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Message: Hi, I thought you might be interested in this article I found. Listen To The People Who Vote With Their Wallets The title of this article has been one of the rules I have lived by since my business career began. This rule, simply stated, means to ignore the opinion of EVERYONE other than people who pay for your service. Why? Three reasons: Most people are not qualified to evaluate you. We only truly value things we invest in. That investment can be financial and/or emotional. Unless someone has invested in you or your services, they cannot give you an opinion of the value you provide. Many of us receive opinions from detached observers. And while these people may be able to point out some areas for growth and development, they cannot speak about your services from the perspective of an actual interactive experience. Do yourself a favor, if you want advice about the service you provide and the value the client receives, ask a client. Everyone else is part of the problem. If I had a dollar for every time I saw a lawyer receive bad business advice from another lawyer, I would have a pile of money the size of Mount Everest. Lawyers are the worst people to ask about strategy or marketing. The majority of lawyers believe you can ignore these business disciplines and live happily ever after. A select few lawyers believe marketing and business success can be found exclusively on line or in social media. Remember this: Most lawyers in private practice struggle with their finances or they struggle with work/life balance or they struggle with both. Ignore advice from other lawyers, even those you believe to be successful. If you want to know how to improve the quality of your service or your marketing message, ask your clients. Your success benefits you. Most people do not want to see you succeed. I know. This is not the feel-good-happy-town account of the world you will get from many self help folks. But it is human nature. Several studies by leading institutions of higher learning have proven that seeing other people in pain actually helps most humans cope with the trials and tribulations of their own life. Sad but true. For additional proof, look at news reports and television ratings of reality TV. If someone else has a subconscious interest in your lack of success, why would you want to take advice from them? Your clients want you to succeed on their matters. They will give you valuable feedback. Listen to them. At this point, you’re probably wondering why I am telling you to ignore business advice from everyone except your clients. After all, I give business advice to lawyers. Shouldn’t you listen to me? This is precisely the thing that makes me different from everyone else who does what I do – especially other lawyers-turned-marketing-gurus. I have developed systems, processes and practices based upon the opinions of lawyers just like you. I didn’t concoct these ideas in my basement after reading a marketing manual designed for carpet cleaners. When I work with an attorney one-on-one, I interview current clients and past clients. I then develop the business strategy based upon the real world research. Having done this over one hundred times in the past three years, I have developed a good understanding for the perspective of the client. But don’t take my word for it. Call a few of your own clients. Ask them some pointed questions about their perception of the experience and value you provided them. You may be surprised at what you find out. Remember, the only votes that count come from people who vote with their wallet. Link: http://www.rainmakerlawyer.com/site/permalink/listen_to_the_people_who_vote_with_their_wallets/