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.
Print
EmailYour 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.
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:
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.
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.
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