This process is called a reciprocal mailing strategy and this video explains it in detail.
Here is a summary of how a reciprocal mailing strategy works:
This strategy works well when you are sending direct mail letters. It is an introduction from someone the client trusts and you are offering valuable information.
Please note that you are sending a newsletter and not a direct mail solicitation. But you can now send a newsletter to that prospective client every month.
This is just one of the ways you can make direct mail work for you. I highly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity.
]]>This video helps anyone interested in law firm marketing understand the value of having an action orientation.
If you are serious about law firm marketing you must make an effort to accomplish something every day. Even the smallest tasks, if assembled into a system, can have a big impact on your ability to attract clients.
]]>Those are forms of advertising which indeed is part of marketing but they are not the most effective marketing vehicles for lawyers and law firms.
This video explains:
Law firm marketing is about building relationships with clients through education. Only a small percentage of attorneys understand this but those who do are certain to be successful.
]]>We have more ways to contact members of the media today then we ever did before. This video provides you with a couple of different ways to reach out to influential people in the media and offer your services as an expert.
The media can be your best friend when it comes to building a reputation. Reach out to members of the media and offer your services in providing expert "background information".
Starting a relationship as someone who can be a resource for them is a great way to stay on top of their mind. If you provide them with great insight and information they will remember you when it comes time to feature you in a story.
]]>You read that correctly. If you are a law firm owner, you are required to make money or you will be out of business.
As a lawyer you are part of a profession. You have professional responsibility. You must adhere to a code of ethics. But if you own your own law firm you must also live up to your responsibility as a business owner.
This video explains:
Too many lawyers use the the argument of professional responsibility as an excuse for not marketing. In reality, the two role, business owner and professional can and should coexist.
If you want some guidance on law firm marketing you have come to the right place. Stop back here a few times each week and you will find some of the best information available on law firm marketing.
]]>This system is designed to help you get clients on board more efficiently while deriving the most value from the relationship.
This video has more detail.
The Valtimax Client Orientation system is an excellent tool to a law firm marketing plan as well as a law firm strategic plan.
For more information on this system call Dave Lorenzo - 888.692.5531
]]>This goes beyond law firm marketing. This is about planning for the future and aligning your short term goals with long term goals.
Here are the four things to focus on when looking to build equity in your law firm:
1). Build ongoing, predictable revenue in the future. This will show that someone who is purchasing your law firm will have revenue that last beyond your involvement.
2). Develop long term relationships with people who would benefit from purchasing your law firm. People who understand the value of your law firm and people who have seen that value first hand are more likely to pay a premium for it. Identify these people early on in your career and develop and maintain a relationship with them.
3). Build a group of people who can do the work and manage the work flow without your involvement. If all the work is completed by you, and you exit the business, there is limited value in what you leave behind. You must create a law firm that runs without you.
4). Develop systems to automate your marketing. You must have several different ways to source new clients. These legal marketing initiatives must function whether you are involved in them or not. Systems are the key to legal marketing success.
These four elements must all be in place and operating for years before you plan to sell your law firm. When you make the decision to exit, you can market your law firm as a business that generates revenue without your involvement. If that is true, you will be able to command a fee premium when you sell.
]]>The most important quality for a lawyer is honesty.
Your legal marketing material must be complete and it must be accurate.
This video should be your wake up call.
There is no room for lies in legal marketing. Make sure that everything associated with you is accurate and not exaggerated.
]]>This video explains the concept:
Really intelligent people can break difficult concepts down into easy to understand messages. You should strive to master that skill.
If you make things easy to understand, you will get hired more often.
]]>Your clients have had this experience...with you!
If someone has taken the time to come to a meeting with you alone or with you and a group of people, you owe it to them to "be in the room" which means, well, watch this video:
Being in the room means paying full attention to the people with whom you are meeting. It means leave your Blackberry or other electronic device in the car. It means focusing on the client and the matter at hand.
One of the most important aspects of legal marketing is listening. You must listen first and emotionally engage the client second.
]]>The challenge comes in managing the time and money you spend on legal marketing.
There are two things that can help you manage these precious resources and use them efficiently and effectively.
I call these assets the legal marketing multiplier as this video explains.
The legal marketing multiplier looks like this:
Action X Intensity = Fantastic Success
In order to be effective at legal marketing you must give 100% effort and you must be focused on achieving a specific goal.
That being said, you should test your initiatives before full implementation. All marketing and advertising campaigns should be tested on a small scale. Test, monitor progress, adjust and then fully implement.
You can multiply your success but first you must take action.
]]>The formula is simple: Spend 60 percent of your time (and words) making an emotional connection with your target audience. Spend 40 percent of your time providing valuable educational information.
This video explains the 60/40 split for legal marketing copy creation.
It doesn't matter if you are writing content for a video or creating great blog posts or developing a speech. This is the formula for success.
Make an emotional connection and then educate.
]]>Have you ever wondered why some people are so much more productive than other people?
We all have the same 24 hour day to work with yet some people get more things done in 24 hours than others.
One of the keys to being a super productive person is attaching deadlines to everything you do.
This video will give you some new ideas about improving your productivity. This productivity starts (and ends) with deadlines.
Setting deadlines and following them is a key component to any productivity improvement system. If you want to make yourself and your law firm more productive you need to attach a deadline to everything you do.
Time management for lawyers is all about your habits. Making good use of deadlines is a habit that can help everyone be more productive.
This video details the three ways to create positive change quickly.
As is outlined in this law firm marketing video, you can:
Those are the tree ways to implement positive change in your law firm marketing. Which of them will you employ?
]]>If you are like most of the lawyers I know, your best clients come from referrals. Any time someone says nice things about you and takes the time to make a personal introduction to a prospective client, the relationship is going to be off to a good start.
Do you receive as many referrals as you should?
Most lawyers would say "No."
But most lawyers would insist that doing a good job and just "being a good lawyer" is enough to get you more referrals.
Isn't it?
Absolutely not.
In fact, even the greatest lawyer in the world will not get his fair share of referrals if he does not make an effort to attract them.
Below are seven ways to get more referrals. How many of them are you currently using?
1). Give Clients Permission to Promote You: Many clients do not blatantly promote your services because they do not know that you want them to. Make sure you let your clients know that you welcome and appreciate their referrals. Explain to them how valuable a referral is to your business and help them learn to identify your ideal client.
2). Develop the Buddy System: Find another professional service provider (accountant, real estate broker, doctor, financial advisor) who shares a similar client base. Offer to connect your clients with those folks when they need their services.
The buddy system also works well among attorneys. You simply explain to your clients that they should call you for ANY legal need and you will help them find the right lawyer. This gives you the opportunity to refer clients to other lawyers in many different practice areas.
3). Target a Center of Influence: There are certain people in the community who have significant influence over others. Members of the clergy and business leaders in particular can influence many decisions. Wise attorneys reach out to these folks several times each year and make sure they stay "top of mind" with them.
4). Be a Leader: People gravitate toward leaders. In fact, people want to be given direction and they want to please a leader. Always take an active role in the leadership of any organization you join. This will not only raise your profile, it will also make you more attractive to referral sources.
5). Be an Expert. Offer educational information in any speech you give or article you write. Use any opportunity for public exposure to educate your community. This will help you attain expert status and it will make you more attractive to potential clients and referral sources.
6). Give to Others and Be Seen Giving: If you give your time, money and/or energy to others you will receive more referrals. People want to work with people they know, like and trust and it is hard not to like a charitable person. Be a giver and be seen giving.
7). Show Appreciation: The best way to get more referrals is to show your appreciation to others when they pass a referral to you. This can be done as simply as sending a handwritten note or it can be done by sending the person an actual gift or gift card. (Check with your state's lawyer regulation agency before implementing a gifting program). Showing your appreciation will not only reinforce the referral behavior it will also deepen your relationship with the referral source.
These are just seven of the dozens of ways you can increase the amount of referrals you receive. If you have not yet implemented some of these ideas I highly recommend you give them a try.
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