Law Firm Marketing Plan | Attorney Marketing | Marketing For Lawyers

Hey Lawyer I have a problem…

I have a problem…

Those are the magic words every attorney wants to hear.  Unfortunately many of the people who have problems you can solve don’t even know you exist.

So what is an ambitious, ethical attorney supposed to do to gain some visibility?

Here are three things you can do RIGHT NOW to gain greater exposure within your community:

Market to Your Referral Sources

All attorneys have a natural pool of referral sources that should be regularly reminded of your value proposition.
For example:

Real Estate brokers and loan officers should regularly receive communication from Real Estate Attorneys.
 
Trust and Estate Attorneys should be well known in the local community of financial advisors, insurance professionals and accounts.
 
Personal Injury Attorneys should reach out to other attorneys, doctors, chiropractors, members of the local clergy and bartenders.

Criminal Defense Attorneys should be well known within the courthouse.  Bailiffs, guards, clerks, court reporters and process servers should all be treated like potential clients since they see and hear many of the people who may need your services.

There is a list equally as long for each and every practice area specialty. Market to your referral sources just as hard as you would market to potential clients.
 
Educate the Community

Hold educational seminars whenever possible.  Host these seminars on your own as well as in conjunction with other attorneys or referral sources.  These seminars serve two purposes:

1). They provide valuable information to people who need it.
2). They position you as an expert in your field.

Holding a seminar on a different topic each month gives you a reason to get some folks together in your office.  Even if you only have 10-15 people attend, those are now 10-15 “sales people” who will be referring you to their friends and neighbors.

If you can work with a local civic organization or religious group and have them host or sponsor your educational events, you may have a more significant audience and a larger “sales force”.

Write Articles

Look for trade magazines in your niche and submit articles regularly.  Many of these publications need content and their editors are thrilled when people send them high-quality information.
Local newspapers often have guest columns written by influential members of the community.  Find out how you can become one of those influential people.
 
Send your newsletter to editors of all trade magazines and local newspapers.  You never know who will read it and call with a potential lead.

There are probably twenty more things you can and should be doing to raise your profile in the community.  The real key is not so much WHAT you are doing…The key is that YOU ARE doing SOMETHING.
 
Doing NOTHING is easy.  Doing NOTHING gets you the results you already have.

Get up, get going and get clients.

Your Law Firm is Leaking

Each and every month you lose influence over your clients.  Each month some of the people who have paid you the highest fees or done the most work with you become less and less interested in you. Each month your stellar reputation fades a little more in the minds of the folks who refer you new clients   And most people are probably not doing anything about it.

Why?

Because most people are lazy.

You lose 10% of your influence with your clients, prospects and referral sources for every 30 days you do not have contact with them.

This means ten months from now, the great client you had lunch with today will have forgotten all about you.  It means the doctor who sent you that great referral last week will have a hard time remembering what you do for a living.  It means the business owner you met at the networking event yesterday will not recognize you if you hit him with your car next spring.

So what is the solution?

The answer is to start communicating with these people.  Each month you should have some kind of communication with your clients, prospective clients and referral sources. This communication can be a newsletter, it can be a card or it can be a phone call or an email.  It really doesn’t matter how you interact with them.  You simply want to remind them that you are here and ready to help them and the people they know.

Some people will say: “I don’t have the money!”

Do you have a real business or are you just playing around?  You need to invest money in your client acquisition efforts in order to develop a real business (a law firm is a business by the way).
It costs less than a dollar to purchase and mail a greeting card each month.  It costs about $2 to send out a printed newsletter (in small quantity).  Email is practically free – just type and hit send.

But some people will need to be convinced.  Here’s how the math works:

You mail 1000 newsletters at $2 each (the cost for printing and mailing).  You mail 1000 greeting cards at $1 each.  You type and send 1000 emails to the people within your database (only to those from whom you have received permission).  You do these three things every month.  That is a total monthly expense of $3000.

Let’s say it takes you three months to see any business from these efforts.  So you have spent $9,000 in keeping up with the most valuable 1000 people in your database.

On the first day of the fourth month you get a client as a direct result of these efforts.  This client is your average client.  And your average client pays you $10,000 in fees.

Was your investment worth it?

Yes.

Will you get more than one client from these efforts?

Most likely.  There is a cumulative effect to this kind of system.  After about six months you will start to see more and more interest in your services.  It takes some people a little longer to absorb the information and react.

Will you get more clients by doing this compared to doing nothing?

Definitely.

What are you waiting for?

If you need a kick in the rear end and want some help in setting up this type of system, give me a call.  If you want me to show you how, I will.  If you want me to set it up, I will.  If you want me to do this for you each and every month I will.

You can be lazy and outsource this system to me or I can show you how to do this for yourself.  The choice is yours but doing NOTHING is the worst choice you can possibly make.

Call now. 1.888.692.5531

Three Ways to Attract New Small Business Clients to Your Law Firm

Many solo and small practice attorneys look to court small business owners as their clients. Marketing for lawyers in a corporate transactional law firm must include this target market.
 
This segment of the population offers enormous opportunity for your law firm.  Small businesses enter into contracts and service agreements regularly.  They have copyright, trademark and patent issues.  They deliver products and services and need to be protected from liability.  And they often have complicated tax issues that need to be sorted out. All of these factors make them good potential clients for your firm. Yet one persistent question always arises about this group. 

How does a solo attorney attract a small business owner to his law practice?
Since small business owners are usually busy, and they prefer to work with people they know, like and trust. The way you approach a small businesses owner is critical. You must take a long term view toward building this relationship.  Start by getting to know them and helping them get to know you.

Below are three ways to jump start a professional relationship with a small business owner:

Ask a CPA for an introduction

CPAs are a critical partner to small business owners.  In most cases, they are trusted advisors and their recommendations are accepted and enacted quickly.
 
If your solo practice works with small businesses, you need to immediately begin to introduce yourself to as many CPAs as possible.  Develop relationships with them first and then follow up in a nonthreatening way.  Make them aware of the different matters you can handle.

A relationship with a CPA will pay big dividends down the road.

Go to lunch with a new small business owner everyday

This may seem like an overwhelming task at first but it is one of the easiest ways to build your small business client base. There are twenty work days in a month.  You need to eat every single day.  The business owners must eat daily as well.  There is no reason for either of you to eat alone.  Every lunch you eat alone costs you money. Marketing for lawyers should include mealtime marketing.
 
Start by immediately offering to take a small business owner to lunch tomorrow.  Then begin to fill out your calendar for the remainder of the week.  As you fill up dates for the month, remember that breakfast is also a great way to meet and establish a relationship with a prospective client.

Meals are great opportunities for these get-to-know-you sessions because of the common purpose—everyone has to eat.  Use this time to get to know the prospective client and follow up over time to keep your name in front of them.

Leverage memberships in groups to build relationships

Chamber of commerce groups and networking groups are excellent sources of leads for small business attorneys.  Small businesses make up the bulk of the membership in these groups. The key to leveraging a chamber of commerce or a networking club membership to build a successful law firm is to go into the meetings with a specific purpose in mind.
 
You must have an idea of who you want to meet and what you want to do when you meet them.  When you are introduced to these folks, do not immediately pitch them on your services.  Instead, take some time and win over their trust. This is a key component of marketing for lawyers.
These three tips may seem basic but if you work on them on a regular basis, you will be surprised at how effective they are in helping you to build a successful law firm.

Utilizing Referral Sources to Market Your Law Firm

One of the best ways for law firms to get new clients coming in the door is through the referrals of other people.  There are a myriad of ways to get the word out about your law firm, your lawyers, the legal services you offer, and your firm’s unique ability to solve the problems of its clients.  Many of the options available to lawyers for marketing their firms are either labor intensive or expensive.  Utilizing a vast network of referral sources can be a low cost way to build your firms client base and your reputation within the community.
 
When someone has a sensitive legal issue and they’re looking for representation, they are much more likely to go to a lawyer who was recommended to them, as opposed to one who sent them a random postcard in the mail.  While mailers can be an effective part of your marketing plan, they won’t be your firm’s bread and butter.  Often times when someone refers a client to you, this initial recommendation comes with more than just handing the potential client you business card.  The referral process will usually include statements regarding your ability to handle and their problem.  In other words, referral sources often provide low or no cost advertising that comes from a trusted source.
 
A strong referral program should be a key component of every law firm’s marketing plan.  While some referrals may just come to you out of the blue, the majority of quality referral sources have to be identified and cultivated in order to be utilized to their fullest potential.  The bottom line is that developing a strong legal practice that is financially successful requires initiating, building, and maintaining strong relationships with potential referral sources.
 
Here’s how you can use referrals as a key component of your law firm marketing plan.

Start With a System

Managing your referral sources is not something you should try to keep in your head like a grocery list.  If you don’t already have a database for your referral sources, then this is a great time to build one.  Make a comprehensive list of potential referral sources and past referral sources.  Organize the list based upon which referral sources are most likely to provide you with potential clients.  Compile this information into a database that includes information about the referral source.  This should be information that you can use to make the relationship grow, including the names of their children, their personal hobbies, their birthdays and anniversaries.
 
Include these people in a quarterly e-mail newsletter so that your name and specialty remain fresh in their minds and your contact info is just a few mouse clicks away.
 
Attorney to Attorney Referrals

Fellow attorneys can be one of the best referral sources to help make your firm grow.  This is one of the many reasons that lawyers need to have a specialty.  Select a niche within your market and become the best at what you do.  Over time, it will become almost automatic for other attorneys to refer work to you that they can’t handle because of a conflict of interest or simply because it does not fit the niche that they themselves have decided to pursue.
 
While it should go without saying that each client you encounter should be treated well.  This is most important when dealing with clients who have been referred to you by other attorneys.  More than likely, the referring attorney is helping the client with a different legal matter.  When you do a great job for this client by going above and beyond their expectations, you are building the reputation of the referring attorney as well as your own.
 
While working with a client that has been referred to you by another attorney, maintain contact with the referral source.  Let the referring attorney know how that their client’s legal matter is being taken care of.  Lastly, be sure to thank the referring attorney.  Show your appreciation and gratitude for his help in growing your business.  One of the best ways to say “thank you” to attorney’s who refer work to your firm is to refer work back to them whenever possible.
 
Other Referral Sources

Most likely there are individuals in your community, besides other attorneys, who frequently come into contact with people who may require legal services.  Build relationships with these people and they will send work your way.  Go to industry events, meet people and let them know who you are and what you specialize in.  Buy a seat or a table at a local fundraising dinner.  This will give you the opportunity to meet several high level executives within your city.
 
Another great way to get referrals is by positioning yourself as an expert in your specialty.  One way to do this and to network at the same time is by doing speaking engagements.
 
An often unexplored avenue for potential sources is past clients.  Every interaction you have with one of your clients may lead to work from additional clients in the future.  Just because their legal issue may have been resolved does not mean that you should not continue to cultivate these relationships.  Make sure that your clients are satisfied with the services that they’re receiving from you.  Keep in touch with them long after your work for them is complete.  You can do this through e-mail newsletters written specifically to past clients.  You can write articles that explain how changes in the law and the economy affect your area of law.
 
Building relationships with referral sources is like building relationships in any area of your life in that it takes time and patience to do it.  The work of cultivating referral sources is never done.  It is an ongoing project that needs to be managed.  Nevertheless, the benefit of having strong referral sources will be seen by your firm for many years to come.

Need More Clients? Just Ask!

If you get one from a client you can get ten or twenty from them.

It is the most effective form of marketing.

It is also the most efficient way to acquire a new client.

Yet most attorneys don’t do it.  In fact, most attorneys have some kind of hang up about doing it.  They have an unfair distain for the practice.

Have you figured out what we are referring to?

It is the most effective and underused strategy for getting more business.

We are talking about asking for referrals and using the three step process that could help you double your client base almost overnight.

Many people – and attorneys are no different – are reluctant to ask their clients to refer them to others.  The question is: “Why?”.

The answer probably lies deep within our subconscious.  When we were kids we were taught to be polite and not be too “pushy”.  This is one of those scripts that is running unconsciously in the back of our mind at all times.  Over and over again it is playing in the background:

“Don’t be too pushy.” “Don’t be too pushy.” “Don’t be too pushy.”

This is powerful stuff developed over years and years.  It was installed by people who had the most profound influence on us – our parents.

And it will absolutely kill you if you want to build a good size law firm.

You need to break through all of that subconscious programming.  Once you do, you can begin to ask for more referrals from your existing clients.

There is a secret about clients who provide you with referrals that will be worth a fortune to you. The client who refers once can and will refer many more people, many more times if you motivate them to do so. Once a client has referred someone to your firm, he/she used as a referral resource over and over again.

There have been numerous studies done that show that the average person has a circle of influence of about fifty people.  That’s fifty people who will take this person’s call and listen to what he has to say.  So every client who is happy with your firm should provide you with fifty opportunities to help someone else in a similar fashion. 

Yet research conducted by the American Marketing Association indicates that the average satisfied client only tells an average of three people about his or her experience with a firm. 

So how do you get from three to fifty?

There is a simple three step process that any attorney can follow to get more referrals almost instantly.

The three steps are:

Ask

As we already discussed, you have to ask in order to receive.  Picking the right time to ask is key.  You want to ask when the client is full of good feeling. Always ask a client for a referral after presenting some great results or receiving a favorable decision or outcome.

Social events are also great opportunities to ask for referrals.  If you are kicking back and enjoying a relaxing lunch with a client, you can ease into the conversation by asking what his ideal client looks like.  Make sure to whip out a piece of paper or note pad and take careful notes as he describes his ideal client. 

Now just having this conversation might lead him to ask you what your ideal client looks like.  This is a great opportunity to ask for a referral.  If he doesn’t ask you about your ideal client at that point – just let the whole conversation drop. 

The next day, send him an email (or give him a call) to thank him for spending time with you and for being your client.  Then give him a referral to someone who you believe fits his profile of an ideal client – actually volunteer to set up a meeting between him and the other party.  At THAT point, give him a description of your ideal client.  Then ask if he knows anyone who fits that profile.

Receive and Report Back

This is the part of the process where many attorneys blow it.  When someone gives you a name and phone number of a potential client, you must call that person immediately.  As soon as the client says that it is “ok” you need to follow through on that lead. 

After you speak with the person who has been referred to you, it is imperative that you report back to the person who gave you that lead.  The report back tells the client that you appreciate the referral.  It also helps let the client who refers know that it is ok for him to follow-up with the other party.

Immediately calling the new potential client is critical and so is the follow-up call.  Although you will be tempted to skip this step, please don’t.  Make sure to include it in you referral strategy.
Reward

Once you receive the referral and that prospect becomes a new client, you need to reward the person who referred the business to you.  This is essential.  If you don’t do it, the client will definitely have a negative impression of you.

But the importance in rewarding a person who refers business to you goes well beyond avoiding negative word of mouth.  The value of rewarding a person who refers comes in the reinforcement of the positive behavior that referrer exhibited. 

There are many different types of referral rewards that have been effective for our clients over the years.  Some of the best rewards are gifts of food.  There are three reasons for this:

1.) Sending food is the equivalent of “breaking bread” with a client.  This has historical and psychological significance for most people.
2.) Food is often shared with others in the office.  This gives the person who receives the reward a chance to be a hero by giving a snack to the office staff.
3.) People do not feel guilty taking a gift of food.  If you sent cash, some folks would feel guilty or they might feel that the gift is inappropriate.

Steaks, fruit baskets, cookies and brownies are all great referral rewards to extend to clients who send business your way. 

Asking for referrals is by far the easiest way to double your client base quickly.  Make a list of ten clients you can contact today for referrals.  Then get on the phone and call them.  It will seem awkward at first but these are the easiest sales calls you will ever make.

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