You may not like this idea but you may love the results

February 7, 2017 by
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You want your practice to stand out in the crowd. You like the idea of free publicity. The idea of “going viral” appeals to you. You’d love to bring in a lot of new business.

Here’s an idea for a promotion that could help you accomplish all of the above.

Step one: find a “safe” charity or charitable cause

Choose a safe charity or cause to align with. Something that would appeal to your target market.

“Safe” means the organization is the real deal. Most of their revenue goes to causes, not overhead. There are no scandals. No political overtones to what they do.

It’s probably best to go with something small and local. You’ll be able meet with the people who run things, which can lead to additional marketing opportunities for you (e.g., networking, referrals, speaking).

Step two: choose one of your services you can give away free

(Yeah, that’s the part you may not like; but it could lead to results you’ll love).

This free service should be a “leader” or entry-level service, for new clients. For example, a simple Will package, incorporation, or an employee handbook review. If you bill by the hour, it could be a six-hour bundle.

Obviously, you’ll want to offer a service that is likely to appeal to the kinds of clients you target.

Make it as valuable and attractive as possible. Remember, the end game is to get publicity and traffic and new clients. The bigger you go, the more likely it is that your offer will accomplish this.

If you go really big, however, you may want to limit the number of “packages” that are available.

Step three: “Pay what you want—it’s for charity”

Promote your offer with a theme that new clients can pay what they want for the services and that 100% of the proceeds go to [name] charity.

Tell them the value of the package, or a suggested minimum donation.

For added punch, tie the promotion to a specific project the charity is running, e.g., the homeless shelter fund. And put a time limit on it.

Some clients may “cheat” and pay only a few dollars. But most people are honest and will do the right thing, if for no other reason than to help the charity.

Advertise and promote your offer as broadly as possible. Send out a press release. Email all of your lists and contacts and all of the bloggers and writers in your niche. Ask the charity to promote it in their newsletters, website, and bulletins. Ask them to ask their major donors and supporters to do the same.

You should get some favorable publicity from this. Traffic to your website and sign-ups for your newsletter. Meet some new referral sources connected with the charity. And get some new clients.

If all goes well, the next time you do this, you can partner up with other lawyers, other professionals, and other businesses, each of whom will promote this to their contacts, generating more goodness for all of you.

Leverage is the key to earning more without working more. Here’s the formula

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Publicity Tagged With:

How to get prospective clients off the fence and onto your client list

January 31, 2017 by
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Over the weekend I was looking at a piece of software I was considering. I’d seen a few reviews and watched some videos. I liked what I saw but the developers didn’t provide a lot of information and I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend the money.

Do I really need this? How much would I use it? Is it as good as it looks? What if I get it and find something better?

They offer a money back guarantee and I was leaning towards buying but decided to sleep on it. See if I could find more reviews, maybe write to the developer and ask some questions.

Today, I went to the website from another computer. Lo and friggin behold, the software was available for one-third of the price I saw last night.

Not one-third off. One-third of the original price.

I saw nothing about a “sale” or promotion. Were they price-testing? Did I somehow load an old page?

Who cares. I bought the sucker.

It really wasn’t that expensive at the original price. But at one-third the price, it was a no-brainer. Take my money.

Two lessons for you my young Padawan.

First, don’t scrimp on the info. Make sure your website and other marketing materials show prospective clients as much information as possible. Make sure you have lots of reviews and testimonials. Answer every question a prospective client might ask about you and your services. Do your best not to give them any reason to “sleep on it” because they might not come back.

Second, don’t lower your “prices” but do offer lower-priced alternatives. If a prospect sees your full-priced package but isn’t sure they want to go ahead, your lower-priced package could be just the thing to get them to take the plunge. Get the client, even at a lower fee. You can sell them on buying additional services later.

When it comes to pricing and the perception of value, context counts. A $3,000 fee may seem expensive when that’s all the client sees, but a bargain when they are first presented with your $9,500 package.

Increase your income with effective billing and collection strategies: click here

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Filed Under: Fees and Billing, Marketing legal services

How many clients have you seduced this week?

January 30, 2017 by
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Marketing is a seduction, not a bludgeoning. You don’t walk up to a prospective client and ask them to hire you, nor do you dump a truckload of information on them or talk their ear off. You introduce yourself, tell them almost nothing about what you do, and ask them about themselves.

You don’t sell your services to them from the get-go, you pique their interest in learning more.

You might do that by commenting on something they say or sharing a story that relates to their situation. You let them know, with questions and body language, that you know something about their business or situation and then see if they ask questions.

Eventually, they’ll ask for your card. Or they won’t. If they don’t need your services, the chemistry between you is wrong, or they don’t want any information, you’ll part company. No date. Not this time.

Your website shouldn’t be an information dump, either. It should also pique interest. It should first show visitors the big picture about what you do (e.g., your practice areas and target markets), and invite them to “drill down” through the pages to find information that addresses their specific interests.

When you meet someone and they don’t ask for your card, you should ask for theirs so you can contact them again. You might offer to send them some information about something you discussed.

Your website should do the same thing. It should ask visitors to sign up for your newsletter or download your report to learn more. Let them give you permission to stay in touch with them.

Any kind of marketing–advertising, speaking, writing, networking, social media, joint ventures, referrals–should seek to connect with prospective clients and the people who can refer them, pique interest, and invite them to take the next step.

Don’t ask everyone you meet to go to bed with you. Seduce them. Let them get to know you, see how smart and charming you are, learn something about what you have to offer, and decide that they’re ready to go on that date.

Marketing is simple. Lawyers aren’t. 

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With:

Winning

January 26, 2017 by
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You may not be a legal scholar. You may not have a lot of experience in your field. Other lawyers may have more cash or better connections.

It doesn’t matter. You can beat them. You can build a fabulously successful practice if you do the one thing most lawyers don’t do.

Focus on marketing.

Many lawyers take marketing for granted. Or use flawed strategies that do little to bring in new business. Even when they choose the right strategies, they often get poor results because their heart isn’t in it or they don’t stick with it long enough.

You can do better.

Where other lawyers seek to attract “anybody” who has a certain legal issue or need, you can laser focus on specific segments of the market and dominate them.

Where other lawyers use a weak and ineffectual marketing message, you can show prospective clients and the people who refer them the benefits you offer and the results you can help them achieve.

Where other lawyers provide good “customer service,” you can deliver outstanding customer service that surprises and delights your clients, ensuring long-term repeat business and referrals.

Where other lawyers merely provide their core legal services, you can help your clients be more successful in their business or personal life. If a client wants to refinance their home, for example, you can give them information and referrals to help them do that. If a business client needs more customers, you can use your contacts to help their business grow.

You can work smarter than your competition and deliver a better overall client experience. If you do this thoroughly, consistently and enthusiastically, clients and prospects will come to see you as the lawyer they want to represent them.

It doesn’t take much to beat the competition. Look at what most lawyers do and do the opposite.

Start marketing smarter with this

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With:

Competition? I don’t have no stinkin’ competition!

January 24, 2017 by
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One school of thought about building a successful business or practice is to find a successful business that does what you do (or want to do) and copy them.

Not literally, of course. You couldn’t do that even if you wanted to. Your practice will be as individual as you are, even if you have the same practice areas, target the same markets, and deliver the same caliber of service.

You are unique. So is your practice.

So don’t worry about being a copycat or being accused of stealing ideas. Your implementation of those ideas will differentiate you.

What I’m suggesting is that you don’t need to do something nobody else does. Do what others do but do them differently.

If there is a lot of competition in your market, that’s good. It means others are making money. When your town is littered with personal injury attorneys, your TV and radio airwaves are filled with ads from other PI attorneys, if the cost-per-click of advertising is insanely high, these are signs of a healthy market.

You can get a share of that market.

One way you can compete is to use different marketing channels and techniques. When everyone else is advertising, you focus on referrals. When everyone else proclaims their success in getting big verdicts and settlements, you focus your message on the types of people you’ve helped and problems you’ve solved.

Instead of touting that you handle “injuries,” you can differentiate yourself by emphasizing your experience in representing victims of one type of injury, one type of tort, or one type of client. In other words, niching what you do.

You can also differentiate yourself with your ads or marketing message. Talk about a benefit you deliver that all attorneys in your practice area deliver but don’t talk about. A USP (Unique Selling Proposition), is yours to own if you are the first or the only one claiming it.

Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Copy what successful lawyers are doing. Just do it a little differently.

More ways to differentiate your practice from the competition, here

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With: ,

I dare you to take my marketing challenge

January 6, 2017 by
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I’ve got a marketing challenge for you and it will only take five minutes. I want to prove something to you, or rather, I want you to prove something to yourself.

I want you to see that you really do have time for marketing and that it’s a lot easier than you thought.

With me? Great. Let’s get started.

Yes, right now. As soon as you’re done reading this. Because “right now” is the best time to do just about anything.

Okay, grab a pen or open a new page or tab. I want you to write something. And remember, it’s only five minutes so no excuses about being busy.

I want you to write a note to your former clients. In your note, I want you to simply say hello.

You might say, “I wanted to send you a quick note to say hi and see how you’re doing”. Or, “I haven’t talked to you in awhile and wanted to check in and see what you’re up to.” Or wish them a happy and successful new year.

Nothing brilliant. Just touching base.

If you want, you can add a line or two of news about your practice (e.g., mention your new office, new employee, new website, etc.), or share some personal news (e.g., your daughter got married, your son just got accepted to law school, etc.)

But no selling. No promoting. Nothing serious. Just saying hi.

A few lines. Write quickly. Write without stopping.

Five minutes and done. Ready, set, go.

There, that wasn’t difficult was it? (If you haven’t done it yet, go ahead and do it now. C’mon on, I’ll wait. . .)

Now what? Now, put your note in an email and send it. That’s it. That’s all you have to do.

Tomorrow, or maybe even later today, you’re going to see what happens.

I’ll let you find out for yourself what that is but I’m pretty sure you’re going to like what happens.

Will you take my challenge? It’s just five minutes, unless you don’t have an email list of your former clients, in which case you’ll need to take care of that, first. And trust me, you’ll want to do that because once you see what happens with your first email, you’ll definitely want to email again.

Let me know what happens so I can say, “I told you”.

Everything you always wanted to know about email marketing (but were afraid to ask)

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Filed Under: Email, Marketing legal services

Want my advice? Will that be cash, check, or credit card?

January 4, 2017 by
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Free reports. Free consultations. Free information up the ying yang.

If everything is free, how do you make money?

Good question.

The answer is simple: give away lots of free information but charge for your advice. Another way to put it: if you talk to them, you charge them.

Your time is valuable. Don’t give it away. But information is just paper or electrons and while you invest time in writing or recording or conducting a presentation, you’re investing in creating new clients and the return on your investment is, well, incalculable.

Me entiende?

Information is free. Advice is not.

There is one exception: Free consultations.

Why? Couple of reasons.

First, if you’re in a field where most attorneys offer them, e.g., personal injury, if you don’t offer them, you won’t be able to compete.

Second, ROI. You invest 30 minutes or so talking to a prospective client and in return, you (eventually) earn thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Do ten free consultations, sign up seven new cases (or whatever), and when you add up the collective fees, you look like a friggin genius.

In other words, it’s worth it.

Simple as that.

If we’re being technical here, and we’re attorneys so that goes without saying, you do give the client some advice during the consultation. But at the same time, you’re evaluating whether or not you want the case. Hey, maybe they should charge you for their time.

You can reduce the amount of time you spend on free consults by educating prospective clients and referral sources prior to speaking to anyone. Put information on your website, in your articles, ads, and so on, and especially in your “referral letter,” so that people know when they should and shouldn’t call.

Go write something and give it away. But don’t give away your time. Unless you’re doing a free consultation.

How to create (and use) a referral letter to get more clients

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With: ,

Getting paid to learn how to practice law

December 19, 2016 by
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As you probably know, when I started my practice, I took any legal work I could get. I did divorces for two or three hundred dollars. I consulted with pro pers for $75. I took personal injury cases that settled for $750.

Good times.

I did what I had to do because (a) I needed the money; (b) these clients couldn’t afford to pay more; and (c) I often had little or no experience with a particular matter and taking it forced me to learn.

I’d spend hours in the law library. I sought the advice of other lawyers who pointed me in the right direction. I spent hours drafting and revising simple documents, (on legal pads and typewriters) learning how to do them right.

I also did some work for other lawyers. One time, I was hired to write a motion. I got to the lawyer’s office late in the afternoon. He let me use his library and stay late to finish and told me to lock up when I was done. Good thing he did because I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.

When I finished, the sun was coming up. I must have worked ten hours on that motion (ten hours!) but I only billed him for two because, well, ten hours! (He was happy with the work, btw.)

The point is that when I was new, I was paid to learn how to practice law. So if you’re new or entering a new practice area, don’t worry about how much (or how little) you’re being paid.

There’s a marketing lesson in this, too.

Sometimes, it pays (long term) to do work for certain clients at a discount or even free. That’s right, I said it. I said the “F” word. F-f-f-ree. As in no charge. Let them see what you can do and when they fall in love with you and want to hire you again, full price, baby!

If there’s a big client you’d love to work with, make them an offer they can’t refuse. If you do unlawful detainers or collection work, for example, you might pitch a prospective client with “first case is free”. If you do estate planning, you might offer a simple Will package at a steep discount.

Get your foot in the door, win them over, and one day you’ll be telling the story about how you took over your market.

Marketing is simple when you know The Formula

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services

Spank me and send me to bed without supper

December 16, 2016 by
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I blew it.

Yesterday I said that referrals are number one and advertising is number two on my list of favorite marketing methods. When I said that, I was thinking about the days when I was practicing. Back then, those were my top two favorites.

Today, I would give you a different answer.

For most of my days in practice, the Internet wasn’t a thing. At least not something most lawyers had access to. We didn’t have email, either. Cell phones? I wore a pager and used pay phones. For a long time, I didn’t have a fax machine.

Anyway, if I was practicing today, I would tell you that referrals are number one and email is number two. Advertising would be third on the list, not second.

If you don’t like advertising or aren’t allowed to do it, this should come as good news to you because email marketing is something just about any lawyer can do.

It’s easy. There’s little or no cost. It doesn’t take up a lot of time. And it works incredibly well.

If you’re not using email for marketing, the best place to start is to use it to stay in touch with clients and former clients. Remind them that you’re still around and can still help them and the people they know.

Most attorneys can get most of their new business from people who have hired them before and email is the easiest way to do that.

If you are currently using email to stay in touch with clients and former clients, great. But be honest: When was the last time you emailed all of them? When do you plan to do it next? NB: if you have to think about this, you’re not emailing often enough.

Next, start using email as a tool for courting prospective clients. People who have connected with you but haven’t yet hired you. They are much more likely to hire you or send you referrals than someone who doesn’t know you from Adam.

Bottom line? If I had email when I was practicing, I would have grown much bigger, much faster, and with a lot less effort. Today, my entire business is built around email.

So yeah, I should have told you that yesterday. My bad.

Referrals, first and always. Then email. Advertising if you want to take things to the next level.

How to use the Internet and email to build your practice

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Filed Under: Email, Marketing legal services

Why should I buy your hamburgers?

December 12, 2016 by
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If you were going to open a coffee shop, you would start by researching the market. You’d look at the existing restaurants in town and size up the competition.

How many coffee shops are there in a one-mile, three-mile, and five-mile radius? What’s on their menu? Do they have any specialties? What are their prices?

You would look at population density, traffic patterns, parking, and a hundred other factors, in an effort to find an unmet need in the market or an opportunity to improve on what other coffee shops do.

And then, you would come up with an angle, something that would make your coffee shop stand out from the competition. It might be the furniture, lighting, or decor. It might be the name of your coffee shop, your menu, or prices.

You would look for something you could do to get customers to notice you and give you a try. You would then give them the best experience possible so they would come back again and tell their friends about you.

Which is exactly what you need to do with your law practice.

You need to give people a reason to notice you and hire you instead of the legions of other lawyers in town with a similar menu. You need to stand out from the competition by being better or different.

So tell me, why should I buy your hamburgers?

How to develop an angle for your practice

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With: ,
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