Legal Marketing Blog

It certainly is no secret that the buyers of legal services are closely scrutinizing the costs associated with outside law firms, especially during this economic downturn. There are two things that some firms recognize in that climate: first, there is a need to re-think their approach to developing business; and secondly, now is not the time to hunker down by reducing business development activities.

An article by Sharon Caffrey and Rhonda Ulrich of Duane Morris has some very savvy tips on how to recession-proof your business development plan  (that actually are applicable in any economy). All firms should take their advice to heart:

1. Network effectively by helping others. It is so true that networking is not about "self-promotion." Rather, as the article points out, it's about "investing in people now" in order to reap benefits later. Accordingly, help other people expand their network and reach their goals;
2. Focus your niche more narrowly. Now is not the time to take anything that walks in the door, or is thrown over the transom. The more focused you are, the more focused and effective your business development efforts will be;
3. Implement your action plan. Lawyers are often more effective in planning marketing strategies, then they are in executing them. Even when you are busy, you need to keep in mind the need to feed the pipeline. It is necessary to execute your plan, and you might consider using a coach to help;
4. Seek client feedback. As the authors point out, don't assume clients are happy. Remember, client satisfaction "is a vital component of maintaining your business." The most effective way to get feedback is to put a "client interview program" in place; and
5. Become more of a trusted advisor. The best client relationships are ones where the lawyer is more than a technical legal provider. Effective rainmakers invest in their client's well-being, and are often personal and business advisors. This is done through visits off the clock to learn more about their business, and helping clients in ways beyond purely legal advice.

This article is well worth your time.

In my almost twenty-five years as a legal marketer, the biggest drawback to success in developing business has been the failure by lawyers to follow through on the strategies they develop. I’ve seen lawyers make stellar efforts in planning effective goals and objectives, only then to fail for the lack of implementation.

That’s where a coach comes in. You can use my search engine to the right and type in “coach” or “coaching” and see a slew of posts on the topic; and how a coach can help you develop business faster and more effectively. But, a coach can’t do it alone.

Last week, Ann Daly had a post on her blog identifying four factors that result in coaching failures.  As you can see, the reasons she mentions ain't the coach's fault. They include:

• Squeezing in coaching calls and not focusing because of other distractions;
• Expecting unrealistic results from the coach;
• Failing to follow through with agreed-upon action items; and
• Agreeing to new ideas and approaches, but hanging on to “broken habits of thinking.”

If you are not committed to avoiding these pitfalls, you’re not ready to hire a coach.

Marketing professionals have for years gotten a pretty good laugh over the too often used pictures lawyers have on their web sites (and brochures). That is, courthouses, gavels, scales of justice, law books, etc . Can’t remember if I’ve mentioned before how boring and predictable these images are. What you want to do is be different and stand out from the crowd.

A brief but effective article by Tony Ogden in the most recent issue of LawyersUSA newspaper
(subscription required) grabbed my attention for its simple advice in this regard. I agree that effective visual content is as important as content with some site visitors. And it is not “just decoration,” as the article pointed out, and can “help show your firm’s professionalism,” as well as make visitors feel comfortable.

So, here are the tips Ogden offers:

• Use high-quality images (avoid out of focus, blurry, and poor composition or lighting);
• Focus on Home page – “most websites need one really great image” and avoid the accident scene, etc. in favor of a more professional image (good pictures can be purchased for under $500);
• Ask clients and referral sources to review the site and provide feedback on how they perceive the picture(s)' impact;
• Review competitor web sites (but for heaven’s sake don’t copy what most of them do); and
• Check out available resources, such as iStockphoto.com, Fotolia.com, Gettyimages.com, and Blendimages.com.

Now be honest, are your web sites pictures effective?

In a word, YES. Your coach could be a fellow lawyer in your firm, or another solo (who in turn you could coach), or it could be someone else. Basically, the purpose is to engage a friendly, experienced person to offer ideas and remind you (some might refer to it as nagging) to do the things you said you would do. But, if you are serious about developing business, you’d be well-advised to get a coach.

Ed Poll of LawBiz Management Company has an article in LawyersUSA (subscription required) in which he succinctly explains what a coach (vs. mentor or consultant) really does:

“Coaching is not an episodic engagement - that’s consulting. And a coach is not a senior mentor who, while cruising at 35,000 feet, offers career advice to a junior one. Rather, coaching is the development of a career-long team approach to identifying problems and overcoming them. A good coach operates at ground level to provide life and practice-enhancing guidance, identifying roadblocks as they are encountered and working to remove them. A coach provides both accountability and support by holding the lawyer accountable and candidly focusing on solutions and deadlines.”

I’ve found over the years that lawyers, being analytical and all, can really get into planning their marketing goals and objectives, but often fail miserably when it comes to actually implementing their “plan.” Occasionally, there may even be a good reason, but generally they turn out to be excuses for failing to execute their strategies that would grow their practice.

As Poll also points out, in another article on coaching that “Coaches do not have all the answers, but they provide an on-going sounding board for your problems, questions, and ideas.”

So, do you still think that a coach wouldn’t be able to help you grow your practice?

Now there is a “rocket science” tip for ya. Is there any lawyer who doesn’t understand that ticking off a client undermines their marketing efforts? Heck, not only will a client with a grievance not give you any more business (or referrals), but they are more than certain to tell up to 10 people what a bad lawyer and human being you are.

Failing to communicate is the single most often complaint made by clients to state bars. Effective communications with clients is basic to marketing one’s practice.  So, why would a lawyer put themselves in a position of hurting their practice. Both in the form of the time it will take to respond to the inquiry from the bar, or in obtaining more work or word of mouth referrals from clients.

Baffling isn’t it.

Thomas Scheffey, a reporter for The Connecticut Law Tribune has an article “Tips to Help Lawyers Steer Clear of Client Grievances” that appears on Law.com’s Small Firm Business. He shares a number of tips from Anthony Nuzzo, an attorney who represents lawyers with ethics or grievance issues before the bar.  Nuzzo's tips include:

• Communicate with your client (“Probably the No. 1 thing you have to do…” according to the article);
• Return phone calls the same day;
• Don’t take matters you’re not equipped to handle;
• Document your telephone (and in-person) conversations;
• Execute a written fee agreement that outlines the extent of your representation;
• Avoid conflicts of interest (especially in real estate transactions where there may be a situation of dual representation);
• Never sue a client for a fee (because “a counterclaim for legal malpractice” is almost certain); and
• Being careful with client confidential information on a laptop you might misplace/lose/forget.

Some very helpful tips there, not just to avoid hassles with the state bar, but to avoid business development blunders as well.

This will conclude my encore postings of my Top Ten Marketing Tips from 2005 (due to my office and family moving back to my beloved North Carolina) with marketing tip No. 10:

Top 10 Marketing Tips: No. 10 – Be Active In Organization(s)

Top 10 Marketing Tips: No. 6 - Talk it Up With More Speeches