Becoming a marketing star for your business is no different.  There are many Healthy Habits for a Healthy Business that you can teach yourself to make your marketing efforts more effective and generally just easier for you.  Here are just a few.

Find 20 minutes
It’s the classic “working on your business not in your business”.  And I don’t mean taking 6 months to plan a 2 day marketing & personal discovery retreat in the mountains.  Just find 20 minutes a day to switch off from the client work and progress your marketing and business development plan.  Watch out for an upcoming article in which I’ll talk more about the power of just 20 minutes and what can be achieved in this amount of time each day.

Learn to share
If you’re a client of John Gray Marketing you’ve almost certainly been on the receiving end of one of my “stray thought” emails.  Now not all of these stray thoughts I’ve had for marketing your business get implemented.  Some, rightly so, don’t go any further than that first email.

But the point is if you don’t share those marketing ideas, that idea for a target client, that new product – they’ll never make it any further than the back of your brain.  Share these ideas with your team and encourage them to do the same. Don’t wait a few days to think it through – share it now and let those around you work through the thought process.  Some of the best marketing ideas start with just one shared stray thought.

Treat your marketing program like a client
Most firms I work with have commitments to client responsiveness.  It might be commitments to return calls within 2 hours or to get new contracts out within 24 hours.  Unless something genuinely catastrophic occurs they’d never allow one of these commitments to be broken.  It demonstrates professionalism and keeps those clients happy.  Now picture your most demanding client and imagine how they would react if your marketing program was their file.

I’m a great believer in professionals taking responsibility for their own performance when it comes to marketing, but if your imagination isn’t enough to get you to treat your marketing program like a client then appoint an internal marketing client. Give this person the authority to call you on the tasks that you need to get done.  If done properly this will help teach you to treat your marketing program like a client.

Do it now!
Procrastination is death to a marketing program. Everyone’s got a busy schedule but marketing isn’t something you can defer until you have spare time.  If your calendar is suddenly free of client appointments you’ve already left your marketing too late!

It goes against what a lot of time management experts suggest but when I get an email or task that is a 5 or 10 minute job I do it then and there.  Not because its efficient to interrupt what might be a bigger task I’m working on, but because I know that just like everyone else, little jobs put off rarely get done.

If you need more time to work on it then set that time aside and don’t treat it as optional or something that can be given up easily.

Stay positive and keep moving forward
Learning Healthy Habits for a Healthy Business isn’t easy.  Especially if you’ve given yourself an ambitious marketing program to achieve.  But remember that for your marketing program any action is better than no action.

Even if you can’t do it all – critical to your success is to stay positive and keep moving forward.

If this is true of your firm or your profile then you have a very real flaw in your law firm marketing strategy.  Always remember that marketing for professionals is based around the principle that the person is the product.

That’s why the team page of your website is almost certainly the page most visited after the home or landing page. If you charge an hourly rate for your time – you are the product – and your prospective clients want to know what
they are buying!

Its true that some firms base their marketing on a general sales pitch, or branding in one area of law, but for most firms the success of your marketing strategy will come down to whether the client believes they are getting good value when they buy the time of the individual that is doing their work.

So, hopefully having impressed on you the importance of a well crafted bio here are 5 quick tips for putting one together:

1.  Provide all the obvious information

Its surprising how many websites have profiles of their team that neglect to include relevant information.  And I don’t mean what law school you went to.  Make sure you start out the bio with a full name, position within the firm, any other firm responsibilities and the type of work you do.  The reader doesn’t know how great you are at this point – spell it out for them.

2.  You’re not writing this to impress your colleagues

As a lawyer I was pretty pleased the day I was admitted.  But frankly most clients don’t have a clue what this means.  So remember to include information that may be of interest to your client, not just what will impress other professionals. By all means mention qualifications, positions on committees and the like but unless its something your clients will understand and consider important leave it to the end of the profile.

It may help your drafting efforts to involve a third party. Have someone outside your profession read your profile and give you some feedback.

3.  Your client is looking for a solution

Hard as it may be for your ego to accept the client is not fascinated in you as individual.  They are looking for whoever they think can best solve their problem or most successfully undertake their project.  So give them information that proves you’re the person for the job.  In printed documents you should aim to include actual examples of how you’ve helped people but online profiles are often too short for case studies or real life examples.

So try to cover this one with phrases like  “More than 10 years experience in…”, “Recognised within the X business community for assisting with…”, “A certified specialist in the area of…”, “Successfully negotiated more than 200 rural property contracts…”. If you’re struggling to think of how to phrase this, just ask yourself, “What is I do that makes my clients really happy?“  The answer will fit this purpose nicely.

4.  Connect with your audience

If your firm or practice provides services that are based in a particular city or region you can help your marketing efforts by demonstrating a connection to that community.

Being considered a “local” by your prospective clients or demonstrating a connection with the region’s major industry can be valuable eg. “…from a family with a long involvement in the local cattle industry…” may help to build an immediate connection with the reader.

5.  Add a little personality

Don’t be afraid to add a little personality to your profile.  And this doesn’t just have to be the usual “Married with 2.5 children.”  By all means include personal information if it helps with point number 4 above but more than that you should
think about how you practice and the “client experience” you provide.  Are you a “…fiercely determined approach…”, a “…collaborative practitioner focussed on keeping costs down…” or a “…down to earth, with a knack for easing clients concerns…”

Finding a genuine point of difference in how you practice communicates that you are a real person with a real personality that the prospective client can trust.

And you can always ask for help.  You know where to find me.

That’s why I often warn clients against being distracted by “magic bullet” marketing. We all do it, we see something new, a new approach or system and we focus all our efforts in that area.  Invariably this is to the detriment of other, often more productive and higher return on investment options.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a classic example.

Don’t misunderstand me.  I absolutely believe you should be putting time and effort into securing the best possible google ranking for relevant search terms.

Getting your keywords right on your website, generating new content, disseminating that content for maximum value, building links back to your website – these are all worthwhile parts of your marketing strategy and will help your google position.

Many SEO “gurus” argue that an entire business marketing strategy can be based solely on a good google ranking.  They’d argue that you should spend more a month with them than you spent on your firm’s first website and that if you reach the top of your desired search terms you’ll be a profitable, sustainable business.  Just sitting back watching the clients roll in.

But if that’s all you’re doing and you’re pinning the growth and survival of your firm on it – you’ve got a problem.

I’m picking on SEO a bit here, mainly because its topical and my clients receive regular direct approaches from questionable providers.  But there are other examples.  I’ve seen firms and individuals with a view that they can rely sole on Yellow pages, networking groups, charitable clubs, old boy associations or billboards.

You’re right John, so what should I do?

• As with many things in life, balance is critical. Don’t just rely on SEO, don’t just rely on Yellow Pages, don’t just rely on your reputation as a “good bloke”.  A genuine marketing strategy has many elements which support each other to produce a result greater than the sum of its parts.

• Generating content (articles, videos, podcasts, guides, how to’s) is always a worthwhile exercise if you’re a professional advisor.  But don’t generate it simply for SEO purposes.  Do it to genuinely engage with and inform your current and future clients.  Don’t forget to email it to current contacts and remember that plenty of people still like good old fashioned paper copies.

• Add new ingredients to the mix.  Consider yourself the MasterChef of your marketing program. No recipe is ever perfect and neither is your marketing program.  SEO, social media, video content, webinars are all part of the marketing recipe that didn’t exist 10 years ago.  Take a critical approach and think about how much time, effort and money you want to spend on each of them.

• Build a marketing program that suits your business. If you’re a solo property lawyer in a regional centre who knows everyone in town but hates public speaking your marketing program should be very different from a junior lawyer in a large personal injuries practice with high public profile.

And you can always ask for help.  You know where to find me.

In fact, one of the largest hurdles I’ve faced helping them market themselves is that they are often more concerned with avoiding looking boastful than they are about whether they have enough work coming in the door.

Take a moment to think about this yourself.  Are you afraid to tell others how great you are?

Well, the reality is that most of us are, but that isn’t a problem.  There are always options available for developing a personal marketing plan that suits the uniqueness of your personality, practice style and client base.

So, how can you sell your expertise to the world without “big noting” yourself?

Consider whether one of the options below might suit your particular style:

• Presentations – Its bread and butter marketing for professionals.  And the best part is you don’t have to talk about yourself.  Find a topic you can speak confidently on and, as if by magic, by the end of the presentation the people in the audience will know you’re an expert.

• Podcasts – If a room full of people is too much can you speak confidently in the quiet of your office and share it online?  This is a growing area and the technology is making it easier and easier.

• Video interviews – can you talk to a colleague and have it recorded?  If talking direct to the camera is too unnatural for you try just answering a set of pre-prepared questions provided to you in an interview style.

• Online articles and blogs – If you’re qualified to practice then you’re qualified to write about it. If you can slap 400 words together on a topic then you’ve produced a piece of the marketing puzzle that can be used in all sorts of ways to promote you and your business.

• Social media – do you love to interact with people? Join the online community in your area of interest and demonstrate your expertise.

• Gather reviews, referrals and testimonials – when someone says thanks for a job well done, ask them to complete a referral. If they were really happy with your service then they will take the five minutes to fill this in.

• Emails – maybe a 400 article is too much for you.  But maybe a recent case raised some useful tips for your other clients.  Put just a few paragraphs together and send it to existing clients.

Some of this stuff might sound obvious and it certainly isn’t anything magic, but think about whether you’ve actually done any of it in the last month?

Because even if you’re pathologically shy, don’t like crowds and hate how you look on camera – if you’re fit to practice there are still options for you to get yourself out there.

When it comes to marketing Action beats Inaction every time!

Still not sure where to go from here?  Give John Gray Marketing a call and we will help you find a solution that suits the individual that you are.

When I say file velocity what I mean is the speed at which a file or matter or particular client interaction is brought effectively and efficiently from start to finish.

With law firms, some of the most often quoted client frustrations are responsiveness and timeliness.

And to some extent this applies to all products and services.  No one wants to go to buy a tv and be told they have to wait a week for it to come from the warehouse.  No-one wants to get their tax done and be told it’ll be two weeks till its filed with the tax office.  No-one wants to wait too long for a table in a restaurant.

File velocity isn’t about rushing the job, its about demonstrating to the client or customer that you are a professional, an expert and that you were the right choice to provide this particular service or product because you can deliver a quality product within acceptable timeframes.

But hang on, what does this have to do with marketing I hear you say.

Well, if you are serious about marketing your business then you have to remember that marketing isn’t just about what you do to get the client in the door.  It also includes the client experience.

I’m often amazed by how many people say they don’t need marketing because clients only come to them through word of mouth.  Well, what do you think it is that supports ongoing word of mouth referrals?  It’s the client experience – a large part of which is your file velocity.

You’re right John, so what should I do now?

• Think about reviewing your “client experience”
• Conduct a “perfect matter” review exercise to see where you’re falling down
• Consider how you could improve “file velocity” in your business

This applies equally regardless of whether you’re selling hamburgers, widgets or high end professional services.

Once you know what their problems are, what they are looking for in a solution and how they want to buy that solution you can better engage with them, better demonstrate how you can meet their needs and…eventually sell them your service.

Its not a matter of talking about how good you are, its all about talking about what your prospects need – and building a rapport with them.

One way of building rapport, particularly relevant to service organisations, is to provide the potential client/customer with information that will help them make their buying choice or understand the problem they are facing

The reason this is particularly useful for service organisations is that often the client may have a limited understanding of the problem the face – and virtually no understanding of the solution they need.
There’s no strict rules about what this information may be.  Just remember that it has to be something that is of value to them right now.

It might be a tip sheet on their problem, a guide to the processes involved or a free report that outlines how people in a similar situation have dealt with this problem.  And, avoid the desire to talk too much about yourself in this type of document.  This is an information exchange, a building of rapport – not your sales process.

To ensure you get value from the information you generate you should have some, however small, level of interaction between your business and the potential client.  It shouldn’t be difficult for the prospect to get the information – simply visiting a particular web page, providing an email address, calling your office or completing a simple request form should be sufficient.

You’re not trying to get the person in the door straight way, this is an investment in future clients.

For a no obligation discussion about marketing your organisation feel free to give me a call.

Legal marketing, law firm marketing, professional services marketing, marketing for lawyers, marketing for law firms

But what about the general litigation lawyer, how do you find clients that are about to sue or be sued?

The short answer is that generally you can’t!  So what are the alternatives?

One option is to maintain as high a level of visibility amongst your current and past clients and your referrers as possible.

But this is what all lawyers, accountants and other professionals should be doing.  Its a marketing fundamental, not a marketing leading strategy.

The better option is to focus your practice on a particular industry niche. You might still accept litigation matters on a wide range of issues but you focus your efforts on demonstrating your expertise in a particular area.

Entire firms, particularly in personal injuries or US style class actions, have committed to this approach.

But if you’re a business or commercial litigator your focus needs to be on that particular subset, that industry niche that you can understand, relate to and demonstrate your expertise in.

Building and construction is a prime example.  Its both a clearly defined industry niche and an area prone to an above average amount of disputes in projects.

But focussing on a industry niche takes more than just telling people you specialise in that type of litigation.  You need to walk the talk and put in the hard yards to demonstrate to members of the industry, who have seen plenty of lawyers before you, that you have a genuine commitment and understanding of their industry.  You need to be active in their industry groups, support industry initiatives, present at industry seminars, compile testimonials from clients in that industry.

You also need to be in it for the long haul – don’t stop going just because you have a few new files come in the door.

For a no obligation discussion about marketing your litigation practice feel free to give me a call.

Legal marketing, law firm marketing, professional services marketing, marketing for lawyers, marketing for law firms

We don’t just give some advice then head out the door leaving you with the same old “who’s going to get it done?” question.

We can give you advice, help you work out how to implement it and then put in the hard yards to get the job finished.

We want to develop a long term partnership with your business that combines our legal marketing skills and expertise with the internal knowledge of a staff member and the commitment to success of a partner.

Through a combination of time spent in house behind a desk, regular face to face updates and integrated communication links we want our relationship to be the same as if you had a full-time senior marketing professional on staff.

In short, if you need help marketing a lawyer or law firm or accounting or other professional service business we want you to think of us as “your marketing guys”.  Learn about our marketing services here.

A recent discussion amongst my fellow marketers was prompted by a firm which had received a letter from its number one client stating that they required a 10% fee cut or they would take their work elsewhere. If you received this letter – what would you do?

There is no absolute right or wrong answer but here are some suggestions for dealing with this, and other, fee negotiation situations:

• Don’t be insulted – Just because someone wants to pay less for your services doesn’t mean they think less of you. Professional service fees are open for negotiation – just like anything else.

 

• Be open to discussion – If the client involved is important to you, don’t just send a letter in response. You need to be open to discussing the client’s reasons for making the request and how it impacts their business.

 

• Commodity vs Specialty – If you’re negotiating you may be in a stronger or weaker position depending on the type of services you provide. The easier it is for the client to take the work elsewhere, the more flexible you might need to be.

 

• Fees vs Budget – Many clients have been taught, by professionals, to focus on the hourly rate when looking at value. If you discuss communication, delegation and workflow issues with the client you may be able to find a way to reduce the overall spend without reducing the hourly rate. Working more efficiently for less money beats working just as hard for less money.

 

• What else is up for negotiation – If you agree to meet the client’s request for a reduction look for the silver lining in it for you. Will the client agree to faster payment terms, a minimum annual spend or to send you work currently being done by someone else?

 

• Remember the basics – While it might not address the immediate question never forget the basics that help you stand out above your competitors and help you justify those hourly rates. Client service that exceeds expectations, knowing the client’s business and industry and advice that provides practical solutions. If you’ve been getting all the basics right you might need to remind the client.

 

• Forget the hourly rate – If your client knows exactly what each job is going to cost the hourly rate is no longer an issue. Allowing the client to make the value decision at the outset based on a fixed fee might remove their concern over uncertain hourly rates.

 

• Value vs Cost – A fundamental of successful selling in professional services is to understand the value the client places on the service or result. If your fee meets their expectation of value the negotiation will go far more smoothly.

 

• Frequent flyers – We all know how successful these programs are. In the professional service area this principle can be applied to provide discounts to clients based on volume. If you have certainty about how much work you’re going to get before the discount kicks in you might leave the negotiating table a little happier.

 

So what did the firm in question do? They worked out their annual billings for 2008 and offered the client 10% off that for 2009. But only if the client agreed to a retainer so that each month the client would make a payment based on that amount. They also sought more work from the client in areas previously undertaken by other firms.

So perhaps it’s not a matter of whether you hold the line on your fee or rates. It’s really a question of determining the value for the client and what opportunities arise for you when your firm receives one of these requests.

Thanks to Larry Bodine, Apollo Business Development and the members of the LawMarketing Listserv for providing this topic and many of the suggestions contained herein.

We all know how frustrating it is to be kept waiting. Client surveys by service firms continually rank “timeliness” or “responsiveness” in the top five factors for client satisfaction. More detailed analysis shows that clients, particularly those in personal service areas, are more annoyed by simple stuff like how long they are kept waiting than they are by the fees charged.
If you can show your clients that you value their time as highly as you value your own they will appreciate it, even if you can’t always be there the instant they arrive.

Here are some quick suggestions

• Be realistic about your appointment times. Better to set it 15 minutes later at the outset than to have the client waiting for 15 minutes.
• Be precise about times for returning calls. Don’t give false expectations with: “She’ll call you back as soon as possible.” when you should say: “She’s in a meeting and won’t be able to return your call any earlier than…”. If that’s the case there may be other options.
• Take responsibility for the return call. If you’ve made a commitment to the client about a return call and you know it can’t be met – make sure someone calls to give an update.
• If clients do have to wait – keep them occupied:
  • A range of reading material – preferably from this century!
  • Clean, quality toys for children
  • A TV fixed to a news channel
  • Tea, coffee, water, biscuits
  • Interesting, educational firm publications
  • For new clients, ask them to complete a “client details form”
• If your client’s most often call during particular times ensure you have the phone reception resources in place to meet demand.
• Check your hold music. Some firms have been known to go months without realising the continuously looping cd player has died.
• Record how long clients are left waiting in reception or on hold. But don’t use this to beat up the practitioner. Consider how your processes or systems might make it easier for the practitioner to be ready on time. Avoiding back to back meetings by scheduling 15 minute gaps may make a big difference.
• ALWAYS acknowledge when the client’s been kept waiting. Pretending it didn’t happen won’t soothe your client – but an apology might.
• Lead from the front! If it’s your firm and you want your staff to treat your client’s time like it’s a precious commodity you must set the example.

The good news is that most of these suggestions can be implemented quickly and easily. A little bit of your time spent demonstrating that you value your client’s time – will go a long way.

If you have any questions or concerns about this topic – you know who to ask.