May Day, Kentucky Derby and Legal Marketing?
Tomorrow is May 1, or May Day. It is a day of celebration of the arrival of spring. It also ushers in the month that brings us the Kentucky Derby and the Indianapolis 500 Races. What do they have to do with marketing your law firm?
Racing has long periods of buildup in the weeks and months prior to the event. There is endless discussion of how each horse or driver has performed in the past in varying conditions. Some horses do better on wet tracks than others. Some race car drivers excel on fast tracks vs slow tracks.
Ultimately, it comes down to the race. It comes to their performance when the day comes. The same is true with your law practice. All of your marketing can only take you so far. It can bring people in, it can pique their interest, it can get them excited about your services. Ultimately, you have to deliver on the promise.
I have been sharing some great information from Richard Strauch, COO at The Rainmaker Institute, about the systems every law firm needs to be successful. Those systems are what allow you to be successful in delivering on the promises made by your legal marketing strategies. Having strong systems in place gives you a competitive advantage over firms whose internal systems do not allow them the level of internal control you enjoy.
Enjoy the races, and remember the hype only carries you so far. You still have to run the race and win.
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Are you looking for specific marketing strategies you can use in your law firm?
Then order the Rainmaker in a Box 5-DVD set!
Some of the information and strategies you will learn include:
- The 5 Immutable Secrets to Building a 7 Figure Law Practice
- Secrets of Building a Referral-based Law Practice for Busy Practitioners
- The Top 6 Most Powerful Online Marketing Strategies for Attorneys
- Action, Accountability and Next Steps
This program also includes a data DVD which includes all 4 PowerPoint slides for all 4 presentations. We recommend you print all these off and take notes on them as you watch the 4 intense DVDs.
To order this information-packed set click here.
How does your legal marketing fit into the client conversion process?
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Previously I shared with you some insight from Richard Strauch, COO of The Rainmaker Institute on identifying the cost per lead that your law firm marketing strategies are generating. Today, I will continue that thought by looking at the client conversion and retention system.
To begin, you should be able to identify any software needs to assist in automating the process. The more you can automate this, the lower your costs will be. Tracking software is readily available at a relatively low cost, compared to the expense of doing it manually. Good client-tracking software can be shared across multiple computers and can generate easily-interpreted reports for the firm’s decision makers.
Secondly, try to automate the firm’s follow up process. Develop follow up sequences for:
- Direct mail – what do you send to prospects and clients? Postcards? Email? Letters? This can be a very labor-intensive process or it can be highly automated. It’s your choice.
- Autoresponder Email Series – Develop a series of email messages to be sent at regularly scheduled intervals that can convey your messaging in a timely manner to your prospects.
- Phone calls – Develop a schedule of calls so that they don’t fall through the cracks. Some of the tracking software can automatically place them into your calendar for you.
Thirdly, Develop rules of engagement for a sales driven law firm. Some things to identify from the outset are:
- What is being said? - Know your key messages about your firm, as well as information about your prospect’s business and needs
- Who is saying what? – Who are the principal contacts for prospects? Is the task shared or centralized?
- How often are prospects contacted? – Staying top-of-mind without being obnoxious is a delicate balance
As you move to ramp up your legal marketing, these questions and systems will serve you well. Keep them in mind as you design your processes.
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Looking for more Rainmaker Institute Wisdom?
Then sign up for a complimentary Law Firm Marketing Strategy CD. It contains information that will enable you to Generate More and Better Referrals, Find New Clients Fast, and Fill Your Law Practice. The CD is free, so sign up now!
Phoenix legal marketing event coming next week
On Thursday, May 6, I have the privilege of addressing the inaugural meeting of the Phoenix Legal Networking Group, a group of solo and small firm attorneys looking to effectively market their law firm and grow their business.
This brand new monthly meeting is specifically designed to help attorneys and their staff
in small law firms and solo practices discover how to effectively market and grow their business.
We will meet each month for 2 hours to enjoy networking with other attorneys at small law firms and participate in a 45 minute practice building workshop.
During the meeting I will be presenting the 7 Strategies to Recession Proof Your Law Firm. This presentation will explain why some attorneys are having their best year ever when others are struggling to even survive? I will be demonstrating:
- The secrets top Rainmakers are using in this economy
- Learn what's working now and what's not.
- The #1 thing you need to do right now that will fix your cash flow problems
- Why you need to market differently
- How to easily track all your marketing efforts
For $15 per person, you will receive a networking session at 4:00 and the “7 Strategies” presentation begins at 5:00 p.m. and wraps up at 6:00. The event will be held at the Country Inn and Suites on Scottsdale Road, approximately 15 minutes from downtown and the airport.
Recessions are an excellent time to ramp up your marketing efforts because it is counterintuitive. Most firms are pulling back, and your efforts will stand out because many of your competitors have reduced their presence.
You won’t find this kind of information and opportunity at this price anywhere. Make an investment in your firm’s future and join your fellow legal marketers for this invaluable presentation. The information shared and the networking opportunity can open doors for your firm that will allow you take your firm to the next level.
To register for this seminar, co-hosted by FindLaw, Attorney at Law Magazine and The Rainmaker Institute, click here.
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Are you looking for specific marketing strategies you can use in your law firm?
Then order the Rainmaker in a Box 5-DVD set!
Some of the information and strategies you will learn include:
- The 5 Immutable Secrets to Building a 7 Figure Law Practice
- Secrets of Building a Referral-based Law Practice for Busy Practitioners
- The Top 6 Most Powerful Online Marketing Strategies for Attorneys
- Action, Accountability and Next Steps
This program also includes a data DVD which includes all 4 PowerPoint slides for all 4 presentations. We recommend you print all these off and take notes on them as you watch the 4 intense DVDs.
To order this information-packed set click here.
Summer Rainmaker Retreats are on the horizon
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Have you been thinking about attending a Rainmaker Retreat but haven’t made the time to attend one yet? You have heard the stories of how a Rainmaker Retreat has revolutionized the legal marketing strategy of firms across the country. This summer may be the time for you to take the step and move your law firm marketing to the next level.
This summer we are hosting a series of Rainmaker Retreats in locations where you can easily combine business with pleasure. The Summer 2010 schedule includes:
- Scottsdale, May 21-22
- San Francisco, June 18-19
- Las Vegas, July 16-17
- Los Angeles, July 30-31
Each Rainmaker retreat begins at 8:00 on Friday and is a full-day legal marketing boot camp. The formal portion of the day ends at 5:00. That doesn’t mean the learning stops. It just moves to a more informal setting as you discuss your ideas, plans and situation with your fellow Rainmaker Retreat attendees.
Saturday the day begins at 7:30 with breakfast, and Retreat runs from 8:00 – 2:00 p.m. It is an information-packed two-days that will change the way you market your law firm and practice. Everyone who attends a Rainmaker Retreat goes home with so much information that they feel like they more than received their money’s worth.
Register today by clicking on one of the Rainmaker Retreat locations above. You will be glad you did. And your legal marketing will never be the same.
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Have you heard about the 2-Day Marketing Boot Camp for Small Law Firms?
If you're struggling to build your legal practice or want to learn a proven law firm marketing system for that has helped attorneys discover how to generate more referrals and find new clients fast then you owe it to yourself to check out a Rainmaker Retreat.
We would like to send you a DVD of your colleagues (and even your competitors) describing their experiences at our 2 day law firm marketing boot camp, the Rainmaker Retreat. Yes, we know you are skeptical (we wouldn't have it any other way). So instead of us telling you how these 2 days will transform your business, we will let our clients do the telling.
Click here to order your complimentary DVD right now.
Converting leads to clients is key to law firm marketing strategy
Previously, I addressed the need for a system to keep track of the leads your legal marketing strategies are bringing you. There is another need with your lead process; tracking the cost of converting your leads to clients. This conversion is what takes you from spending money to making money, and it is the reason you are in business.
The first step is to work with staff to identify the stages of going from prospect to paying client. Some questions to be considered include:
- Who is involved in the process?
- How many steps are there?
- Who originates the process?
- Who keeps it moving?
- Who closes the process?
- Who tracks the process and prompts those involved?
- What does each step in the process cost?
Look closely at your process and look for opportunities to shorten the process wherever possible. Look for redundant actions and duplication of staff that can be eliminated. Your goal is to have a lean process that delivers the results you are looking for.
Secondly, identify Cost Per Lead (CPL) and strategies for reducing cost per lead. You cannot do this without the previous step. If you don’t have a handle on your process and its costs, you cannot reduce your cost per lead. Some questions for this process are:
- How many leads are produced?
- How much does it cost to obtain a new client?
- How much revenue does each client bring in?
Once you know your process and the incremental cost of each step, you can then begin to whittle down your costs as you take steps toward making your process more efficient. Legal marketing, like any other business process, needs to be as efficient as possible while still delivering the desired results. These questions will get you started on road to streamlining your process and improving your lead conversion ratio.
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Complimentary Teleseminar - Fewer clients are calling for repeat work, Less people are willing to pay your fees... If this sounds like your law firm, there is a better way... and here's where you can learn more. During this complimentary 60 minute preview call of The Rainmaker Retreat discover How to set yourself apart from your major competitors, and Secrets top attorneys are using to generate more referrals right now.
Legal marketing lessons from the NFL draft
The NFL draft has gone from a nondescript covered by a handful of beat writers to a four-day media extravaganza, thanks in part to some great marketing from the NFL and ESPN. Here are some tips that you law firm marketing plan can include from the NFL draft.
First, communicate early and often. As soon as the season ended, draft talk was all over the airwaves. Fans were clamoring to know the direction of the team, and the teams have been feeding them enough information to keep them coming back. The NFL scouting combine has become must-watch television due to the constant chatter by fans, ESPN and league sources.
Second, know your audience and their needs. The NFL and ESPN correctly surmised that that time between the Super Bowl and opening day of baseball season is largely a dead time in sports. Football is the American pastime, so they created the scounting combine during that “dead” time so that the buzz about the NFL would continue. The audience demanded more football info, and they delivered it.
Third, remember that it is about delivering on the promises made. First round draft picks, rightly or wrongly, are judged harshly. The first round picks that became busts live in infamy. Those who go on to greatness are heralded forever. It’s not enough to have promise, you also have to deliver on the field.
When you are putting your legal marketing plan together, keep these thoughts in mind. Communicate early and often to your audience. Tell them what they need to know, and deliver on your promises. It will take you from having potential to a becoming a superstar.
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Looking for more proven tactics from The Rainmaker Institute?
Then subscribe to our FREE monthly e-newsletter. One click of your mouse will take you to our site where you can see the current issue and subscribe to our complimentary monthly e-newsletter that will be delivered to your inbox. Each issue is chock-full of legal marketing information you can put to use right away. I think you will find the information in every newsletter something you will want to share with your staff to maximize the effectiveness of your legal marketing plan.
Don't be afraid to work Green into your law firm marketing
Today is Earth Day, when we as Americans place more of an emphasis on protecting the natural environment with which we have been entrusted. Earth Day was created by President Nixon back in the early 1970s and has grown into a significant day in the United States. It is also a good time to stress the “green” aspects of your law firm in your legal marketing messages.
Being green doesn’t have to be an expensive proposition. Actually, many of the green practices will save you money over time. Reducing the volume of paper generated in your office saves you on paper and toner costs, as well as shredding costs. It also reduces the risk of papers inadvertently not being properly destroyed and being read at a later date.
Simple little steps, such as putting a tag on your email that says something to the effect of “Please join us in protecting the environment by not printing this email unless absolutely necessary” shows your commitment to the environment, and saves you and your clients money.
Another green step many firms have gone to is telecommuting. The security and speed of online document transfer networks has progressed to the point that work can be completed from home and delivered seamlessly to clients or to the office for mailing. Your clients will never know when they call, since most telephone systems can route calls to any phone you may be using.
If you are in a green building, use that in your marketing. Show some of the steps that you have taken to make the world a better place. If your firm participates in environmental cleanup events, highlight that on your website. It shows your human side and your concern for the community. It is low cost legal marketing that will broaden your appeal.
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Have you heard about the 2-Day Marketing Boot Camp for Small Law Firms?
If you're struggling to build your legal practice or want to learn a proven law firm marketing system for that has helped attorneys discover how to generate more referrals and find new clients fast then you owe it to yourself to check out a Rainmaker Retreat.
We would like to send you a DVD of your colleagues (and even your competitors) describing their experiences at our 2 day law firm marketing boot camp, the Rainmaker Retreat. Yes, we know you are skeptical (we wouldn't have it any other way). So instead of us telling you how these 2 days will transform your business, we will let our clients do the telling.
Click here to order your complimentary DVD right now.
Don't forget those who make your law firm marketing plans come to life
Today is Administrative Professionals Day, and you know the value of the administrative staff in your office. They are the ones who make the trains run on time. The ones who update the calendars, anticipate your requests and client needs. They are also the ones who are on the front lines of your law firm marketing strategy, since they are often the prospects first contact with your firm.
A superstar administrative person is worth his/her weight in gold. S/he can create a fantastic first impression to prospects, prepare many of the materials needed for clients, and smooth over ruffled feathers when necessary. Your administrative support team is an integral part of making your office move smoothly through the day. If you don’t believe so, just try doing it all by yourself and see how quickly that grinds to a halt.
Take some time today to let the people who make your office run smoothly know how much you appreciate what they do for you. Whether it is keeping you on schedule with meetings and clients, updating your calendar, preparing documents and anticipating client and attorney needs, they are invaluable to your success.
They can also make or break your legal marketing strategy. If your administrative staff doesn’t follow-through and allows you to let prospects slip through the cracks, you have lost money and damaged your reputation.
If you have superstar talent working for you, let them know. If you don’t, train the ones you have so that they become superstar talent. The success of your firm may depend on them.
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Practice Made Perfect For Lawyers: 10 Principles for Marketing Your Legal Services
This comprehensive law firm marketing training manual is specifically designed for attorneys who desire to achieve a higher return on investment from all their legal marketing efforts by applying Stephen's unique High Impact Legal Marketing System to the challenges faced by solo and small law firms.
The set includes: An audio CD that provides you with an overview of the '10 Principles for Marketing Your Legal Services', a CD with ideas on how to maximize your results, a 130+ page Law Firm Marketing Manual, and a Data CD that contains customizable templates and forms to help you create a legal marketing budget and strategic development plan. Just a few of the tools you will discover in this highly practical legal marketing manual include:
- Over 50 specific law firm marketing strategies
- Why advertising doesn't work for most small law firms
- Strategies for achieving maximum results from all of your online legal marketing efforts
- How to retain your best clients.
Law firm marketing ideas flowed at Los Angeles Rainmaker Retreat
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Last weekend a group of attorneys eager to take their legal marketing strategies to the next level gathered in Los Angeles for our Rainmaker Retreat.
The interest and spirits were high and the ideas flowed hot and heavy during the discussion sessions. From the testimonials we received from the participants, the information was exactly what they needed and were looking for.
Listen to the words of those who were with us in Los Angles:
“I haven’t been this excited in a long time to go to work and implement the knowledge I received today. The Rainmaker Retreat has given me more tools in 2 days than I could have imagined.” - Leatrice Kitchell
“Fantastic seminar! The presentation materials and subject matter are all obviously top quality and incredibly valuable. I feel like I got the secret keys to the kingdom.” - Mark Peacock, Solo Practitioner
“I used to think the only way you became a Rainmaker was to become old, get lucky, or become a member of an old boys’ network. Stephen has taught me to think, plan and execute to become a Rainmaker.” - Amman Khan, Partner
“Amazing program. So much information. Fantastic job.” - Ed Susolik, Partner
As you can see, those who attend a Rainmaker Retreat are not only pleased with the information they receive, they are also eager to put it to use in their law firm marketing plans. If you haven’t attended one of our Rainmaker Retreats, here is our upcoming summer schedule:
- Scottsdale, AZ, May 21&22
- San Francisco, June 18 &19
- Las Vegas, July 16 & 17
- Los Angeles, July 30 &31
Your law firm marketing plans will benefit greatly from joining us at a Rainmaker Retreat. Just click on the location of your choice and register today.
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Unsure about attending a Rainmaker Retreat?
If you are still unsure about attending a Rainmaker Retreat, sign up for one of our complimentary teleseminars. These free one hour calls give you valuable law firm marketing and business tips that you can implement in your law practice right now. Don’t miss this opportunity to preview something that can revolutionize your law practice!
Good legal marketing needs a strong lead flow system
Previously I addressed how vital your law firm marketing system is to the success of your legal marketing plan. Your lead flow system is the next logical step in the systems you need to be successful. If your law firm marketing system is working well, it should be producing a large number of lead opportunities for you. What you do with those opportunities is nearly as important has generating the opportunities.
First, you should develop strategies for increasing the number of leads and tracking them. Legal marketing can do some of the heavy lifting for you on identifying lead prospects. But going from a possible lead to a genuine lead and prospect requires a well-designed system that includes follow through.
Second, you should develop a system for tracking all incoming leads and where the leads are in the sales pipeline. Once a lead comes in, someone has to be tasked with keeping track of the lead status so leads do not fall through the cracks. Lost leads are lost opportunities, and are akin to leaving money on the table. They also hurt your reputation with your referral sources if they supplied the referral and you didn’t follow through on the lead.
Here are some questions to ask as you think about your lead system:
- Who sorts the leads to rank them by priority?
- How do we prioritize leads?
- Who is responsible for assigning leads to members of the firm for follow up?
- Who maintains the follow-up system and holds the firm members accountable?
Converting possibilities and referrals into leads is one of the key conversion tasks of your firm. Generating referrals from your legal marketing strategy is the first step in building your business.
Converting those leads into clients, and ultimately referral sources, is how you grow your firm into what you envisioned when you began. Without a good lead flow system, the likelihood of you maximizing the possibilities of your marketing program is slim.
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Looking for more Rainmaker Institute Wisdom?
Then sign up for a complimentary Law Firm Marketing Strategy CD. It contains information that will enable you to Generate More and Better Referrals, Find New Clients Fast, and Fill Your Law Practice. The CD is free, so sign up now!
Put some Spring into your legal Marketing step
Spring is nature’s time of renewal. The grey of winter is gone, the snow has melted and the landscape burst forth in a frenzy of blooms, colors and new growth. Spring is also when many people move their exercise programs outside to take in the sights and sounds of the birds that have returned. It’s also a good time to give your law firm marketing strategies a shot of energy.
Legal marketing can kick into the next gear now that taxes are done, the winter is over, and spring break has passed with the family vacations. There is a window from now until summer where people tend to really buckle down at work ahead of the summer vacation season.
Spring is when the dead is pruned and cast away, and new growth is nurtured. If you have elements of your law firm marketing plan that need pruning, now is the time to do so. If you have staff who could use a little fertilizer boost in the form of training and motivation, invest in it. Growth doesn’t come from tired and worn out soil.
Now is a good time, if you haven’t done so already, to get your referral source visits scheduled, and make time work on the human side of your legal marketing plan. If you are a golfer, combine your passion for golf with a referral source. A few hours on the links relaxing and playing a game you both love is a great way to invest in a referral source.
There is an energy, a buzz, to spring. Let that energy infuse your office and staff and energize your efforts to build your practice to the level you dreamed of when you started. The dreary doldrums of winter are gone, and the dog days of summer are not yet upon us. This is the perfect time to seize the moment and join in with the renewal that nature is displaying. Review your law firm marketing plan and strategies and see where you need to prune, cultivate and fertilize. Then get growing!
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Are you looking for specific marketing strategies you can use in your law firm?
Then order the Rainmaker in a Box 5-DVD set!
Some of the information and strategies you will learn include:
- The 5 Immutable Secrets to Building a 7 Figure Law Practice
- Secrets of Building a Referral-based Law Practice for Busy Practitioners
- The Top 6 Most Powerful Online Marketing Strategies for Attorneys
- Action, Accountability and Next Steps
This program also includes a data DVD which includes all 4 PowerPoint slides for all 4 presentations. We recommend you print all these off and take notes on them as you watch the 4 intense DVDs.
To order this information-packed set click here.
Legal marketing ideas flowed at Las Vegas Rainmaker Retreat
The crowd at last weekend’s Rainmaker Retreat was revved up to turbo charge their law firm marketing plans and take their practice to the next level. Even though each Rainmaker Retreat is slightly different, customized to meet the needs of actual attendees, one thing remains the same—attorneys who attend the Rainmaker Retreat law firm marketing boot camp leave with over 62 proven tools they can immediately use to generate more and better referrals and increase their revenues!
The overwhelming majority of attorneys who attend are partners or owners of small law firms or are in solo practice. Many of whom wisely bring a staff member who can then help them implement their legal marketing plan. They are all highly-motivated individuals passionate about improving their legal marketing strategies.
One of the shifts many attorneys experience is the mindset of moving from having a practice to owning a business. Many attorneys initially have the belief that can be summed up as, “I'm an attorney who just happens to be in a practice. Law is a profession and therefore does not need to be marketed like other businesses.”
By the time they leave, these same attorneys have often experienced a mind shift towards, “I'm a business owner who just happens to practice law and while the application may be slightly different, the ‘rules of marketing’ apply to my business just like they do every other business.”
If you haven’t ever attended a Rainmaker Retreat, I encourage you to add one of our upcoming Rainmaker Retreats into your schedule. I guarantee it will be the best 2 days you have ever spent learning how to grow your law business! In addition to our upcoming retreat this weekend in Las Angeles, our current schedule of Rainmaker Retreats includes:
- Scottsdale, AZ, May 21&22
- San Francisco, June 18 &19
- Las Vegas, July 16 & 17
- Los Angeles, July 30 &31
If you are still unsure about attending, read the words of some of the attorneys who attended the recent Las Vegas Rainmaker Retreat.
“The program was fast paced, loaded with content and, unlike many seminars, commanded constant and undivided attention. I now feel I have specific steps to take besides waiting for the phone to ring.”
- Michael Hickman, Partner
“This course exceeded my expectations, doubly exceeded my cynicism, and made me feel I was wasting big bucks taking a restroom break.”
- William Bachrach, Partner
“Worth every minute and every dollar. A new world for business development.”
- Joseph George, Jr., Partner
Come and find out for yourself how the Rainmaker Retreat can change your legal marketing in ways you could not imagine. The time and money you invest will be recouped far more quickly than you can imagine.
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Complimentary Rainmaker Retreat Preview DVD is Available
We would like to send you a DVD of your colleagues (and even your competitors) describing their experiences at the 2 day Rainmaker Retreat. Yes, we know you are skeptical (we wouldn't have it any other way). So instead of us telling you how these 2 days will transform your business, we will let our clients do the telling.
Click here to order your complimentary DVD right now.
Referrals are the lifeblood of law firm marketing
I have been talking about the law firm marketing system that every law firm needs to have in order to be successful. Today’s post wraps up that discussion with referrals, the lifeblood of any successful law firm marketing plan.
Referrals don’t just happen. They must be cultivated. Sure you may get an occasional referral from a former client or someone you know, but if you want to take your legal marketing to the next level, you need a referral system. How do you do build a referral system that will bring you the results you need?
You start by developing relationships with potential referral sources and generate consistent referrals from them. These sources may include accountants, investment advisors, business leaders, or anyone who has influence with your target market. Depending on your practice area, your referral sources will vary.
Developing a relationship is a two-way process. It can’t just be you asking them for referrals when you see them. It requires regular contact and you showing as much concern for their business as you are asking them to show for your practice. Ask them how you can assist them in achieving their goals.
Another key component of your law firm marketing plan is to create a system for connecting with prospects, clients and referral sources on a regular, consistent basis. This should include:
- Monthly newsletters – keep them apprised of what your firm is doing, new employees, and content that is beneficial to them.
- Annual Client Satisfaction Survey – find out what your clients think about the service they have received from your firm.
- Keep In Touch letters – on a regular basis, every 2-3 months, send a letter to referrals, prospects and clients just to touch base. This top of mind awareness is crucial for generating referrals.
- Referral Education System – your referral sources need to know what kind of prospects you are looking for. It does no good for them to refer prospects to you who are not looking for what your firm offers. Keep your referral sources updated on your practice areas and any changes in your firm if you want to receive high-quality referrals.
There are a number of systems that are vital for your law practice to be successful. But your law firm marketing system is the one that drives the traffic in the doors. Don’t skimp on your legal marketing system if you want to achieve the level of success that you dream of.
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Unsure about attending a Rainmaker Retreat?
If you are still unsure about attending a Rainmaker Retreat, sign up for one of our complimentary teleseminars. These free one hour calls give you valuable law firm marketing and business tips that you can implement in your law practice right now. Don’t miss this opportunity to preview something that can revolutionize your law practice!
Successful legal marketing requires good market research
Market research is one of those tasks that many people think they only have to do when they launch their law firm and are writing their law firm marketing plan. But the most successful legal marketers are regularly performing market research to determine what the market looks like and what changes have occurred since their last review of the market.
There are two types of market research – primary and secondary. Primary is focused on your firm, your practice areas, and your target market(s). Primary is generally more expensive than secondary research, but the results are more tailored to your firm. If you can afford primary research, it is a good option.
Secondary research is generally less expensive and not as focused on you and your firm, but more focused on the industry. The good news about secondary research is that there is an abundance of information available.
That is also the bad news. You will spend part of your research time sorting the wheat from the chaff when you are performing secondary research.
Some good sources of secondary research are:
- Studies from Bar associations
- White papers from conferences on your particular area of expertise
- Marketing trend studies from legal trade groups
- News release on your subject area
- Reports from research firms that conduct primary research
Many of these sources can be accessed via the internet, at little or no cost to you. Start with the organizations where you hold a membership such as your local and state bar association, the American Bar Association, any specialty groups you belong to such as the American Bankruptcy Institute etc.
These groups will have a great deal of information available on their websites that will allow you to create and update your law firm marketing plan with the latest legal marketing strategies with reports from the front lines. You will still need to sift the data to find that which is most useful to you, but you can benefit from research that someone else has paid for as you craft your legal marketing plan.
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Practice Made Perfect For Lawyers: 10 Principles for Marketing Your Legal ServicesThis comprehensive law firm marketing training manual is specifically designed for attorneys who desire to achieve a higher return on investment from all their legal marketing efforts by applying Stephen's unique High Impact Legal Marketing System to the challenges faced by solo and small law firms.
The set includes: An audio CD that provides you with an overview of the '10 Principles for Marketing Your Legal Services', a CD with ideas on how to maximize your results, a 130+ page Law Firm Marketing Manual, and a Data CD that contains customizable templates and forms to help you create a legal marketing budget and strategic development plan. Just a few of the tools you will discover in this highly practical legal marketing manual include:
* Over 50 specific law firm marketing strategies
* Why advertising doesn't work for most small law firms
* Strategies for achieving maximum results from all of your online legal marketing efforts
* How to retain your best clients.
Successful law firm marketing requires measurement and training
Earlier, I posted some information from Richard Strauch, COO at The Rainmaker Institute about creating a strong law firm marketing plan. This post continues that discussion with some thoughts on measuring the effectiveness of your legal marketing strategies. There is an old business maxim that applies here – what gets measured gets done.
First, develop reports for tracking effectiveness of marketing efforts. When you are starting out, take the time to determine what you want to know. What kind of information do you need to give effective feedback and measurement of your legal marketing strategies? When you are developing your reports, don’t just look at what data you think you will generate. Instead, design your system and your reports to generate the data you want.
Second, create metrics for quantifying ROI of all major marketing initiatives. This may sound complicated, but it really isn’t. What you want to do is create a system of measurement that allows you to track the Return on Investment, or bang for your buck, on all of your major initiatives. If an imitative costs $10,000 per year, and yields $50,000 in new business, you have a 500% ROI. But you have to be able to track both the costs and the new business that flows from that initiative.
Third, take the time to train your staff. We have said it before that the best-laid plans are useless if they are not executed well. Training your staff allows two beneficial things to happen. First, you get the data you want. Second, it frees up your time so that you can focus on the tasks that have the highest value within your law firm. You don’t want the high-dollar billing staff doing things that should be handled by junior staff or clerical staff. That is an inefficient use of your human resources.
There are a number of ways to measure your data, but you first have to decide what you want to know. Once you have that answered, you can design a measurement system that will give you the data on your law firm marketing activities that you desire.
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Looking for more Rainmaker Institute Wisdom?
Then sign up for a complimentary Law Firm Marketing Strategy CD. It contains information that will enable you to Generate More and Better Referrals, Find New Clients Fast, and Fill Your Law Practice. The CD is free, so sign up now!
"Mastering" Legal Marketing requires dedication, practice, and keeping your eye on the ball
Today is the opening round of the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. There are a number of similarities between those who are successful at law firm marketing and those who are successful at winning one of the most prestigious events in golf.
First, anyone who wants to be successful at golf, legal marketing, or any pursuit has to have an intense dedication to their craft. Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer are maybe the most famous winners of the green jacket, and they all were single-minded in their pursuit of excellence.
They relentlessly pursued perfection in the physical and mental aspects of the game. Legal marketers would be wise to take notice of that and devote their focus to being the best possible marketers possible. Invest in training and study and hone your skills as you work toward your goals.
Second, like golfers, legal marketers have to deal with distractions. This is the mental part of the game that is so difficult. There are rarely perfect conditions in golf, and the same applies to law firm marketing. There will always be something that is pressing for your attention that can take your eyes off of the ball.
Learning to tune those things out and focus on the task at hand is one of the most difficult aspects of golf and legal marketing. Those other things may be good things, but they are not where your time and energy need to be devoted.
Lastly, remember that you are competing against some of the best in the world at what they do. The Masters attracts the greatest golfers in the world who are competing at the highest level. In the legal marketing world, you are going up against some highly-skilled professionals who are masters of their craft. But the advantage doesn’t always go to the most skilled. Sometimes it goes to those who are the most determined.
Enjoy the Masters this weekend and appreciate the hard work and dedication that you are witnessing. Take those lessons back to your firm and apply them to your law firm marketing strategies. You may not win a green jacket, but you will reach your goals.
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Complimentary Rainmaker Retreat Preview DVD is Available
We would like to send you a DVD of your colleagues (and even your competitors) describing their experiences at the 2 day Rainmaker Retreat. Yes, we know you are skeptical (we wouldn't have it any other way). So instead of us telling you how these 2 days will transform your business, we will let our clients do the telling.
Click here to order your complimentary DVD right now.
Focus your legal marketing on your core competency
One of the keys you need to understand in order to be successful with your legal practice and law firm marketing plan is to clearly recognize your core competency. Many attorneys waste far too much of their precious time, energy, and potential profits by trying to be everything to everybody as a way of expanding their practice.
If they looked at the real cost to their law firm in terms of lost time, wasted efforts, poor productivity, and decreased revenues perhaps they would be more open to staying close to their core competency.
I have found this can happen on two different levels: firm-wide and personally.
I have seen law firms try to be all things to all people, and dilute their brand. You have heard me preach the value creating a niche for your business. Being a firm that does everything – criminal defense, family law, estate planning, business law etc – makes it difficult for your referral sources to know your ideal target market. It also makes it difficult for you to effectively market your firm.
I have also seen successful attorneys who are excellent at estate planning and business law try their hand at litigation with disastrous results. Knowing your limits as well as your strengths is key to having a successful law practice.
What I am saying is if you're not good at business development and marketing, don’t let your firm suffer because of your pride or unwillingness to invest the necessary money to outsource that critical component.
Here are a few other examples that I've found a lot of attorneys try to do by themselves that they would be better off delegating or outsourcing:
- Developing their own website or learning how to build one from scratch
- Asking for help when it comes to developing and implementing marketing plans.
- Trying to keep track of their finances using QuickBooks instead of using an accountant.
I'm not saying you should outsource your entire company, but unless you have specific experience in certain areas, you will not be able to represent yourself and your firm in the best possible light without the help of other experienced professionals.
Focusing on your core competency means doing what you do best and asking for help with the rest. Law firm marketing is one of those areas. If you don’t have the time or expertise, find an experienced legal marketer and let him or her guide you through the process.
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Looking for more proven tactics from The Rainmaker Institute?
Then subscribe to our FREE monthly e-newsletter. One click of your mouse will take you to our site where you can see the current issue and subscribe to our complimentary monthly e-newsletter that will be delivered to your inbox. Each issue is chock-full of legal marketing information you can put to use right away. I think you will find the information in every newsletter something you will want to share with your staff to maximize the effectiveness of your legal marketing plan.
Your law firm marketing plan is key to your firm's success
As you review the systems your law firm must have to be successful, pay particular attention to your law firm marketing plan and the systems that support it. A well-designed plan is practically useless if you do not have strong systems to support the legal marketing strategies in your plan.
Here are some tips from Richard Strauch, COO of The Rainmaker Institute, on how you can develop systems that will make your law firm marketing efforts more effective.
First, create a written 12 month marketing plan for your law firm. Take the time to systematically look at all of your plans for the next year and review them in sequence. Does the order of events make sense? Do the strategies build on each other? Does your plan have an inherent coherence that is easily discernable? Is your plan comprehensive, or are there gaps in your plan in the audiences being targeted and the techniques being used.
Second, develop processes and procedures to capture major marketing metrics and data. Your plan should be able to identify all of your target audiences, the key influencers to those audiences, and your effectiveness in reaching them. You should be able to track the conversion rate of prospects to clients, the response percentage to your marketing messages, and who is responding to your messaging.
Third, identify major lead sources and create tracking mechanisms to measure results. Who is sending you business? If you can’t answer that question, you do not have a handle on your lead and referral sources. Tracking the frequency of your referral source meetings and the number of referrals generated is a very basic measure that you should have access to. There are many other measures of your lead and referral sources that you can include in your law firm marketing plan.
A well-designed legal marketing plan can take your firm from the level where you are to the level where you want to be. It takes planning and follow-through, but it is achievable once you have a strong plan and measurement system.
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Are you looking for specific marketing strategies you can use in your law firm?
Then order the Rainmaker in a Box 5-DVD set!
Some of the information and strategies you will learn include:
- The 5 Immutable Secrets to Building a 7 Figure Law Practice
- Secrets of Building a Referral-based Law Practice for Busy Practitioners
- The Top 6 Most Powerful Online Marketing Strategies for Attorneys
- Action, Accountability and Next Steps
This program also includes a data DVD which includes all 4 PowerPoint slides for all 4 presentations. We recommend you print all these off and take notes on them as you watch the 4 intense DVDs.
To order this information-packed set click here.
Becoming a legal marketing champion takes preparation, perseverance and planning
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Tonight the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament will come to a conclusion and a new national champion will be crowned. Will it be the improbable Butler Bulldogs or the Duke Blue Devils? We will find out this evening. But there are some legal marketing tips you can learn from these two teams.
Butler is coached by a young, hungry coach who has taken a mid-major school to the doorstep of immortality. How has he done it? Through meticulous preparation and planning that tries to anticipate every possible move of the opposition. He knows his team, their strengths, and weaknesses, and he has optimized his game plan maximize his team’s strengths.
Duke is coached by the legendary Mike Krzyzewski, who has won several national championships and has a perennial powerhouse in Duke. He recruits spectacular talent and coaches them up to make them even better. His team does many things well, and it has specialists that can carry the team depending on how the opponent is defending them.
How does this affect your law firm marketing plan? Do you have all-star talent? Do you coach them up to improve their game? Do you have specialists that perform some facets of the business better than anyone else? Do you meticulously plan and prepare? Do you persevere through adversity?
Your law firm marketing plan needs all of these elements to be successful. Recruit the best talent you can find and make them better. Plan, plan, plan and prepare. Execute your plan to perfection and persevere through the obstacles that come into your path. There are no brackets for law firm marketing plans, but there are winners and losers.
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Unsure about attending a Rainmaker Retreat?
If you are still unsure about attending a Rainmaker Retreat, sign up for one of our complimentary teleseminars. These free one hour calls give you valuable law firm marketing and business tips that you can implement in your law practice right now. Don’t miss this opportunity to preview something that can revolutionize your law practice!
Legal marketing was the topic of the weekend at New Jersey Rainmaker Retreat
Over the weekend I had the pleasure of meeting with a group of attorneys in New Jersey who are committed to improving the effectiveness of their law firm marketing strategies. The group I met with was energetic and eager to learn ways that they could grow their business to the level they dreamed of when they first started their firm.
There were a couple of topics that everyone was hungry to learn more about – social media and creating systems that will lead to business success. Social media has been a hot topic for the past couple of years. The growth of sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook has fueled a revolution in how legal marketers ply their trade.
Everyone at the NJ Rainmaker Retreat wanted to know how they can leverage these new technologies to multiply their existing marketing programs and gain greater access to their target markets. One of the exciting aspects of social media is the ability to receive real-time feedback and have two-way conversations with prospective clients.
Systems was another hot topic of the weekend. Learning how to create and implement marketing and business operation systems that allow you to build your firm to the level that you dreamed of when you started out on this venture. The material was well-received and attendees were furiously taking notes and asking questions throughout the weekend.
If you haven’t taken the time to attend a Rainmaker Retreat, hear the words of David Salvaggio, an attorney attending his first Rainmaker Retreat:
I just returned from the two-day Rainmaker Retreat Program sponsored by the NJSBA and the Essex County Bar Association. It was a fantastic program! Stephen Fairley gave an extremely engaging presentation on behalf of the Rainmaker Institute. On a scale of 1 to 10, the Program and Mr. Fairley were a perfect 10! Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to attend the Program.
Go to Rainmakerretreat.com to see the schedule of upcoming retreats. It is a weekend that will change your life, and law firm, forever.
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Unsure about attending a Rainmaker Retreat?
If you are still unsure about attending a Rainmaker Retreat, sign up for one of our complimentary teleseminars. These free one hour calls give you valuable law firm marketing and business tips that you can implement in your law practice right now. Don’t miss this opportunity to preview something that can revolutionize your law practice!
