How to get more clients to schedule an appointment

May 31, 2012 by
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There’s a precept in marketing, and especially copy writing, that says you will get a higher response to your offer when you, “tell people what to do”.

Don’t leave it up to them to figure out. Tell them what to do, even if it’s obvious.

If you want people to call to schedule an appointment, tell them WHAT to do (call 888-555-4321), WHY (to get a free consultation and find out if you have case), and WHEN (now, between 8-5pm weekdays, any time 24/7).

If you leave something out, fewer people will call.

And whatever it is you’re telling them to do, make it easy for them to do it. Filling out a simple form on your web site with spaces for the information they’ll need to submit will get a higher response than an application they’ll need to print, fill out, and fax.

Making it easy also means being clear about what to do. Tell them what form to fill out and what button to push. Tell them what will happen after they do it.

Make it so clear that it is almost impossible to misunderstand.

And don’t change something that’s working. Once people get used to doing things a certain way, changes risk confusion and a lower response.

My wife went to pay our electric bill online. Last month, all she had to do was click the button that said “Submit.” This month, without telling anyone about it, the “Submit” button was now labeled “Save.”

She didn’t want to save, she wanted to pay. Where was the submit button?

She wound up calling the company to make sure she was doing it right. The person she spoke with admitted they were getting hundreds of emails from customers who were confused by the change. How many customers will be late paying their bills this month because they are confused?

Side note: Someone should fire the genius who thought “Save” was better than “Submit” or “Pay Now”. Yikes.

Another side note: If they’re getting hundreds of emails from confused customers, uh, here’s a thought: change the button back to “Submit”.

If you want to get more people calling, clicking, or pulling out their credit card, tell them precisely what to do and make it as easy as pie for them to do it.

If you’re not sure, show your page or email to a ten year old kid and ask them to follow the instructions. If they’re not completely clear on what to do, if they hesitate in any way, you’ve got work to do.

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

3 Essential Marketing and Communication Skills for Every Attorney

May 17, 2012 by
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When I opened my first office fresh out of law school I knew nothing about marketing and it showed. For several years, I struggled to bring in clients and pay my bills. Fast forward five years and I had built a very successful practice and was on my way to teaching other lawyers how to get more clients and increase their income.

What changed? I did. I had learned a lot about marketing and I acquired some new skills. Those skills allowed me to apply that knowledge in the real world, transforming the abstract into dollars and cents.

If you want to develop your practice, I consider these 3 skills to be essential:

I LEARNED HOW TO SELL

Many attorneys I speak to tell me, “I didn’t go to law school to become a sales person.” “Actually, you did,” I reply. “They just didn’t teach you very well.”

Okay, I get snarky sometimes. But the truth is, while attorneys may not be sales people in the literal sense of the word, attorneys do sell.

The best attorneys are very good at persuading people to do something they otherwise might not do (or do as much). Sometimes we use intimidation and thinly disguised threats to accomplish these outcomes. Sometimes we appeal to logic and reason. Sometimes, we appeal to emotion.

Some people see selling as manipulative but couldn’t the same be said for what attorneys do?

Actually, selling is not manipulative, at least not done correctly. If you’re among those who believe that selling is less than honorable, an article in INC. Magazine, How to Sell if you Hate Selling, might help you to see that selling is a natural extension of being an advisor and advocate, and a benevolent one at that. It is benevolent because it allows you to do a better job of helping people to get what they want and isn’t that what we are paid to do? Of course sales skills will also help you get what you want but isn’t that at least part of the reason you went to law school?

Learning how to sell was the most valuable of the 3 key skills I acquired in my transformation from struggling neophyte to successful professional. But 2 other skills were also essential.

I LEARNED HOW TO WRITE

It started with demand letters. I let go of the legalese and formality that I had been hiding behind and started writing letters that communicated and persuaded. I stopped writing in the “third person”. I began using active verbs and specific nouns. I used personal references and I told stories. I can’t say it always brought in higher settlements. Most of the time it probably made little difference. But it opened my eyes to what is possible with a good command of the written word.

I read many books about writing and I began journaling. I wrote as much as possible and continually improved my abilities. I also studied copy writing and with a lot of practice, got good at that, too. Eventually, I wrote all of the ads, sales letters, and collateral material that sold millions of dollars of my Referral Magic marketing course.

Yes, you can hire people to write brochures and sales copy for you. But just as learning how to sell makes you better at every aspect of marketing, so too does learning how to write.

I LEARNED HOW TO SPEAK

Seminars or luncheon presentations may not be a primary marketing tool for your practice, but becoming a good public speaker is an invaluable skill for every attorney.

Speaking is very different from writing. You may present the same information and you may achieve the same result, but speaking and writing are two completely different sets of skills.

I’ve spoken to small groups and to groups of thousands. I’ve been on many webinars and conference calls and done hundreds of live presentations. I’ve trained lawyers and business owners and influenced the buying decisions of thousands of prospects. In addition to bringing in a lot of business, my speaking skills have made me a better writer, a better sales person, and a better lawyer.

Selling, writing, and speaking are 3 marketing and communication skills that are essential for every attorney. I hope I’ve sold you on making them an important focus of your personal development.

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Filed Under: Communication, Copywriting, Marketing legal services, Personal development, Public Speaking, Salesmanship, Writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Seth Godin’s latest example of bad advice

May 14, 2012 by
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I often comment on other blogger’s posts. I take their ideas, add my two cents, and re-frame their generic information so it is appropriate for attorneys. I think writing teachers refer to this as, “compare and contrast.” It’s an easy way to create interesting, timely, and relevant content.

But while “comparing and contrasting” might make for an interesting post, there’s nothing better than writing a post where you completely disagree with someone, especially when that someone is a respected and well known expert. Such was the case with a recent post by marketing expert extraordinaire, Seth Godin, with which I completely disagreed.

Oops, Seth did it again.

Seth’s new post is about “sampling,” offering free samples to prospective customers to get them to try your product. In the food market, shoppers are offered a taste on a cracker, for example. If they like it, they buy the product.

Seth says it’s a bad idea. A waste of money.

Au contraire, mon frère

Sampling works. Yes, you wind up giving free samples “to people who have no intention to buy,” as Seth points out, but you sell far more than you give away.

Seth claims merchants look at sampling as a cost of doing business, like overhead. Not true. It’s an investment. Done right, it earns the merchant a big return on that investment.

Spend X dollars giving away free samples. Take in Y dollars in resulting product sales. The difference is profit.

You spend money to make money. It’s how business works.

And let’s not forget that once you try a new product and like it, you might then purchase that product every week for years to come.

Or, you might not buy the product being sampled but you might like the cracker it was served on and buy that. You might see something on the shelf you had not noticed before because you usually don’t stop in that part of the store and buy that. Or maybe it’s as simple as coming back to shop at that particular store because you like the free samples and the store down the street doesn’t offer them.

Look, the retail industry tracks everything: every product, every price point, every penny earned as a result of a sale or promotion.

If sampling didn’t work, trust me, they wouldn’t do it.

Well guess what? Sampling works for attorneys, too. When attorneys invest an hour in a free consultation, they usually get the client to sign up. (If you’re not, we need to talk). Those consultations don’t cost you, they pay you, by bringing you more clients, some of whom come back again and again and refer others.

Give prospects a sample of what you sell and they will buy more of what you sell.

Not only is there a mountain of empiracal evidence to support this, it’s also been documented by psychologists. It’s called “the law of reciprocity” which says that when you give something to someone, they are psychologically compelled to reciprocate.

The more you give away, the more you get in return.

For the record, there are other ways attorneys can offer samples besides a free consultation. You can give away the service itself, a free will for example, knowing that in doing so, you’ll sign up many of those clients for living trusts or other services.

Of course marketing is both art and science. You have to know what to give away, and to whom. You have to keep track of your results so you know what works best. You don’t want to give away more than you need to get the client, but you don’t want to give away less than you need and not get them at all.

Sampling isn’t something an attorney must do. But clearly, it works. If you don’t want to give away consultations or services, you can give away digital products–reports, ebooks, audios, and so on–to provide prospective clients with a sample of your knowledge and expertise. Seth thinks this is a good idea and does this himself to promote his products. Digital products are good to sample, he says, “. . .because more free samples cost you nothing.”

Oh, now I get it. Seth does know that sampling works. He’s just cheap.

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Filed Under: Increase your income, Marketing legal services, Salesmanship Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How to be more persuasive in your writing and speaking

May 2, 2012 by
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When I was in law school I helped a friend with her divorce. I prepared the Petition (yes, under supervision) and served it.

In those days, even though there were no children or real property and the matter was uncontested, she had to appear in court. I went with her to the hearing in downtown Los Angeles and we waited in the hallway for the courtroom to open.

I’d never seen my friend so nervous. She had never been in a courtroom and was afraid she wouldn’t know what to say. I told her this was a very simple case, the judge would ask a few basic questions and everything would be over in a few minutes. I kept talking, trying to calm her down, but nothing seemed to work. She was visibly shaking and barely able to speak.

Finally, I said, “Oh, here comes the judge.” I was looking over her shoulder behind her. She turned to look. Coming towards us was a shabbily dressed old man with dirty, unruly hair and an unshaven face. It was not the judge of course but a homeless man and the sight of him shuffling down the hall made her laugh.

A good laugh was exactly what the doctor ordered. My friend was able to get through the hearing and soon, we were on our way home.

In the car, she thanked me for helping her and especially for helping her to calm down enough to get through the hearing. It meant a lot to her that I cared enough to do that. We are still very good friends today, more than thirty years later.

So, why did I tell you this story? I could have simply made the point that your clients want to know you care about them and really do appreciate the little things you say or do.

Telling you that story was a better way to make that point, don’t you think?

I talk a lot about using stories in your writing and presentations. You’ve often heard me say, “facts tell but stories sell” and I’ve explained why:

  • Stories have people in them and the reader or listener can relate to them and their experiences.
  • Stories have a dramatic theme; people want to know, “what happened next?”
  • Stories have verisimilitude; they “show” instead of “tell,” and are often more persuasive than a logical argument
  • Stories appeal to human emotion. When you make people feel something, you connect with them on a deeper level.
  • People remember stories long after the facts are forgotten.

As you read my story, I hope you were you able to see my friend and me in that hallway and you could relate to the experience of trying to comfort a nervous client. If you could, then my story did double duty–it made the point about showing clients you care and it showed you why you need to put more stories in your writing and presentations.

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Filed Under: Blogging, Client loyalty, Client relations, Communication, Copywriting, Marketing legal services, Presentations, Public Speaking, Salesmanship, Writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How to find out what your clients want (so you can give it to them)

April 4, 2012 by
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Attorneys ask a lot of questions. We ask to find out what our clients want and need so we can prepare the right documents. We ask questions through discovery, to avoid surprises, develop a strategy, and gain an advantage. Questions are how we tell a story in the courtroom or negotiate a settlement in the hallway. Questions are even how attorneys answer questions they don’t want to answer.

We’re good at asking questions.

We know when to ask open-ended questions and when to ask leading questions. We know how to question a hostile witness, an expert witness, and our own client. We know when a question is proper and when it is objectionable.

All day, every day, we ask questions in our work. Why don’t we do the same thing in our marketing?

Your clients and prospective clients can tell you what you need to do to grow your practice. They can tell you what you need to say to get them to say yes. They can tell you what you need to do (or not do) to make them happy. They can give you information you can use to improve every aspect of your practice.

All you have to do is ask.

You can ask about the specific handling of their case, what they liked best in your latest newsletter, or how they were treated when they called to make an appointment.

You can ask what topics they would like you to write about in your newsletter, whether they are interested in other services you’re thinking about offering, and whether they think your fees are too high, too low, or just right.

You can ask them what you did well for them, and where they felt you could have done better. You can ask which headline they like best, which blogs or magazines they regularly read, or whether they want paper copies mailed to them or if email is just fine.

You can ask in person or over the phone, through email or online surveys and polls. You can ask directly or, for more honest feedback, let them answer anonymously.

You can ask anything, and they will tell you, and what they tell you could be worth a fortune to you.

What if you have always assumed your clients wanted updates only when there is something important to report but in reality, most of them want to hear from you every month? What if you’ve been writing about how to avoid infringing on others’ patents but they want to know is how to minimize employee lawsuits? What if you have always assumed your receptionist is doing a good job but half of your clients think he is rude?

And guess what? People like being asked. They like giving their opinions and they will appreciate you for asking. It tells them that you care about what they think, and that you want to make them happy.

Make a list of questions to ask your clients and prospects and business contacts. Get in the habit of regularly asking people what they want, what they like, and what you can do to improve. And then do something even more important: listen.

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Filed Under: Client relations, Communication, Law office management, Marketing legal services, Salesmanship Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

If I could use only ONE marketing tool

March 27, 2012 by
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I started this post intending to make the case in favor of email as my favorite marketing tool. There’s no question that it is one of the most effective ways to deliver messages to people who can hire you or refer someone who can. It’s (almost) free, almost everyone has an email address, and email is still more popular than social media.

With the click of a button, you can send out an email to hundreds or thousands of people, and almost as quickly, get orders or phone calls and appointments.

Strange that so many attorneys (most?) don’t use email in their marketing, at least not as much as they could. Or should.

You may have a list of people–clients, former clients, and business contacts–but if you’re not communicating with them on a regular basis, you’re not going to get their business. They forget about you, or they forget how to contact you, or they’re just not motivated to contact you because. . . you haven’t contacted them.

The point of having a list, indeed, of all of your marketing efforts, is to stay in touch with people. Or as I put it, “. . .to be in their minds and their mailboxes so that when they are ready to hire a lawyer, or know someone who is, there you are. . .”.  Email is one of the most effective ways to stay in touch.

So, I was going to say email is my favorite marketing tool, but that’s not quite accurate. Nope. My favorite marketing tool is. . . a sales letter.

Lawyers may not call it that. We’ll call it a newsletter or information or anything but a sales letter (because we don’t sell, right?)–but whatever you call it, and however you disguise it, if it’s designed to get someone to do something, it’s a sales letter. My favorite marketing tool.

A sales letter is words, on paper (or electrons), that communicate a message and an offer or a request. People read it and call for an appointment, Like your web page, or sign up for your seminar. You can send it by postal mail, or by messenger. Hand it to someone in person, or deliver it via fax or text message. You can post it on your blog, web page, or on Facebook.

Oh, and guess what? Every time you talk to a prospective client on the phone or in person and you tell them about your services and what you can do to help them, you’re delivering a sales letter. A spoken sales letter.

Do yourself a favor and write it down, so you can send it by email.

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Filed Under: Communication, Email, Newsletters, Online Marketing, Relationship marketing, Salesmanship, Writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“Who the hell are you and why are you contacting me?”

March 15, 2012 by
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Begin rant. . .

I got this voice mail message the other day: “Hi David, this is Joe Blow. Please give me a call at [telephone number]. . .”.

He didn’t say who he was (other than his name, which I did not recognize) or why he was calling. He didn’t give me any reason to call him back.

Guess who I didn’t call back?

I shouldn’t have to tell anyone this but it happens often enough so I guess I do: when you leave a message, tell people who you are and why you are calling.

Are you a client? A colleague? A fan? Do you want to hire me? Is there an issue I need to look into? Do you have something to propose?

When you leave a voice message, give them a good reason to call you back.

And. . .

State your name clearly. Spell it (unless it’s very common). Say your number slowly so they can write it down. Repeat the number so they don’t have to listen to the message again. Give them your time zone and the best time(s) to reach you. Say please and thank you.

Common courtesy and common sense.

And. . .

The same goes for email.

Tell people who you are and why you’re writing. What do you want them to know or do? Give them a web site so they can find out more. Use correct grammar and spelling. Format your email so it doesn’t look like a DECLARATION OF WAR! And get to the friggin point!

When you contact someone for the first time, you’re making that proverbial first impression. The only thing they have to go on is that email or voice mail message. Make it professional. Show them you care. Because if you don’t care, why should they?

Rant over. . .

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Filed Under: Communication, Email, Image, Law office management, Personal development, Salesmanship Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Three ways to get clients to hire you NOW

January 27, 2012 by
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I just spoke to an attorney who sent his list an article about the importance of getting their Will prepared. He later spoke to some of them and they said they enjoyed the article and acknowledged that they needed to get their Will prepared or updated. When he asked them to book an appointment, they made excuses.

Sound familiar?

How do you get someone who acknowledges his or her need for your services to stop procrastinating and make the appointment?

Here are three techniques you can use:

  1. Tell stories. Facts tell but stories sell. In your writing and on the phone, make sure you illustrate your points with stories of people who followed your advice (e.g., to get their Will prepared) and especially with stories about those who didn’t. Let people know the consequences of inaction or procrastination by hearing about people who waited.
  2. Use a deadline. If you are offering some kind of special offer–a bonus, freebie, or discount, for example–put a deadline on it: “To get this bonus, you must book your appointment by. . .”. Fear of loss is a powerful motivator. You’ll find people hiring you who might otherwise procrastinate because they don’t want to lose the special offer.
  3. Push ’em. If the benefits of the service being offered are truly in their best interests to have, you’re not doing them any favors by letting them wait. In fact, as a compassionate advisor, it is your responsibility to urge them to act. So use your authority, credibility, and persuasiveness to get them to “take care of this right now”.

These three techniques will get more people to book an appointment. One additional technique, “alternative choice,” will get even more. Give them two options to choose from, either of which moves them forward. “So, can you come in this week or would next week be better?” Tuesday or Wednesday? 10 or 4?

Change the decision from “yes or no” to “today or tomorrow”.

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Filed Under: Closing the sale, Marketing legal services, Salesmanship Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dear Attorney: Why should I hire you?

December 27, 2011 by
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why should i choose you instead of any other attorneyAs you think about the end of this year and the start of a new one, there’s something you should spend some time contemplating: Why should a prospective client choose you instead of any other attorney?

After all, they could choose from a long list of other attorneys. In some cases, if their needs are simple enough (or they think they are) they can also choose a paralegal or other non-attorney. In any case, not you.

So why choose you?

It’s an important question, don’t you think? Spend some time thinking about this and crafting your answer so that if someone asks, you can confidently answer in a way that inspires them to take the next step in your direction.

A good place to start is by using your imagination. Pretend a prospect is sitting in your office, across the desk from you, pen and paper in hand. You’ve discussed their issue with them, answered their questions, and shown them their options. Then, they pop the question: Why should I hire you instead of any other lawyer?

What would you say?

Write down everything you can think of. No doubt you’ll mention your track record, results you’ve obtained for other clients, and your accolades and awards. You’ll talk about your firm’s resources and capabilities. You’ll say things like “dedication” and “hard word” and “caring”. And all of this is good. But it’s not enough.

For one thing, nobody really cares that you are the biggest, oldest, or most successful. It’s not meaningless, but it’s not that important because it’s all about you. Your prospects want to know what’s in it for them.

In addition, those other lawyers are saying something very similar.

So dig deeper. What makes you different? Why are you the better choice? What co your clients get they don’t get from any other lawyer?

These aren’t easy questions to answer. You may not have a good answer, or any answer, and that’s okay right now. At least you’re thinking about this and if you continue to think about it, eventually you will start doing things that will provide you with a great answer.

Your prospects may never ask you this question. They may never even think it. And, in truth, most will make their decision based on how you make them feel when they speak to you, not on any quantifiable measure of your superiority. But don’t get complacent.

In the end, the attorney who delivers the highest standards of service and benefits to his or her clients is the attorney who will attract more of them. Even if nobody asks.

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Filed Under: Client relations, Closing the sale, Communication, Marketing legal services, Salesmanship Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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