Law Firm Marketing

Law Firm Marketing Advice You Must Ignore

There are lots of people out there today who want to take your money.  In the process of trying to sell you their version of “snake oil” they make all kinds of promises.

Unfortunately, most of those promises are hollow assertions made by people who have not used marketing to build a business…ever.

The problem:  Most lawyers are so desperate for clients that they will listen to anyone with a microphone or a column in a national lawyer publication.

Here are three of the more egregious lies that you absolutely must ignore.

Lie Number 1:  The Internet Is All You Need

Some lawyers get a huge number of clients from the Internet.  They use Search Engine tricks, pay-per-click advertising and advertising on Facebook to make their phones ring.  There are two problems with using the Internet as a marketing panacea:

1). The Internet is constantly changing and evolving.  If your Internet advertising team cannot keep up with the changes, you will wake up one morning and find that your client base has dried up.

2). Relationships always trump clicks and page views.  The person who finds you on the Internet is a shopper.  He/she is probably looking for a bargain.  You may spend time with them only to find they can’t or won’t pay you.

You should definitely have an Internet strategy but make sure it is just one piece of your overall marketing plan.

Lie Number 2:  Focus on Brand Building and Clients Will Follow

Each of us has a personal brand.  Your brand is essentially your reputation.  The misguided part of this advice is that you should focus on building a reputation.  Think about that…If you have to focus on building a reputation there is no substance to your work.

As an alternative to building a brand, I recommend you focus on doing good work.  Take care of your clients.  Go the extra mile.  Make a difference in their lives.  If you do that your brand will be strong.
The “branding experts” have it backwards.  In truth, build your law firm on a foundation of service and integrity and your brand and the clients will follow.

Lie Number 3:  Former Lawyers Are Excellent Sources of Law Firm Marketing Guidance

This statement just defies commonsense.  If someone was a lawyer, and the quit being a lawyer to teach others how to build a law firm, why would you listen to them?  If they were so good, so successful at attracting clients, why wouldn’t they keep attracting clients and practicing law?

Put another way:  Would you want to learn how to drive from someone who had several car accidents in the past two years?

If you want advice on the law, ask a lawyer.  If you want advice on marketing, ask a marketing expert.

We are living in tough economic times. Even the con artists are having difficulty making a living.  Don’t be a victim.  If you hear any of these lies, run the other way.

Bragging vs. Self Promotion

One of my clients called me a few weeks ago with a dilemma you will find familiar.

Sidney (or Sid as his friends refer to him) is an excellent lawyer.  He works hard and attracts the bulk of his clients by referral.  Sid is a bit of a generalist.  He does mostly corporate transactional work for his clients but, as a former litigator, he will also handle some simple litigation matters.

Sid is on the board of directors of his local Chamber of Commerce.  He is one of three lawyers on the board and he enjoys helping the Chamber make leadership decisions.  Here is where Sid’s dilemma begins.  Sid has watched the other attorneys receive referral after referral from other members of the Chamber of Commerce board of directors. Yet Sid gets very few referrals from those folks.

When he first approached me about this issue, I advised Sid to invite each of the members of the board out to lunch to have a conversation and attempt to understand why the business was not going his way.  This proved to be an enlightening experience.

As Sid interviewed the other members of the board of directors he began to realize that people thought he was a nice guy, but they just didn’t remember him when it was time to pass a referral.  You see, the other lawyers on the Chamber board were always aggressively promoting themselves at the meetings.  And they were aggressive with follow-up.  This kind of thing always made Sid uncomfortable.  He never wanted it to seem like he was bragging.

Obviously this scenario sounds familiar.  I’m sure you feel the same way.  You would love it if the world knew how great you are but the thought of trumpeting your accomplishments makes you uncomfortable.

Here are three ways to promote yourself without seeming like a braggart:

Host an Event at Your Office

Your office should look like a shrine to your greatness.  You should have photos on the wall of you shaking hands with famous people.  You should have your advanced degrees on display.  You should post “thank you” letters in frames all over the place.  Then, once each quarter, you should invite 50 people to your office for an informal wine and cheese event.

People will definitely take notice of the information and accomplishments that adorn the walls of your office.  You will look good without saying a word.

Send an Orientation Kit in Advance

Each week you should be meeting with at least three potential referral sources.  These meetings generally take place over a meal.  Be sure to send an “orientation kit” in advance to the person with whom you are meeting.  This kit should include testimonials from past clients and/or influential people in the community.  It should also include any press clippings highlighting your successes. 
The cover letter accompanying the orientation kit should be from your assistant/office manager.  It should explain that your office sends out this kit in advance of every meeting you will be attending. 
If you develop this strategy properly, it is very impressive.  People come to a meeting with you full of knowledge about your background and accomplishments.

Have Someone Make the Introduction

You probably know about 250 people (more or less).  Research has shown that number is the “sphere of influence” of the average businessperson.  But that means each person you know also has a sphere of influence of about 250 people.

When you have identified specific individuals you would like to meet, reach out to your natural network (this sphere of influence) and ask if someone can make an introduction.  We always think more highly of people who are introduced directly to us.

It is not unusual to have a discomfort with promoting yourself.  Just keep in mind that people cannot hire you if they do not know who you are or what you do.

The Skinny Cook, The Imperfect Priest and Me

We all love to count other people’s money.

It’s a pastime that has become an obsession.

I hear it all day long.

“How much do you think that guy makes?”

“Do you see the car he drives?”

“Wow.  Look at those shoes.  She must be doing well.”

People have the expectation that expensive accoutrements mean high net worth.

In most instances, this is not the case.  If you have any doubt, check out the work of Dr. Thomas Stanley.  His research proves that affluent people become affluent because of how they save and not because of what they make.  In short, high income does not equal high net worth.

Do This Get More Clients For Your Law Firm

Everyone wants to see the baby but nobody wants to deal with the labor pains.

It’s human nature.

I have to work really, really hard to get most of my clients to implement the strategies I teach.  In fact, I have to sell them on the idea that taking action is the key to success.

(Most people believe that good ideas are the key to success but, in reality, an idea that is not implemented is worthless).

If you want something that is as close to a surefire client attraction strategy as I can give you, listen up.  I’m going to give it to you, step-by-step.  Here it is:

The weekly newsletter is one of THE MOST POWERFUL client attraction tools ever invented.

Here’s how you can implement this, immediately:

Step 1:  Collect contact information from everyone you meet.  This is not rocket science.  After you have a conversation with someone, ask them if you can add them to your newsletter list.  Once they agree, ask for a business card.

Step 2:  Add that contact information to an email program that allows you to send email newsletters in bulk.  Do your homework in this step.  Use a reputable service that has a high deliverability rate.

Step 3:  Send a “Welcome” email.  This step is critical.  You want to send an email to everyone who signs up and you want to ask them to “confirm” their subscription.  This confirmation is known as a “double opt-in” and it helps make sure you are sending email to people who really want it.  Almost every email service requires email confirmation these days and they make this process easy.

Step 4:  Send your subscribers a weekly newsletter.  You may bristle at the frequency but that is the key to success.  Frequency of communication builds trust.  If your newsletter is interesting, people will want to read it every week.

What you can expect

The results from this simple process will amaze you.

It will take about six months before you see any clients from this effort.  (Hey, it’s not magic.  People on your list need to get to know you, like you and trust you.)

If you focus on building your list and if you provide interesting and entertaining content every week, you can expect people to contact you when they have a need for your services.

Your Competitive Advantage

Think back to the first time a client paid you money for your services.  Do you remember the feeling you had when you looked at that check?

You essentially created income from thin air.

Yesterday you didn’t have this client and this money and today you do.

As you read every word of this article I want you to keep that feeling with you.  The euphoria you felt when you were paid by a client should stay with you throughout this article.
That first client (and that first check) is special.  It’s special because it serves as a validation of your ability to “make it” on your own.  It’s special because it reinforces your belief in yourself.  It’s special because it pays (some of) the bills.

Now that good feeling has probably been replaced with the anxiousness you feel while you wait for the phone to ring.

And you wonder how you went from euphoria to anxiety so quickly.

Does this sound familiar?  It is a common concern among lawyers.  Everything is going well and then, all of a sudden, things just stop.  Or they slow down to a trickle.
Why does this happen? 

If you ask one hundred lawyers you would probably get at least fifty different answers.  Then you’d probably get another forty-nine “I don’t know” responses.

The one person who could probably give you the accurate answer is the person who has figured out how to keep the phone ringing.  That lawyer has learned the secret to attracting clients on demand.  He’s learned how to manage his law firm so he can get home, on time, for dinner every night.

Just what is this secret?  What is this competitive advantage?

The secret to keeping the clients coming in the door while living a great life is a dedication to continuous improvement.

The secret lies in constantly trying new things.  The secret (which isn’t really a secret at all) is to constantly look for new and innovative ways to attract clients, engage referral sources and deepen relationships.

The minute you personally stagnate, your law firm stops growing.  The minute you complain about “not having time to learn something new” you have doomed yourself and your law firm to failure.

The competitive advantage enjoyed by highly successful lawyers is the fact that they are always learning and growing.  They implement one new thing in their law firm on a monthly basis.

When was the last time you implemented something new?  What was the last good idea you had about law firm marketing, business strategy or productivity improvement?

New Book: Client Attraction Secrets for Lawyers

I am pleased to announce that my new book, Client Attraction Secrets for Lawyers is now available for ordering.  The book will be released on March 5. 

Click here for a link to the publisher’s page where you can read more about the content and powerful information packed into the easy-to-read 150 pages.

This is a fantastic crash course in ethical, effective legal marketing that will help you Make a Great Living and Live a Great Life ® and it is only $19. 

Grab your copy today while supplies last.  Visit the James Publishing website now.

Law Firm Marketing Predictions for 2012

This is a time of year when most people are preoccupied with New Year’s activities.  Typically, readership of this website dips as many people are focused on other things.

Since it is just you and I paying attention, this is the perfect time for me to make some bold predictions for the next twelve months.

Here goes:

Prediction 1:  Small and mid-size law firms will steal a record number of clients using value-based billing

On 2011 the most successful attorneys I know have literally stolen work from big firms because of the way they price their services.

Most clients view hourly billing as an immoral, unethical and inconvenient – if not a disgusting practice.  If you offer a reasonable alternative to hourly billing, you will reap the rewards.

Prediction 2:  Major search engines will change their algorithm significantly to force lawyers to abandon search engine optimization.

SEO has always been a black art practiced by college dropouts; nefarious outsourcing companies located a dozen time zones away, and a guy in his underwear at his kitchen table.  2012 will be the year Google finally slaps these folks silly.

Search engines can change their algorithm faster than anyone can adjust.  Forget SEO and do some real marketing.

Prediction 3:  Attorneys who focus on actual face-to-face networking will out earn attorneys who focus on social media.

This will be a bad year for socially awkward, homebound, agoraphobic lawyers.

Whether or not you realize it, you cannot Twitter and Facebook your way to a million dollar law practice.

Get off your ass and meet with people.

Prediction 4:  A record number of recent law school grads will hang their own shingle.

This prediction was, by far, the easiest to make because it is already happening.

Big Law is not hiring.  Kids in law school are sweating.  There is no alternative.  They are hanging their shingle and claiming to be fully minted lawyers.  Scary but true.

Get ready for a low priced, newly licensed attorney to move in next door.

Prediction 5:  Resentment, anger and frustration among Big Law Partners grows to an unprecedented level as they see the quality of life enjoyed by their solo counterparts.

Experienced attorneys (called Partner regardless of their equity stake in big law firms) will be overworked in 2012.  This will occur because big law firms are not hiring inexperienced associates and because many “partners” do not know how to attract their own clients.

This overwork combined with the insatiable need to bill more hours will frustrate those “partners” who do not succumb to illness.  This frustration will lead to great resentment for the solo practitioner who attracts clients on demand, offers alternative billing and sets his own hours.

Now you may not agree with any of these but it should be fun to see which of them actually come true.

There is a Santa Claus but I Ain’t Him

Last week I received an email from a family law attorney named Renee from Cape Coral, Florida.  Renee wrote and told me that the economy was killing her law firm. She said I should help her on a contingency basis because none of my ideas was different from anything she heard from other legal marketing gurus.  She said if I didn’t help her, I should stop emailing her because, if I didn’t “put my money where my mouth is” it would prove that I was no marketing genius.

I turned down this offer.

Lawyers cannot share fees with non-lawyers in Florida but that’s not the main reason I passed on working with Renee on a contingency basis.

The reason I don’t work on a contingency basis is the same reason I don’t have a partner.  I can control what I do but I cannot control what you do.  Most businesses fail because of a lack of action.

Everyone knows what to do.  They just DON’T do it.

It’s not poor planning that causes a business to fail.  It’s not undercapitalization.  It’s not selecting a bad location.  All of those things are symptoms of the real disease…failure to take action.
As for the attorneys who say they have no time for marketing or business strategy…Make no mistake, each time you use that excuse, you are actually selecting a different priority.  You have plenty of time.

You just have screwed up priorities.

We always find time for things we think are important.

Renee is right about one thing.  The ideas I share with you are not new.  They have been used over and over again by successful people.  These ideas are old and battle tested.

You don’t want new ideas.  New ideas have not been fully vetted.  New ideas make you a lab rat in an experiment.  They do not have a track record of success.  New ideas do not offer you a formula that works.

These crappy old ideas are working right now for me, the solo consultant with a thriving practice.  You see, I practice what I preach.  I use my own systems each and every day.  And these ideas are working right now for hundreds of attorneys who implement the information I share with you each week.

It is Renee’s poor ability to execute that has caused her law practice to fall off a cliff.

When I asked her which of my ideas did not work, she was nonresponsive.  The answer I received was a personal attack on me.

It is in the spirit of the holiday season that I say:

Yes Renee, there is a Santa Claus.  He’s the guy who can leave the gift of new clients under your Christmas tree.

Alas, I am not him.  I’m just a guy who helps lawyers with old, successful ideas.  I’m no marketing genius.  I’m no guru.

But you don’t need a genius or a guru.  You just need to pick an idea and implement it.  And then pick another one and repeat that action.

It is the genius that lies within you that will help you make a great living and live a great life.

Is a Bad Client Your Problem? You Bet

A client walks into your office and he expects you to do a song and dance and convince him that he should hire you.

He wants the free consultation and he wants to ask you a few questions about his brother-in-laws’ (unrelated) legal situation.

But as soon as you start to discuss his matter with him, he launches into a know-it-all diatribe about why the approach you are suggesting will never work.  Never mind that he is an engineer and not a lawyer.  Forget the fact that he got himself into this mess with his genius level decision-making ability.

Now this lunatic is sitting across from you, wasting your time, and robbing the office of the air you should be breathing.  And all you can think about is how much you WOULD PAY to make this guy go away.
But then, when he gets out his checkbook, you eagerly take his money (after he negotiates a 15% fee reduction).

Then you call me up and complain that all of your clients suck and that the economy is in the crapper.

I’ve got news for you:

It is your problem.

Nobody else’s.

You are creating this mess for yourself by doing what you have always done.  (Remember:  The definition of insanity is doing the same thing day-after-day and expecting different results).

If you are unhappy with the clients in your practice and you are ready to do something about it, you can start with these three simple rules for client selection:

1). Always make sure the client has a good understanding of the value you provide.  One of the best ways to do this is to have him pay a fee to meet with you.  People value what they pay for.  If you give away your services, even at the point of the initial consultation, you are conditioning your clients NOT to value you.

2). Dictate (don’t negotiate) the terms of the relationship.  You are the expert in the law.  If the client does not see that at the beginning of your relationship, he will never see it.  You should not have to convince him that you are an expert.  That should have been done before he even walked into your office.

3). If you get a bad feeling, walk away.  There is nothing worse than working with a client you cannot stand.  No matter how much he pays, a jerk is always a jerk.  Have some integrity.  Turn away clients who you do not feel comfortable representing.

Now you may not like this guidance and my language may be a bit harsh for you…but reading this and implementing it now is far better than the alternative.

Just say “NO” to bad clients.

If you accept them it’s going to be your problem.

Fee Discounts and Your Income

If you have been reading my articles for any length of time, you have heard me rail against fee discounts.

Why?  Because, by discounting your fee, you are essentially cutting your income.

For those of you who may be new readers, and for those who need a refresher, let me provide you with the economics of fee setting.  Here are three primary factors to consider when setting fees for your legal services:

Factor One: The Value You Are Providing to the Client

If you are a transactional attorney and you negotiate a deal for your client that saves him one million dollars, is your $20,000 fee a good deal?

If you are a criminal attorney and your client, a corporate executive, is facing a public indecency charge that will most certainly get him fired; is your $30,000 fee for negotiating pretrial diversion and expungement worth it?

You can probably see where I’m going with this.  You must present your fees in the context of the value you provide.

The resistance I get when I introduce this concept to new clients is the: “everyone else charges…” argument.  That is to say:  People always fall back on what their peers/competitors are charging as a justification for charging low fees.  The argument assumes that you are exactly the same as everyone who does what you do.  You are a commodity.

If you ARE the same as everyone else, if you ARE a commodity, shame on you.

The first rule of marketing is to differentiate your business from every other business that provides similar services.  Differentiation is the key to value demonstration.

Factor Two: The Demand for Your Services

If you have enough clients to cover your fixed costs, and pay yourself a reasonable salary, why would you ever discount your fee?

Think about it.

You don’t NEED the business.  You are already close to capacity.  Yet you take the new client who requires a fee discount in order to do business with you.

Put another way:  Others recognize your value and are willing to pay full fee to work with you.  Why not just find someone else who will pay full value and take a pass on the discount shopper?

Supply and demand.  It’s basic economics.  When demand is high and supply is limited, fees are high.

There is only one of you.  Supply certainly is limited.

Factor Three: Your Personal Desire

You are not an indentured servant.  You set your own fees.  These fees should include your personal desire for:  1). Income, 2). Confidence, 3). Lifestyle

If you have specific income goals, you should adjust your fees to help facilitate achieving those goals.  If you don’t have income goals I can guarantee you will almost always be unhappy with your income.
There is nothing that provides a lawyer with confidence like clients investing their cash in him.  The two go hand in hand.  People are emotional about money.  If you want someone to be confident in you, convince them to invest in you.  Once they put their money on the line they will be a big, big fan.

How do you want to live your life?  Do you want to control your own destiny?  Do you want to provide your family with the best life has to offer?  Do you want to eliminate financial worries forever?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions you need to charge significant fees.  You cannot nickel and dime your way to wealth…not as a solo practitioner or owner of a small law firm.

But don’t believe my words.  Use me as a case study.  I only select twelve private clients to work with me each year.  I charge $30,000 per year for this privilege.  I have a waiting list.
Now there are other ways to get involved with me (my $97 per month Rainmaker Society Membership for example).  But there are only twelve new private clients selected every year.  Only twelve people who get unlimited access to me.  Only twelve people with my private telephone number.

What makes me different?  What is my secret?

Re-read this article.  It gives you all the information you need to take control of your financial future.

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