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Write You - Lawyer Marketing – How You Create Breakthrough Success
Finding a job can be a stressful, intimidating, agonizing experience. The process of an interview is often something that is feared greatly by many people, who work themselves up in preparing for it. Then, after you've completed the interview, you may feel that you didn't do your best at it, or you didn't persuade the interviewers as much as you would have liked. Fortunately, there are things you can do to improve your skills, boost your self-confidence, give yourself an edge over all the other interviewees, and make an employer want, desire, even demand you.As with all aspects of personal development, this requires a lot of hard work and dedication. There is no “get rich quick” approach here, true success is only achieved through work. Some people may need to work harder than others, it all depends on how hard you strive toward your goal and also your talents. People with t
The second list is the “Farm Team” List. Here we are using a baseball metaphor of your Top 20 being the “major leagues” and this second list being the farm team in training for moving up to the big leagues of the Top 20. Your Farm Team List consists of those legal marketing referral sources who are between having at least tried to send you someone up to whatever you have set the threshold of being a Top 20 list member. This trying to send you someone can be as casual as a friend asking if his or her neighbour called you after being given your card by your friend. We all know that lawyer marketing is sometimes this accidental.
The third list is the “Who You Know” List and is similar to any standard networking list. It includes everyone you know, even everyone your spouse knows, as well as those peopl
There are six facets of business that affect a company’s growth potential and life cycle: accounting, economics, finance, information systems, marketing, and management. Classified by academia and employed primarily by corporate America, each facet of business is essential for success. Consider the following example: For every organization, there is a product or service that portrays an image or defines a brand. Marketing plans are implemented to both safeguard and impel a company’s efforts to increase net worth and market share. Where applicable, shareholder return on investment is also maximized. Assets such as land, labor, and capital are frequently monitored business investments, as is a company’s ability to circumvent or leverage economic factors. Business owners work closely with their management team and/or a board of directors to ensure the salability and succes
Most attorneys have some sort of referral network (if only a small one) however; attorneys really don’t know how to manage their lawyer marketing so that their referral network expands. The first step in this expansion is to know where you are and then you can figure out how to get to where you want to go. Yes, it is important to understand the geographics, demographics and psycho-graphics of your referral sources/clients for sure and you need a lawyer marketing management system. By understanding more about how to manage your legal marketing referral sources, you can grow this referral network and boost your attorney marketing efforts with less work on your part.
What Your Expanded Lawyer Marketing Referral Base Delivers To You
What does having this lawyer marketing management system in place mean for you? If you are working your legal marketing referral sources well, you are building a base that will make a significant impact on your bottom line, as I am sure you know. You will be sent more business and be able to retain more quality business that will in turn send you more quality business. You will have an easier time saying no to mediocre or poor cases and holding out for top dollar cases. You can even pass on work that simply does not appeal to you personally if you know that your lawyer marketing referral base will consistently deliver.
Professional marketers know the process of wooing a referral base involves creating “know, like, trust, relationship, credibility, and top of mind awareness (TOMA)” with your legal marketing referral sources. I think you see the benefits clearly so lets move on to giving you the management tool to make it a reality.
Measuring a Lawyer Marketing Referral Base
Lawyer marketing is not always and exact science and that does not keep us from keeping statistics. The “game” of legal marketing will be improved just like keeping statistics in baseball, football or hockey improves performance. The tool we will use consists of four basic lists to measure your legal marketing referral base as it exists currently and see where your attorney marketing time needs to be focused thus putting your resources into those referral sources with the potential for the most return.
The first list is called the “Top 20” List. If you only have a few lawyer marketing referral sources, obviously, it may only be the Top 10 or even the Top 2 List. But the first objective after listing your top lawyer marketing referral sources is to increase the list to 20 if it is not there already so that is why we call it the Top 20 list. In order to qualify for the Top 20 List, a referral source must have sent you X amount of business in the past year and has hit that level consistently over the last three years. Depending on your practice area, X may be one, two, or three very profitable cases. For example, if you are a PI lawyer you might consider X to equal the referral of at least one case that netted the practice over $25,000 in contingency fees (or set the benchmark higher or lower as you see fit). If you practice residential real estate then X might equal someone who sent you a minimum of 3 closings per month (again you can set this benchmark higher or lower depending on your current situation). Bottom line here is whether for PI, estate planning, family law, or real estate legal marketing, you will know what level is appropriate for your Top 20 level of lawyer marketing attention.
The second list is the “Farm Team” List. Here we are using a baseball metaphor of your Top 20 being the “major leagues” and this second list being the farm team in training for moving up to the big leagues of the Top 20. Your Farm Team List consists of those legal marketing referral sources who are between having at least tried to send you someone up to whatever you have set the threshold of being a Top 20 list member. This trying to send you someone can be as casual as a friend asking if his or her neighbour called you after being given your card by your friend. We all know that lawyer marketing is sometimes this accidental.
The third list is the “Who You Know” List and is similar to any standard networking list. It includes everyone you know, even everyone your spouse knows, as well as those people
Let's imagine for a moment you don't know what your market wants. How do you know that what you offer is something your market might: 1. conceivably want and 2. consider paying you for?Really, how do you know? That's like blindfold archery – you might sometimes hit the target by accident – but people are likely to get hurt in the process. However, if you establish what they want, and you have something to meet that want, you, my friend are in business.What you need firstThis article presupposes you know: 1. your target market (who they are, what their characteristics are and the like) and 2. how to reach your target market.If both of these things are true, this article is for you. If you are unsure of your target market or how to reach it, you'll need to have those things in place first. If you're unsure of your target mar
What Your Expanded Lawyer Marketing Referral Base Delivers To You
What does having this lawyer marketing management system in place mean for you? If you are working your legal marketing referral sources well, you are building a base that will make a significant impact on your bottom line, as I am sure you know. You will be sent more business and be able to retain more quality business that will in turn send you more quality business. You will have an easier time saying no to mediocre or poor cases and holding out for top dollar cases. You can even pass on work that simply does not appeal to you personally if you know that your lawyer marketing referral base will consistently deliver.
Professional marketers know the process of wooing a referral base involves creating “know, like, trust, relationship, credibility, and top of mind awareness (TOMA)” with your legal marketing referral sources. I think you see the benefits clearly so lets move on to giving you the management tool to make it a reality.
Measuring a Lawyer Marketing Referral Base
Lawyer marketing is not always and exact science and that does not keep us from keeping statistics. The “game” of legal marketing will be improved just like keeping statistics in baseball, football or hockey improves performance. The tool we will use consists of four basic lists to measure your legal marketing referral base as it exists currently and see where your attorney marketing time needs to be focused thus putting your resources into those referral sources with the potential for the most return.
The first list is called the “Top 20” List. If you only have a few lawyer marketing referral sources, obviously, it may only be the Top 10 or even the Top 2 List. But the first objective after listing your top lawyer marketing referral sources is to increase the list to 20 if it is not there already so that is why we call it the Top 20 list. In order to qualify for the Top 20 List, a referral source must have sent you X amount of business in the past year and has hit that level consistently over the last three years. Depending on your practice area, X may be one, two, or three very profitable cases. For example, if you are a PI lawyer you might consider X to equal the referral of at least one case that netted the practice over $25,000 in contingency fees (or set the benchmark higher or lower as you see fit). If you practice residential real estate then X might equal someone who sent you a minimum of 3 closings per month (again you can set this benchmark higher or lower depending on your current situation). Bottom line here is whether for PI, estate planning, family law, or real estate legal marketing, you will know what level is appropriate for your Top 20 level of lawyer marketing attention.
The second list is the “Farm Team” List. Here we are using a baseball metaphor of your Top 20 being the “major leagues” and this second list being the farm team in training for moving up to the big leagues of the Top 20. Your Farm Team List consists of those legal marketing referral sources who are between having at least tried to send you someone up to whatever you have set the threshold of being a Top 20 list member. This trying to send you someone can be as casual as a friend asking if his or her neighbour called you after being given your card by your friend. We all know that lawyer marketing is sometimes this accidental.
The third list is the “Who You Know” List and is similar to any standard networking list. It includes everyone you know, even everyone your spouse knows, as well as those peopl
I think about communication when things go wrong and often forget about sharing what is happening in business if I am on a good road. The problem is that communication within the organization should be constant and not treated as an inconvenience. I am more than guilty when it comes to staff meetings and I would rather duck out than face long boring talks. I tune out and think about my day rather than thinking about the company in general. By doing this, I was finding myself out of the loop so to speak and not really knowing the underpinnings of the problems the company was facing. I also was not aware of how and why we were winning business either. The only time I was interested is when I wanted to bring a problem to the table and get a resolution. Does any of this sound familiar? Somehow we need to change the mindset of employees and make staff meetings useful and to the point
Measuring a Lawyer Marketing Referral Base
Lawyer marketing is not always and exact science and that does not keep us from keeping statistics. The “game” of legal marketing will be improved just like keeping statistics in baseball, football or hockey improves performance. The tool we will use consists of four basic lists to measure your legal marketing referral base as it exists currently and see where your attorney marketing time needs to be focused thus putting your resources into those referral sources with the potential for the most return.
The first list is called the “Top 20” List. If you only have a few lawyer marketing referral sources, obviously, it may only be the Top 10 or even the Top 2 List. But the first objective after listing your top lawyer marketing referral sources is to increase the list to 20 if it is not there already so that is why we call it the Top 20 list. In order to qualify for the Top 20 List, a referral source must have sent you X amount of business in the past year and has hit that level consistently over the last three years. Depending on your practice area, X may be one, two, or three very profitable cases. For example, if you are a PI lawyer you might consider X to equal the referral of at least one case that netted the practice over $25,000 in contingency fees (or set the benchmark higher or lower as you see fit). If you practice residential real estate then X might equal someone who sent you a minimum of 3 closings per month (again you can set this benchmark higher or lower depending on your current situation). Bottom line here is whether for PI, estate planning, family law, or real estate legal marketing, you will know what level is appropriate for your Top 20 level of lawyer marketing attention.
The second list is the “Farm Team” List. Here we are using a baseball metaphor of your Top 20 being the “major leagues” and this second list being the farm team in training for moving up to the big leagues of the Top 20. Your Farm Team List consists of those legal marketing referral sources who are between having at least tried to send you someone up to whatever you have set the threshold of being a Top 20 list member. This trying to send you someone can be as casual as a friend asking if his or her neighbour called you after being given your card by your friend. We all know that lawyer marketing is sometimes this accidental.
The third list is the “Who You Know” List and is similar to any standard networking list. It includes everyone you know, even everyone your spouse knows, as well as those peopl
What Is a Legal Nurse Consultant?A legal nurse consultant is a registered nurse who uses existing expertise as a healthcare professional plus specialized training to consult on medical-related cases at fees of $100-$150/hour. Few attorneys know how to read medical records or understand the terminology and subtleties of healthcare issues to achieve the best results for their clients. A legal nurse consultant bridges that gap in the attorney's knowledge. While the attorney is the expert on legal issues, the legal nurse consultant is the expert on nursing, the healthcare system and its inner workings.According to the Houston Chronicle, "Of the approximately 900,000* attorneys in practice today, 25 percent deal with medical malpractice and personal injury cases." These attorneys rely on specially trained Certified Legal Nurse Consultants to help them win their cases.
The second list is the “Farm Team” List. Here we are using a baseball metaphor of your Top 20 being the “major leagues” and this second list being the farm team in training for moving up to the big leagues of the Top 20. Your Farm Team List consists of those legal marketing referral sources who are between having at least tried to send you someone up to whatever you have set the threshold of being a Top 20 list member. This trying to send you someone can be as casual as a friend asking if his or her neighbour called you after being given your card by your friend. We all know that lawyer marketing is sometimes this accidental.
The third list is the “Who You Know” List and is similar to any standard networking list. It includes everyone you know, even everyone your spouse knows, as well as those peopl
Brand Identity is simply the promise a company makes to its customers. It may be purely the function of a product, or it can be personality or values-oriented. Whatever it is, it’s something companies all over the world attempt to leverage as a way of strengthening their businesses.Why is Brand Identity important?A brand identity is important because it has the power to single-handedly set a company apart from its competition. And those who successfully craft their brand identities to positively affect their bottom lines know that doing so takes time, money and effort. It’s not as simple as just a logo or a tagline. In essence, brand identity is the reason you give your market to choose you…is it compelling enough? Your market will decide.A word on revising your brand identity… The key to a successful re-
The second list is the “Farm Team” List. Here we are using a baseball metaphor of your Top 20 being the “major leagues” and this second list being the farm team in training for moving up to the big leagues of the Top 20. Your Farm Team List consists of those legal marketing referral sources who are between having at least tried to send you someone up to whatever you have set the threshold of being a Top 20 list member. This trying to send you someone can be as casual as a friend asking if his or her neighbour called you after being given your card by your friend. We all know that lawyer marketing is sometimes this accidental.
The third list is the “Who You Know” List and is similar to any standard networking list. It includes everyone you know, even everyone your spouse knows, as well as those people known by your family and your staff. Take this one out as far as you like. The bigger it gets the better for lawyer marketing.
Finally, there is the lawyer marketing “Categories List”. This is a list of professions and occupations in general that would have the capacity to refer business to you. There are no names on this list, only general occupations/professions. For example, a PI lawyer might list nurses, physical therapists, medical technicians, chiropractors, neurologist, plastic surgeons, orthopaedists etc. while a family lawyer might list psychologists, social workers, marriage counselors, CPAs, hairdressers, real estate lawyers, etc.
Working a Lawyer Marketing Referral Base
Now you have measured your lawyer marketing referral network what do you do with that list? Just to be sure I need to say every lawyer has as their best referral source category other lawyers so be sure to list all other practice areas that would have a particular ability to refer to your practice area on your categories list. Also every lawyer marketing system needs to list “current clients” as a category and put those clients on the Top 20 and Farm Team list as they move out of the Who You Know List since clients should be on the Who You Know List. Also some of your clients are in the categories you have listed and they need particular attention first in legal marketing.
The way you use the list in lawyer marketing is to pay particular attention first to building and maintaining relationships with your Top 20 and Farm Team List members. As you deepen and develop those relationships they will send you more clients than ever before since you are building “know, like, trust, relationship, credibility, and top of mind awareness (TOMA)” with these people. Ask the Top 20 and Farm Team members to introduce you to other people they know in the categories that have the ability to refer to you and they will. See if any of the Who You Know List members are in the categories you are seeking and cultivate those members. See if the Who You Know List members can introduce you to people on your categories list. You get the idea here. Over time you will fill your Top 20 and Farm Team lists thus only have time to devote to maintaining and building from them I am sure. Not sure how to do this entire legal marketing building from a communications perspective? Well, that is the subject of future articles, worth a visit to my website for more information or contact me and we can work on that together. You can master lawyer marketing I am certain.
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