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

At our September 16 Phoenix Legal Networking Group meeting, I will be talking about How to Double Your Referrals in 6 Months or Less. 

In addition to some great information, there will be some great food, good fun, and a chance for you to reconnect with other attorneys who could turn out to be great additions to your referral network in the Phoenix area.  After only four gatherings, many of our attendees are already reporting jumps in their referral activity from those they’re met here.

So who should attend?

1. Partners at small law firms who want to reconnect with colleagues and discover new and innovative ways to increase their referrals and revenues and are open to new ideas.
2. Solo practitioners who want to find new clients fast on a shoestring budget and want to build relationships with other Phoenix area attorneys.
3. Of Counsel Attorneys who need to learn how to bring in more business to the firm.
4. Associates who are looking to grow their book of business or who want to get on the partner track.
5. Law Firm Staff—including Business/Office Managers, Paralegals, and other Office Staff who are looking for more referral sources and want to help grow their law firm with more connections.

Join us on September 16 and discover:

• The proven 8-step system used by hundreds of top attorneys to generate more and better referrals fast
• How to identify who the best referral sources are for you (and they usually aren't other attorneys)
• The #1 reason why you're not getting more referrals
• The best ways to meet potential referral sources
• 5 effective ways to follow up with referral sources

The event will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, September 16 at Monti’s, 100 S. Mill Ave. in Tempe. 

Cost is $20 per person if you register by September 14, $30 if you register by September 15 and $35 on the day of the event.  This covers drinks, hors d’oeurves, the networking event and the workshop.

To register for our September 16 networking and legal marketing event, co-hosted by FindLaw, Attorney at Law Magazine and The Rainmaker Institute, visit http://www.therainmakerretreat.com/network/ or call 888-816-8935.

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Stop Wasting Precious Time and Money

Feel like you don’t have time for marketing?  Let us show you how to make a plan that runs on “autopilot” – one that attracts new and lucrative clients while you focus on your practice.

Learn how easy it can be to create an effective law firm marketing plan that performs by getting our Free Guide: 5 Easy Steps to Create Your Law Firm Marketing Plan.

After working with many ultra-successful lawyers we found five common threads in their marketing plans. This guide outlines these shared elements to provide insight into strategies that work and how to make them work for you.

There are two versions: one for Attorneys in Solo Practice and one for Attorneys in a Small Firm.  You can download them now free!  Go here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!

 

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This venn diagram at Matt Homann’s the [non]billable hour blog got me thinking again about perception and reality when it comes to law firm marketing:


If you ask most attorneys whom they are marketing to with their websites, they’ll tell you potential clients.  That’s their perception.  But the sad reality is, most attorneys are marketing to other attorneys and, yes, themselves. 

How profitable is that?

Maybe it’s time to take a good long look at that Ideal Target Market and be sure your website – and all your marketing efforts – are speaking directly to them.

Your Ideal Target Market (ITM) is the person or company who is most likely to retain you initially, repeatedly, and at the highest profit margin. There are 3 key parts here:

Initially—your ITM will retain your services faster than others and present fewer obstacles for you to overcome.

Repeatedly—the most expensive thing a law firm can have is a 1-time client. On average, it will cost your firm 10 times as much to obtain a new client as it does to service an existing one.

At the highest profit margin—your ITM is not the price-conscious consumer. Research tells us that 15% of any market, regardless of what product or service you are selling, will always and only buy on price. Your responsibility as a law firm marketing professional is to quickly identify those “15 percenters” and move them out of your pipeline so you can focus on selling to the other 85%.

Identifying and targeting the right market is absolutely critical to the success of your law firm marketing plan. If you don’t target the right market, nothing else you do will matter. To be successful as a legal marketer and attorney, you have to start with a clear picture of your ITM.

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BALIF Rainmaker Institute Event on October 14 in San Francisco

Founded in 1980, Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF) is the nation’s oldest and largest bar association of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgendered persons in the field of law.

On Thursday, Oct. 14, BALIF will present a 1-day workshop designed for busy Attorneys, Partners, Associates, and their Staff who want to discover how to apply proven marketing strategies and top tips used by some of today’s biggest Rainmakers to create a 7-figure lifestyle law firm. 

Rainmaker Institute CEO Stephen Fairley will be speaking on Proven Strategies for Today’s Rainmaker: Increasing Revenues and Referrals Using Networking, Internet Marketing and Social Media In the New Age.  This one-day seminar includes 1 hour of MCLE Ethics Credit for California attorneys.

For more information and to register online, click here.

 

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Remember when you were in school and how happy it made you to show up for a class and find out the teacher was going to show a movie?  I hope you recapture that feeling today, thanks to this little gem created by the Consumer Attorneys of California (kudos to the Gillin Jacobson Ellis & Larsen blog where I first saw it):
 

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Last Friday, I blogged about a social media marketing study just out from KingFish Media, HubSpot and Junta42 that showed 75% of B2B and B2C marketers surveyed have a social media marketing program in place.

I want to revisit that survey again to discuss how marketers measure social media ROI using both quantitative and qualitative metrics.  Both measurements are important because social media is really about two things:  engagement and influence.

Quantitative measurements are those counted in quantity – it’s the “show me the numbers” part of research that can determine how your social media program is performing on the engagement level.  There are a number of different quantitative measurements for social media, as shown here:

Qualitative measurements are those relating to or concerning quality and measures how your social media program is performing on the influence level.  Here are some of the ways leading marketers are using qualitative measurements for social media:

For both quantitative and qualitative social media measurement, check out this Wiki of social media monitoring tools: http://wiki.kenburbary.com/.

As you develop your social media marketing plan, take the time to determine what you want to know.  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.

However you choose to measure social media, it is imperative that you have a success metric in mind before you begin. Without some sort of benchmark, determining your ROI is impossible.

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Stop Wasting Precious Time and Money

Feel like you don’t have time for marketing?  Let us show you how to make a plan that runs on “autopilot” – one that attracts new and lucrative clients while you focus on your practice.

Learn how easy it can be to create an effective law firm marketing plan that performs by getting our Free Guide: 5 Easy Steps to Create Your Law Firm Marketing Plan.

After working with many ultra-successful lawyers we found five common threads in their marketing plans. This guide outlines these shared elements to provide insight into strategies that work and how to make them work for you.

There are two versions: one for Attorneys in Solo Practice and one for Attorneys in a Small Firm.  You can download them now free!  Go here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!

 

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At our Phoenix Legal Marketing Group meeting last week, we had over 40 attendees! A great turnout for August.  Referrals are starting to become a staple for the attorneys who attend. Several members reported receiving referrals from other attendees.

My presentation was on Finding Your Perfect Client: How To Find More Clients 
Who Need, Want And Can Afford Your Services.  The handout each attendee received featured some great information, including the 4 factors in determining your ideal target market:

Want to connect with other attorneys at small firms? Want to tap into local resources? Looking for ideas to jumpstart your marketing efforts? Then join us each month for the Phoenix Legal Networking Group!

Our next meeting will be on Thursday, Sept. 16, when I will make a presentation on how you can Double Your Referrals in 6 Months or Less.  Come and discover:

• The proven 8-step system used by hundreds of top attorneys to generate more and better referrals fast
• How to identify who the best referral sources are for you (and they usually aren't other attorneys)
• The #1 reason why you're not getting more referrals
• The best ways to meet potential referral sources
• 5 effective ways to follow up with referral sources

The event will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, September 16 at Monti’s, 100 S. Mill Ave. in Tempe.  Cost is only $20 per person. 



To register for this September 16 networking and legal marketing event, co-hosted by FindLaw, Attorney at Law Magazine and The Rainmaker Institute, click here. 


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Exclusive Rainmaker Retreat Preview Call – Learn Before You Go!

If you want to learn more about the Rainmaker Retreat and why it is a proven legal marketing system that has helped over 7,000 attorneys find more and better clients, then register now for our one-hour complimentary teleseminar.

Hosted by Rainmaker Institute CEO Stephen Fairley, this teleseminar will give you a preview of the valuable material that is taught at our 2-day Rainmaker Retreat as well as teach you:

• How to Avoid the Most Deadly Marketing Mistakes Attorneys make
• 3 powerful strategies you must put into action in your practice immediately
• How to set yourself apart from your major competitors
• Secrets top attorneys are using to generate more referrals right now…
• How attorneys are winning even in this economy by implementing this proven 8-step system

Sign up now for one of these upcoming one-hour teleseminars:

Wednesday, August 25, 2010
11am-12pm Pacific | 12-1pm Mountain | 1-2pm Central | 2-3pm Eastern

Tuesday, August 31, 2010
1-2pm Pacific | 2-3pm Mountain | 3-4pm Central | 4-5pm Eastern

Wednesday, September 8, 2010
11am-12pm Pacific | 12-1pm Mountain | 1-2pm Central | 2-3pm Eastern

Join us and learn why the Rainmaker Retreat is the one law firm marketing boot camp you cannot afford to miss!

 

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Last month I talked about Florida Bar’s proposed new and “improved” legal ethics in advertising rules. Well, time for an update.

The Daily Business Review just reported the new proposed advertising rules for attorneys has caused quite a stir and has resulted in a lawsuit by the “Florida 8”—a group of 8 courageous law firms that decided they finally had enough (no, I'm not going to try and fake objectivity about this).

Basically, the new rules would require all law firms to go back and either remove all testimonials, case summaries and “deceptive, misleading, manipulative or confusing audio or visual content.”

The alternative would be to hide them behind an onerous pop-up box filled with legal disclaimers. Seriously? This is getting to the point of being ludicrous and is just one more sign of how out of touch the Florida Bar rule makers are.

The article interviews several of the plaintiffs. One firm estimated it would take around 3,000 man-hours to make these changes. Another estimated the cost to all law firms, based on which have offices in Florida, to be in the millions of dollars. Apart from the obvious reasons of: it will take too much time and cost too much money, there are other major problems with these rules:

1.  The rules the Florida Supreme Court and Bar proposed are unreasonable and unfairly hurt small and solo firms that are much more dependent on their websites and blogs to generate leads and business.

Even during great economic times, small firms and solo practitioners simply do not have the million-dollar advertising budgets of the Am200 law firms to compete on mass media like TV, radio, newspaper and billboards.

They have to rely on guerrilla marketing strategies, which often means low-cost marketing budgets like blogs, social media, and websites.

Many of these small law firms have been using blogs and websites for years to generate new leads and new clients (I know our clients have) and frankly do not have an extra staff member or two around who can spend the next 3,000 hours or so to go through all of their past website pages and blog posts to ensure every page is in compliance.
 
2.  What the Florida Bar hides under the guise of a “public service” is quickly becoming a public nuisance. Here's your sign: When the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen sues you because they believe your rules will be a detriment to the general public, that may be a good indication that your proposed rules are too Neanderthal.  And here's another sign: When you have to give a special dispensation that specifically exempts the ACLU and other nonprofit legal groups from these onerous regulations, it may be a sign your rules are too broad.

3.  We're America; we believe in free enterprise.  Personally, I'm glad someone is finally taking a public stand against this level of unnecessary intrusion into the way law firms market. Yes, I know there are bad apples in the legal industry. Yes, I recognize there are some law firms using offensive advertisements, but I also believe in the strength of the marketplace to “police” what works and what does not.

The ads or marketing efforts that don’t work because they are offensive or for whatever reason, will not consistently attract high quality clients and the law firms will stop using them.

The ads that do work will continue to be used.

While this may sound overly simplistic, I see a lot of value in letting the marketplace police law firm advertising and marketing.

4.  Where is the proof of harm? Everyone who is involved with law firm marketing knows Florida already has the MOST restrictive laws in the country.  Do they really need to turn it up a notch? Where is the proof that testimonials and case summaries on legal websites have caused harm to prospective clients?

Most Internet marketers can clearly show you plenty of evidence that putting pop-up boxes will drive website visitors away, not to mention consumers hate them. Why else would you have so many “pop-up blockers”?

Also, most pop-ups will not even work on smart phones. Where's the proof that pop-up disclaimers will prevent naïve consumers from falling prey to the bad apples in the industry?

If Florida succeeds in enforcing these backwards rules, will other state bars follow?

Where is the voice of the solo practitioner who is just scraping by and barely has time to focus on doing any marketing, must less redo all their past efforts because of the whim of some out-of-touch rule setter?

I strongly recommend every single law firm in Florida either (a) join the lawsuit, (b) file their own or (c) at least send an amicus brief in support of these courageous “Florida 8” law firms!

• Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod
• Carlton Fields
• Foley & Lardner
• Jorden Burt
• Holland & Knight
• Hunton & Williams
• Weil Gotshal & Manges
• White & Case

There is a great deal of competition in the legal industry, but this is one issue where I think most attorneys in Florida can agree on and unite under. And while no one is talking about hanging anyone, I'll close with this quote from Benjamin Franklin, “If we do not hang together, surely we will all hang separately.” 

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now. Who’s next?

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Stop Wasting Precious Time and Money

Feel like you don’t have time for marketing?  Let us show you how to make a plan that runs on “autopilot” – one that attracts new and lucrative clients while you focus on your practice.

Learn how easy it can be to create an effective law firm marketing plan that performs by getting our Free Guide: 5 Easy Steps to Create Your Law Firm Marketing Plan.

After working with many ultra-successful lawyers we found five common threads in their marketing plans. This guide outlines these shared elements to provide insight into strategies that work and how to make them work for you.

There are two versions: one for Attorneys in Solo Practice and one for Attorneys in a Small Firm.  You can download them now free!  Go here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!

 

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Here is the second in a series of three posts this week outlining the best practices in becoming a rainmaker on the Internet. 


To read the first in the series, go here.  I’ll list the first three from yesterday to refresh memories and then continue with the next three strategies for driving targeted traffic to your website through good SEO practices:

1. Know the keywords people use to search for your services.
2. Use keywords in your domain name.
3. Create compelling copy.

4. Add fresh content regularly. Perhaps the top strategy used by high-ranking lawyers today is to add new, relevant content to their websites on a consistent basis. This is one of the major reasons for the explosion in blogs in recent years. Although some law firms are selecting blogs instead of websites, I believe there is a place for each in online legal marketing. If, for economic reasons, you are forced to select between one or the other, I recommend starting out with a blog. Why? Because they are very low cost (or free) as compared to websites and, if done properly, will help you rank faster than a traditional website.

Anyone can start a blog at no cost using sites such as www.wordpress.com and www.blogger.com. For any serious traffic, you need to be updating three to five times per week. Lawyers who want to be at the top of the search engines update their blog three to five times per day. The more relevant content your blog gives Google, the more it will love your blog by ranking it higher. 


Key Action Steps: 


• The more fresh, relevant content you post on your website or blog, the higher you will rank on the search engines. 

• Blogs are a great place to get started, but in order to be effective they must be updated frequently. Update your blog at least three to five times per week.

5. Use video to keep visitors’ attention. Now here’s a truly depressing statistic: On average, 85 percent of your website’s visitors will stay for less than 30 seconds and will never return. Seriously? Yes. If you don’t believe me, check for yourself. Look at your website’s statistics log and see how many unique visitors you have and how long they stay on average. (Virtually every website has at least a basic statistics package; just ask your website tech or hosting company how to access it. If you are not already using Google Analytics, have your tech install it. It’s much better than most. And it’s free.)

The bottom line is that you literally have less than 30 seconds to impress your website visitors. I believe all of us would agree that the longer visitors stay on your website, the more likely they are to connect with you.

One of the best ways to increase the length of time a visitor stays is by using videos. Anecdotally, our clients have seen a four- to fivefold increase in length of stay after implementing videos on their websites. These videos should be one to three minutes long and focus on educating prospects and website visitors about who you are, who you help, and why you are different. These videos do not need to be professionally produced, but you may want to have someone add a short introduction including your website and phone number. Once you have your video ready, upload it to your website—and to www.youtube.com for additional exposure. Visitors are more concerned with content than production quality. If allowed in your jurisdiction, use video testimonials from your clients as well. 


Key Action Steps:


• The longer someone stays on your website, the greater likelihood they will connect with you.  Use videos to quickly capture their attention. 

• Your videos should educate prospects about who you are, who you help, and why you are different.

6. Develop educational tools and promote them on your website. Education-based marketing is one of the most powerful tools at the disposal of lawyers. There is a great amount of basic information you know about your practice area that prospects want and need to know. Think about some of the questions your clients have about child custody and divorce or how to avoid getting sued by employees or ways to protect their intellectual property. Identify their frequently asked questions or biggest challenges and put together a short report (three to six pages long), a PowerPoint presentation, or even an audio CD, and offer a free copy to website visitors who give you their contact information.

Remember, if you cannot get visitors to call you directly, the second-best alternative is to persuade them to give you their contact information with permission to contact them. Give your education material a creative title such as “7 Questions You Must Ask before You Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer,” or “The 10 Deadly Mistakes People Make with Their Estate Plan,” or even “5 Strategies Inventors Can Use to Protect and Monetize Their Inventions.”

This kind of free educational information is a great tool to start building relationships with many people who need your help but aren’t ready to walk in your door. It is not enough simply to offer people a free consultation. Almost every lawyer does that. Take it one step further and give them some great information that will help them think through the issues and challenges they are facing. Once you have created these educational tools, find every way you can to give them away to as many people as possible. 


Key Action Steps: 


• Use an educational report, white paper, or audio CD to inform prospects, clients, and referral sources. 

• Every prospect has questions and challenges. Identify them and give them some information that indicates you can resolve their challenges and answer their questions.

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You Should Not Miss This Law Firm Marketing Webinar Tomorrow!

Live Webinar:  8 Proven Tools to Double Your Referrals in 6 Months... Or Less.
Hosted by #1 best-selling author and nationally recognized law firm marketing expert Stephen Fairley

Wednesday, August 18 at 2:00pm ET
(1:00pm CT, 12:00pm MT, 11:00am PT)

Duration: 60 minutes

This event will be presented live via phone with an Internet connection available for those who want to view the presentation on their computers as well. Internet access is not required for phone-only participants. A copy of the presentation and downloadable materials will be provided after the event.

Register online: http://www.avantresources.com/store/events/8-proven-tools-to-double-your-law-firm-referrals-in-6-monthsor-less

 

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Social media is trending upwards faster than ever. Facebook just announced they now have 500 million registered users!  By way of comparison, the estimated population of the USA is 309 million.  And Twitter usage has more than doubled in the past year, from 44 million to 92 million worldwide.

Attorneys and law firms should consider using social media, but keep it in its place. In other words, be sure you are focusing on the major parts of your marketing first like generating referrals from current and former clients, seeking referrals from other professionals (attorneys and non-legal professionals), networking, getting your website up, blogging, THEN using social media.

Social media is the #1 fastest way to build your platform (how many people know who you are, who you help and how you are different).

The Rainmaker Institute has close to 60,000 people following us on Twitter and several thousand ‘fans’ and friends on Facebook (also www.Facebook.com/LawFirmMarketing).

Are all of them attorneys? No, but since we usually only post topics that attorneys or other small business owners would care about (most of our clients are also small business owners), the people who are not interested in these topics will generally self-select and stop following us after a while.

Social media can be the most cost effective way to build your list!  The key to social media is to build your platform and then entice them to visit your blog or website to opt-in to your list using a free special report or free CD or DVD or newsletter. 

The golden rule here is: he/she who has the biggest list wins! Yes, I know it's about the quality of your list as well, but when it comes to building your law firm database of interested prospects, size does matter!

Get started by focusing on the big 6 social media sites for attorneys:

• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Avvo
• JDSupra
• YouTube
• Twitter

Let us know if you want some help in figuring out how to get started or how to leverage social media to build your list and generate leads for your law firm.

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Becoming a Rainmaker: Business Building Strategies for Lawyers

Based on Stephen’s highly successful seminar series by the same name, this 3-audio CD program covers dozens of practical recommendations and step-by-step sales and marketing techniques for solo practitioners and small law firms.

More than 7,000 attorneys from law firms all over the country have experienced powerful results from attending the Becoming A Rainmaker seminar. It has been sponsored by more than 22 of the largest state and local bar associations.

In this information-packed audio program, you will discover:

• How to generate more leads by using education-based marketing
• The relationship between credibility, visibility, tangibility, and consistency
• How to position your small firm as an industry leader
• The importance of being perceived as a specialist
• Why most advertising is a waste of your money
• What to expect from a Yellow Pages ad
• The 3 marketing strategies that will produce 80% of your results
• How to influence the Know, Like and Trust factors
• Common marketing mistakes lawyers make and how to avoid them
• How to answer the question, "Why should I buy from you?"
• Specific ways you can set yourself apart from low-cost lawyers
• What to do with the 15% of the population that always buys on price
• Ways to attract your Ideal Target Market
• The 6 stage sales process you must follow for maximum success

To order yours now, click here.

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Law firm marketing is a complex and competitive business. And there are many reasons why some law firms fail to grow or even fail to survive.

However, in my work with more than 7,000 attorneys over the years, I’ve come to find out that there are essentially 3 main reasons why lawyers fail to grow their practices:

Lack of Time
This is the single biggest complaint we hear. You’re stressed for time. You barely have time to serve your clients, much less market your practice. Not to mention spend time with your family.

Lack of Systems
There are several simple systems attorneys can use to create a “lifestyle practice”—a practice that supports the lifestyle you want to lead, rather than one that dominates your life.

Lack of Strategy
From a marketing perspective, a comprehensive strategy to grow your law firm is essential to your long-term success. Otherwise, you and your team lack direction.

These “lacks” can be overcome so that you can create that lifestyle law practice you desire.

Many of our clients are proof of that. When you use a proven legal marketing strategy that consistently produces results, you can then set up legal marketing systems that, in turn, frees up your time, increases your client roster and boosts your revenue.

And where might you find proven legal marketing strategies?  Check out the free offer below.

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Free CD:  Law Firm Marketing Strategies

Get your free CD on Law Firm Marketing Strategies by #1 best-selling author and nationally recognized law firm marketing expert Stephen Fairley, and listen as he reveals a proven system to generate more and better referrals, find new clients fast, and fill your law practice! 

Discover:

• How 1 piece of simple technology in your practice will drastically increase your communication with prospects, clients and referral sources – resulting in a major revenue boost
• 5 ways to market and position yourself as a recognized expert
• How 2 Attorneys promoted their law firms to over 100,000 people for less than $100 in 2 hours
• The 1 item you must absolutely have to create a Million Dollar Law Practice (hint: Not having this will almost guarantee your failure!)
• 6 BIGGEST secrets to generating more and better referrals
• How to create a proven network of 30 new Strategic Referral Partners in the next 90 days

To obtain your free CD, click here now.
 

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If you are like many attorneys, you have tried many things to market your law firm. Marketing for lawyers often includes giving seminars and presentations, going to networking events, writing articles, talking to old law school buddies, meeting with potential referral sources, building law firm websites, and sending out holiday cards to remind clients of who you are.

When marketing your law firm, there are four different groups of people you come into contact with, and which group they fall into will usually tell you how you should follow up with them. It is important to understand the differences between each group:

Leads are people or companies who are unqualified and may or may not need your services or even be able to afford your services. Leads come from a presentation you make to a local trade group, by visiting your law firm website, or perhaps sending you a question in an email.

Prospects are people who have some level of qualification. They have either expressed a need for your services or they fall into a category that you believe has a high likelihood of needing your services. The major differences between leads and prospects are two-fold: you know who they are and you have a good reason to believe they need your services.

Clients are the third group you need to follow up with. A client is someone who has paid you money. Do not confuse prospects with clients. If someone hasn’t signed an agreement and paid you money yet, they are not your client.

Referrals are the last group you need to follow up with as part of your law firm marketing plan. They may be current referral sources, former referral sources (they haven't sent you any new leads or prospects in the last 12 months), or prospective referral sources.

I have coached and trained over 7,000 lawyers in virtually every practice area. The difference between financially successful attorneys and struggling attorneys is often found in their follow-up.

Top attorneys clearly understand “the fortune is in the follow up”. They plan ahead and lay out a clear game plan for following up with every person they connect with.

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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.
To order this information-packed set, click here.
 

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I am in Las Vegas today with the Bisnar Rainmaker Mastermind Group at the Trump Hotel – I mean, where else would a group of entrepreneurial legal marketing gurus meet to plot industry-leading growth strategies?

The Bisnar Rainmaker Mastermind Group is an exclusive group of non-competing attorneys and law firm marketing experts, who:

• Share proven methods about how to multiply their practice
• Have a passion to play a bigger game
• Are dedicated to increasing the profits, not just the revenues, of their law firms
• Desire to create an automated legal marketing system
• Desire to systematize our law firms so they can have a lifestyle law firm
• Know one of the secrets to success is to build a team of superstars
• Are committed to investing 3-5 hours every week to working on their business
• Want to move fast and see dynamic results in their business and their life
• Dedicate themselves to growing their law firm at least 30% every year

The group is led by me and nationally recognized personal injury and auto defect liability attorney John Bisnar, founder and managing partner of Bisnar | Chase in Orange County, CA.  He is nationally recognized as an expert in Internet marketing for law firms and each year his law firm generates hundreds of qualified clients from his 40+ websites.  John’s Internet marketing efforts have resulted in building a multi-million dollar law firm, which is one of the fastest growing firms in the country.

The Bisnar Rainmaker Mastermind Group is a success oriented, team-minded retreat where attorneys have the opportunity to learn in the company of other top attorneys where to find the necessary resources, tap into creative ideas and apply the skills they need to transform their current practice. 

We meet three times a year, usually in L.A., Phoenix and Vegas, for an intense, all-day strategy session.  Membership in our group is by invitation only; prospective members fill out an application and are interviewed by John and me.  The group is geographically and practice-specific as well as non-competitive.

Members have unrestricted access to both of us, as well as all the group members for brainstorming, high-level networking, business development techniques, goal setting, and refocusing on creating a lifestyle law firm.

There are a ton of other benefits as well – too many to list here – so you can read more about us here.

If you are interested in being considered for membership in the Bisnar Rainmaker Mastermind Group, email me: Stephen@therainmakerinstitute.com.

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FREE "Top 10 Mistakes Attorneys Make and How to Avoid Them" E-book

In a newly revised e-book, legal marketing expert Stephen Fairley outlines 10 of the most common marketing mistakes attorneys make that can lead to the failure of their business, and provides specific strategies and proven principles for avoiding these deadly errors.

Get your complimentary copy online here.

Regardless of your specific situation, this free e-book will help you examine how you are currently finding new clients and recommend specific steps you can immediately start using to grow your practice.

We have helped thousands of attorneys achieve their goals of creating a financially successful and personally satisfying legal practice. In this e-book you will discover specific principles and tools you can use to grow your practice, too. 
 

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The term res ipsa loquitur – “the thing speaks for itself” – is commonly used in negligence cases, but in the case of our Rainmaker Retreats, I think the results speak for themselves, so here are the verdicts from recent attendees of our 2-day legal marketing boot camp:

“If you are not doing this stuff, thanks! Because I am scooping your client prospects!”
- Peter Brewer, Esq. (CA)

“This course should be part of the law school curriculum for every school in the nation!”
- Andrew Cho, Esq. (CA)

“I flew across country to get here. I would have walked. This is an utterly fabulous program.”- Tom Hartmann, Esq. (NJ)

“You will get a hundred great ideas and a system to make it rain without end at your law office if you attend The Rainmaker Institute Rainmaker Retreat.” – Joseph C. McDaniel, Esq. (AZ)

“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

The Rainmaker Retreat is different from other marketing seminars in several ways:

First, it is specifically designed for Attorneys at small law firms and solo practitioners.  While attorneys at larger firms can benefit from the information presented, it is presented with the small law firm and solo attorney in mind.

Second, it is a working retreat.  You will be creating many of your plans during the retreat.

Third, it is NOT an introductory course. We work very hard to make the material easy to understand and simple to apply, but please understand this is an advanced, in-depth, hard-hitting course.

Fourth, it is designed to maximize your Return on Investment. Everything about this workshop is focused on one goal—helping you achieve the best results by finding more and better clients in the least amount of time using the least amount of money possible.

Fifth, it offers a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. We are so confident you will benefit from the Rainmaker Retreat that we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied at the end of the first day, just let us know, turn your materials in and we will refund your money.

We have one last summer session and it’s this coming weekend, Aug. 6-7, at The Mirage in Las Vegas.  It’s not too late to register now for this practice-changing event.

Check back here for more Fall Rainmaker Retreat dates to be announced soon.

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Exclusive Rainmaker Retreat Preview Call – Learn Before You Go!

If you want to learn more about the Rainmaker Retreat and why it is a proven legal marketing system that has helped over 7,000 attorneys find more and better clients, then register now for our one-hour complimentary teleseminar.

Hosted by Rainmaker Institute CEO Stephen Fairley, this teleseminar will give you a preview of the valuable material that is taught at our 2-day Rainmaker Retreat as well as teach you:

• How to Avoid the Most Deadly Marketing Mistakes Attorneys make
• 3 powerful strategies you must put into action in your practice immediately
• How to set yourself apart from your major competitors
• Secrets top attorneys are using to generate more referrals right now…
• How attorneys are winning even in this economy by implementing this proven 8-step system

Sign up now for one of these upcoming one-hour teleseminars:

Wednesday, August 4, 2010
11am-12pm Pacific | 12-1pm Mountain | 1-2pm Central | 2-3pm Eastern

Wednesday, August 11, 2010
1-2pm Pacific | 2-3pm Mountain | 3-4pm Central | 4-5pm Eastern

Join us and learn why the Rainmaker Retreat is the one law firm marketing boot camp you cannot afford to miss!

 

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Today I’m in Los Angeles at our Rainmaker Retreat – one of two back-to-back legal marketing boot camps that I’ll be conducting this weekend in L.A. and next weekend in Las Vegas.   Then I’ll be relaxing the rest of August after hosting four very successful retreats over the past two months!

If you want to get in on our final legal marketing boot camp of the summer at the Mirage in Las Vegas next weekend (Aug. 6-7), there is still time, and you can register online.

If you are unable to join us in Las Vegas, there is no reason to miss out on the invaluable legal marketing information we will be sharing with attorneys from around the country.   Such information will consist of valuable legal marketing tips to expand on your law firm marketing campaign. If you can’t come to us and learn all there is to know about legal marketing, then we will bring the Rainmaker Retreat to you.

You can own “Rainmaker Retreat Live” when you purchase the 6 audio compact disk set, which is accompanied by a downloadable PDF 70-page Legal Marketing Manual. Experience the Rainmaker Retreat on your schedule, at your own pace. You will be inspired, motivated and provided information on legal marketing with the guidance to make your practice all that you know it can be.

This live recording of our highly successful two-day legal marketing seminar features:

• More than 22 proven legal marketing strategies to attract more and better clients
• How to create powerful relationships with over 30 new Referral Sources in the next 90 days
• 5 Ways to automate your legal marketing using technology and the internet
• 7 ways to find more clients fast and how to select the best ones for you
• 2 ways to promote your firm to 100,000 people for only $100
• 6 secrets top Rainmakers use to dominate their competition

Many of the most successful attorneys we know pop a CD into their CD-drive and listen to “Rainmaker Retreat Live” during their daily commute. Discover how you can build a successful law firm practice using the legal marketing strategies that you will learn on your drive!

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Free CD:  Insider Small Law Firm Marketing Practices

Get your free CD on Insider Small Law Firm Marketing Practices by #1 Best-Selling Author And Nationally Recognized Law Firm Marketing Expert Stephen Fairley, and listen as he reveals A Proven System To Generate More and Better Referrals, Find New Clients Fast, and Fill Your Law Practice!  Discover:

• How 1 piece of simple technology in your practice will drastically increase your communication with prospects, clients and referral sources – resulting in a major revenue boost
• 5 ways to market and position yourself as a recognized expert
• How 2 Attorneys promoted their law firms to over 100,000 people for less than $100 in 2 hours
• The 1 item you must absolutely have to create a Million Dollar Law Practice (hint: Not having this will almost guarantee your failure!)
• The 6 BIGGEST secrets to generating more and better referrals
• How to create a proven network of 30 new Strategic Referral Partners in the next 90 days

To obtain your free CD, click here now.
 

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When it comes to finding new clients, there are really only 7 legal marketing tools you should use to find them. Most successful attorneys don’t use all of them -- they experiment and find the ones that consistently produce the most results.  Then they focus all of their time, energy, and resources on those proven strategies.

Which strategies will work for you depends on your target market and what’s allowable where you practice. Some of the strategies and techniques covered in this section will not work or may only work if you are targeting a particular population.

Before I get to the 7 tools that will help you find new clients, I must add this caveat:

Every state has different rules and regulations regarding marketing, advertising, and what is and is not allowed. Depending upon your practice area and state code of professional ethics, some of the strategies discussed in this post may not be allowed in your area.  You are personally responsible for seeking specific legal advice regarding your local and state regulations and ethics codes.

Here are the 7 legal marketing tools for finding new clients :

1. Referrals: from strategic partners, existing and former clients, friends, family members, other lawyers, legal referral sources, and business association.
2. Speaking and Seminars: formal presentations, workshops, seminars, speaking for associations and organizations.
3. Formal/Informal Networking: connecting with centers of influence, professional associations, chambers of commerce, clubs, trade association meetings, or formal lead groups.
4. An Online Presence: websites, article marketing, blogs, pay-per-click, ezines, auto responders, newsletters, and opt-in lists.
5. Press Releases & Media Placement: online press releases, writing articles or columns for local newspapers, trade magazines, professional journals, offering an advice column, being a content expert for the media, television, radio, trade association magazines, or newspaper interviews.
6. Promotional Events: participating in trade shows, sponsoring a public event like a marathon, participating in a charity event, sending out partnership announcements, or having an “open house” to publicize your new offices.
7. Advertising: in the Yellow Pages, newspapers, magazines, or trade journals, email campaigns, ads in business directories, or on radio or TV, and Internet–based ads.

After you’ve considered your state’s regulations and ethics code, consider how you can use some of these legal marketing tools to find new clients.

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FREE "Top 10 Mistakes Attorneys Make and How to Avoid Them" E-book

In a newly revised e-book, legal marketing expert Stephen Fairley outlines 10 of the most common marketing mistakes attorneys make that can lead to the failure of their business, and provides specific strategies and proven principles for avoiding these deadly errors.

Get your complimentary copy online here.

Regardless of your specific situation, this free e-book will help you examine how you are currently finding new clients and recommend specific steps you can immediately start using to grow your practice.

We have helped thousands of attorneys achieve their goals of creating a financially successful and personally satisfying legal practice. In this e-book you will discover specific principles and tools you can use to grow your practice, too. 
 
 

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If you have not registered yet for our two upcoming attorney marketing boot camps, there is still time to do so. Join law firm marketing experts and your fellow attorneys for our Rainmaker Retreat – in Los Angeles on July 30-31 or at The Mirage in Las Vegas the following weekend, Aug. 6-7, 2010.

This is what attendees of the Rainmaker Retreat have had to say about our attorney marketing boot camp:

Among the many things you will take away from this event:

• Step-by-step guidance in finding the best, most strategic referral partners
• How to cut costs by eliminating ineffective law firm marketing strategies
• Create a ‘Master Plan’ to guide your firm’s growth through marketing for lawyers
• How to focus your time, energy and dollars on the most effective law firm marketing techniques designed specifically for small and solo law firms
• Five proven strategies to get more attention, command more respect and charge higher fees
• Leveraging the Internet to create the most “buzz” for your firm
• How to create a steady stream of new referrals using law firm marketing techniques
• Learn to set your firm apart from your competitors

Each day is filled with sessions (with built-in Action Steps and Action Groups) to guide you in putting these law firm marketing strategies into practice immediately. You will leave with a specific plan – uniquely suited to you and your firm – that will help you to create a successful and highly-satisfying legal practice!

You can still qualify for the Early Bird Discount for our Las Vegas Rainmaker Retreat – to register, go here.

*******************************************************************
Exclusive Rainmaker Retreat Preview Call – Learn Before You Go!

If you want to learn more about the Rainmaker Retreat and why it is a proven legal marketing system that has helped over 7,000 attorneys find more and better clients, then register now for our one-hour complimentary teleseminar.

Hosted by Rainmaker Institute CEO Stephen Fairley, this teleseminar will give you a preview of the valuable material that is taught at our 2-day Rainmaker Retreat as well as teach you:

• How to Avoid the Most Deadly Marketing Mistakes Attorneys make
• 3 powerful strategies you must put into action in your practice immediately
• How to set yourself apart from your major competitors
• Secrets top attorneys are using to generate more referrals right now
• How attorneys are winning even in this economy by implementing this proven 8-step system

Sign up now for one of these upcoming one-hour teleseminars:

Tuesday, July 27, 2010
1-2pm Pacific | 2-3pm Mountain | 3-4pm Central | 4-5pm Eastern

Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010
11am-12pm Pacific | 12-1pm Mountain | 1-2pm Central | 2-3pm Eastern

Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010
1-2pm Pacific | 2-3pm Mountain | 3-4pm Central | 4-5pm Eastern

Join us and learn why the Rainmaker Retreat is the one law firm marketing boot camp you cannot afford to miss!

 

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These days, no one puts up a website and expects potential clients to come flocking to it.  Most savvy law firm marketers know you have to do things that drive traffic to the site. 

Just like litigation, online law firm marketing is all about strategy and execution.

There are a number of things you can do to increase your online visibility, thereby improving your chances of having potential clients find you.

Here are some steps to improve your online presence using a variety of different online marketing channels, including articles, ezines, press releases and blogs.

Step #1: Define a topic area relevant to your practice and your target market.

Step #2: Write a 400- 750 word article about that topic.

Step #3: Submit that article online.

Step #4: Create a press release from that article, discussing that topic.

Step #5: Submit that press release online.

Step #6: Use a part of that article in your ezine and link to it online. (100 to 300 words)

Step #7: Then take that article and develop a blog post from it. (100 to 300 words)

Step #8: Submit a second press release announcing the article you just published based on the original topic in Step #1.

This law firm marketing tip – and many others – is a small sampling of what you will learn at The Rainmaker Retreat. See below for details on the next one.

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More Rainmaker Retreat Dates

If you are interested in building a lifestyle law practice through effective law firm marketing, then come to one of our upcoming Rainmaker Retreats:

• July 30-31, 2010        Los Angeles, CA
• August 6-7, 2010       Las Vegas, NV
• October 8-9, 2010     New Brunswick, NJ

Register today to reserve your space and begin to chart the course to an incredibly successful future.

These two-day, power-packed events have been designed to assist small law firms and solo practitioners to grow their practices through learning and implementing Rainmaker’s proven law firm marketing strategies. More than 7,000 attorneys are already employing our law firm marketing techniques and reaping the benefits.

Register now and take advantage of the Early Bird special pricing -- a $200 discount!

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A very powerful law firm marketing strategy to generate more clients is to hold educational seminars or speak at events.  Here are some tips to help ensure that the time you commit to this endeavor pays off for you in terms of new clients and/or referrals.

Tip #1: Always Speak to Decision Makers
Make sure you get in front of the right group (people who either can refer you clients or who are highly likely to need, want and be able to afford your services) by asking about:

• What is the average attendance?
• What is your average attendee like? Their job title? Description? Age? Decision maker?
• What percentage of your usual attendees are decision makers?
• What kinds of topics have had the best turnout?
• Who has recently spoken to your group and what did they speak about?

Tip #2: Educate Your Audience
Make your talk educational. Don’t stand up there and spout legal jargon and legal theory or sections and codes because that’s not what people want. They want practical, useful information.

You may say, “Well, I don’t want to give away the store. I don’t want to give them so much information that they can do it themselves.” Please understand, if you could give them enough information where they could do it themselves, the people who actually would do it for themselves are not your clients.

You want to target the people who have the money to hire an attorney and don’t want to do it for themselves. You don’t want to hire tire kickers or “do it yourselfers” because all they’re going to do is try to get your lowest price. I actually follow the opposite principle. I purposefully try to overwhelm my audience with practical, useful information when I give a seminar on law firm marketing. Why? Because I want them to walk out of the room with so many great ideas that they don’t know where to start so they will turn to me and hire my company to implement the law firm marketing plan for them.

You must recognize that not everyone in the audience is in your target market and you need to qualify them as much as they qualify you. You need to ensure that they need you, they want you and they can afford you. If you don’t want to attract “Yellow Page Clients” then don’t charge Yellow Page prices.

Tip # 3: Get Attendees' Contact Information
Have a plan for obtaining the attendees’ contact information both before and after your presentation. You want to get it before so that you can get ready to follow-up with them, but also after your presentation just in case somebody shows up at the door. If you can’t get the contact information from the conference organizer, do a giveaway for a prize and have them pass their business cards to the front or have them email you their contact information to get a free copy of the handout or PowerPoint slides.

Tip # 4: The Fortune is in the Follow-up
The number one reason why lawyers don’t get results is because they don’t have a written follow-up system. You must develop a follow up strategy before the talk.

Let me give you an example. Let’s say your follow-up strategy is a series of emails, phone calls and maybe a letter or postcard. Your follow-up system would include 4 emails, 3 phone calls and 1 letter.

Email #1 would be sent within 24 hours post-seminar. It would be a thank you email with an offer for a free consultation, special report or audio CD.  Phone Call #1 would be made by your staff and would be made within 24 hours post-seminar. The call would be to thank them for attending and make the same free offer that’s made in the email. Your letter would be sent out the next day (they should receive it within 3 days if they are local.) and the letter would repeat what you have written in the email. All of this would happen in the first 24 hours after the seminar.

Some of you will question if that’s too aggressive. It’s not. It demonstrates a high level of professionalism and commitment to your attendees. We give dozens of law firm marketing seminars every year and this works.

Email #2 is sent 3 to 5 days after the event. Remind them about the seminar they attended and invite them to sign-up for a consultation for your newsletter. Email #3 might offer a brief tip about the topic you spoke about: top 10 tips or recommended resources, etc. Every person should be contacted by at least three phone calls before you stop trying to reach them. Every attendee should receive at least 5-7 emails and 1-2 letters from your law firm.

If you follow this script, you will attract both new clients and referrals from an audience that has been impressed by your knowledge, how you articulate it and the thoroughness of your follow-through.  You’ll be the attorney they want to do business with, I promise.

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Phoenix Attorneys:  Learn About Social Media at July 21 Legal Networking Group

Join us on Wednesday, July 21, when Stephen will address a meeting of the Phoenix Legal Networking Group on Unlocking the Secrets of Social Media for Lawyers: Facebook and Twitter. 
You will learn:

• Why Facebook is the 800 pound gorilla on the Internet
• Who is using Facebook (this will surprise you)
• What kind of practice areas are getting clients from Facebook
• How to get started fast
• Why Twitter is growing so fast
• How to leverage Twitter to drive traffic to your blog or website
• Top tips for using social media in your legal marketing strategy

The event will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 21 at Monti’s, 100 S. Mill Ave. in Tempe.  Cost is only $20 per person.

To register for this seminar, co-hosted by FindLaw, Attorney at Law Magazine and The Rainmaker Institute, click here.

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Woke up this morning to some great news from my friends at JD Supra – great for them, great for those of us who believe in the power of social media when it comes to legal marketing.

Last night LinkedIn launched its Legal Updates application powered by JD Supra content, calling it the “World's Largest Legal Content Distribution Network.”

The Legal Updates application distributes a feed of expert commentary and guidance as well as legal news tailored to the professional interests of LinkedIn members.  Currently, Legal Updates is the only application for distribution of professional legal content and information available on LinkedIn. 

It is free to LinkedIn members (which currently number 70 million) and is available now at http://bit.ly/c8JRjh.

As you may know, LinkedIn is the dominant social networking site for professionals, and has been extremely selective in making outside applications available on its network.  For instance, the iPhone has more than 200,000 apps available, while LinkedIn has only 16 that come from trusted names like Google, Amazon and Twitter. 

JD Supra's Legal Updates application is widely seen as a game-changer for how lawyers will use LinkedIn to market their expertise (the current installation rate for the application is about one every minute since it went live overnight).

JD Supra's Legal Updates application gives legal professionals a compelling platform to communicate their expertise not only to their own list of LinkedIn contacts but beyond to LinkedIn's entire network of 70 million professionals across a range of fields, including Insurance, Banking, Tech, Real Estate, HR, and more.

LinkedIn's 70 million members can receive custom-tailored, fully editable content feeds based on their industry and areas of interest.  Real estate professionals get updates on real estate law; HR professionals get updates on HR law, etc.

To read more about this exciting legal marketing opportunity, click here for the announcement press release.

You can also learn more by signing up for an online demo of the new app on Wednesday, July 22 at 1 p.m. ET.  To register, visit http://bit.ly/9NOeuL. 

Can’t wait?  To watch an instructional how-to video, visit http://bit.ly/bDvX2x.  That’s where I’ll be with my morning coffee.

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Learn All About the Latest Legal Marketing Trends & Tools at a Rainmaker Retreat

If you are interested in building a lifestyle law practice through effective law firm marketing, then come to one of our upcoming Rainmaker Retreats:

• July 30-31, 2010        Los Angeles, CA
• August 6-7, 2010       Las Vegas, NV
• October 8-9, 2010     New Brunswick, NJ

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. Click here to order your complimentary DVD right now.

 

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That rumble you hear in Florida is not a typical summer thunderstorm, but a storm of protest from Florida attorneys regarding the Florida Bar’s proposed new online ad rules. 

If you’re not aware: the new rules would ban online testimonials, summaries of case results and what the Bar terms “deceptive, misleading, manipulative or confusing” audio or visual content.  In addition, consumers visiting a Florida attorney’s website would have to click through a series of disclaimers to even get to the site. 

Many Florida attorneys think that these latest rules proposed by the Florida Bar are a violation of their First Amendment right to free speech.  Florida-based First Amendment attorneys are organizing a loose coalition of some of the state’s largest firms, who received a recent extension from the Florida Supreme Court in which to submit commentary on the proposed ad rules.

First, let me say that I have an axe to grind and I recognize I'm not entirely neutral in this area because it directly impacts my business, which is teaching attorneys effective ways to market their law firms and in many cases actually providing outsourced marketing services to small law firms. These services often include lead generation and conversion from referrals and Internet marketing efforts.

Now that we have my biases out of the way, here's my take on these proposed Florida law firm marketing rules:

1.  These rules are overly restrictive on lawyers and may run afoul of First Amendment rights.

While I'm not an attorney nor am I an ethics expert, on the face of it these rules seem to go beyond the point of being ridiculous! I thought it was rather sad to see the ACLU completely back off once they were granted an exemption. Aren't they supposed to be the champions of free speech for everyone—even to the point of protecting hate speech?

While I have disagreed with various stands the ACLU has taken in the past, I would wholeheartedly get behind them to force the Florida Bar to back down.

As a side note, I could be mistaken on this point, but if I understand it correctly, the Florida Bar does not actually set new advertising rules for attorneys. Instead it is the Florida State Supreme Court. If you know differently, please let me know.

2.  They completely ignore the realities of Internet marketing and using websites and blogs to generate more business and new leads.

At one point, the Florida Bar required a law firm to have every change to their website reviewed and approved by the bar. These changes had to be submitted in writing along with a $50 fee per change. Then to go even further, they came out and said a blog is essentially a website. Imagine having to pay your bar association $50 and wait 2-4 weeks before you can post to your blog. Seriously, what were they thinking?!? They finally backed off that one.

It's going to be a little dicey if all Florida lawyers are suddenly “required” to use a 3-point disclaimer on every post they place on Twitter or Facebook.

3.  These rules do not take into account the hyper-competitive nature of the legal industry due to the concentration of lawyers.

I came across an article recently that estimated Florida will soon overtake New York as home to the 2nd largest number of attorneys of any state in the U.S., second only to California, which has about 213, 000 attorneys. Yes, I realize that hyper-competition is not a great reason to be lax on ethical rules and regulations, but commonsense should tell you that with the down economy, the job loss in the legal industry, and the increase in competition will drive some lawyers to cross the line by taking cases they are not competent to handle or overcharging clients trying to make ends meet. I not making excuses for this kind of behavior, but someone with a clear mind must realize there are always unintended consequences of actions like this.

4.  These rules do absolutely nothing to “protect the consumer” or the general public.

Is there a growing body of people in Florida we don’t know about who are complaining that “all these legal websites are confusing and misleading”? If so, I'd like to know who they are. Perhaps they are the same ones in Broward County who couldn’t figure out how to punch the ballot hard enough to remove the chad?

All these rules seem to do is make it harder for small law firms to aggressively compete on the Internet. Let's face it; most large law firms do not really even try to generate new leads from their websites. The majority of them are simply “brochure” sites. They look pretty, but are completely ineffective for doing anything other than credibility building.

This is absolutely not the case for small firms! Many of them are completely dependant on their websites for lead generation, especially in the area of consumer law (personal injury, bankruptcy, family law, criminal law, and estate planning to some extent).

5.  Florida already has the most restrictive legal marketing rules and regulations of any state and yet they want to make them even more limiting?

It's almost taking law firm marketing back to the Stone Age—or at least pre Bates v State Bar of Arizona (1977). State bars have long shown a tendency to over regulate law firm marketing. The line should be clear—do not put anything out there using any marketing format that is misleading, false or makes promises you cannot keep.

6.  Why do they selectively focus on the Internet rather than the more pervasive abuses that take place everyday on attorney television ads?

I have a client in a major Florida city who emphatically states that virtually every single ad one of the major personal injury law firms puts on television violates long-standing ethics rules, yet nothing is done to that law firm. You may relegate this to professional jealousy, but I can assure you I have seen many of those ads and they absolutely run afoul of the current Florida rules.

Certainly, the Bar should be more concerned about TV ads, where people who aren't even looking for an attorney or legal representation are forced to watch them (unless they have a DVR).  The only way a person surfing the Internet will come across a lawyer’s website is if they clicked on a link from Google or a legal directory or a paid ad that led them there. It's not as if they were reading an article on CNN.com or Sports Illustrated and BAM—there's a law firm marketing ad! Come on, people!

7.  If these Stone Age rules actually take place, it may greatly increase the importance of fully utilizing social media and attorney rating sites like Avvo.com and Yelp.com.

Many attorneys don’t realize that since Avvo.com, Yelp.com and Yellowpages.com (along with other review sites) are 3rd party sites not owned or controlled by a Florida law firm that they are exempt from the Florida bar rules. Therefore, attorneys can and should actively seek to encourage clients to write and submit testimonials on Avvo.com, Yelp.com and other online legal directories.

Even the Federal Trade Commission doesn't agree with the Bar’s proposed restrictions on not allowing any kind of client testimonials. In their response to the Bar, the FCC stated client testimonials “can convey valuable information to consumers and help spur consumers.”

My hope is that law firms will line up to file suit to get these rules thrown out! Easier said than done, but kudos to the first law firm that does so. Please let me know who it is so I can profile them on this blog.

What are your thoughts on these proposed rules? Any Florida attorneys out there?

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Phoenix Attorneys:  Learn About Social Media at July 21 Legal Networking Group

Join us on Wednesday, July 21, when Stephen will address a meeting of the Phoenix Legal Networking Group on Unlocking the Secrets of Social Media for Lawyers: Facebook and Twitter. 

You will learn:

• Why Facebook is the 800 pound gorilla on the Internet
• Who is using Facebook (this will surprise you)
• What kind of practice areas are getting clients from Facebook
• How to get started fast
• Why Twitter is growing so fast
• How to leverage Twitter to drive traffic to your blog or website
• Top tips for using social media in your legal marketing strategy

The event will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 21 at Monti’s, 100 S. Mill Ave. in Tempe.  Cost is only $20 per person.

To register for this seminar, co-hosted by FindLaw, Attorney at Law Magazine and The Rainmaker Institute, click here.

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With all the law firm Internet marketing options available to you today, it can be difficult to determine which ones to implement.

It can be equally difficult to decide what mixture of different advertising and marketing media will give you the best response rate.

There are different roles that various law firm Internet marketing mediums play. There are several, such as newsletters and blogs, that are typically very good investments no matter what your area of practice or your target clientele.

There several others, such as social media, Google Adwords and even offline advertising that may give you an even greater return.

How do you decide which law firm Internet marketing mediums to invest in, and which to leave for your competition?

Here are three key things to consider when deciding which law firm Internet marketing tactics to use:

The habits of your target clientele – If your target client is aged 18 to 35, it is likely they rely heavily on social media to communicate and to get their information. Your advertising and outreach marketing efforts should leverage those habits.

Your area of practice – Much the way the habits of your clientele influence your marketing mediums, your area of practice should influence your choices and the way you deliver your message.

Your competition – If your competitors are all using Google Adwords and targeting the same keywords, you may want to refocus your law firm Internet marketing in an area less crowded.  At the very least, find a way to differentiate yourself among all the others.

Take our Twitter Poll:  If you’re an attorney, we want your feedback!  Click here (or go to http://twitter.polldaddy.com/done/3364850) to let us know what business development topics you’re most interested in right now.
 
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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.
To order this information-packed set click here.

 

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The July 21 meeting of the Phoenix Legal Networking Group, an assembly of solo and small firm attorneys and staff looking to effectively market their law firms and grow their business, will focus on a topic of great interest to the legal profession these days:  Social Media.

My topic will be Unlocking the Secrets of Social Media for Lawyers: Facebook and Twitter.  In addition to some great information, there will be some great food, good fun, and a chance for you to reconnect with other attorneys who could turn out to be great additions to your referral network in the Phoenix area.

Join us on July 21 and discover:

• Why Facebook is the 800 pound gorilla on the Internet
• Who is using Facebook (this will surprise you)
• What kind of practice areas are getting clients from Facebook
• How to get started fast
• Why Twitter is growing so fast
• How to leverage Twitter to drive traffic to your blog or website
• Top tips for using social media in your legal marketing strategy

The event will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 21 at Monti’s, 100 S. Mill Ave. in Tempe.  Cost is only $20 per person.

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 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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Can’t Make It to a Rainmaker Retreat?  Then Have One Delivered to You!

Over 7,000 attorneys from hundreds of law firms across the country have discovered how to generate more referrals and find new clients by simply applying our Rainmaker Marketing System.

Here's just a sample of what you will discover in our Rainmaker Retreat Live! 6 CD set audio program:

• Over 22 proven strategies for attracting more and better clients
• How to create powerful relationships with over 30 new Referral Sources in the next 90 days
• 7 ways to find more clients fast and how to select the best ones for you
• 2 ways to promote your firm to 100,000 people for only $100   
• 5 ways to automate your marketing using technology and the Internet
• 6 secrets top Rainmakers use to dominate their competition
• 8 steps to creating a 6-month comprehensive marketing plan for your firm
• Much, much more!

This live recording of our highly successful 2 day law firm marketing boot camp will inspire you with practical examples, motivate you with sample case studies, walk you through best marketing strategies used by top Rainmakers, and provide a guide for you to quickly implement proven tactics in the next 30 days.  You will also get the same 70-page marketing manual used at all our Rainmaker Retreats.

Click here to order your copy of Rainmaker Retreat Live!
 

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Summer is half over.  Many of us have already taken our vacations; many more are still anticipating theirs.

And there are still a third of us who will take no vacation at all. 

A lot of us will haul the computer and the Blackberry wherever it is we are going, and stay stuck to them during most of our vacation.

Is this you?  Are you too busy just running in place trying to break even to even enjoy your life?

Then you owe it to yourself to check out the upcoming Rainmaker Retreat in Los Angeles, California on July 30-31, 2010.

Over 7,000 attorneys have benefited from implementing the proven Rainmaker Legal Marketing System, because each Rainmaker Retreat has 5 unique distinctions:

• It is specifically designed for Attorneys at Small Law Firms and Solo Practitioners. While associates and partners at large firms (50+ attorneys) will receive benefit, the Rainmaker Retreat is designed to meet the needs, challenges, and financial budgets of solo practitioners and small law firms.
• This is a Working Retreat. You not only come to listen, learn and discover, but also to practice and apply.
• This is NOT an introductory course. The Rainmaker Retreat focuses on in-depth discussions of cutting-edge strategies and revealing secrets of highly successful attorneys used by only an elite group of lawyers.
• Focus on Return on Investment (ROI). Everything about this workshop is focused on one goal—helping you achieve the best results by finding more and better clients in the least amount of time using the least amount of money possible.
• 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied at the end of the first day, just let us know, turn your materials in and we will refund your money.

Don’t let time – and your vacation – pass you by. 

You can register right now, right here. 

Take the first step in getting the lifestyle law practice you always wanted by attending the Los Angeles Rainmaker Retreat on July 30-31 2010 at The State Bar of California.

Can't make it to L.A.? We have a Rainmaker Retreat scheduled at The Mirage in Las Vegas for August 6-7, 2010. 

Register now for one of these Rainmaker Retreat events and take advantage of our $200 discount for early birds!

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Exclusive Rainmaker Retreat Preview Call – Learn Before You Go!

If you want to learn more about the Rainmaker Retreat and why it is a proven legal marketing system that has helped over 7,000 attorneys find more and better clients, then register now for our one-hour complimentary teleseminar.

Hosted by Rainmaker Institute CEO Stephen Fairley, this teleseminar will give you a preview of the valuable material that is taught at our 2-day Rainmaker Retreat.

Sign up now for one of these upcoming one-hour teleseminars:

Wednesday, July 7, 2010
11am-12pm Pacific | 12-1pm Mountain | 1-2pm Central | 2-3pm Eastern

Tuesday, July 13, 2010
1-2pm Pacific | 2-3pm Mountain | 3-4pm Central | 5-6pm Eastern

Join us and learn why the Rainmaker Retreat is the one law firm marketing boot camp you cannot afford to miss!

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These days in the legal profession, it’s especially true you can’t be all things to all people. Not only do you have incredible competition, but you’re also facing very savvy legal consumers.

So what’s a small law practice or solo practitioner to do?

Niche your practice. And here are 4 ways to do it:

1. Service Niche: labor/employment, complex litigation, immigration, healthcare, IP, etc.
2. Industry Niche: transportation, construction, energy, real estate development.
3. Geographic Niche: LA-based, Southern California, Chicagoland, the DFW Metroplex.
4. Specialty-Market Niche: privately held companies, Fortune 500, physicians, white collar executives, blue collar construction workers, Spanish-speaking only, developers, commercial lenders.

As you enjoy your Independence Day holiday, I encourage you to take some time to seriously consider how you can niche your practice. It’s the way to true independence -- helping you to stand above the competition, attract more of your ideal client, make your practice more lucrative and your life more enjoyable.

This law firm marketing tip – and many others – are what you'll learn at our 2-day law firm marketing boot camp called “The Rainmaker Retreat.” To attend my next one, see below.

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Put a Rainmaker Retreat on Your Calendar

If you are interested in building a lifestyle law practice through effective law firm marketing, then come to one of our upcoming Rainmaker Retreats:

• July 30-31, 2010        Los Angeles, CA
• August 6-7, 2010       Las Vegas, NV
• October 8-9, 2010     New Brunswick, NJ

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. Click here to order your complimentary DVD right now.

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There is more to online video than simply adding it to your law firm Internet marketing efforts.

Like many things, if video is done well, it can have a significant, positive impact on your law firm Internet marketing – by attracting clients and increasing visibility.

Done poorly, an online video can sidetrack your law firm Internet marketing goals, hurt your credibility and even deter clients from choosing you.

Use these five simple guidelines to make a highly effective online video for use in your law firm Internet marketing efforts:

1. Use real people, using real words. One of the biggest mistakes attorneys make is using video the way they use PowerPoint. Stringing together static images accompanied by a faceless voice on audio is not an effective use of online video. While this may get seen by some potential clients, it is not nearly as valuable as giving them a chance to see your face and hear your sincere words.
2. Create a well-thought out script designed to persuade potential client to call you. To accomplish that, ask yourself what makes your law firm different from, and better than, your competition – and then build your script around those key points.
3. Focus on the viewer, not yourself. It is easy to get caught in the trap of thinking potential clients want to hear about all of your qualifications. The real truth is they want a law firm that understands their problems, and knows how to solve them. Your script should describe some of the problems clearly, and then explain how you can solve them. 
4. Use sidebars to emphasize key points. The time to use still images in your online video is in a sidebar to emphasize your most important points – such as key statistics related to your area of law.
5. Include your contact information 2-3 times within your video. The goal of your online video is to persuade potential clients to call you. Yet, no matter how well crafted your video is, if those clients do not know how to reach you, it’s wasted effort. With that in mind, say it once within the video, usually at the end, and “write” it at least  once in full screen, at the beginning and the end.  By including it at the beginning, return viewers can quickly get your contact information without wading through the entire video again.

Take our Twitter Poll:  If you’re an attorney, we want your feedback!  Click here (or go to http://twitter.polldaddy.com/done/3364850) to let us know what business development topics you’re most interested in right now.

**************************************************
Exclusive Rainmaker Retreat Preview Call – Learn Before You Go!

If you want to learn more about the Rainmaker Retreat and why it is a proven legal marketing system that has helped over 7,000 attorneys find more and better clients, then register now for our one-hour complimentary teleseminar.

Hosted by Rainmaker Institute CEO Stephen Fairley, this teleseminar will give you a preview of the valuable material that is taught at our 2-day Rainmaker Retreat.

Sign up now for one of these upcoming one-hour teleseminars:

Wednesday, July 7, 2010
11am-12pm Pacific | 12-1pm Mountain | 1-2pm Central | 2-3pm Eastern

Tuesday, July 13, 2010
1-2pm Pacific | 2-3pm Mountain | 3-4pm Central | 5-6pm Eastern

Join us to learn why the Rainmaker Retreat is the one law firm marketing boot camp you cannot afford to miss!

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I am excited to announce the date of our next Rainmaker Retreat: July 30-31, 2010!  Come join us In Los Angeles at the State Bar of California and prepare to take your law firm to the next level by learning law firm marketing techniques. Register today to reserve your space and begin to chart the course to an incredibly successful future.

This two-day, power-packed event has been designed to assist small law firms and solo practitioners to grow their practices through learning and implementing Rainmaker’s proven law firm marketing strategies. More than 7,000 attorneys are already employing our law firm marketing techniques and reaping the benefits.

Among the many things you will take away from this event:

• Step-by-step guidance in finding the best, most strategic referral partners
• How to cut costs by eliminating ineffective law firm marketing strategies
• Create a ‘Master Plan’ to guide your firm’s growth through marketing for lawyers
• How to focus your time, energy and dollars on the most effective law firm marketing techniques designed specifically for small and solo law firms
• Five proven strategies to get more attention, command more respect and charge higher fees
• Leveraging the Internet to create the most “buzz” for your firm
• How to create a steady stream of new referrals using law firm marketing techniques
• Learn to set your firm apart from your competitors

Each day is filled with sessions (with built-in Action Steps and Action Groups) to guide you in putting these law firm marketing strategies into practice immediately. You will leave Los Angeles with a specific plan – uniquely suited to you and your firm – that will help you to create a successful and highly-satisfying legal practice!

Register now and take advantage of the Early Bird special pricing -- a $200 discount!

Take our Twitter Poll:  If you’re an attorney, we want your feedback!  Click here (or go to http://twitter.polldaddy.com/done/3364850) to let us know what business development topics you’re most interested in right now.

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Stop Wasting Precious Time and Money

Feel like you don’t have time for marketing?  Let us show you how to make a plan that runs on “autopilot” – one that attracts new and lucrative clients while you focus on your practice.

Learn how easy it can be to create an effective law firm marketing plan that performs by getting our Free Guide: 5 Easy Steps to Create Your Law Firm Marketing Plan.

After working with many ultra-successful lawyers we found five common threads in their marketing plans. This guide outlines these shared elements to provide insight into strategies that work and how to make them work for you.

There are two versions: one for Attorneys in Solo Practice and one for Attorneys in a Small Firm.  You can download them now free!  Go here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!
 

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Even though it has 70 million members and is the planet’s largest business networking website, LinkedIn sometimes gets lost in the social media cacophony.  Maybe because it’s not as fun as Facebook.  Or doesn’t have a cute alias for communicating like “tweet”. 

But for lawyers, it’s hard to beat LinkedIn as a vital social media tool for building referral sources.  Some more stats for LinkedIn:

• All Fortune 500 companies are represented
• 46% of users describe themselves as Decision Makers
• Average household income is $109,000
• Average age is 41
• Over 1 million senior executives use LinkedIn

The best uses of LinkedIn for attorneys:

Connect.  Use LinkedIn to connect with referral sources and joint venture partners.  One of the most compelling reasons to join LinkedIn is for the professional groups.  Do you practice real estate law?  There are 3,418 real estate groups on LinkedIn.  Does your practice target tech?  There are 6,270 technology groups.  Need to boost your visibility with finance professionals?  Join a few of the 1,852 finance professional groups on LinkedIn.

Boost Expertise Profile.  Joining and contributing to the discussion within the LinkedIn professional groups helps you build your profile as an expert in your area of law practice. 

Boost Search Engine Ranking.  LinkedIn profiles rank high in Google and the other search engines.

Here are 8 steps to get you started on LinkedIn:

• Create a comprehensive profile
• Start by connect with people you know (tip: use LinkedIn toolbar for Outlook)
• Recommend others and be recommended
• Join groups for attorneys, referral sources and prospects
• Start a group for your target market
• Answer questions
• Update your status at least three times every week
• List all your events on LinkedIn

I invite you to connect with me on LinkedIn at www.LinkedIn.com/in/StephenFairley.

Take our Twitter Poll:  If you’re an attorney, we want your feedback!  Click here (or go to http://twitter.polldaddy.com/done/3364850) to let us know what business development topics you’re most interested in right now.

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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!
 

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It’s not enough to simply generate lots of traffic for your law firm website; if they’re not the right kind of visitors – the kind who are interested in what you’re selling – simply driving traffic for the sake of numbers is a fool’s errand.

So how to attract the right sort to your site?  It takes some discipline and a methodical approach.

Audience identification
Identifying exactly who your top prospects are for your practice is critical to online success. One of the biggest mistakes attorneys routinely make is targeting the wrong market – typically, a market that is too big for them to adequately reach.  Remember, it takes an average of 7 to 10 meaningful “touches” to move someone from knowing nothing about you to being ready to buy from you.  Your Ideal Target Market is one you can affordably reach at least 7-10 times before expecting them to utilize your services.

Keyword research
Those prospects for your services will use certain words to search for what they want.  Knowing what those words are – and using them throughout your site in content and meta tags as well as in PPC campaigns and social media marketing -- is the key to driving targeted traffic to your site.   There are several helpful keyword research tools to help you, including Google Adwords, Wordtracker and Wordstream.

Relevant content
Your keyword-rich content should not only attract and engage your site visitors, it should also lead them to an action -- sign up for a newsletter, call for an appointment, etc.  Serving up the right information at the right time adds value to the user experience, helps with the decision-making process and leads to sales.  Keeping your content fresh – and this is where a business blog on your site can be most useful – not only keeps visitors engaged and returning, but also boosts your search engine rankings.

Social media
Engaging prospects in other online venues, in groups or discussion forums, also provides assistance in attracting targeted web traffic.  Establishing yourself as an expert presence in these online venues adds professional credibility and provides you with link building opportunities that help your search engine ranking as well.

Remember that the goal of your legal practice website is to generate interest that leads to engagement, which can only come from attracting the right target audience.  It’s not just all about the numbers – it’s about the numbers that translate into dollars.

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Practice Made Perfect for Lawyers CD Set

The Practice Made Perfect CD set and manual applies Stephen Fairley’s unique High Impact Marketing System to the practice-building challenges faced by solo practitioners and partners at small law firms. 

It includes dozens of specific marketing and sales recommendations that can be easily and quickly applied to your firm, including:

• The only 7 sure-fire ways to get clients in your door NOW
• Why advertising doesn’t work for most small law firms
• The 7 reasons why people don’t buy from you   
• How to market and sell with USP’s (Unique Selling Proposition)   
• Using audio logos to attract immediate attention for your business
• Using low-cost, high impact marketing strategies   
• Strategies for achieving maximum results from all of your marketing efforts   
• How to discover your Ideal Target Market
• 3 critical factors to remember when looking for new clients
• The NEW sales cycle for professional services
• How to retain your best clients

Click here to order your Practice Made Perfect for Lawyers CD set and manual now.

 

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I was recently coaching a law firm partner at a small east coast law firm who was lamenting how slow new business has become in the past few months. As we talked, I asked him, “What have you done in the past 3 months to build relationships with potential referral partners?”

He mentioned going to lunch a few times and speaking with a couple of people over the phone when they made a referral to him. I asked him to open up his Outlook contact database; there were more than 200 non-client contacts in it including: accountants, financial planners, angel investors, business brokers, and private investment bankers.

Here's the 3 steps I shared with him to develop the relationships in his “golden Rolodex.”

Step 1: Take an Active, not Passive, Role

There is an old saying “A man who has friends must show himself to be friendly.”

Don’t wait for someone to take the initiative and contact you— be the first to reach out. In the last few years we have coached & trained more than 7,000 attorneys and found the top Rainmakers are the lawyers who make at least 3-4 contacts with potential referral sources every week.

Action Step: Take 2 minutes and scan your contact database. Select 12-15 names of potential or current referral sources and send them an email or better yet, pick up the phone and call them with an invitation for lunch or coffee. Set up 3 face-to-face meetings per week for the next month.

Here's a sample script: “It’s been a while since we’ve connected. I was wondering what your schedule looks like for the next week or so. I'd like to get together with you for lunch or coffee, just to catch up—my treat. Let me know what dates would work best for you.”

Step 2: Increase Frequency of Contact

Try as we might, it’s difficult with our hectic schedules to meet with every potential referral source on a regular basis. Here's one strategy I teach my coaching clients: Set up a Google Alert for a specific phrase that would be of interest to your referral sources.

Collect articles and websites that might be of interest to your referral sources. Keep them in a separate folder (Referral Articles). Once a month pull one out and forward it with a brief note (“I thought you might enjoy this article.”). Email a copy of the article to all of your referral sources.

One of my clients built his network of strategic referral sources from less than 5 to more than 300 in 2 years using just this simple technique to stay in front of his referral sources on a frequent basis. He now has a multi-million dollar practice.

Step 3: Focus on Serving Not Selling

When you meet with potential referral sources, don’t make the mistake of dominating the conversation. You are there to listen and learn about them, not hear yourself talk! Any attempt to “sell” them on your services will be a complete waste.

Look for ways you can serve them and their clients by connecting them with other resources or pointing them in the right direction regarding a legal issue. Ask a lot of questions about their business. For example:

• How did you first get started in your line of work?
• What are some of the major trends in your industry?
• What kinds of challenges do you face?
• What do you like best/worst about your job?
• And here's the most important question: How will I know if I'm talking to someone who's a good referral for you?

Educate them about your Ideal Target Market and how you can benefit their clients only after you have carefully listened to them.

Rainmakers don’t wait for the door to knock or the phone to ring or the referral to come in. They take the initiative, stay in touch, and focus on serving their referral sources, not selling them a service.

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More Rainmaker Retreat Dates

If you are interested in building a lifestyle law practice through effective law firm marketing, then come to one of our upcoming Rainmaker Retreats:

July 30-31, 2010        Los Angeles, CA

August 6-7, 2010       Las Vegas, NV

October 8-9, 2010     New Brunswick, NJ

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.

Click here to order your complimentary DVD right now.

 

 

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Attorneys know when it comes to law firm marketing, referrals are the best way of finding new clients, but there are 4 common myths I would like to dispel about referrals:

Myth 1. Clients are the best source of referrals. This surprises a lot of attorneys when I tell them this is a myth. Clients are simply the most obvious source of referrals, not often the best source.

There are simply too many variables you cannot control when trying to get more referrals from clients:

• Do clients know all the different services your law firm offers?
• Can they accurately explain who your ideal law firm clients are?
• Are they able to give a clear and compelling reason why someone should hire you?
• Will they remember you when they meet someone who needs your services?
• Did they just receive a large bill from you and don’t feel especially “good” about your law firm at this moment?

Myth 2. Most legal referrals come from other attorneys. Actually, studies show that only about 25% of an established legal professional's practice comes from referrals from other attorneys, so logically about 75% of your law firm clients will come from other sources (this may vary greatly by practice area).

A simple marketing tip is to set up an easy tracking system as part of your client intake file and then review on a quarterly basis to identify where those leads came from. There are also some legal software products that can be customized to track that information automatically.

Myth 3. Online legal directories can produce a lot of referrals fast. There is some indication that consumers are starting to use online legal directories as a screening mechanism and they may even view attorneys who are listed in the directory as “more qualified” than attorneys who are not, but this is far from conclusive.

Generally speaking, local and state bar directories are more effective, but most non-bar-affiliated online directories have become the equivalent of online yellow pages and do not offer any more benefits than advertising in a telephone book.

Myth 4. Formal networking is a great way to get more referrals. Over the years of helping thousands of attorneys build million+ dollar practices, we have found that formal networking events (like trade shows and chamber of commerce, etc.) work exceptionally well for a select group of attorneys— and not at all for most legal professionals. Here are a few reasons why:

(1) Attending the wrong kind of group—one filled with peers, not prospects. Unless your target market is another attorney, I can't recommend spending much of your valuable marketing time hanging around other lawyers. Go where your prospects are, especially the decision makers, not the gatekeepers.

(2) Going to a networking event to find new clients is like going to a bar looking for your soul mate. While it may happen, the odds are stacked against you. The best way to look at a formal networking event is to go there for two reasons: first, to build relationships with potential referral sources (people you have identified that have a direct connection with your target market) and second, to find out how you can be a referral source to other professional service providers.

(3) Lack of a follow-up plan. When you find a potential referral source, you have about 48 hours to follow up with them or they will likely forget about you. Have a plan for calling them, emailing them, or both the day after the event for the purpose of determining if they are interested in getting together face to face.

So what is the best source of referrals?  Strategic Referral Partners (SRPs) are the best source of new referrals. SRPs are people who already have a relationship with or already do business with the people you want to reach.

How to cultivate those SRPs is something we teach at every Rainmaker Retreat.  Not just theories, but actionable strategies so you can start building your SRP network the minute you get home.

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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!


 

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Email marketing is a great way to keep current clients informed about your practice as well as a great way to introduce your legal services to prospects. 

The first step in a successful email marketing campaign is to build a good list.  Here are some tips on building an email list for marketing your practice:

Home Page Sign-up
Have an area on the home page of your website dedicated solely to enticing people to sign up for something.  Having a regular newsletter to send is always a good idea, but you can also ask people to sign up for information on legal developments or offer a monthly free consultation.  Whatever it is, it needs to be of value to your customers, not just to you.

Ask to Add
When you attend networking events, meetings or trade shows – wherever you are likely to meet potential new clients or are gathering business cards – ask those you meet if you can add them to your mailing list, to send them a newsletter or special offers. 

Association Lists
If you are a member of any trade or community organizations, ask if you can have access to their membership list.  Many offer membership lists to members for free; some are available for a fee.

Reciprocal plugs
Find other newsletters that you think your customers would enjoy and ask if they’ll promote your newsletter if you do the same for them. 

Buy a List
There are quite a few online resources that offer lists for sale sorted by zip code, demographics, income, lifestyle interests, buying behavior, etc.   You can purchase a really targeted list based on your ideal client profile and use it to test a variety of promotions or special offers.

Building an email list that will help you drive traffic to your website is an integral part of a well-rounded online law firm marketing program, and one of the many helpful tools you’ll learn about at any of our Rainmaker Retreats.

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Want more actionable legal marketing strategies? 

We took all of our legal marketing expertise and boxed it up, just for you!  The Rainmaker in a Box five DVD set includes:

• 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

Get yourself an early Father's Day gift that will keep giving for years to come!  Order this information-packed set here.

 
 

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On Wednesday, June 23, I will address a meeting of the Phoenix Legal Networking Group, an assembly of solo and small firm attorneys looking to effectively market their law firms and grow their business.

My topic will be Unlocking the Secrets of Social Media: Using LinkedIn and Avvo to Generate New Clients (Part 1).  Social media is all the rage right now, but many attorneys are understandably skeptical.  And most don’t even know how to get started.

Join us on June 23 and discover:

• Practical tips for attorneys just getting started on social media
• Case studies from law firms currently using social media
• Why social media is a fundamental shift in our communication method
• What's working and what's not for law firms
• How to start tracking your results
• 8 steps to get started with LinkedIn
• How any attorney can use Avvo to get more business
• Ways to quickly boost your Avvo score

The event will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 23 at Monti’s, 100 S. Mill Ave. in Tempe.  Cost is only $15 per person.

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 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 these and take notes on them as you watch the 4 intense DVDs.

To order this information-packed set click here.
 

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If you’re a small law firm with big growth plans, then you need to attend our upcoming Rainmaker Retreat at The State Bar of California in San Francisco, a two-day law firm marketing boot camp where you will learn:

• More than 22 proven legal marketing strategies to attract more and better clients
• How to create powerful relationships with over 30 new Referral Sources in the next 90 days
• 5 Ways to automate your legal marketing using technology and the Internet
• 7 ways to find more clients fast and how to select the best ones for you
• 2 ways to promote your firm to 100,000 people for only $100
• 6 secrets top Rainmakers use to dominate the competition

More than 6,500 attorneys nationwide have discovered the secrets to building a lifestyle law practice through effective law firm marketing that is providing them with significantly greater income and the time to enjoy it all.

But don’t just take our word for it:

 

 

Each day is filled with sessions to guide you in putting proven law firm marketing strategies into practice immediately. You will leave San Francisco with a specific plan – uniquely suited to you and your firm – that will help you to create a successful and highly satisfying legal practice!

Register today to reserve your place at the next Rainmaker Retreat in San Francisco on June 18-19, 2010.  Sign up by Friday, June 11 and receive our 15% Early Bird Discount!

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More Summer Rainmaker Retreat Dates

If you are interested in building a lifestyle law practice through effective law firm marketing, then come to one of our upcoming Rainmaker Retreats:

• June 18-19, 2010       San Francisco, CA
• July 30-31, 2010        Los Angeles, CA
• August 6-7, 2010       Las Vegas, NV
• October 8-9, 2010     New Brunswick, NJ

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. Click here to order your complimentary DVD right now.

 

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If you believe the latest Internet statistics regarding online video viewership, you might think that most Americans are spending a very big portion of their day watching videos on their computers.

And you may be right.

According to comScore Video Metrix data, 178 million U.S. Internet users watched 30.3 Billion online videos in April. 

You read that right.  Over 30 Billion video views in one month.

For 178 million viewers, that averages out to 171 videos per viewer in April.  Or an average of almost six per day.

So are you using video on your website or in your blog?  If not, why not? 

Video is hot, hot, hot!  People are watching more videos online than ever before (see above).  It’s easy to get started with a Flip video camera, or by hiring a local high school or community college film student to shoot and edit your video. 

It’s more about content than quality these days when it comes to online video.  Use education-based marketing to draw prospects in and entice them to connect with you.

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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.

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Good litigators know that sometimes you just have to let the evidence speak for itself.

I can tell you that our May Scottsdale Rainmaker Retreat was a great success, but I am going to let the evidence – in the form of a blog post by attendee Joseph C. McDaniel, a seasoned bankruptcy attorney from Phoenix – speak for itself:

The Rainmaker Retreat: Worth the Price, and Then Some!

I've been to a fair number of seminars concerning the art of rainmaking. I've read a lot of books on the topic. I've lectured to lawyers on how to make the sky cloud up, in years gone by.

So it ain't my first rodeo.

Then there's my particular situation.

I'm a board-certified, AV rated, AVVO 10 bankruptcy attorney and former Chair of the Arizona State Bar Bankruptcy Section, and former Chair of the ABA Bankruptcy Committee of the General Practice Section, all in the state that has seen the biggest increases in bankruptcy filings in the United States.

So there's a pretty constant downpour at my little office. Soggy there, you know? But don't stop referring me cases!

But I figured I'd go to The Rainmaker Retreat (taught by Stephen Fairley and a cast of rainmaking geniuses) because I love what I do, and I want to help as many folks as I can, and that requires that they pick up the phone and call me.

At this point in my life, I've seen and heard a lot, and I figure that if I get one single good idea out of a seminar, it was time and money well spent.

At the Rainmaker Retreat, I finally lot track of the great ideas I picked up after about twenty. And the hits kept coming.

Now, ideas are a dime a dozen, and you can certainly read and study and learn about rainmaking for fun and profit without every attending a seminar with the Rainmaker Institute.

But why would you?

Your time has value. Of course, you may just like to do things the hard way. That's okay with me, of course.

But the unique value of the Rainmaker Retreat Seminar I attended is this, and in this it's different from all the books and seminars I have absorbed in the last thirty years of my practice: it teaches a systematic approach to making water fall from the sky.

That's a systematic approach to old-school rainmaking and online rainmaking. Both. Not one. Both.

In that sense, it's really two seminars in one.

So lemme summarize: ideas are a dime a dozen. You will get a hundred great ideas and a system to make it rain without end at your law office if you attend The Rainmaker Institute Rainmaker Retreat.

And if you apply those ideas in your practice, you will have, in my humble opinion, a massive competitive advantage over your classmates in causing the sky to give up it's precipitation.

I recommend the Rainmaker Retreat Seminar without reservation.

And I was lucky enough to wind up with several dvds after the seminar, and I can't wait to watch them. The reviews of those dvds will follow.

Bookmark Joseph’s Just for Attorneys blog – it’s full of all kinds of wit and wisdom from more than three decades of law practice.

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Tell ‘Em Joseph Sent You: Summer Rainmaker Retreat Dates

If you are interested in building a lifestyle law practice through effective law firm marketing, then register for one of our upcoming Rainmaker Retreats:

• June 18-19, 2010       San Francisco, CA
• July 30-31, 2010        Los Angeles, CA
• August 6-7, 2010       Las Vegas, NV
• October 8-9, 2010     New Brunswick, NJ

Want to learn more about what you’ll learn at a Rainmaker Retreat?  Then sign up now for a one-hour complimentary teleseminar for a preview of the valuable material that is taught at our 2-day Rainmaker Retreat.
 

Continue Reading...

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Probably one of the biggest reasons why legal marketing efforts fall flat is the lack of a powerful follow-up system. 

Every success depends on following through.  The Indy 500 is this weekend, and I can tell you right now who is going to win.  It’s the driver who not only starts, but who also finishes.  You can’t win if you don’t cross the white line (or the brick line, in this analogy).

I realize that following up with prospects is probably the most difficult part of the entire marketing process for attorneys. Because let’s face it, you’re busy.

If you’re like most people, you go to a networking event and probably meet anywhere from 10, 20, maybe even 30 people.  You take their business cards, you have some interesting conversation, and then you don’t do a darn thing.

But to cross the finish line, this is where you’ve got to be different. You’ve got to think differently in terms of your marketing and, significantly, you have to act differently.  And one of the best ways that you can set yourself apart is to commit to having a follow-up system.

It’s simple.  You or your assistant can create an Excel spreadsheet. In the first column put the event name. Add the individual’s name who you meet, their email address, their telephone number, why you should follow up, and when you should follow up. Have a different column for each one. Every single time you go to a networking, the following morning -- before you even read your email -- go to that spreadsheet and fill it out.

Here’s a quick tip I use:  after I get someone’s business card, I scribble a quick note on the back – something like “hot prospect” or “referral source” so I remember and do the appropriate follow-up.  My assistant then takes those cards, enters them into a spreadsheet, and I review it for follow-up.

Who do I need to call? Who do I need to email? And if they’re actually a prospect, if they’re a qualified prospect, I send them a card or a personal note and make sure I keep in touch.

Whatever kind of follow-up system that will help you cross that finish line, you need to implement it.   It’s got to be easy to create, easy to follow, easy to implement or you just won’t do it.

But once you do, I promise you’ll see how following up makes a huge difference and a huge impact.

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Get in the Driver's Seat at a Rainmaker Retreat

If you are interested in building a lifestyle law practice through effective law firm marketing, then come to one of our upcoming Rainmaker Retreats:

• June 18-19, 2010      San Francisco, CA
• July 30-31, 2010       Los Angeles, CA
• August 6-7, 2010      Las Vegas, NV
• October 8-9, 2010    New Brunswick, NJ

Want to learn more about what you’ll learn at a Rainmaker Retreat?  Then sign up now for a one-hour complimentary teleseminar for a preview of the valuable material that is taught at our 2-day Rainmaker Retreat.
 

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Many of you have probably tried the traditional ways that attorneys use to get more clients. You belong to the Chamber of Commerce. You advertise in the Yellow Pages. You tried radio and it probably flopped pretty seriously.  And you hope for the random referral.

We’ve studied over 2,500 rainmakers to find out what works and what doesn’t when it comes to building a financially successful law practice.  What we’ve discovered is that successful rainmakers do not rely on random referrals to build their practice. Instead, they use a systematic approach. They find what works for them and they do it over and over again.

There are specific steps you can take to reduce the amount of randomness to practice development.

#1 – The Ezine

One way you can renew, restore, and revive your practice is actually very simple. You can do it in less than an hour a month, but in order for it to be effective you have to do it consistently.  It’s what we call an Ezine, or electronic newsletter.

Electronic newsletters have been around the Internet industry for several years now but they’re still relatively new in the legal industry. There are probably less than 5% of all attorneys who send out any kind of an electronic newsletter. And one of the really powerful things about this is how quickly and easily you can set up and maintain an Ezine program.

The key to winning online is to connect with your prospective target market or best prospects over and over and over again. We call it the frequency and the consistency model. Statistics show that it takes a minimum of seven touches before most of your best prospects are going to look up long enough to say, “Who are you and what can you do for me?” because we’re all being bombarded with so much information now.

Ezines are great for law firm marketing because they:

• Are inexpensive and easy to produce
• Support targeted messaging to different target audiences
• Have tracking capability so you can see how many people opened your email and clicked through to your website
• Are easy to forward or print, so the recipient can actually widen your prospect base for you
• Allow your clients and prospects to communicate directly with you by replying to your Ezine

Ezines are designed to be short, informational and actionable.  The fact that they are also inexpensive to produce and distribute makes them one of the cornerstones of an effective and systematic law firm marketing program.

*************************************************************************************
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

To order this information-packed set click here.


 

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Last week, YouTube celebrated its fifth anniversary and announced that it is now serving more than 2 billion videos per day.  Yes, that’s billion, with a “b”.  Every day.  Is there a place for YouTube in your law firm marketing program?  2 billion times, yes.

When we build a client’s website, we always add video features.  We know, lawyers love words.  But your potential clients love video, and hosting your video clips on YouTube is an excellent way to state your case to those potential clients as well as improve your search engine ranking.

Plus, it’s easy and economical to do. So whether or not you have video features on your website, you can create a YouTube channel for your practice that will do double duty for you, persuading potential clients why they should hire you, and boosting your Google ranking.  Here’s how:

Pick your specialty.  You’ve heard me say it before, but it bears repeating:  one of the biggest legal marketing mistakes attorneys make is generalization.  You need to promote yourself as a specialist (in the marketing sense) – you’re a divorce lawyer, or a car accident attorney, or an estate planning lawyer.  Choose 3-4 topics within your area of specialization and develop informational talking points (no more than 3-4 minutes each) that potential clients will find useful.  And remember, you are not shooting a commercial – make it short and informational.

Shoot your videos.  Your clips do not need to be Hollywood-quality productions.  You can get a Flip HD Video camcorder for around $200 and have one of your staff shoot the videos of you in your office or conference room.  The Flip has a built-in USB connection so you can upload each clip to your computer, edit it, and create a file for YouTube.

Set up your channel.  Isn’t the 21st century great?   With YouTube, you can create your own TV channel.  The website will walk you through the process, including uploading and tagging your video.  Be SURE you title and tag your video with your keywords (i.e., “Atlanta divorce lawyer”) so you feed those search engines.  You will also need to add a description – be as specific as possible and load up on those keywords.

Promote your channel.  Add your YouTube channel URL to all your social media pages – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. – as well as to your email signature.  Have everyone in your practice add it to their social media and electronic signatures as well.  You can also search for relevant videos on YouTube and post a video reply linking your channel to those relevant videos.  And, of course, embed the clips into your website and link to your YouTube channel from there.

After five years, YouTube is no longer just for skateboarding dogs and sleepy babies...it’s a great social media tool for your law firm marketing arsenal that can help you with SEO and attracting new clients.

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Stop Wasting Precious Time and Money

Feel like you don’t have time for marketing?  Let us show you how to make a plan that runs on “autopilot” – one that attracts new and lucrative clients while you focus on your practice.

Learn how easy it can be to create an effective law firm marketing plan that performs by getting our Free Guide: 5 Easy Steps to Create Your Law Firm Marketing Plan. 

After working with many ultra-successful lawyers we found five common threads in their marketing plans. This guide outlines these shared elements to provide insight into strategies that work and how to make them work for you.

There are two versions: one for Attorneys in Solo Practice and one for Attorneys in a Small Firm.  You can download them now free!  Go here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!


 

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I am at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City today to address the Annual Meeting of the New Jersey State Bar Association.  I am speaking to this annual gathering of over 1,700 attorneys and judges about law firm marketing.

I am looking forward to seeing some of the attorneys who attended our New Jersey Rainmaker Retreat in late March.  The group I met with then 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.

As I travel around the country speaking to attorney groups, I find that the vast majority of lawyers are 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.

I will be talking to the NJSBA Annual Meeting today about how lawyers can leverage these new technologies to multiply their existing marketing programs and gain greater access to their target markets.  One of the most exciting aspects of social media is the ability to receive real-time feedback and have two-way conversations with prospective clients.

But I can’t be everywhere.  So if you are interested in building a lifestyle law practice through effective law firm marketing, then I suggest you come to one of our Rainmaker Retreats.  We have four of them coming up:

• June 18-19, 2010       San Francisco, CA
• July 30-31, 2010         Los Angeles, CA
• August 6-7, 2010        Las Vegas, NV
• October 8-9, 2010      New Brunswick, NJ

You can take advantage of Early Bird pricing by registering here. 

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Becoming a Rainmaker:  Business Building Strategies for Lawyers CD

Don't miss out on the 50% savings this week on our 3-audio CD program that covers dozens of practical recommendations and step-by-step sales and marketing techniques for solo practitioners and small law firms.

Click here to order yours now – if you order by tomorrow, May 21, you save 50%!

 

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Disclaimer: When I use the word “expert” or “specialist” in this series, I’m not talking in the legal or ethical sense, but in the marketing sense where the goal is to get media and/or prospects to perceive you as an expert or specialist.

The fifth legal marketing strategy for building credibility and becoming a recognized expert is Building Relationships with Strategic Referral Sources

Strategic referral sources are people who already have a relationship with the people you want as clients.  For example, if you target small business owners, you would look for those who already have a relationship with small business owners. These could be accountants, financial planners, chamber of commerce, community leaders, local bankers, CPA’s, commercial real estate agents, payroll processing companies, the list goes on and on with people who have relationships with small business owners. So how do you build a referral network with them?

One of our clients sends out a letter to 75-80 targeted professionals that basically says:

“Hello, I’m Attorney Jack Smith with XYZ Law Firm.  We know that competition for professional service advisors is getting more and more intense with more people entering the field.  We are building a cross referral network with other trusted advisors who are experts in their field. Over the last 15 years we’ve been practicing law, we have really focused our practice on working with small business owners and high net worth individuals on estate planning, wills and trusts and asset protection. Through a series of breakfast meetings and private meetings at our office, we’re going to build a cross referral network with a limited number of other professionals who are committed to growing their practice and sending cross referrals. We’re not looking for any kind of a fee for facilitating this network, but we would like to officially invite you to check it out and see if this is something you’d like to support. For more information, give us a call at this number or visit our website to learn more about our practice.”

From this mailing, our client got a group of about 25 going.  They get together about once a month and send cross referrals to each other.

Existing clients are also a good source for you and your referral partners.  If you partner with a CPA or financial planner, each of you would send a letter out to your respective client databases offering a free consultation on behalf of the other as an added benefit of being a valued client.

Co-sponsoring an event or a seminar series is another excellent way to build relationships with strategic referral partners.  Technology makes it easy and inexpensive for an attorney and another professional to host a webinar or teleseminar on topics of interest to small business owners. 

Your local bank branch is another source waiting to be tapped.  Banks generally have a generous local marketing budget, and frequently don’t know what to do with it.  Offer your services as an expert speaker for a small business seminar that the bank could host – they do all the work in setting it up and getting an audience.  You now have a room full of prospective clients and all you had to spend was some time preparing your remarks.

Professionals are always looking for good strategic referral partners.  You can ensure that you’re a good partner by educating them about who you are, what you do, the kind of clients you target and the great service you provide.  Reciprocity is the key:  to get referrals, you have to give them, too.
 

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Becoming a Rainmaker:  Business Building Strategies for Lawyers CD

Don't miss out on the 50% savings this week on our 3-audio CD program that covers dozens of practical recommendations and step-by-step sales and marketing techniques for solo practitioners and small law firms.

Click here to order yours now – if you order by Friday, May 21, you save 50%!

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Last week over 20 attorneys from small and solo practices around Phoenix met for the launching of our first ever Phoenix Legal Marketing Network Group.

This group will be meeting on a monthly basis and is co-sponsored by The Rainmaker Institute, Alex Morris of FindLaw, and Ken Minniti of Target Market Media and the Publisher of Attorney At Law Magazine—Phoenix Edition.

We met for 2 hours in Scottsdale near the airport. The first hour was all about networking with your fellow professionals. Reconnecting with colleagues and making new acquaintances.

During the second hour, yours truly gave a seminar on “7 Keys to Recession Proof Your Law Firm,” designed to help attorneys look at their law firm as a business, not just a practice.

One of the core concepts to having a successful law firm is understanding that “the People run your systems and the Systems run your law firm.” The problem with most law firms is that they are being run by people and do not have any real systems in place. We identified 7 critical systems every law firm needs, including:

• A Cash Flow System
• A Marketing System
• A Lead Generation System
• A Client Conversion and Retention System
• A Work Flow System
• A Management System and
• A Key Performance Indicators System

Another main topic was the importance of hiring and retaining “Superstars” on your team. As a Partner in your law firm, you simply cannot afford to have anything less than a Superstar in every position at your firm. This is especially true during these difficult economic times.

What's different about this networking group from others?

First and foremost, it's for attorneys. While attorneys from all size law firms are welcome, it is specifically designed to help lawyers in small and solo practices to connect with one another and share referrals.

Second, there is an educational component at each event. Not MCLE or about substantive matters of law, but about how to build your business, make more money, generate more referrals, and run your practice like a business.

We invite all local Arizona attorneys to join us each month. Upcoming topics will include:

• How to double your referral network in 6 months
• Using social media marketing to generate leads
• Practical ways to run your law firm like a business
• Generate more and better referrals
• Lessons from 7 figure attorneys
• Automating your online marketing efforts
• Increase your revenues and improve your receivables
• Take consistent action to build your business
• How to fix your follow-up with every prospect, client and referral source
• Tools to increase referrals from CPAs, CFPs and other attorneys
• Learn cutting edge Internet marketing strategies
• Apply practical tips and techniques to create a lifestyle law firm

The next session is on Wednesday, June 23 -- if you would like to be notified of specifics for this meeting as well as future dates, please go to http://www.therainmakerretreat.com/network and sign up by clicking the box “Can't Make It, Send Me Future Dates.”

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Becoming a Rainmaker:  Business Building Strategies for Lawyers Audio CD 50% Off!

One week only! Don't miss the 50% savings on this month's featured Law Firm Marketing Product!

Based on Stephen's highly successful seminar series by the same name, this 3-audio CD program covers dozens of practical recommendations and step-by-step sales and marketing techniques for solo practitioners and small law firms.

More than 6,500 attorneys from law firms all over the country have experienced powerful results from attending the Becoming A Rainmaker seminar, which been sponsored by more than 22 of the largest state and local bar associations.

Click here to order yours now – if you order by May 21, you save 50%!
 

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Unless you have had your head under the proverbial rock the last two years, you have probably heard of Avvo.com. Plain and simple, they are a ranking system for lawyers.

Now before you get all upset and pester me with nasty emails telling me about “it's not right for Avvo to post my profile on their site without my permission,” let me state clearly for the record: I don’t want to hear about your complaints. I AM NOT Avvo. I'm not here to defend Avvo. They have not in any way asked me to write this post. Avvo has plenty of sharp people on their team and can mount a more than adequate defense without my help.

As a legal marketer, I am “platform agnostic.” I only look at tools from an effectiveness standpoint—Does this work? How much does it cost? What's the Return On Investment (ROI)? I am constantly on the lookout for ways my law firm clients can leverage both online and offline tools to build their online platform and attract more clients.

Recently, the ABA Journal wrote an article about the fact that Avvo is now ranking lawyers from all 50 states. There was a lot of vitriolic commentary about the article, so I know feelings run hot and cold about them. As I said, it's not my place to defend them, their “ethics,” or whether you like the fact that your personal “profile” is on their site. By the way, I believe the majority of the information they put on your “profile” comes directly from your state bar so if they have something wrong on your profile, it's a good guess that maybe your state bar also has that information wrong.

I get it—one of the major reasons why a lot of attorneys don’t like social media sites like Avvo, is that they CANNOT CONTROL IT.

Just like someone can go to Yelp.com or Ripoffreport.com and write a positive or negative review of your business, so they can go to Avvo and do the same. At least Avvo has a clear mechanism whereby you can dispute a false or misleading review and they will even remove it if proven false (which most other sites don’t do). These types of consumer review sites are becoming more and more popular and influential with the search engines.

If you're thinking about ignoring your profile on Avvo, here's something to consider: Avvo is very good at search engine optimization. So in all likelihood, when you type your name into Google, your Avvo profile will often come up on the first page of results. I believe they are quickly becoming a major force in Internet marketing for attorneys.
 
Here's my advice: You don’t have to like Avvo to benefit from Avvo. They are here to stay and are becoming a force to be reckoned with so...learn how to use them to build and influence your law firm’s Internet presence and generate more business!

How to Use Avvo.com for Law Firm Marketing

Avvo is one of the 6 major social media sites that attorneys should pay attention to. In future posts, I'll talk about the other 5. When you are ready to get started with Avvo, here's the steps you should take:

1. Claim your profile. This process is free and allows you to update your contact information and add information about you and your law firm.
2. Put your ENTIRE resume into Avvo. This can go a long way to improving your rating.
3. Add all the seminars you have given, awards you have received, and articles you have written. These items can also improve your rating. 
4. Add your photo! I have heard reports that profiles with a photo are clicked on up to 10 times more than profiles without photos.
5. Add videos. If you have videos put them into your Avvo profile. While they won't improve your rating, it will give potential clients who are checking you out online an opportunity to see who you are, how you articulate your answers, and will position you as more of an “expert.” The production quality of your videos does not matter nearly as much as the information you include in them. It's all about education-based marketing—educating your prospects.
6. Answer user’s questions. Over 5,000 consumers every week ask legally related questions on Avvo. Please be sure to put a standard disclaimer on each response, i.e., that your reply does not constitute legal advice or the establishment of an attorney-client relationship, etc.
7. Create Avvo “Legal Guides” for your top 10 questions. If you're like most attorneys, you constantly get asked a common set of questions. Write down these FAQs and write a short (1-3 pages) response to each one. Make each question a legal guide. Keep the questions and answers highly focused on a specific topic. Be sure to add a disclaimer on each guide.
8. Ask all your attorney friends to endorse you. This can make a big difference in your rating. Just like a referral from another attorney in the real world makes a big impression on a prospect, so having a reference from another attorney or a judge on your Avvo profile can improve your rating.
9. Ask your clients to write a testimonial for you on Avvo. Client testimonials do NOT have a positive or negative impact on your rating. However, I assure you, potential clients read them! I can't remember the last time I bought a book or other product off Amazon.com without reading a few of the user reviews. Yes, I know several states, like Florida, do not allow the usage of testimonials by lawyers. However, the Florida bar association has “agreed to exempt online directories like Avvo from most of its ad rules” because attorneys cannot control endorsements posted on 3rd party websites like Avvo.
10. Put your Avvo badge on your website or blog. Avvo allows you to create a “badge” with your profile score on it that links directly to your Avvo profile.
11. Consider signing up for Avvo Pro. There is a small monthly fee for this, but it provides you with all sorts of statistics like, how many people clicked on your profile, etc. Avvo has also recently launched an ad campaign (I wondered how they were going to start making money). If you read my blog frequently or have attended our law firm marketing boot camp, you know I'm not a big fan of advertising. However, I've heard anecdotally from two attorneys now who are finding some success with an Avvo ad campaign in their local area. In fact, one of my criminal defense clients signed up his first client within 6 hours of his Avvo ad going live. Please note, I'm not saying those results are typical because I'm sure they aren't. However, if you have the budget, I think it's worth testing it out.

So there you have it. You can either ignore Avvo and hope they will just go away or you can learn how to leverage them to your benefit.

Now, before you think about sending me one your nasty emails, please reread my second paragraph.

*******************************************************
Stop Wasting Precious Time and Money

Feel like you don’t have time for marketing?  Let us show you how to make a plan that runs on “autopilot” – one that attracts new and lucrative clients while you focus on your practice.

Learn how easy it can be to create an effective law firm marketing plan that performs by getting our Free Guide: 5 Easy Steps to Create Your Law Firm Marketing Plan. 

After working with many ultra-successful lawyers we found five common threads in their marketing plans. This guide outlines these shared elements to provide insight into strategies that work and how to make them work for you.

There are two versions: one for Attorneys in Solo Practice and one for Attorneys in a Small Firm.  You can download your guide now for free!  Click here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!
 

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On Thursday, May 13, I will be conducting a legal marketing webinar for Avvo on the 7 Strategies to Recession Proof Your Law Firm.  The webinar is scheduled for one hour, from 10-11 a.m. PDT.

Want to find out why some attorneys are having their best year ever when others are struggling to survive?  Then register for this complimentary information-packed session now.

Attorneys who attend the Avvo webinar will learn about:

• Attracting top performers and “Superstars” to your team
• Implementing systems in your business
• 7 key systems every successful law firm has
• 3 ways to track your marketing efforts and ROI
• Simple tips for fixing your follow-up
• The 3 major reasons why people buy from you
• How to follow up with every prospect automatically

Participants will also learn practical law firm marketing tips to:

• Reduce overhead
• Improve productivity and morale among office staff
• Rapidly increase referrals in 90 days
• How to stay connected with current and former clients
• Ways to market your law firm on a shoe string budget.

Register now to receive a legal marketing education that will allow you to take advantage of the current economic climate and position yourself for even more growth in referrals and revenue as the economy rebounds.

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Summer Dates Set for 2-Day Marketing Boot Camps
 
If you're struggling to build your legal practice or want to learn a proven law firm marketing system that has helped more than 6,500 attorneys discover how to generate more referrals and find new clients fast, then you owe it to yourself to check out a Rainmaker Retreat this summer:

May 21-22, 2010    Scottsdale, AZ
June 18-19, 2010    San Francisco, CA
July 16-17, 2010    Las Vegas, NV
July 30-31, 2010    Los Angeles, CA

Want to hear more?  Then click here to order a complimentary DVD and hear directly from those attorneys who have attended and benefitted from our Rainmaker Retreat 2-Day Law Firm Marketing Boot Camp.

 

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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.

 

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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.
 

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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.
 

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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. 

Click here to order.
 

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Law Firm Marketing MISTAKE 2:
TARGETING THE WRONG MARKET

This is one of the biggest mistakes I see among attorneys especially in small law firm marketing—targeting the wrong market. Identifying and targeting the right market for your services is the most important thing you can do marketing your law firm to ensure the success of your practice. If you don’t target the right market, nothing else you do will matter.

 

Let me give you an example.

 

As a law firm marketing consultant I was talking with a lawyer in Chicago and asking her about her target market. She said that her target market was small business owners who were too small to need in-house counsel or who couldn’t afford the high priced downtown lawyers. They needed someone who understood the legal issues small businesses face and who offered them a flexible payment plan.

 

I asked her, “Do you know how many small business owners there are here in Chicago?”

“No,” she replied.

I stated, “Recently, Crain’s Chicago business magazine reported there were over 300,000 small business owners here in Chicago.

“Now, I've never been very good at math, but for the sake of illustration, let's say that only 50 percent of those business owners needed or wanted your services, that’s a pretty large task trying to reach 150,000 prospects even once.”

 

Marketing research has shown that it takes seven “touches” before a prospective client becomes a client. The Law of 7 Touches is based on research that found it takes an average of 7 to 10 meaningful touches EVERY YEAR to move someone through the cycle from not knowing anything about you to being ready to buy from you.

 

This is just the average, not a guarantee, because in hypercompetitive markets, like legal services, it often takes many more touches than that. In addition, it also takes consistency.

 

There are also ways you can speed up this process and create multiple touches all at once by being highly-targeted in your marketing materials; using technology like law firm internet marketing, law firm websites and using mail delivered by the post office.

 

In general, only 3 percent to 5 percent of your target market is ready to buy at any given time. Therefore, it’s how you reach the other 95 percent to 97 percent that will make or break your business. You must consistently be in front of your prospects to be at the top of their minds when they are ready to buy.

 

Now that you know The Law of 7 Touches, you can better understand why it’s so vital to narrow your target market in your law firm marketing plan. Remember the story I told about the Chicago attorney who targeted small business? Well, according to The Law of 7 Touches, you multiply this lawyer’s 150,000 prospects by a factor of 7, maybe 10. That means she would need to produce 1 to 1.5 million meaningful touches every year. Considering both her time and money, there is no possible way a typical solo practitioner could do that and smart business owners who are also smart marketers won't even try.

 

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Do you want to know what will move you to the front page of Google faster than anything else? Join us on August 5^th for a 60 minute webinar led by Kevin O’Keefe, President and Founder of LexBlog and learn how blogging will really make a difference in your practice. Click here to learn How to attend this Session and Receive Your Digital Audio Clip...

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If you are like many lawyers, you have tried many things to market your law firm. Marketing for lawyers often include giving seminars and presentations, going to networking events, writing articles, talking to old law school buddies, meeting with potential referral sources, building law firm websites, and sending out holiday cards to remind clients of who you are.

When marketing your law firm, there are four different groups of people you come into contact with and which group they fall into will usually tell you how you should follow up with them. It is important to understand the differences between each group.

Leads are people or companies who are unqualified and may or may not need your services or even be able to afford your services. Leads come from a presentation you make to a local trade group, by visiting your law firm website, or perhaps sending you a question in an email.

Prospects are people who have some level of qualification. They have either expressed a need for your services or they fall into a category that you believe has a high likelihood of needing your services. The major differences between leads and prospects are two-fold: you know who they are and you have a good reason to believe they need your services.

Clients are the third group you need to follow up with. A client is someone who has paid you money. Do not confuse prospects with clients. If someone hasn’t signed an agreement and paid you money yet, they are not your client.

Referrals are the last group you need to follow up with as part of your law firm marketing plan. They may be current referral sources, former referral sources (they haven't sent you any new leads or prospects in the last 12 months), or prospective referral sources.

I have coached and trained over 6,000 lawyers in virtually every practice area.The difference between financially successful attorneys and struggling attorneys is often found in their follow up.

Top attorneys clearly understand “the fortune is in the follow up”. They plan ahead and lay out a clear game plan for following up with every person they connect with.

Friday’s blog post will include 7 powerful tips to remember when planning your law firms follow up strategies.

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"It’s absolutely incredible. My personal opinion is that in a few years, everybody is going to be taking this course as one of the foundations of marketing. And, anybody that hasn’t taken the course isn’t serious about marketing. There are plenty of courses I’ve gone to just in general and I’m sure all the attorneys feel this way that it’s usually very boring and you don’t really learn much that is applicable right away. That was totally different today I’m taking things I’m going to immediately commence as soon as this weekend is over." Paul Cheng, Esq. Solo Practitioner.

To get results like Paul’s and thousands of others call to schedule your attendance at our next Rainmaker Retreat.   In this two-day marketing boot camp for small and solo law firms, you’ll learn valuable information and practical steps to better market your practice. For more information or to sign-up for the next one, go to: www.RainmakerRetreat.com or call 1-888-588-5891.
 

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