The Rainmaker Blog : Law Firm Marketing and Business Development : The Rainmaker Institute : Stephen Fairley : Professional Legal Marketing

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MARKETING MISTAKE 10:
Trying To Be Completely Self-Sufficient

As a partner in a small law firm, it often feels like there is just so much to do to keep the marketing efforts going that no one person can adequately do it all. The sense of being overwhelmed with everything is a common experience among entrepreneurs and business owners, which can easily lead you to either burn out or to work “harder rather than smarter” by trying to be completely self-sufficient. It is a common mistake small business owners make and it feeds into the myth of the “super-hero”—I can do it all and have it all—all at once. Asking for help with your law firms marketing efforts is a sign of strength and wisdom, not weakness and senility.

To be successful with small law firm marketing, you must recognize your strengths and weaknesses. The goal in life is not to eliminate your weaknesses. In fact, many people make the mistake of focusing too much on trying to overcome their weaknesses when their time and mental energy would be much better spent in trying to maximize their strengths.

There are two major reasons why you should spend time identifying your strengths and weaknesses. It helps you surround yourself with the right people and it gives you a clear picture of what areas you need to spend your time on versus outsourcing.

If lawyer marketing is not your thing, you need to find someone in your firm to play point on this because developing and implementing a powerful marketing strategy is critical to the success of your business.

Many business owners waste far too much of their precious time, energy, and potential profits by trying to do everything for themselves as a way of “saving a little money” or not wanting to give up “control.” Remember, control is an illusion. Don’t let your need for control or your need to be right every time get in the way of becoming a successful entrepreneur. When it comes to taking on another project or heading up a new initiative, consider the real cost to your business in terms of lost time, wasted efforts, poor productivity, and decreased revenues. You are the most important person at your company and your time is valuable.

It used to be said that ‘time is money,’ but that’s not true in our modern society. Time is worth more than money because you can always make more money but you can never make more time.

Here are a few common examples of what many attorneys try to do single-handedly when they would be better off delegating or outsourcing:

• Creating and launching a direct mail campaign.
• Developing their own law firm websites or learning how to build one from scratch.
• Designing a comprehensive law firm marketing plan or strategy.
• Implementing systems and processes to better manage their client and prospect relationships.

I'm not saying you should outsource your entire firm or use a law firm marketing consultant, but unless you have a lot of extra time or specific experience in certain areas, you will not be able to represent yourself and your company in the best possible light without the help of other experienced professionals. Remember, asking for help is a sign of strength and wisdom, not weakness and senility.

I strongly encourage you to take a few minutes right now and create an Action Plan for how you are going to put into practice two to three specific items you discovered in this article in the next 30-60 days.

Then find someone you can share your plan with and ask them to hold you accountable for the results.

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Stephen Fairley will be presenting “The Top 10 “Secret” Strategies Used by Rainmakers: How to Build a 7 Figure Law Firm During Difficult Times” on September 10, 2009 from 2:15-5:15 p.m. during The State Bar of California 82^nd Annual Meeting. This is a timely presentation that you won’t want to miss.