowded.

We ordered a “Bloomin Onion” as a starter. We were served bread and drinks but a long time passed and no Onion. The waiter finally came over and apologized. He said they were backed up with orders for the Onion and it would be out in a couple of minutes.

No worries. It really wasn’t that long a wait. I had bread. I could see the San Antonio-Miami game on the TV screen and kept busy giving my wife reports of the score.

A couple minutes later the waiter brought the Onion and thanked us for being so patient. He said he checked with his manager and there would be no charge for the Onion.

Nice. Unexpected. Appreciated.

So naturally, I took out my iPhone and made a note to share this story with you. I wrote “comp clients onions”. And here I am.

When you give your clients something free, either to apologize for something like making them wait a few minutes because you were running late or to reward them for being a good client, you earn Brownie points. Your clients love it. And love you. And remember you. And come back to you. And tell their friends about you.

So look for reasons to give your clients free onion rings. “I should have returned your call last night instead of this morning. I’m sorry. I’m not going to charge you anything for the letter to Smith and Co. Thanks for understanding”.

Nice. Unexpected. Appreciated.

Your clients will say what my wife and I said when the waiter told us there would be no charge: “Wow. Thank you.”

It was a small gesture, but we will remember it. The next time my wife says, “Where do you want to eat?” there’s a good chance I’ll say, “Outback”.

And now, because I’ve told you this story, you may also go to Outback. May I suggest you try the “Bloomin Onion”.

Marketing is everything we do to get and keep good clients. Here’s how to get more.

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Marketing legal services

Use emotional word pictures to sell more legal services

June 14, 2013 by
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Let’s say I’m selling oranges instead of legal services. I want you to buy my orange so I give you the facts: oranges are good for your health, they taste good, and they are economical. I am very experienced in growing oranges. Many people have bought my oranges and been satisfied with their purchase.

So, do you want to buy my orange?

Maybe, maybe not.

How about if I tell you my orange has a brightly colored peel and a nob at the top and the skin is not too thick and not too thin. You can picture my orange, can’t you? It looks pretty good, doesn’t it?

But you still may not be ready to buy. Let me have another go at it:

The orange is hefty in my hand and as I squeeze it and tear away the upper part of the peel, juice squirts into the air and I can smell the distinct orange fragrance. The naked orange feels sticky in my hands. I dig my thumbs into the top and pull it apart and juice drips onto my fingers. I put a slice into my mouth and the sweet liquid makes my mouth pucker. As I bite down, juice explodes inside my mouth and cascades down my throat.

Not only can see the orange, you can smell it, feel it, and taste it.

My mouth is watering right now, how about yours?

Emotional word pictures stimulate the right side of the brain, where our emotions operate. Engaging the emotions of your listener not only makes it easier for them to understand your message, it also makes it more likely that they will be persuaded by it.

You may not always be able to invoke their other senses, but if you can help them picture what you are describing, or better yet, the results of what you are offering to do for them, you will make it more likely that they will hire you to get it.

Learn more about how to be more persuasive in The Attorney Marketing Formula.

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Filed Under: Communication, Copywriting, Marketing legal services, Presentations, Public Speaking, Writing Tagged With:

Sharing personal information online

June 13, 2013 by
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Look at your website and social media profiles. Are you sharing personal information online? You should be.

No, don’t be reckless. But don’t hide everything about your personal life, either.

Prospective clients, referral sources, and other people who find you online want to know what you are like. You, not your practice. What kind of a person are you? What motivates you? What do you do for fun?

People prefer to do business with people they know, like, and trust. Personal details help people get to know you, like you, and trust you. A few details about your personal life can give them a sense of what it would be like work with you.

Your photo is a must. They need to see what you look like.

Post a few details about your background, hobbies, or outside interests. Tell them a story that illustrates what’s important to you, perhaps why you went to law school or how you were affected by a particular case.

Personal information can also give people reasons to like you. You like country music. You grew up in a small town. You like to cook. When a prospective client sees that and thinks, “me too!” they connect with you.

But even if they don’t share your background or personal interests, they can appreciate that you are a well rounded and passionate human being, not just a legal technician.

Share a few details about your personal life, but not too many. Too much information can work against you.

You may enjoy playing Words With Friends, but if you tell people you have 32 games going, they may think you are weird or not serious about your work.

Don’t talk about your sex life, dating life or health problems. Do talk about your kids, your family vacation, and your love of sports.

Avoid politics and religion, unless you are marketing to people who share your politics or religion and you don’t care about losing everyone else.

It’s okay to mention that you like to have a glass of wine with dinner. Don’t talk about sleeping it off on a friend’s sofa.

Humor is tricky. If it is in good taste and truly funny, it’s a good thing. Too much of a good thing can make you look unprofessional.

Sharing personal information online or with your clients and professional contacts will bring you more business. You may want clients to hire you because you’re really good at what you do but if they hire you because they like your smile or you went to the same college, that’s okay, isn’t it?

Learn more about sharing personal information online in Make the Phone Ring.

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Filed Under: Client relations, Image, Marketing legal services, Online Marketing Tagged With:

How do I get more referrals from other professionals?

June 11, 2013 by
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Attorneys often ask me, “How do I get more referrals from other professionals?”

Their clients may be willing to refer but not know many people who need their services. Their professional contacts, on the other hand, know lots of prospective clients but may not (yet) be willing to refer.

Here’s what I suggest.

Make a list of every professional you know who has referred at least one client to you in the last three years or has said they are willing to do so.

Let’s say you’ve got 30 names on the first list. Nine professionals sent you one or two clients. One sent you eight clients.

You know from yesterday’s post about how to get more referrals that one of the keys to getting more referrals is to give first. Give them referrals or find other ways to help them. But you have only so many referrals to give and only so much time you can spend helping others.

What do you do?

Do you focus on the 20 who said they would send business but haven’t? If you can get each one to send you just one client, that would be a nice bump.

Do you focus on the nine who sent you one or two clients, to see if you can encourage them to send you more?

What about the one professional who sent you eight referrals? It seems like they don’t need much encouragement. They are a proven source of business and you should probably spend your time finding more like them, right?

The answer is to spend MOST of your time with (and send most of your referrals to) the professional who sent you eight referrals.

When you find a spark, pour gasoline on it and build it into a raging bonfire. Pay attention to this individual. Give them your time and attention. Give them every referral you can.

When someone has demonstrated their willingness and ability to send you business, that’s who you want to focus on. You want to keep their referrals flowing. You want them to introduce you to their counterparts. You want them to promote your seminars and send traffic to your website.

Build your practice by helping them build theirs.

Next, turn your attention to the nine who sent you one or two clients. They have also proven their willingness to refer. Give them some love and see if you can increase their numbers.

How about the 20 who didn’t send you any? Well, don’t ignore them. Stay in touch with them. See what you can do to help them. They may waiting to see if you are serious about helping them before they “spend” their referrals on you. A referral or two from you may turn on the spigot.

Many professionals are able to refer but don’t because they already have another lawyer they are committed to. Others don’t because you have not yet earned their trust. But over time, things change. Nurture this crop of potential referral sources. One day, they may bear fruit.

Allocate your time as follows:

Spend 80% of your time with the professionals who have already sent you business, and twenty percent of your time with the ones who have not. Spend 80% of that 80% on the professional who sent you eight referrals, and twenty percent on the other nine.

If you want to get more referrals, give first. Give more to the ones who give back.

Ask me how I can help you get more referrals. 

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Referral sources, Referrals, Relationship marketing, Time Management Tagged With: , ,
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