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

It wasn’t too long ago that attorneys who merely had a website stood out for that reason alone. However, that is no longer the case as more and more law firms are waking up to the incredible power the Internet has to help them attract clients.

So what can you do to stand out online in a way that will bring you more and better clients? Here are 4 ways:

Create a website that zeroes in on your ideal clients. Don't make the common mistake of trying to be everything to everyone. People don't want to work with a generalist. They want a specialist. When it comes to marketing your law firm online, focus is critical to your success. 
 

Give website visitors a reason to contact you. Free consultations are no longer enough to attract someone's attention. Why? Because everyone offers them. Instead, offer an incentive for paying you a visit – start with that free consultation, but then partner with another local business to offer something of value for every visit. What divorcing woman couldn’t use a spa treatment?

If you have multiple practice areas, develop a micro-site for each one. Again, focus is key here. For example, a personal injury lawyer may have a practice specific website for: SUV rollovers, construction accidents, dog bites, and automobile accidents. 
 

Have a blog that speaks your target’s language. Writing for the Internet is not the same as writing a legal brief and none of your clients want to wade through that anyway. Having a blog that talks to clients “one-on-one” through insightful writing on subjects that matter to them in terms they can understand will make you stand out and help you start a dialog with prospects.

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FREE REPORT: 8 Reasons Small Firms & Solos Should Publish an E-newsletter PLUS 3 Steps to Get Started

In less than a few hours a month, you can produce an effective electronic newsletter, also known as an “E-newsletter.”

An E-newsletter is a customized electronic newsletter that is commonly used in business, but rarely in the field of law. If you are truly interested in the long-term success and sustainability of your practice, you need to learn how to leverage technology and the Internet to build it.

Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:

• The cost benefits of an e-newsletter
• How to incorporate your e-newsletter with your social networking
• How an e-newsletter supports your marketing efforts
• How to get started right away with your e-newsletter
• And much, much more!

To get your free report now, click here.

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I spent some time over the holiday break going through little snippets of wisdom I had accumulated over the past year that keep me motivated to always be doing something of value that will contribute to the success of my organization.

One Forbes.com post from last summer by entrepreneur Mike Maddock is a good one to start the New Year on...I’ve added my own spin for these 3 Simple Questions That Can Change Your Law Practice:

1. What is the outcome I want?

Keeping in mind the end game will help stop you from focusing too much on the bumps along the road. Getting distracted by problems instead of focusing on solutions keeps you stuck where you are.

2. What stands in the way?

Identifying obstacles and then finding ways to eliminate, avoid or neutralize those obstacles is fundamental to business success. 

3. Who has figured it out already?

Successful people learn not only from their own mistakes, but also from the mistakes of others. They also learn from the success of others, a fundamental approach we have used in teaching more than 8,000 attorneys the successful practice of law firm marketing at our Rainmaker Retreat two-day intensive workshop.

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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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A guest post at Forbes.com this week entitled How Working As A Stock Girl At Nordstrom Prepared Me For Being A Lawyer had me smiling and nodding my head through the entire piece. 

You should read the whole thing, but I’ll paraphrase here on what Wendy Goffe, a tax and estate planning lawyer from Seattle, learned about being a successful attorney from her days as a stock girl at Nordstrom:

1. Exceptional client service is a competitive advantage. Exceptional client service begins with doing what you say you will do. It becomes a competitive advantage for your firm when it permeates everything – from who you hire, to how employees are trained, to how you run your firm. There is no replacement for a great client experience.

2. Solve problems. People hire lawyers to solve a problem. But everyone’s problems, and their approaches to a solution, differ. You must help them reach their goals using the skills you have by understanding what is important to the client, not on the outcome you necessarily believe is best.

3. Make your office inviting. The minute a prospective client walks in the door, your office environment tells them a story about the level of service they can expect from you. Greet them warmly, offer them a beverage or snack, and for God’s sake, don’t make them wait!

4. Hire and empower great people. Nothing speaks more loudly about your firm than the people that work there. Make every hire a great one, and train your people in how you want your firm represented. Empower them to find solutions for clients and loyalty will follow.

5. Everyone has a different definition of service. This is an important one. We have lots of clients; some want to talk to us every week, and some want their law firm marketing program to run smoothly without their direct involvement. This is why we tailor all our service offerings to each individual client. They are all important, but they are all different. Learn the differences and how you can meet their individual expectations.

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FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal

One of the secret tools of Internet marketing for attorneys is the power of having a targeted blog. In a report on the influence of blogs, eMarketer.com found that 51% of Internet users in the U.S. (that’s over 91 million people) read blogs, and they project that usage will go to 60% (150 million) in the next four years!

Still think blogs are a fad?

Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:

• Why you must have a blog in order to stay relevant
• 3 keys to successful blogging
• 7 Guidelines for achieving ROI
• Your 3 choices for managing your blog and social media efforts
• And much more!

Click now for your FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal.

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

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

The habits of your target market – 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. Or find a way to differentiate yourself among all the others.

You can determine the law firm marketing strategies that will work best for your individual practice by attending a Rainmaker Retreat, our two-day law firm marketing boot camp for attorneys. 

We have designed this 2-day intensive workshop to be loaded with practical content. By the end of the Rainmaker Retreat you will:

• Create a written 90-day Marketing Action Plan (MAP) for your law firm
• Discover your firm’s Unique Competitive Advantage (UCA)
• Identify a profile of your Ideal Target Market (ITM)
• Have written strategies for improving your Internet presence and search engine optimization
• Develop your own plan for leveraging the power of blogging and social media following the Rainmaker Social Media Blueprint

Our upcoming Rainmaker Retreat dates are as follows:

December 7-8, 2012 – Los Angeles, CA

January 18-19, 2013 – Las Vegas, NV

February 15-16, 2013 – Orlando, FL

Go to www.rainmakerretreat.com or call 888-588-5891 to register now.

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FREE Webinar: How to Attract Clients in Today’s Marketing Jungle

When it comes to law firm marketing, it is truly a jungle out there! Mastering social media, SEO and Internet marketing strategies – and making sure your efforts align with legal marketing rules – can give even the most eager attorney pause.

In his new one-hour webinar, Stephen Fairley will lead you through the step-by-step actions you should take throughout the course of the next 12 months to substantially increase your revenues. You will learn:

• How to target market to get your ideal client
• Why your firm is not getting more referrals and how to change it
• How to select the right marketing tools that will work for your practice and personality
• Effective online and offline marketing strategies
• How to create a financial plan to fund your marketing budget
• The 5 critical components of a Marketing Action Plan (MAP)
• 4 ways to create a unique competitive advantage
• What is critical to have in place today’s hyper-competitive online focused marketplace

This FREE webinar will also give you a preview of the 65 different marketing techniques and strategies taught at our 2-day legal marketing boot camp.

Click on this link to register now for the FREE How to Attract Clients in Today’s Marketing Jungle webinar.

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An interesting post recently at Kissmetics.com reminded me once again of the importance of managing client expectations. 

There was a nugget of wisdom I found especially true: Great client service and poor client service are the two extremes that get talked about. Good client service does not.

Face it, service is what you sell. It is your most profoundly important product. Yet so many lawyers are still stuck in the trap of thinking they sell legal knowledge. Do you want to be just one of thousands selling the same product? That is a sure recipe for failure.

It is human nature to have set expectations. When we visit an expensive restaurant, we expect the service and food to be exceptional. When we visit a fast food joint, we just expect our order to be fast, low priced and correct. 

Think about what the average person’s expectation is of a law firm: expensive and slow to respond to any communication except when it comes to sending out the bills. It’s a pretty low standard. So what are you doing to rise above and distinguish yourself?

At our two-day law firm marketing boot camp, the Rainmaker Retreat, I spend a good chunk of time talking about how to provide exceptional client service. I use one law firm – Bisnar Chase in Orange County, CA – as a telling case study.

When a potential client visits Bisnar Chase, they are greeted by name and taken to a private conference room that also has their name on the door. They are offered a beverage from a menu of drinks. The attorney they are meeting with greets them promptly and listens intently to their needs; there are no forms to fill out at the initial consultation. Their parking is validated and they are given a bottle of water for the road.

Immediately after the initial consultation, the communication process begins. Regular emails are sent to follow up after they become a client, including educational emails about what they can expect from the legal process. Paralegals have regularly scheduled calls with each client about their case. 

Clients receive birthday cards with a small gift certificate as well as a New Year’s gift. They are sent monthly educational and informational e-newsletters, and after the case is over, exit interviews are conducted to determine how the firm performed to expectation.

The firm also conducts extensive training with its staff on how to close the deal and ask for the business. Performance bonuses are given to employees who sign up clients. No prospect ever leaves that office with any doubt that this firm wants their business!

The next time a prospect walks through your door, take a good look at your firm through their eyes. Then begin setting standards for exceptional client service that will place you far and above your competitors.

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On-Demand Webinar: Lessons From Dewey & LeBoeuf: 5 Biggest Reasons Why Law Firms Fail

With the spectacular announcement of the biggest bankruptcy in law firm history, Dewey & LeBoeuf stunned the legal community. Now comes the work of dissecting what went wrong and how their competitors can avoid a similar fate.

When you order this new on-demand webinar, you will watch nationally recognized law firm marketing expert Stephen Fairley interview Donald Scarinci, Managing Partner of Scarinci Hollenbeck, one of the fastest growing mid-sized law firms on the East Coast and a nationally recognized thought leader on law firm management. They discuss:

• The 5 biggest reasons why law firms fail and how you can avoid a similar fate
• How fast growing firms can avoid the pitfalls that brought Dewey & LeBoeuf to its knees
• How Scarinci Hollenbeck went from relying almost entirely on “word of mouth” marketing to being featured in the Wall Street Journal for their cutting edge approach to social media in less than 6 months
• What Managing Partners and law firm administrators need to know now to compete
• Marketing and managing your firm in today’s roller coaster economy
• A “behind the scenes” case study of how Scarinci Hollenbeck has adapted to the new realities
• Effective tools multi-attorney firms can use to market a variety of partners and practice areas

Order the on-demand webinar on Lessons From Dewey & LeBoeuf: 5 Biggest Reasons Why Law Firms Fail , watch it at your convenience and share it with your partners and associates.

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Client retention is a much sought after discipline for law firms today, especially considering how the economy has forced staff reductions and budget cuts that undermine client outreach efforts.

Law firm marketing should not stop once the client signs on the dotted line. In order to retain clients, you need to first establish a good working relationship with them to set the stage for keeping them in the fold. Here’s how:

Send the client a hand-written “Thank You” card. Send the card out the same day the client selects you and be certain you write the note and sign it yourself.

Begin working on the case immediately; spend time the same day they sign-up, or at the latest the following day. This is critical to your law firm marketing efforts.

Within 48-hours of taking the case, send the client an email on all work being performed.

At the completion of a case, send out a client satisfaction survey. This is a great law firm marketing strategy that will help you maintain contact and get valuable feedback.

Your law firm marketing efforts will pay off and make you stand out from your competitors. You must show through your law firm marketing efforts that you care; the best way you can do this is to communicate, communicate and then communicate some more.

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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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Here are the second 5 of 10 tips for staying in touch with your referral sources:

Send them a holiday card, but not on the major holidays like Christmas. Instead, visit www.holidayinsights.com, which lists a lot of minor and just plain fun holidays. 

Set-up a Google alert for a topic of interest to your referral sources. For example, “tax law changes” for CPAs or “Los Angeles commercial real estate market update” for a commercial real estate broker.  (www.google.com/alerts)

Ask them if they would like to receive your monthly newsletter or e-newsletter. Use an email service provider like Constant Contact to manage and send out your monthly electronic newsletter (e-newsletter). Send a copy to your referral sources (with their permission, of course.)

Invite them to connect with you on LinkedIn. This powerful social media tool is a great way to stay connected to referral sources. Be sure to set-up a free account, fill in your profile information, and update your status. You can connect with me at www.LinkedIn.com/in/StephenFairley. Also, be sure to check out the various groups for attorneys you can join. Use the “status update” to keep in front of people.

Invite them to connect with you on Facebook. What started out as a college phenomenon has quickly grown into a marketing tool for small business owners. Set up a profile (it should be more personal and a little less professional than your LinkedIn profile) and start to add friends. “Friend” me at www.facebook.com/fairley.

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Get All the Law Firm Marketing Strategies You Need to Create A 7-figure Law Practice with Rainmaker In A Box: Volume 2!

Newly released! Rainmaker in a Box: Volume 2 includes:

8 Proven Steps for More & Better Referrals


Discover the proven step-by-step system used to double your referrals from current and former clients and how to build a network of strategic referral partners. Top attorneys have used this exact system to double their referrals in 6 months or less!

7 Strategies to Recession Proof Your Law Firm


Watch and learn as I walk you through the specific strategies top lawyers are using to increase their revenues in this tough economy-and it doesn’t include reducing their fees!

6 Keys to Unlocking the Secrets of Social Media


Social media has emerged as the fastest way to build a massive platform of prospects! I pull back the curtain and let you in on little known secrets of how attorneys are generating dozens of leads every month from social media.

5 Core Components for Highly Successful Websites & Blogs 


My interview with nationally recognized personal injury attorney John Bisnar on how his law firm uses search engine optimization and internet marketing to drive tens of thousands of unique visitors every month to his 30 websites and 10 blogs. Discover proven techniques for converting website visitors into paying clients.

Data DVD: 
Includes all 4 PowerPoint slides for all 4 presentations. We recommend you print all these off and take notes on them as you experience these information-packed DVDs!

***For Blog Readers, Facebook Friends, Twitter Followers and LinkedIn Connections – we are offering you a $50 discount for Volume 2 and a $100 discount for both Volume 1 and Volume 2 because of your social media presence with The Rainmaker Institute.

Click here now to order!

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These 5 simple steps will help you turn more prospects into clients. Incorporate these into your law firm marketing strategy and watch your conversion rate grow:

1. Identify those with genuine interest. This requires some work on your part, to separate the real prospects from those who are merely responding to you out of politeness or shopping around. To make the separation, create a list of qualifying questions to determine those who need, want and can afford your services. If they meet those three criteria, they are good prospects for converting into paying clients.

2. Interview good prospects in person. Be sure you are speaking to a decision-maker who can actually hire you, not just a gatekeeper.

3. Make your best case. Are you a persuasive presenter? If not, take a presentation skills seminar. Focus on benefits and results, not services and features. Identify your prospect’s problems and let them know how you can help. Develop good listening habits, and become more fluent in speaking your prospect’s language.

4. Ask for the sale. A common mistake too many attorneys make is not asking for the sale. Make sure to ask your prospect for their business, and ask in a way that makes it clear to them that you want it.

5. Follow up. You should be following up with prospects within 24 hours of an interview, thanking them for their time and reiterating your interest in their business. 

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FREE REPORT: 8 Reasons Small Firms & Solos Should Publish an E-newsletter PLUS 3 Steps to Get Started

In less than a few hours a month, you can produce an effective electronic newsletter, also known as an “E-newsletter.”

An E-newsletter is a customized electronic newsletter that is commonly used in business, but rarely in the field of law. If you are truly interested in the long-term success and sustainability of your practice, you need to learn how to leverage technology and the Internet to build it.

Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:

• The cost benefits of an e-newsletter
• How to incorporate your e-newsletter with your social networking
• How an e-newsletter supports your marketing efforts
• How to get started right away with your e-newsletter
• And much, much more!

To get your free report now, click here.

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How often have you wished that you could clone your ideal client? It’s not science that will get you there, but marketing intelligence that can show you the way to attract and retain more of your ideal client.

First, you need to know exactly who your ideal client is. Ask your accounting person to create a spreadsheet listing each client and their historic profitability.

Second, examine that list carefully to see which of your current or past clients made it a practice to refer business to you.

Third, take that group of profitable, referring clients and see what common characteristics they share. More than just demographics – age, income, zip code – look for commonalities in industry, causes they support, interests they have, shared legal issues, etc.

Now you have what you need to create an ideal client profile. 

Once your ideal client profile is created, you can focus on strengthening the areas of your practice that will attract these ideal clients, and targeting your law firm marketing efforts at drawing them in.

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FREE Webinar: How to Attract Clients in Today’s Marketing Jungle

When it comes to law firm marketing, it is truly a jungle out there! Mastering social media, SEO and Internet marketing strategies – and making sure your efforts align with legal marketing rules – can give even the most eager attorney pause.

In his new one-hour webinar, Stephen Fairley will lead you through the step-by-step actions you should take throughout the course of the next 12 months to substantially increase your revenues. You will learn:

• How to target market to get your ideal client
• Why your firm is not getting more referrals and how to change it
• How to select the right marketing tools that will work for your practice and personality
• Effective online and offline marketing strategies
• How to create a financial plan to fund your marketing budget
• The 5 critical components of a Marketing Action Plan (MAP)
• 4 ways to create a unique competitive advantage
• What is critical to have in place today’s hyper-competitive online focused marketplace

This FREE webinar will also give you a preview of the 65 different marketing techniques and strategies taught at our 2-day legal marketing boot camp.

Click on this link to register now for the FREE How to Attract Clients in Today’s Marketing Jungle webinar.

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There are many things you can do as an attorney to help people remember you, starting here:

1. Focus on the question that every client wants to know: What's in it for me?  
At the end of the day, clients are only interested in what you can do for them.  Your job is to tell them what your service can do for them personally and remember- they do not want to spend time looking for the answer. The answer to this question must be one of the first things your clients see on your website and in your firm-wide communications. If your clients are going to remember you, you must first answer the question "What's in it for them?"

2. Differentiate your service from everyone else.
  For every service you provide there are hundreds if not thousands of other attorneys who can provide the same services that you can. So why should someone hire you versus your competitor across the street or down the suite?

In other words, what is your UCA-your "Unique Competitive Advantage"? What can a client get from you that they cannot get from anyone else? Perhaps it is your credibility or the creative way you bring solutions to your clients. You must determine what differentiates your firm from anyone else and market that point.

When creating your UCA, one of the keys is to not use either quality or service. The reason is that every attorney says they provide quality and service (even though we know they don't). Therefore quality and service have become meaningless when it comes to differentiating your service because every client expects quality and service and will not do business with any attorney that doesn't have both already.

Your UCA must be creative, yet accurately reflect who you are, what you offer that no one else does, and most importantly directly addresses the challenges of your target market.

3. All of your communication must be emotionally impactful.
  Anyone can quote statistics or develop an advertisement on a cognitive level, but the most effective way to ensure a lasting impact on your clients is to communicate with them on an emotional level. You must find their "pain." What is it about their business, life, family, time, or environment that is causing pain? Are they not working or working too much? Is their business growing too fast or too slow? Is their family falling apart? Do they have a hard time tracking their employees? Find their pain and communicate with them on an emotional level about how you can help heal their pain and make their business, life, family, time or environment pleasurable.

4. Distinguish your benefits from your features and communicate them clearly.
 Features are what your service does. Benefits are why your client needs your service. For every feature you have, you must tell your client what the benefit is. Is your firm better, faster, guaranteed or more personal? Will your service create more clients, decrease turnover, or increase profit margins? These are all great features, but you must tell your clients how this benefits them specifically.

5. Reduce the risk of working with you.
 Many of our clients work at small law firms that have services similar to those at larger, more established firms. Why should your potential client buy your service over the big firm’s service? Are they taking a risk with a firm that may not be around 5 or 10 years from now? Is it just because you offer a lower price?

While no one can predict the future of your firm, the savvy attorney recognizes the need to develop creative ways to reduce the risk of their clients in working with them. How could you lower the risk of your clients if they are concerned about working with a solo practitioner or a small law firm?

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FREE REPORT:  8 Reasons Small Firms & Solos Should Publish an E-newsletter PLUS 3 Steps to Get Started

In less than a few hours a month, you can produce an effective electronic newsletter, also known as an “E-newsletter.”

An E-newsletter is a customized electronic newsletter that is commonly used in business, but rarely in the field of law. If you are truly interested in the long-term success and sustainability of your practice, you need to learn how to leverage technology and the Internet to build it.

Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:

• The cost benefits of an e-newsletter
• How to incorporate your e-newsletter with your social networking
• How an e-newsletter supports your marketing efforts
• How to get started right away with your e-newsletter
• And much, much more!

To get your free report now, click here.

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Referrals don’t just happen.  They must be cultivated.  While you may get an occasional referral from a former client or someone you know, if you want to take your legal marketing to the next level, you need a referral system.  How do you do build a referral system that will bring you the results you need?

You start by developing relationships with potential referral sources and generate consistent referrals from them.  These sources may include accountants, investment advisers, business leaders, or anyone who has influence with your target market.  Depending on your practice area, your referral sources will vary.

Developing a relationship is a two-way process.  It can’t just be you asking them for referrals when you see them.  It requires regular contact and you showing as much concern for their business as you are asking them to show for your practice.  Ask them how you can assist them in achieving their goals.

Another key component of your law firm referral development plan is to create a system for connecting with prospects, clients and referral sources on a regular, consistent basis. This should include:

Monthly newsletters – keep them apprised of what your firm is doing, new employees, and content that is beneficial to them.

Annual Client Satisfaction Survey – find out what your clients think about the service they have received from your firm.

Keep In Touch letters – on a regular basis, every 2-3 months, send a letter to referrals, prospects and clients just to touch base.  This top-of-mind awareness is crucial for generating referrals.

Referral Education System – your referral sources need to know what kind of prospects you are looking for.  It does no good for them to refer prospects to you who are not looking for what your firm offers. 

Keep your referral sources updated on your practice areas and any changes in your firm if you want to receive high quality referrals.

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Free Report: 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys From Building A Referral-Based Practice

Referrals are the lifeblood of many law practices, and building a good referral program takes a proven process.  Stephen Fairley unveils the 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys from Building a Referral-Based Practice in his new free report.  Read and discover:

• How to determine the best source for your referrals
• How to explain your ideal target market to a referral source
• How to get referrals from other attorneys
• Whether online directories are a good referral source
• How to network effectively
• And much, much more!

Click now for your free report on 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys from Building a Referral-Based Practice. 

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Solo practitioners face a never-ending challenge of taking whatever business comes in over the transom in order to pay the bills, or concentrating on one area to build a niche practice. It becomes a question of short-term focus vs. long-term strategy – and I realize that most solos need to balance both in order to survive.

However, for the long term, nicheing your practice is definitely the way to go. This does not limit you; rather, it helps you better focus your efforts and build a strong base of business.

There are 4 common ways to determine your niche:

Service Niche: labor/employment, complex litigation, immigration, healthcare, IP, etc.

Industry Niche: transportation, construction, energy, real estate development.

Geographic Niche: L.A., Southern California, Chicagoland, DFW Metroplex, etc.

Specialty Market Niche: privately held companies, Fortune 500, physicians, white collar executives, blue collar construction workers, Spanish-speaking only, developers, commercial lenders.

Another way to help determine your niche is to track the inquiries from prospective clients to determine what’s drawing them to you and your services. See if they don’t begin to naturally fall into one or more groups. Becoming aware of these commonalities is a way to let your niche find you, helping you develop your law firm marketing.

It’s fine to have more than one specialty or niche. Often attorneys have a bread and butter niche – a segment that can afford to pay them well -- and another one that they love working with but that pay lower rates. Sometimes it’s helpful to test the waters to see if there’s a demand for your specialty. You can continue working with an established clientele as you determine whether or not to branch out into a new practice area.

Once you niche your practice, you will find that referrals come more readily to you, since it will become clear in referral source’s mind just exactly what it is you do. 

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FREE Webinar: How to Attract Clients in Today’s Marketing Jungle

When it comes to law firm marketing, it is truly a jungle out there! Mastering social media, SEO and Internet marketing strategies – and making sure your efforts align with legal marketing rules – can give even the most eager attorney pause.

In his new one-hour webinar, Stephen Fairley will lead you through the step-by-step actions you should take throughout the course of the next 12 months to substantially increase your revenues. You will learn:

• How to target market to get your ideal client
• Why your firm is not getting more referrals and how to change it
• How to select the right marketing tools that will work for your practice and personality
• Effective online and offline marketing strategies
• How to create a financial plan to fund your marketing budget
• The 5 critical components of a Marketing Action Plan (MAP)
• 4 ways to create a unique competitive advantage
• What is critical to have in place today’s hyper-competitive online focused marketplace

This FREE webinar will also give you a preview of the 65 different marketing techniques and strategies taught at our 2-day legal marketing boot camp.

Click on this link to register now for the FREE How to Attract Clients in Today’s Marketing Jungle webinar.

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I ran across the infographic below a few days ago and am just beginning to wrap my mind around the fact that it says only around 62% of law school graduates this year will find a job – down more than 20% from 2011!

And if you’re a lawyer in California, Texas, Illinois, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York or New Jersey, you’re facing the most competition for legal services. So how do you prevail?

As I was explaining to our Rainmaker Retreat attendees in Las Vegas last weekend, in today’s environment, attorneys must be able to differentiate themselves and clearly answer the #1 question in prospect’s minds, “Why should I hire you versus anyone else or doing it myself?”

Many attorneys try to position themselves against other attorneys by comparing “apples to apples,” I hear all the time, “I’m a good quality attorney with low prices and offer great service.” That does NOT differentiate you. It puts you in the mix with your competitors and makes you a commodity.

Commodities are always based on price, so this is a dangerous game to play. Rather, you need to position yourself so people are comparing others who do what you do as “apples to oranges.” This way you become the go-to attorney in that field. To create a powerful positioning statement you need to focus on the “Benefits, Results, Solutions and Values” your firm offers.

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PI Attorneys: Register Now for PILMMA Fall Summit Sept. 21-22 in Las Vegas

Join me at the Personal Injury Lawyers Marketing and Management Association (PILMMA) Fall Legal Marketing & Management Summit on Sept. 21-22 in Las Vegas, when I will be making a special presentation on 5 Proven Strategies to Double Your Referrals.

There are a host of other nationally renowned speakers who will be joining me for this prestigious summit, including:

James Mitchell Brown, author of the book Marketing for the Contingency Fee Law Firm, is the nation’s leading consultant for contingency fee firms. Brown has been an attorney since 1973.  He formed Attorney Consultant Inc. in 2004 and has been recognized throughout the country for his expertise in teaching marketing and business management skills to attorneys.

Mark Wolfe has been practicing in the area of personal injury litigation since 1987 with an emphasis on auto-negligence cases. He is a partner in the Mobile, Alabama firm of Boteler, Finley & Wolfe. He has tried over 200 car crash cases to verdict and handled over 3500 car crash claims or cases.

Patrick Anderson will share the strategies and results of successful PI attorneys who are using iPhone apps to bring in “winnable cases”. His Case Study documents a step-by-step marketing blueprint used by PI firms to generate thousands of legal app downloads in a few short months.

For those who are not already members of PILMMA, you will be able to attend this two-day summit and get two months of PILMMA Gold Membership rights at one all-inclusive rate. PILMMA members and non-members can register online -- simply click this link and learn how you can start snagging these big cases for yourself!

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Economy got you down? When the economy takes a turn for the worse is the perfect time for you to think about doing things differently.

Those “sacred cows” – the way you have always done things – may need to be sacrificed in order for your practice to thrive. Now is the time to challenge the traditional ways of doing business and think creatively about your practice model. The way you conducted business in the past may no longer work for you now. 

Tough economic times often bear witness to a number of paradigm shifts -- breaking out of a familiar pattern in order to create a new one. Too often, we get caught up in doing what is comfortable and what has worked in the past.

We do things based on rules that make sense at the time. Then, with the passage of time, things change. The primary reasons for the rules may no longer exist, but we continue to follow them because the rules are already in place.

Ask yourself these thought-provoking questions:

• Can you provide your services at a lower cost without sacrificing quality?
• How price-sensitive are your customers?
• If you were starting your practice today, how would you structure it to fit with current economic realities?
• What areas of your practice are the most profitable?
• Are there any opportunities to expand upon a profitable service, or eliminate those that are a drain on profits?
• Does your current client base provide opportunities for growth?

To reinvigorate your practice in today’s economic environment, consider making one change in your practice that makes sense today. You should also consider taking in our August 16 webinar that features my interview with top divorce attorney Lee Rosen on How to Make Flat Fee Billing Work for Your Law Firm; the details are below.

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August 16 Webinar: How to Make Flat Fee Billing Work for Your Law Firm

Lee Rosen is one of America’s top divorce attorneys and practice management specialists who transformed his practice from relying on hourly billing to charging flat fee prices.

On Thursday, August 16, at 2 p.m. ET, tune in for my one-hour interview with Lee as he explains in detail how he set out to fix his cash flow several years ago and in doing so he fundamentally changed his practice – for the better!

As a direct result of his “radical” decision to switch to flat fee billing (which many of his colleagues told him couldn’t be done), his revenues have never been higher, his profit margins are larger, and he’s building a lifestyle law firm!

Listen in as we focus on hot topics like:

• Why your clients will love flat fee billing
• How to use flat fee pricing as a major differentiating factor
• The inherent conflict of charging by the hour
• Specific steps on how to position it with clients
• Which practice areas can benefit from flat fee billing
• Real world case study for consumer law attorneys
• Practical considerations for litigation-based practices
• How to improve your cash flow using flat fees
• Best practices when implementing flat fee billing
• 3 quick and easy ways to get started
• Potential pitfalls to avoid when setting up your system

Register now for this exciting one-hour interview with Lee Rosen on How to Make Flat Fee Billing Work for Your Law Firm. 

If the time of this webinar doesn’t work for you, you can receive a recording of it to watch at your convenience; all you need to do is register now.

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The explosion of social media marketing has enabled law firms of all sizes to create more targeted and regular communications than ever with clients and prospects. While some firms have mastered the art, many are still struggling with ways to harness the power of social media to engage with clients.

However, what they may not realize is that the key to building connections with clients online is to start offline, taking your daily interactions with clients and building on them using social media and online marketing tools. It’s as simple as 1-2-3:

1. Create compelling client experiences. When you give outstanding client service, clients return and tell others about you.

2. Use email to connect directly with clients. After you’ve established an offline relationship, deepen it through consistent, relevant email marketing messages.  Provide a useful monthly newsletter, and always offer them a way to opt-out.

3. Extend the conversation through social media. Take your relationship to the next level by engaging your contacts through social media, thereby extending your conversation to your client’s network of friends and family. 

The primary reason that social and online media can be so effective for law firms is because it is simply speeding up the traditional one-on-one relationship that marketers seek to have with customers. Since it is so targeted, your time and money is put to much more effective use in making those authentic connections that translate into retainers.

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FREE REPORT: 8 Reasons Small Firms & Solos Should Publish an E-newsletter PLUS 3 Steps to Get Started

In less than a few hours a month, you can produce an effective electronic newsletter, also known as an “E-newsletter.”

An E-newsletter is a customized electronic newsletter that is commonly used in business, but rarely in the field of law. If you are truly interested in the long-term success and sustainability of your practice, you need to learn how to leverage technology and the Internet to build it.

Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:

• The cost benefits of an e-newsletter
• How to incorporate your e-newsletter with your social networking
• How an e-newsletter supports your marketing efforts
• How to get started right away with your e-newsletter
• And much, much more!

To get your free report now, click here.

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Marketing is simply building a relationship with prospects that tell them who you are, who you help, and why you are different. It isn't rocket science, but it does require using proven strategies and tactics to achieve optimum results.

For example, any time you present a law firm marketing message, remember to follow the Rule of the Four C's: 



Rule 1. Communicate at the point of need. Your message must answer a need or it fails to motivate prospects to take action. Create a sense of urgency that must be relieved. Make prospects realize a need for your product or service, and then communicate your message in professional, yet clear and compelling manner. 



Rule 2: Consistency. Never assume that you've gotten a message across by offering a single message only once. Repetition is a vital part of putting your marketing message at the front of peoples' minds. If you fail to be consistent, you confuse people and muddle your marketing message. 



Rule 3: Concise. Brevity pays off and makes your marketing strategies memorable. People don't listen to convoluted messages attentively; even if you know it's important, they may not hear it. It's not how much you say that's most important. It's how much of what you say is grasped and retained. 



Rule 4: Contagious. Your marketing message must be a contagious one. If your message isn't contagious, it's going to get lost in the crowd. Building a contagious energy is at the heart of good marketing. 



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Secrets to Building a 7-Figure Lifestyle Law Firm: Proven Strategies from the Front Line

At The Rainmaker Institute, we define a “7 figure lifestyle law firm” as one that allows you to have the lifestyle that you want to live!

It’s more than just money or achieving a million dollars in revenue.

It’s about creating a lifestyle where you do what you love and building a business around your core values and interests.

In this recording of an interview between Stephen Fairley, CEO of The Rainmaker Institute, and nationally recognized attorney John Bisnar, Stephen asks John to share some of the secrets he has used to create a law firm that allows him to go into the office only one day a week and take, on average, 3 to 4 months of vacation every year - all  while managing a very successful, multimillion dollar law firm!

You will receive either a CD or MP3 recording, plus we will email you a PDF transcript of the interview.

This interview will help you discover:

• The difference between a law practice and a business
• How to identify superstar employees to help you run your business
• The difference between an Office Manager and a Business Manager
• The 7 essential systems your firm must have & how to implement them
• How to micromanage the client experience
• Critical keys to success
• And much more!

Click this link now to order Secrets to Building a 7-Figure Lifestyle Law Firm: Proven Strategies from the Front Line.

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

I realize that following up with prospects is probably the most difficult part of the entire marketing process for attorneys. But you won’t get to the finish line unless you do it.

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.

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 on your bottom line.

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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. 

To get your complimentary copy online, click 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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Ask any lawyer which area of law firm marketing they find the most difficult and you are likely to hear the same answer: attracting good prospects.  Law firm marketing can be challenging; learning how to attract the ‘right’ prospects can be especially challenging.

If you don’t find a way to attract good prospects, then your law firm marketing efforts stand little chance of succeeding.

“Who” you market to is just as important as how you market.   You want to develop a law firm marketing plan that attracts only those clients that you can help, and those who will be the most profitable to your law firm.

Apply these 5 proven strategies to your law firm marketing plan for attracting the best clients:

Target your clients – You must identify your Ideal Target Market (ITM). Without completing this first step, you may as well throw your law firm marketing money into the street.

Explain your service – Be clear and concise. Learn to bridge the language gap between you and your clients.

Perfect a powerful elevator pitch – This is an extremely successful law firm strategy to have in place when meeting with prospective profitable clients.

Use effective law firm marketing tools - When developing law firm marketing materials, remember, this may be the first impression you make on prospective clients – make it a good one.

Disqualify clients – Don’t be afraid to say “no” to a potential client; you’ll be doing both of you a favor if you are not a good fit.

Attorneys who implement these crucial law firm marketing strategies can rest assured they will be attracting only the most qualified clients.

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A November 2011 study of U.S. Internet users for Broadcom, a semiconductor manufacturer, reported that 87% of respondents consumed more than 11 hours of online content per week and at least 54% percent said they consume over 21 hours of online content per week:

Content marketing is a critical component of a comprehensive law firm marketing program, and there are many avenues you can use to spread your content to potential clients, including your website, blog, online directories like Avvo and JDSupra, and social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+.

With all these venues craving constant content feeds, how do marketing-savvy attorneys feed the beast? Here are some tips:

1. Plan ahead. Brainstorm a list of topics that would appeal to your target audience. Review your website analytics to see what pages of your site are getting the most visits, which can help stimulate ideas. Dig up speeches and presentations you’ve made over the last few years and repurpose those for articles, press releases and blog posts. Subscribe to blogs and news feeds that cover your practice area for ideas.

2. Make it interesting. Nielsen research shows that most people spend about a minute on any given web page, so strive to make your content easily digestible in that timeframe. Use short paragraphs and subheads to keep readers’ attention. Punch it up with references to current events or pop culture to make your content timely. Include client success stories (not using real names, of course).

3. Optimize your content. Be sure to optimize your content for search by including your keywords and keyword phrases in your title, subheads and image file names. 

4. Create backlinks. Sprinkle your content with links back to your website, blog, social media profiles or previous posts to create backlinks, which help boost your search engine ranking. Comment on other articles, blogs or forums with links back to a relevant post you’ve written, but be sure your comment adds value or it may be viewed as spam. 

5. Go social.  Promote your videos, posts, articles, press releases and other content on all your social network channels – not only on your own Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter page, but also through submissions to the discussion pages of groups you’ve joined.  

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One of the things I’m most frequently asked is: "How can I get my clients to refer new business to me?" While I can assure you there are no silver bullets or magic wands, there are some deceptively simple, yet amazingly powerful strategies small and solo law firms can use to market their law firm and create a referral-based law practice.

Referrals don’t just happen.  They must be cultivated.  While you may get an occasional referral from a current or former client, if you want to take your legal marketing to the next level, you need a referral system.  Here’s how to build a referral system that will bring you the results you need:

Categorize – Comb through your client list and identify those clients who already refer, those most likely to refer (happy with your services) and those that will need some special attention to become a good referral source. 

Educate – Your referral sources will likely need to be educated about the kind of referrals you are seeking.  Every law firm should have a 3-stage client education program that educates your clients about (1) all your firm’s services, (2) who your ideal clients are, and (3) what makes you different. It is especially important to educate them about who your ideal client is so they won’t waste their time and yours referring potential clients that are not a good fit for you.

Motivate – Look for ways to incentivize and reward your referral sources for sending you potential clients.  Maybe it’s a free consultation or a gift card to a favored store.  Be creative about it.

Follow Through – One of the worst things you can do is not follow through with potential clients who are referred to you.  This will dry up your referral pipeline faster than anything.  Let your referral sources know how you plan to follow up with the people they are referring, then do it.  Keep your sources up to date periodically on the new relationship and be sure to thank them again.

Cultivating referrals is low-cost and high-reward, and should be at the top of your list when it comes to new business development for your law firm.

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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.  Click here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!

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Social Media Examiner’s 4^th annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report was released this week and finds that social media is working the way most businesses want it to: generating leads, increasing website traffic and boosting brand exposure.

The major findings from the report:

• 83 percent view social media as important to their business
• 85 percent say social media has increased exposure for their business
• 58 percent say social media generates leads
• 69 percent say social media increases website traffic
• Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs and YouTube were the top 5 social media tools used by marketers
• 59 percent dedicate more than six hours a week to social media activities
• 30 percent outsource some portion of their social media marketing

Half of the 3,800 business marketers surveyed focused on B2B, the other half on B2C. The majority of responders were from the small business (32%) and solo (21%) categories. Most used other forms of marketing, with the top 3 being email marketing, SEO and event marketing:

You can download a copy of the Social Media Marketing Industry Report for free until April 19.

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FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal

One of the secret tools of Internet marketing for attorneys is the power of having a targeted blog. In a report on the influence of blogs, eMarketer.com found that 51% of Internet users in the U.S. (that’s over 91 million people) read blogs, and they project that usage will go to 60% (150 million) in the next four years!

Still think blogs are a fad?

Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:

• Why you must have a blog in order to stay relevant
• 3 keys to successful blogging
• 7 Guidelines for achieving ROI
• Your 3 choices for managing your blog and social media efforts
• And much more!

Click now for your FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal.

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An article posted at Law.com today entitled, Bye-Bye Big Firm notes a growing trend of in-house corporate counsel hiring more small law firms – not just to cut costs, but also because of a growing preference to hire based on specialty rather than size.

As the article notes, small law firms are flourishing because client demands have evolved over the past decade.  Legal services have become “unbundled,” and clients are increasingly choosing different firms for different needs. 

While the financial downturn may have spurred this trend, clients say that cost is not the only reason they choose to think small. They point to a lack of conflicts and personal attention as two big advantages in choosing a small firm. 

Lawyers are catching on to this trend and leaving big firms to start their own practices in increasing numbers. According to a 2010 Am Law report, 114 partners left Am Law 200 firms to start or join small practices from October 2008 through September 2009 -- up from 70 partners in the previous 12-month period.

As consultant Peter Zeughauser notes in the article, "There's more and more pressure on firms to be distinctive in the marketplace. Lawyers are picking practice areas to be known for, and eventually that means they'll go to small firms as a platform to grow their practices."

In a recent post, I described 4 ways small firms can successfully differentiate themselves in How to Discover Your Difference & Drive Great Clients to Your Door. The benefits from positioning yourself as a specialist are numerous, including:

• Significantly higher rate of referrals.
• Can charge higher rates.
• More opportunities to offer them more expensive services.
• Better client retention.
• Not perceived as a commodity.
• Value is based primarily on credibility and expertise.
• Better positioned to get positive media coverage.
• Easier to dominate your niche.

With the growth in small law firms, effective and focused law firm marketing is now more necessary than ever.

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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. 

To get your complimentary copy online, click 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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With the economy still a challenge and law schools churning out new lawyers every year, it is tempting to grab onto every potential client who calls. But defining your ideal target market as “anyone who draws breath” is not a good long-term strategy for the survival of your practice. Hope is not a law firm marketing strategy!

By not discovering – and marketing – your difference, you are just one of a great many lawyers casting a line in a vast ocean. With nothing to differentiate you, what basis is there for those seeking legal services to make a choice? I’ll tell you: none.

There are 4 ways you can differentiate yourself from your competitors:

Service: labor/employment, complex litigation, immigration, healthcare, IP, etc.

Industry: transportation, construction, energy, real estate development.

Geography: LA-based, Southern California, Chicagoland, etc.

Specialty Market: privately held companies, Fortune 500, physicians, white collar executives, blue collar construction workers, Spanish-speaking, developers, commercial lenders.

The days of mass marketing are far behind us – today, it is all about micro-marketing, defining that narrow space where you can excel and promoting your prowess to those looking for what you offer via influential blogs and participation on social media networks.

Creating your own market niche for your practice is how you stand above the competition and attract more of your ideal client, helping make your practice more lucrative and your life more enjoyable.

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Free Report: 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys From Building A Referral-Based Practice

Referrals are the lifeblood of many law practices, and building a good referral program takes a proven process.  Stephen Fairley unveils the 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys from Building a Referral-Based Practice in his new free report.  Read and discover:

• How to determine the best source for your referrals
• How to explain your ideal target market to a referral source
• How to get referrals from other attorneys
• Whether online directories are a good referral source
• How to network effectively
• And much, much more!

Click here to get your free report today.

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One important aspect of your email marketing program is knowing when to send your law firm marketing emails so you can obtain the highest open and click-through rates. 

This infographic from HubSpot, Pure360 and Dan Zarrella provides some direction:

Check back tomorrow to discover the best time for posting to your blog.

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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. 

To get your complimentary copy online, click 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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Client satisfaction surveys are information gold mines, helping you to understand what your client thinks about how you delivered your service, what you could have improved upon, what they actually gained from your service and what they really need from you.

Although this insight is vital, the benefits to client satisfaction surveys don’t stop there. You can use these insights to improve your law firm marketing.  For example, by better understanding how your clients find services such as yours, you know more specifically how to promote your services to reach similar clients.

Most people are accustomed to taking online satisfaction surveys, which is an expeditious and inexpensive way to conduct customer satisfaction research. It also doesn’t intrude on your client’s time too much. Most of the email marketing services have this functionality, so if you are already using Constant Contact or iContact, it is simple to design a survey and send it out to your contact list. 

Here are some good questions to ask in your survey:

• What was your first impression of the firm? Of your attorney?
• How were you initially treated during your first in-person meeting?
• What do you believe is our biggest strength?
• What do you believe is the area where we need the most improvement?
• Out of the following 5 areas, which ones do you anticipate needing in the next year?
• Were invoices sent out on a regular basis to you?
• Were you ever surprised by the amount on an invoice?
• What are some ways we could better serve you?
• Would you recommend us to your friends or colleagues?
• Are there any other comments, suggestions, complaints, or concerns you would like to make?

In addition, you will want to gather some lifestyle information from your clients that will help you target offers or rewards that will be meaningful to them. Lifestyle information goes way beyond mere demographics – it indicates how a client spends time and their interests, activities and tastes.  

Using lifestyle information, you can find many opportunities to build a meaningful relationship with the client. For example, a client who hunts is much more likely to respond favorably to a Cabela’s gift card than a Starbucks gift card. This one seemingly tiny detail is what creates client loyalty. 

Lifestyle data also helps improve marketing performance, which reduces marketing costs and improves response rates – leading to a higher return on your marketing investment.

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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!)
• 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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Are you working harder, feeling more stressed, and still not seeing the results you want? Then it's time to take action and re-engineer your law firm marketing efforts - or risk your future.

Here are 5 proven strategies that will increase demand for your services:

1. Make marketing your priority. The primary objective of your business is the marketing of your professional services; your secondary objective is then the delivery of those services. Most attorneys have it backwards.

Simply because you may deliver excellent service and provide enormous value, clients do not automatically knock your doors down.

The key to building a long term, solid practice is the quality and consistency of your marketing much more than the actual delivery of your services. Working on your business is much more important than working in your business.

2. Choose positioning over prospecting. A positioner is someone who builds his/her reputation so that prospects come to them; they command respect. Positioners pick and choose clients, whereas prospectors hustle and struggle to get clients. Become a positioner and share your valuable knowledge, expertise, and education with prospects so you will be viewed as the "go-to" person.

3. Use an education-based marketing approach to attract new clients. This is the process used by industry leading service professionals to attract and enroll highly qualified prospects by giving them what they want, not by selling or promoting.

The key is to look for opportunities to create and give your information away, which in turn will position you as the expert. As a result, you will create a powerful magnet to pull clients to you.

4. Design, create and give away information products to generate leads. Many highly successful attorneys are avid writers and producers of information products. In terms of positioning, creating an information product will attract highly qualified prospects that view you as an expert in your field, and as a result, will pay top dollar to work with you.

5. Become a specialist, not a generalist. This is a big one. Highly successful attorneys are specialists at one thing. When people think of that one thing, the specialist comes to mind. Prospects who want that one thing will pay top dollar for the specialist.

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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 8,000 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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I blogged here and here a couple of months ago about strategies attorneys can use to build a better law firm. Here are a few more:

Speed to Market Wins Almost Every Time. Is it more important to have a solid strategy or to execute an imperfect plan? My response may surprise you. Attorneys are notorious for over-planning everything. This becomes a fatal mistake when it comes to marketing.   Your marketing plan should only be focused on what actions you are going to take in the next 90 days. You should be able to easily write it down on one page. Keep it simple and focus on consistently taking action!

Be a Contrarian. Many of our best Rainmaker marketing strategies are based on contrarian thinking. I often tell my clients to look at what their competitors are doing and do the opposite! Not because their competitors are dumb or intentionally doing it "wrong," but because following the herd is the single most common action taken by attorneys in their marketing, especially on the internet. Don't follow the crowd with your marketing; instead, do the opposite.

Eliminate Every Obstacle to Marketing Your Law Firm. What is blocking you from achieving the financial success you deserve? A bad partnership?   A partner or associate or key team member who is distracted and depressed?  No passion for your clientele? Lack of automated systems to run your marketing?  No system for following up with leads and prospects? 

Now is the time to get rid of the dead weight! It's easy to overlook faults when times are good, but they can kill you when times are tough. When you identify a weak link, remove it!

While you're at it, make every attorney and staff member commit to returning every single phone call and email within 24 hours. I'm convinced benign neglect of prospects, clients and referral sources is a major reason why many attorneys are struggling in their business.  

Keep Your Team Lean and Mean. I was recently speaking with a bankruptcy attorney in the New York area. His business is about the same as last year, but he isn't willing to do any marketing right now. Why? Because he just fired an associate who wasn't performing well and he doesn't want to take on any more work because he's not sure he can handle it alone.  

Even when I pointed out, rather obviously, there are a lot of out of work attorneys right now who would love the chance to work and even more people who would entertain an Of Counsel relationship or work part-time, he wasn't interested. Seriously?  

Now is not the time to add several new and costly staff hoping for massive success. Now is the time to keep your team "lean and mean" while putting everything you can into effective marketing!

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Free Report: 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys From Building A Referral-Based Practice

Referrals are the lifeblood of many law practices, and building a good referral program takes a proven process.  Stephen Fairly unveils the 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys from Building a Referral-Based Practice in his new free report.  Read and discover:

• How to determine the best source for your referrals
• How to explain your ideal target market to a referral source
• How to get referrals from other attorneys
• Whether online directories are a good referral source
• How to network effectively
• And much, much more!

Click here to get your free report today.

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Successful law firm marketing includes not only determining which people and businesses are truly interested in your services, but those that are not. Wasting time chasing bad prospects is a business-killer, one you can ill afford in these recessionary times.

These 5 simple steps will help you turn more prospects into clients. Incorporate these into your law firm marketing strategy and watch your conversion rate grow:

1. Identify those with genuine interest. This requires some work on your part, to separate the real prospects from those who are merely responding to you out of politeness or shopping around. To make the separation, create a list of qualifying questions to determine those who need, want and can afford your services. If they meet those three criteria, they are good prospects for converting into paying clients.

2. Interview good prospects in person. Be sure you are speaking to the real decision-maker, who can pull the trigger and hire you, not just a gatekeeper.

3. Make your best case. Are you a persuasive presenter? If not, take a presentation skills seminar. Focus on benefits and results, not services and features. Identify your prospect’s problems and let them know how you can help. Develop good listening habits, and become more fluent in speaking your prospect’s language.

4. Ask for the sale. A common mistake too many attorneys make is not asking for the sale. Make sure to ask your prospect for their business, and ask in a way that makes it clear to them you want it.

5. Follow up. You should be following up with prospects within 24 hours of an interview, thanking them for their time and reiterating your interest in their business. 

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Free Report: 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys From Building A Referral-Based Practice

Referrals are the lifeblood of many law practices, and building a good referral program takes a proven process.  Stephen Fairly unveils the 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys from Building a Referral-Based Practice in his new free report.  Read and discover:

• How to determine the best source for your referrals
• How to explain your ideal target market to a referral source
• How to get referrals from other attorneys
• Whether online directories are a good referral source
• How to network effectively
• And much, much more!

Click here to get your free report today.

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If there’s one area where attorneys can excel, it’s creating content. Your knowledge and experience are useful not only in the court room, but can also be turned into a highly successful legal marketing tactic that can reap big rewards in terms of new client prospects.

So how do you do content marketing right? Here are some tips:

1. Plan ahead. Brainstorm a list of topics that would appeal to your target audience. Review your website analytics to see what pages of your site are getting the most visits, which can help stimulate ideas. Dig up speeches and presentations you’ve made over the last few years and repurpose those for articles, press releases and blog posts. Subscribe to blogs and news feeds that cover your practice area for ideas.

2. Make it interesting. Nielsen research shows that most people spend about a minute on any given web page, so strive to make your content easily digestible in that timeframe. Use short paragraphs and subheads to keep readers’ attention. Punch it up with references to current events or pop culture to make your content timely. Include client success stories (not using real names, of course).

3. Optimize your content. Be sure to optimize your content for search by including your keywords and keyword phrases in your title, subheads and image file names. 

4. Create backlinks. Sprinkle your content with links back to your website, blog, social media profiles or previous posts to create backlinks, which help boost your search engine ranking. Comment on other articles, blogs or forums with links back to a relevant post you’ve written, but be sure your comment adds value or it may be viewed as spam. 

5. Go social.  Promote your videos, posts, articles, press releases and other content on all your social network channels – not only on your own Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter page, but also through submissions to the discussion pages of groups you’ve joined.  

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FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal

One of the secret tools of Internet marketing for attorneys is the power of having a targeted blog. In a new report on the influence of blogs, eMarketer.com found that in 2010, 51% of Internet users in the U.S. (that’s over 91 million people) read blogs, and they project that usage will go to 60% (150 million) in the next four years!

Still think blogs are a fad?

Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:

• Why you must have a blog in order to stay relevant
• 3 keys to successful blogging
• 7 Guidelines for achieving ROI
• Your 3 choices for managing your blog and social media efforts
• And much more!

Click here to order your free report now!

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When it comes to the different kind of leads that attorneys can generate for new business, referrals are the gold standard.  They come to you pre-qualified and ready to “buy” from a source they trust – and with a trust transference to you that is built-in.

If you do nothing else with your law firm marketing this year, make a resolution to cultivate more referrals.  Cultivating referrals is low-cost and high-reward, and should be at the top of your list when it comes to new business development for your law firm.

Consider the following as you build your base of referrals this year:

Categorize – there are two categories of referrals for attorneys: current clients and strategic partners.  Comb through your client list and identify those clients who already refer, those most likely to refer (happy with your services) and those that will need some special attention to become a good referral source.  To develop a list of potential strategic partners, examine that client list again and see if you can find some commonality among other professional service providers that your clients also utilize – other attorneys, accountants, CPAs, business coaches, etc. 

Educate – your referral sources will likely need to be educated about the kind of referrals you are seeking.  Teach them about who your ideal client is so they won’t waste their time and yours referring potential clients that are not a good fit for you.

Motivate – look for ways to incentivize and reward your referral sources for sending you potential clients.  Maybe it’s a free consultation or a gift card to a favored store.  Be creative about it.

Follow Through – one of the worst things you can do is not follow through with potential clients who are referred to you.  This will dry up your referral pipeline faster than anything.  Let your referral sources know how you plan to follow up with the people they are referring, then do it.  Keep your sources up to date periodically on the new relationship and be sure to thank them again.

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Free Report: 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys From Building A Referral-Based Practice

Referrals are the lifeblood of many law practices, and building a good referral program takes a proven process.  Stephen Fairly unveils the 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys from Building a Referral-Based Practice in his new free report.  Read and discover:

How to determine the best source for your referrals

How to explain your ideal target market to a referral source

How to get referrals from other attorneys

Whether online directories are a good referral source

How to network effectively

And much, much more!

Click here to get your free report today.

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Those of us immersed daily in the world of law firm marketing sometimes tend to forget that attorneys speak a language all their own...the language of law, not marketing. 

There are times when I am making a presentation at a Rainmaker Retreat or Bar Association meeting that I see confusion creep across the faces of the lawyers in attendance when I sprinkle that presentation liberally with law firm marketing terminology.

The Internet was the catalyst for the rise of inbound marketing via social media, blogging, search engine optimization, online video, etc. The Internet has also led to the ongoing demise of traditional outbound marketing techniques – TV ads, telemarketing, snail direct mail, and so on – which are intrusive forms of marketing we no longer tolerate.

Here is a succinct visualization of Inbound Marketing by upstate New York web marketing firm Volinsky Consulting:

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FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal

One of the secret tools of Internet marketing for attorneys is the power of having a targeted blog. In a new report on the influence of blogs, eMarketer.com found that in 2010, 51% of Internet users in the U.S. (that’s over 91 million people) read blogs, and they project that usage will go to 60% (150 million) in the next four years!

Still think blogs are a fad?

Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:

• Why you must have a blog in order to stay relevant
• 3 keys to successful blogging
• 7 Guidelines for achieving ROI
• Your 3 choices for managing your blog and social media efforts
• And much more!

Click here to order your free report now! 

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Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are the numbers that make your law firm run.  Here are some common numbers you should know:

How much money do you need each and every month to make payroll and keep your doors open?

How many new clients do you need to bring in every month to break even?

What is your average profit margin per client?

Which types of cases produce the highest profit margin?

What percentage of people who visit your website end up calling your office?

What percentage of prospects that call your office come in for a free consultation?

What percentage of prospects that come in for a free consultation become clients?

What is your average new client worth?

If you don’t know these and other important numbers, how on-target are the decisions you are making about marketing and running your law firm on a daily basis likely to be?

Learn all about it by joining me next Thursday, Dec. 15 for a one-hour webinar on Key Performance Indicators: Knowing The Numbers That Run Your Law Firm at 3 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. 

In this fast paced webinar, sponsored by the Legal Marketing Association, I will give you the specifics that will allow you to view KPIs from the Partner’s perspective, how to determine which analytics you need to measure, and how to communicate the relevant data to Partners so you are viewed as a valued member of the decision-making leadership team.

Discounts are available for LMA members. For more information and to register online, click here.

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My good friend Larry Bodine, Editor-in-Chief of Lawyers.com, and I got together recently to interview each other about law firm marketing. Here’s a short video from that conversation:

If you are interested in building a lifestyle law practice through effective law firm marketing, then register now for the last Rainmaker Retreat of this year:

December 2-3, 2011 – Los Angeles, CA

If you want to learn more about the Rainmaker Retreat and why it is a proven legal marketing system that has helped over 8,000 attorneys find more and better clients, then register now for one of our one-hour complimentary teleseminars:

Wednesday, November 30

11am PT | 12pm MT | 1pm CT | 2pm ET  

Thursday, December 8

12pm PT | 1pm MT | 2pm CT | 3pm ET 

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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FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal

One of the secret tools of Internet marketing for attorneys is the power of having a targeted blog. In a new report on the influence of blogs, eMarketer.com found that in 2010, 51% of Internet users in the U.S. (that’s over 91 million people) read blogs, and they project that usage will go to 60% (150 million) in the next four years!

Still think blogs are a fad?

Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:

• Why you must have a blog in order to stay relevant
• 3 keys to successful blogging
• 7 Guidelines for achieving ROI
• Your 3 choices for managing your blog and social media efforts
• And much more!

Click here to order your free report now!

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Listening to NPR the other day, I heard a report about how economic experts think that 2012 will be much the same as 2011 – very little if any growth, and no movement on the unemployment numbers.

Ugh. 

If you are like many attorneys I know, this economy has really taken a toll on you. I’m not going to tell you to put on rose-colored glasses and pretend things are suddenly all better, but the reality is that we all have businesses to run and “waiting things out” is simply not an option. 

What I am suggesting is that you turn this recession on its head and into an opportunity to grow by doing what may seem counter intuitive.  For example:

Don’t cut back on your level of customer service—increase it. Think of this as your unique competitive advantage.

Continue to invest in marketing. Done properly, marketing is not an expense; it’s an investment. And since your competitors are holding back, then this is the perfect time to continue your marketing to help you pull past those competitors.

Call all your best clients every month. Check in with them to see how things are going and how you can help. They’ll appreciate being able to talk business owner to business owner.

Don’t make major decisions based upon your emotion. During this stressful time, it’s easy to do so. Therefore, talk to a trusted adviser or mentor and ask for their advice before you make that final decision on major issues.

Take care of yourself. Last, but not least, make sure you’re taking care of yourself—get plenty of rest and balanced nutrition and take time out just for yourself, to recharge your own batteries. Start tomorrow by enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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Get All the Law Firm Marketing Strategies You Need to Create A 7-figure Law Practice with Rainmaker In A Box: Volumes 1 and 2!

Want to discover Proven Marketing Strategies that Top Law Firms are using right now to generate more leads and referrals and convert them into paying clients?

Rainmaker In A Box: Volume 1 and Rainmaker In A Box: Volume 2 contains highly valuable legal marketing information you absolutely need to know!

Rainmaker in a Box: Volume 1 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
• Data DVD: 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.

Rainmaker in a Box: Volume 2 includes:

• 8 Proven Steps for More & Better Referrals


• 7 Strategies to Recession Proof Your Law Firm


• 6 Keys to Unlocking the Secrets of Social Media


• 5 Core Components for Highly Successful Websites & Blogs

• Data DVD: 
Includes all 4 PowerPoint slides for all 4 presentations. We recommend you print all these off and take notes on them as you experience these information-packed DVDs!

Purchase both sets on our website and get 25% OFF!

Click herenow to order!

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One law firm marketing tactic that consistently helps most law firms get new clients is referrals. There are several different ways to get those referrals: initiating a strategic referral development program, informal networking and formal networking.

“Formal networking” involves attending an organized group event such as industry trade shows, bar meetings, rotary clubs, special interest groups, political groups, etc.

Here are 7 ways to find new clients through formal networking:

Join the right groups: Not legal groups or groups where a lot of attorneys gather (unless you get a lot of your business from other attorneys). You need to go where the decision makers meet, not the gatekeepers.

Join elite groups: Groups that cost several hundred dollars a year are better than cheap groups; groups that require a member to sponsor you are even better.

Use an “audio logo”: An audio logo is an idea or statement that clearly and succinctly tells who your intended audience is and what you can do for them.

Most people want to talk about what interests them. They don’t want to talk to someone who’s only interested in how to get their business. So you can use an audio logo to attract attention. Be prepared to give case examples of how you have helped others.

Here is an example of an audio logo: “I help (who your clients are) to (what your solution is or how you solve their problems.)”

Remember your primary purpose: Remember your primary purpose in going to networking events is NOT to get new clients. Your primary purpose is to BUILD A RELATIONSHIP with potential referral sources and to offer yourself as a referral source to them. If you’re going to networking events to get new clients you are not only wasting your time, but you are also coming across as either pushy or desperate to the people you’re meeting.

When you understand the real reason for going to networking events, it takes all the pressure to perform off and keeps you focused on a more productive purpose—building relationships with people you could help and who may also be of help to you.

Ask open-ended questions: Use the 80/20 Rainmaker Rule when you meet them. Ask open ended questions like:

• What do you like best about the work you do?
• What are the biggest challenges your industry/company/profession is facing?
• Where do you find most of your clients?
• Who is your target market?
• If one of your prospects asks what makes you different from your competitors, what do you say?
• How would I know if the person I’m talking to would be a good referral for you?

Be intentional in your follow-up: It does absolutely no good to go to a bunch of networking events, talk to people, collect business cards, and not follow-up. You must have a plan and reasons for following up with people you meet. Your primary reason is to learn more about their business and see if you would be a good referral source for them.

Track your efforts:

• Contact’s name and full information.
• Follow-up method used—phone, email letter.
• Date of 1st follow-up.
• Dates of each additional follow-up.
• Date of first face-to-face meeting.
• Follow-up efforts.
• Results of efforts.
• Notes.

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Network With The Rainmaker Institute Tonight!

The Rainmaker Institute is co-sponsoring the Building Your Connections 2011 event tonight – Thursday, Nov. 3 -- beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Tempe Center for the Arts in Tempe, Arizona. Join members of the Arizona Society of CPAs, the State Bar of Arizona and The Risk Management Association for this great networking opportunity. 

Be sure to stop by our exhibit booth and pick our brain with your burning law firm marketing questions – plus, pick up a complimentary copy of our CD packed full of successful law firm marketing strategies!

For more information, click here.

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The new John Grisham novel The Litigators is out and the reviews are good. The author is turning up on all the morning talk shows to promote his new tome, which is about a small law firm of...well, there’s really no other way to say it...ambulance chasers.

CNN interviewed Grisham, who said the spark for his new book was “what seems to be a deluge of lawyers advertising on television. The airwaves are just flooded these days with what I find to be unseemly appeals for cases...I’ve been intrigued with that aspect of the practice of law and advertising in general, and one thing led to another.”

Most people find the kind of attorney advertising Grisham talks about to be distasteful, and are distrustful of lawyers who sell legal services in this fashion. Which is why we have always been an advocate of education-based marketing rather than mass media advertising.

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 that prospects want. And there are a number of tools available for you to disseminate this information to them, including:

Blogs – Blogs are a great, inexpensive way to disseminate your knowledge quickly – plus, search engines love blogs because they provide fresh content and are usually very search engine friendly.

Online Article Marketing -- Did you know there are hundreds of websites that will publish your articles for free? All you have to do is submit them and within a matter of weeks you will begin to see your online presence grow. These short, education-based articles are written specifically for your niche. If you can write 500 words on a topic, you can use this simple strategy.

Free Reports -- Think about some of the questions your clients have 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.)

This kind of free educational information is a great tool you can use 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.

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Get All the Law Firm Marketing Strategies You Need to Create A 7-figure Law Practice with Rainmaker In A Box: Volumes 1 and 2!

Want to discover Proven Marketing Strategies that Top Law Firms are using right now to generate more leads and referrals and convert them into paying clients?

Rainmaker In A Box: Volume 1 and Rainmaker In A Box: Volume 2 contains highly valuable legal marketing information you absolutely need to know!

Rainmaker in a Box: Volume 1 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
• Data DVD: 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.

Rainmaker in a Box: Volume 2 includes:

• 8 Proven Steps for More & Better Referrals


• 7 Strategies to Recession Proof Your Law Firm


• 6 Keys to Unlocking the Secrets of Social Media


• 5 Core Components for Highly Successful Websites & Blogs

• Data DVD: 
Includes all 4 PowerPoint slides for all 4 presentations. We recommend you print all these off and take notes on them as you experience these information-packed DVDs!

Purchase both sets on our website and get 25% OFF!

Click here now to order!

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Nobody wants to hire a lawyer, but there are certain events that cause consumers and business owners to seek out a lawyer:

• Purchasing real estate
• Getting a divorce
• Starting a company
• Creating a estate plan

The struggle comes when consumers are faced with an overwhelming number of choices. Regardless of practice area, most consumers and business owners do not know how to distinguish a great lawyer from a mediocre one.

With over a million attorneys in the nation, there are thousands of lawyers in every major city who provide the exact same services. Unless attorneys seriously reconsider how they differentiate themselves from other law firms they will continue to flounder.

In Practice Made Perfect, our business development CD set for attorneys, we cover 10 specific ways to differentiate your services. Here are just 3 of them:

1. Create a micro niche. If you develop a tumor on your brain you would go to neurologist, not a general practitioner. It's the same way with law firm marketing. You must position yourself as a specialist, not a generalist. One way to do this is by focusing on a very defined niche. For example, "I concentrate on helping inventors and owners of small software development companies in Los Angeles with less than $1 million in revenues protect their intellectual property and develop creative ways to generate multiple revenue streams from their invention."

2. Focus on the benefits, value and results. Too many attorneys try to sell their legal services. People never buy legal services. They buy solutions to their problems. When meeting with a prospective client emphasize the benefits you offer to clients and the value you bring through your specific experience with their kind of legal problem. Discuss the results you have achieved for other clients, but be careful not to overstep the ethical boundaries or promise results based on someone else's case.

3. Build an online presence. The Internet has changed everything when it comes to law firm marketing and how consumers select law firms. Today, most people will check attorneys out online before they ever hire them.  Having a robust presence on leading social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube), an interesting blog and a website that reinforces why you are different is key.

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Want to Learn More Internet Marketing Techniques for Attorneys? Attend 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:

November 11-12, 2011: Chicago, IL

December 2-3, 2011: Los Angeles, CA

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 one of our one-hour complimentary teleseminars:

Thursday, October 27

1pm PT | 2pm MT | 3pm CT | 4pm ET  

Wednesday, November 2

1pm PT | 2pm MT | 3pm CT | 4pm ET  

Thursday, November 10

12pm PT | 1pm MT | 2pm CT | 3pm ET  

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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One of the toughest questions attorneys get from a potential client is, “Why should I hire you?” The rest of that question is implied: “Why should I hire you versus any of your competitors?”

Even though most prospects never ask it out loud, every single one of them is silently asking it to themselves.

When faced with this question, most attorneys fall back on talking about the quality of their services, their experience and the size of their law firm. Prepare to have your eyes opened to the truth:

• The #1 reason why prospects “shop you on price”
• How most attorneys completely miss the point when talking about their experience
• The 4 biggest reasons to emphasize when talking with prospects
• Overcoming common objections attorneys encounter

The networking event and marketing seminar will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2 at Target Market Media Publications (Attorney at Law Magazines), 4647 N. 32^nd St., Suite B-280 in Phoenix.

Cost is $20 if you register by Oct. 31, $30 if you register by Nov. 1 and $35 on the day of the event.  This covers drinks, hors d’oeurves, the networking event and the workshop.

To register for our Nov. 2 networking and legal marketing event, co-hosted by Attorney at Law Magazine, Coash & Coash Court Reporting and The Rainmaker Institute, visit www.therainmakerretreat.com/network or call 888-816-8935.

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Can’t Make Our Nov. 2 Phoenix Legal Networking Group Meeting? You Can Still Get the Answers to “Why Should I Hire You?”

If you can’t make it to the November 2 meeting of the Phoenix Legal Networking Group but still want access to the information being given at the workshop, then get our one-hour How to Answer the Question, “Why Should I Hire You?”: Creating a Unique Competitive Advantage webinar online to watch at your convenience. Learn:

• Why quality does NOT matter! (Yes, you read that correctly, quality does not matter when it comes to closing a prospect)
• The #1 reason why prospects “shop you on price”
• How most attorneys completely miss the point when talking about their experience
• The 4 biggest reasons to emphasize when talking with prospects
• Overcoming common objections attorneys encounter
• Winning over skeptics by focusing on the numbers of your practice
• Case studies of how top attorneys respond when asked the ultimate question
• How to overcome price objections even before you meet with a prospect
• How to respond if someone says, “Your price is too high” or “That’s too much money!”
• How to get potential clients to stop making price an objection once and for all
• And 8 more effective ways to answer the question, “Why should I hire you?”

To access the webinar online, click here. 

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Social media has become a fundamental shift in the way we communicate and find information -- or rather, the way information finds us.  

When you consider the overwhelming number of people who are now using social media, the question you should be asking is not, are my prospects, clients, and referral sources using social media? The question you should be asking is, which network are they using most often?

A recent survey by the American Bar Association's Legal Technology Resource Center found that 56% of attorneys are already using a social network! This means for you skeptics out there, if you are not maintaining a presence on at least one social network you are already behind the curve. Of those networks, LinkedIn is the most popular at 83%, Facebook is second with 68% and Plaxo is third with 18%.   

However, for attorneys who are looking to connect with consumers (versus business owners), like criminal defense, personal injury, bankruptcy, estate planning, and family law just to name a few, Facebook should be your primary focus because of the sheer number of people that can be found there (over 750 million registered users and growing).  

Depending on the demographic of your clientele, you may have more success with one social media platform compared to another -- but it is important that you have a presence on them all.  For example: Business oriented attorneys, like business litigation, securities, and intellectual property, should focus more of their efforts on LinkedIn. However, LinkedIn also has the highest number of attorneys who use the network so it's a little more difficult to stand out as compared to Facebook or Twitter.

What many people fail to understand is how people are starting to use social media.  Social networks are more and more being used as personal search engines mainly because Google has become too generic and they often don't trust what they find there.  

This trend is especially true in the under-30 age group. In fact, many social media experts are starting to point to Facebook as the new Google! Tens of thousands of searches are conducted every day on Facebook for resources and reviews of products, services, and service providers.  

As Bob Burg points out in his excellent book, Endless Referrals, all things being equal, people buy from people they know, like and trust. By extension, people trust their personal networks to point them in the right direction more than a generic Google search.  

When you think about it, this is common sense. When you are looking for a recommendation, who would you trust more-a Google search or one of your friends who personally vouches for a specific service provider?   

This long-time phenomenon of asking your friends and colleagues for a referral has simply gone viral and online. Social networks are quickly multiplying the number of connections a person can ask when seeking a referral to a trusted advisor.  

Smart law firms are starting to see the importance of "fishing where the fish are" instead of trying to drag them to their office or by using interruption-based marketing like television ads or billboards.

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FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal

One of the secret tools of Internet marketing for attorneys is the power of having a targeted blog. In a new report on the influence of blogs, eMarketer.com found that in 2010, 51% of Internet users in the U.S. (that’s over 91 million people) read blogs, and they project that usage will go to 60% (150 million) in the next four years!

Still think blogs are a fad?

Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:

• Why you must have a blog in order to stay relevant
• 3 keys to successful blogging
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• Your 3 choices for managing your blog and social media efforts
• And much more!

Click here to order your free report now!

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When it comes to doing business with an attorney, prospects only care about 3 things:

The Benefits they receive because of your services

The Value they perceive a relationship with you will bring

The Results they achieve from your service

If you're an estate planning attorney, don’t sell estate plans.  If you're a family law attorney, don’t focus on the types of family law services your firm provides.  If you're a defense attorney, don’t focus on how many different types of crimes you can represent.

These are all features of your service. People don’t buy features. They buy benefits.

They buy solutions not service, because they expect everyone to have great service.

They buy other people’s experiences of your service.

They buy your credibility as presented by your marketing image.

They buy based on their emotions, but they want logical reasons to justify their decision.

And they buy guarantees and promises, so don’t make them if you can't keep them.

Fundamentally, the reason why people or businesses seek out your law firm is because they have a problem and they are asking you, “Do you have a solution?”

In the past I’ve talked about the 15 percenters—the 15% of the population that always and only buys on price. Your job is to weed them out and focus on the other 85%. However, the other 85% will also buy on price—unless you give them a reason not to.

That’s why your law firm marketing plan must focus on more than just the features of your product or service.  You must make sure all your law firm marketing efforts answer the questions that prospective clients are asking, not just giving them a laundry list of everything you can do.

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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.  Click here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!

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The New York Times has done a research study on the Psychology of Sharing to learn more about why people share content on the Web. 

You can download the report for free here.

The research found that these were the top five reasons people share content via email or social networks:

1. To bring valuable and entertaining content to others

2. To define ourselves to others

3. To grow and nurture relationships

4. Self-fulfillment

5. To spread the word about causes or brands

So if you have posted content on your blog or created articles on JD Supra, Avvo or other legal info sites that isn’t seeing much action, you need to examine it to see if it is meeting any of these needs that people have for sharing.

Here are some tips for creating great content that people want to share:

Make it real. Don’t simply deal in hypotheticals – tell a story with a good outcome for a client (maintaining privacy, of course) that draws people in and makes them feel something.

Create a conversation. Commenting on the hot legal topics of the day with a unique viewpoint increases the chances your content will get shared. Ask others’ opinions on your blog and post comments.

Speak like a human being. Do not use legal jargon or write above your target market’s head. Use a conversational tone in your posts or articles in a voice people can understand.

Make a list. People love to read and share lists, so get a little creative and develop lists that will get noticed – for example, The Top 5 Divorce Disasters you’ve seen in your family law practice, and so on.

Understanding the psychology behind what makes people want to share content and then crafting your content to fulfill those needs will ensure your words get the reach you’re hoping for when creating content.

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Get All the Law Firm Marketing Strategies You Need to Create A 7-figure Law Practice with Rainmaker In A Box: Volumes 1 and 2!

Want to discover Proven Marketing Strategies that Top Law Firms are using right now to generate more leads and referrals and convert them into paying clients?

Rainmaker In A Box: Volume 1 and Rainmaker In A Box: Volume 2 contains highly valuable legal marketing information you absolutely need to know!

Rainmaker in a Box: Volume 1 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
• Data DVD: 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.

Rainmaker in a Box: Volume 2 includes:

• 8 Proven Steps for More & Better Referrals


• 7 Strategies to Recession Proof Your Law Firm


• 6 Keys to Unlocking the Secrets of Social Media


• 5 Core Components for Highly Successful Websites & Blogs

• Data DVD: 
Includes all 4 PowerPoint slides for all 4 presentations. We recommend you print all these off and take notes on them as you experience these information-packed DVDs!

Purchase both sets on our website and get 25% OFF!

Click herenow to order!

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When it comes to reaching out to potential clients on a consistent basis, few law firm marketing tools can match the success rate of newsletters.

However, before you can engage prospective clients through law firm marketing newsletters, you first have to find them.  Which brings us to one of the foundational tools of law firm marketing: list building.

There are list services where you can purchase names, e-mail addresses and home addresses that match your target demographic.  But I don’t recommend them for law firm marketing for one important reason:  the client’s choice in legal counsel rests so much on trust, my opinion is that contacting clients without their permission is suspect. 

However, there are many proven ways to build law firm marketing lists without purchasing names from a service. Below are some of the best:

Insert a newsletter sign-up form on each page of your website and on your blog, including a brief summary of the benefits of receiving no-cost, ongoing legal information they can use.

When you have a speaking engagement, provide a sign-up sheet for your “complimentary” newsletter. This technique has a very high response rate because the audience is already interested in your area of the law.

Partner with other professionals who serve a client base similar to yours. For example, if your area of practice is estate planning, financial planners or brokerage houses might have a target client similar to yours.  Once you locate these “list partners”, you can insert your offer for a free trial newsletter into their outgoing communications to that client base (and they can do the same with yours).  In that way, you are getting permission from the recipient prior to sending your law firm marketing newsletter – which is much more effective than purchasing a list.

In addition to using these proven ways to build your law firm marketing list, be sure to make it visible and easy for recipients of your newsletter to unsubscribe. It does you no good to contact someone regularly that does not want your information -- and making it clear they may cancel at any time sends the message that you care about them and they can trust you.

Adding these list-building tactics to your law firm marketing strategy will help you build a solid, highly responsive list of prospects that have real potential to turn into paying clients.

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Free Guide: 5 Easy Steps to Create Your Law Firm Marketing Plan

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.  Click here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!

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For attorneys, reputation is everything. A good one gets you more clients through referrals; a bad one pretty much dooms your practice. So it’s no surprise that lawyers tend to pay close attention to cultivating a reputation as effective, ethical counselors.

But is all your hard work toward that goal reflected in your online reputation?

What do prospects see when they type your name into a search engine? If it’s not much, that can often be as harmful as something negative.

Here are some tips on managing your online reputation:

Create good, meaningful content. Wherever you are online – your law firm website, your blog, your social media networks – make sure you are creating and posting valuable and relevant content that your target prospects will find interesting and helpful.

Look and listen. Create a Google Alert for yourself and your firm so you can monitor what is being said. If you find something negative on a site that allows you to comment, do so professionally and unemotionally. 

Build relationships with influencers. Find the influential online voices that your target market is listening to and join in the conversation. Offer to be a guest blogger or an interview source. Contribute good comments and give praise when it’s due. Don’t create advertisements for yourself; just be helpful and relevant.

Take a moment now and Google yourself. If you don’t like what you see, maybe you need to expend a little more effort managing your online reputation.

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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!)
• 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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We know from extensive research that it takes at the very least 7-10 meaningful touches to move someone through the sales process to get them to the point where they are ready to buy from you.

If your marketing plan only has enough steam in it to produce five meaningful touches, it will be as if you had never touched them at all.

5 touches aren't enough to break through past all of the marketing efforts made by other attorneys vying for your potential client's time and money... including your biggest competitors.   

Don't let those clients slip through your fingers by short changing your own marketing efforts.  Which brings us to the question - How much is enough to invest in your marketing efforts?   There are several questions to consider before you get your answer: 

What practice area are you in? Some practice areas require significantly more time and money to market (litigation and personal injury to mention two).

What are your profit margins? The larger your margins, the more you can invest on marketing and new business development. Some practice areas have bigger profit margins (litigation) while others are notoriously lower (residential real estate).

What are your annual revenues? It is not unusual for successful law firms to spend between 15 percent and 40 percent of their annual revenues on marketing.

Are you targeting other businesses or individual consumers? Anytime you are marketing directly to consumers, your marketing budget must be bigger because of the intense competition for consumer's pocketbooks.

What is the size of your competitors? Obviously, trying to take market share from Wal-mart as opposed to a beauty salon would require a much bigger marketing budget. Analyze your competition; what marketing materials do they put out?   How are they positioning their firm?

How sophisticated are your competitors when it comes to marketing? Typical companies in service-based industries and professional services (like law firms) are a lot less sophisticated than other industries.

How much time can you devote toward your marketing plan? The more time you can devote, the less money you have to spend. For example, if you use direct marketing, and are able to follow up with a phone call, you spend less on mailing costs. 

Are you marketing directly to the end user or through a referral source? Marketing to the end user of your services is more difficult than working through an established marketing channel like a referral source.

How long is the typical marketing-cycle? How long does it take a prospective client to make a decision after they have all the information they need? The longer the cycle, the more money you spend staying in touch while they contemplate their decision.

What's the geographical size of your prospect base? For many professional service firms, like doctors, lawyers and accountants, it is usually limited from five to 25 square miles.

What is your average fee per client? $500? $5,000? $500,000? $5 million? Services less than $500 require different marketing strategies than $5,000 services. Typically, higher fees require you to provide additional evidence as to your credibility, and necessitates the need to educate your client as to the benefits of hiring your firm.

What's the lifetime value of your average client? How much does your average client spend with you over a given time frame?

• When you have that final number you know how much you can afford to spend on landing each client before it negatively affects your profit margins.
• Alternately, If your average client only uses your services once and never returns, then you will need to use lower cost marketing strategies to reach them.
• Consider factors to increase the value of each client. For example, developing simple, yet seemingly extraordinary customer service strategies will extend the "life" of a client and create referrals, thus increasing their value.  

Once you have had a chance to review and analyze these variables for your firm, I invite you to immediately TAKE ACTION by using the information you gather to complete or revise your marketing plan in the next 30 days.  

If you would like more direction in writing or implementing your marketing plan contact me for additional resources.

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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. The information in every newsletter is something you will want to share with your staff to maximize the effectiveness of your legal marketing plan.

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The hard truth is, landing new clients is only the beginning of a harder task: keeping them. Now the real work begins as you find a ways to keep those clients you have worked so hard to get. 

Along with new clients comes the inherent need for more time to spend on their cases. Now the problem is not enough new clients but work flow and time management to handle them all. With such a limited schedule, how do you keep them happy so they don't run off and hire your competition? 

It is a situation that many attorneys find themselves in, and the stress and frustration is overwhelming at times. The following five strategies are designed to help you maintain a good working relationship with your new client:

1. Begin work on the case immediately. As soon as the client signs on, spend time that day or the next working on the case. This is not only to protect your client's best legal interests, but also to show them their need for immediate legal help. It also shows them that you genuinely care about them. 

2. Send the client some form of written communication within 48 hours of taking the case. It isn't enough to start working immediately on their case. You must show that you are working and making progress by e-mailing them a copy of everything you do. Consider time stamping your e-mails so that your client sees you have begun working on their case almost as soon as you landed it. 

It is also wise to send a tangible copy of all of your communications with your client. Often, it is easier for people to pay for services they can actually visualize. When they can see some physical evidence of your work, it seems worth more to them. 

Follow-up letters after phone calls or in-person meetings are another great way to clarify and avoid misunderstandings. They also serve to protect you from malpractice accusations because you have everything documented and dated. 

3. Send out a brief survey directed at new clients. Within one week of landing the new client, send out a one-page survey. This can be a great way to collect data on vital questions for use in future law firm marketing strategies; this is also a good time to ask them for their birthdays and anniversaries so you can send a card, which is a great marketing strategy. 

• Why did they select your firm? 
• Who else were they interviewing? 
• What do they like best/worst about working with you? 
• How can you improve? 
• How fast was your response time to their initial request? 
• How did they find you? 
• Do they know of anyone else who could use your services? 
• Additional contact information, etc.? 

4. Send out a client satisfaction survey after you have completed the case. This is another great way to maintain good communication with clients. It also shows them that you really care about their opinions and feelings. They will see that their cases and how it all turns out are important to you. 

5. Send the client a hand written thank you card. Nothing says you care like a greeting card. Send out the card the same day they select you as their attorney. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, but you should do it because no one else does. 

Clients must feel like you are there to serve in their best interests because you want to be there. Lawyers have the negative reputation of only being in it for the prestige and the money. While these are two important factors from your business view, they are of little concern to your client. You must show you care through your law firm marketing efforts and your communication with your clients. If you don't care about them, they won't care about 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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Here’s what many small business owners (yes, that’s you) don’t get:  when it comes to communicating with customers, listening is often more important than talking.  It is by listening that you learn what clients want, and then you can give it to them.  Which makes for more referrals and better client retention.

Here are some important methods you can use to actively listen to clients:

Open feedback.  Always offer clients a way to provide feedback, through your website, an online survey and in your e-newsletter campaign.  Simply asking for their thoughts is often enough to garner some important insights.

Transactional feedback.  If you’re a regular Starbucks customer, you have undoubtedly received a free survey at some point with your receipt.  You provide them with some feedback online and you get a free drink for your efforts.  What attorneys can learn from this is the importance of asking clients for their thoughts about their experience with your firm after the case is over or at important points along the way.  Keep your finger on the pulse of how satisfied they are with how your firm is treating them, and you’ll have a satisfied client.

Social media interaction.  Monitor your social media channels to see what people are saying about you.  You can search for your firm name on Twitter and Facebook , and you should be regularly monitoring Avvo, FindLaw, Yelp and Google for other comments about your firm.

Client satisfaction surveys.  Using formal client satisfaction surveys is another good way to gauge client experiences with your firm.  Send one out after each engagement is closed and respond immediately and personally to any negative feedback.

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FREE Rainmaker Retreat Preview DVD – 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 click here to receive a free 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.   So instead of us telling you how these 2 days will transform your business, you can listen to your peers describe their experiences in their own words.
 
Click here to order your complimentary DVD right now.

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If you have more referral business than you can handle, you are obviously doing something right.  But if you want and need more referrals and they aren’t coming to you, maybe you are doing something wrong.

Here are the Top 10 Reasons You Don’t Get Referrals:

No goal.  Have you set a specific goal for a specific number of referrals as part of your law firm marketing plan?  If not, you’re just going down the same old road with no map.

No gratitude.  Have you thanked your referral sources and kept in touch, just to say “hi?”  Do you thank people online who say nice things about you?

No response.  Have you been tardy about responding to a referral?  Or worse yet, not responded at all?  If so, why would your referral sources continue sending people your way?

No engagement.  Are you engaging potential referrals on your social networking sites, or do you just leave sales messages?  Your goal is to engage, not to sell.

No reaction.  If someone comments on your blog, do you respond?  You should then follow-up with an email to further the discussion.

No participation.  Don’t just join the social networks, participate.  Comment on other people’s posts and encourage a conversation.

No request.  If you don’t ask for a referral, chances are pretty good that you won’t get one.  Encourage everyone you communicate with through email or e-newsletter or on your social sites to tell a friend about you and your services.

No staying power.  Keep in touch with past and current clients, even if they are not currently shopping for an attorney.  You never know when they may need you, so staying top of mind is important.

No reciprocity.  When it comes to referrals, do you give as good as you get? 

No personality.  Let your true self shine through in everything you do.  People do business with people they like and trust.

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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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When it comes to law firm marketing, the fortune is in the follow up! You need to have a system in place to connect with and stay connected to your leads, prospects, clients, and referral sources.

1. Don't do it all by yourself. Most of the follow-up should be done by your staff, not you. Don't have a staff? Then outsource it to a virtual assistant or someone who provides legal marketing services. You should remain focused on bringing in more business, meeting with prospects, signing new people up as clients, and billing your clients.

2. Create your written plan ahead of time. Do not wait until the last minute to create your follow up plan.  As part of your law firm marketing you plan you should write down the exact steps your team will take to connect with prospects. Write down roles, responsibilities and time frames.

3. Have a plan for obtaining their full contact information and then have a back up plan. Do not rely on someone else giving you their contact information in a timely fashion. They may or may not. They may have better things to do or an emergency might arise or they may forget. Always, always have a back up plan. Make sure you get all their contact information including: full name, mailing address, phone number, and email. This will be of great value later on.


4. Use a database to keep track of your contacts. Do not rely on the stacks of business cards you have on your desk. Put them into a database as soon as possible. 


5. Use multiple methods to connect. Some people read emails, some people read letters, and some people respond to phone calls. Any law firm marketing consultant will tell you to use at least two of these methods to connect. If possible, use all three. For example, have your assistant send out an email the very next day after your networking event. Have a letter sent out the day after that and three days later have them follow up with a phone call to set an appointment for you.

6. Remember the Rule of 48. The Rule of 48 refers to the amount of time you have to follow up with a qualified prospect after you meet them before they forget why you are contacting them. In most cases, you have 48 hours to make the first contact or you can forget about it.

7. Plan for the long-term. Even though you usually only have 48 hours to start the follow up process, your law firm marketing plan should include specific ways you can stay connected to your leads, prospects, clients, and referral sources over the long-term. Whether it's a monthly newsletter, a quarterly phone call, or a legal update you send out. Once a semi-qualified person is on your list, institute a process to stay connected with them at least seven to ten times per year.

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June 8 Webinar on Getting to the Top of Google: The Power of Link Building for Lawyers

Join me on Wednesday, June 8 at 3 p.m. ET for a one-hour webinar on Getting to the Top of Google:The Power of Link Building for Lawyers.  I will share a little known secret of how hundreds of attorneys are rapidly increasing their website rankings in 90 to 120 days through building targeted links back to their websites.

In this 60-minute webinar, you will learn:

• One of the fastest ways to get your website blacklisted by Google (make this mistake at your own peril)
• Link building on the low down—building links on a shoestring budget
• What an “inbound link” is and why Google loves them
• The metric Google uses to determine if a link is good or worthless
• Why you should almost never pay for a link
• Selecting the right keywords to go after
• The benefits of being at the top of the rankings
• Which directories are worth paying for...and which ones are not
• The top 5 questions you must ask before you hire any link building company

To register for the one-hour webinar on Getting to the Top of Google: The Power of Link Building for Lawyers on Wednesday, June 8 at 3 pm ET, click here now.

This event will be presented live by phone with a web connection available for those wishing to view the presentation on their personal computers. Internet access is not required for phone-only participants. A copy of the presentation and downloadable materials will be provided after the event.
 

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Earlier this month I blogged about the secrets top Rainmakers use to fill their practice, gleaned from more than 10 years of working with small law firms and solo practitioners.  Here’s the next one:

Strategy 3.  Keep In Touch With Clients

The best source of referrals is often a satisfied client, but only if the client remembers you when one of their friends or colleagues needs your help. If you're like most attorneys, you have helped hundreds of people over the years, so staying connected to them every 4-8 weeks can be an overwhelming task. Here are a few tips we recommend for keeping in touch with your clients:

Use a contact management system. Have your assistant enter their contact info into a database program like InfusionsoftforAttorneys.com, ACT!, Goldmine or Salesforce.com. Information is only as useful as it is accessible.

Collect their email addresses. Add a place for their email addresses on your intake form.

Send out a "Keep In Touch" letter to former clients thanking them for the opportunity to serve them.

Conduct an Annual Client Satisfaction Survey. Ask clients what they liked most and least about your firm as well as what upcoming challenges you could assist them with.

Offer them a special report or "Top 10 Tips" sheet and request they update their contact information.

Send them practical, educational information every 4-6 weeks. Electronic newsletters, called E-newsletters, are the best way to stay connected. Make them short. Focus on informing, educating and adding value to your clients (do not turn this into a sales pitch). We recommend www.ConstantContact.com to manage your e-newsletter.

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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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Bing is betting we’d all like a little more help from our friends when it comes to search, so it has added even more Facebook into its search results in an effort to steer more search traffic from giant rival Google.

Microsoft, the owner of Bing and a minority owner in Facebook, thinks that making this data available in search will prove to be a large competitive advantage since Google does not have access to this data, and is unlikely to anytime soon.

To integrate your friends’ likes into your search results, you’ll need to let Bing access your Facebook account.  Then, every time you search, you’ll see which sites your friends have liked for that search term.  If you want to ask one of your friends a question, you click on their profile picture to send them a Facebook message. 

If you’re shopping on Bing and happen to be one of those people who likes input from others, you can post a photo of your choices to your Facebook wall and ask just one or all your friends what they think. 

There’s also a new Bing toolbar with a “universal Like button” that allows users to more easily “Like” a web page.  And if you’re looking for something in a particular city – say, Orlando hotels – images of your friends who live in the Orlando area will pop up, just in case you need to ask their opinion on your choices.

With social media becoming more integrated with search, it is even more important for attorneys to integrate social media into their law firm marketing programs.  The fact is, many attorneys cannot devote the time necessary to become educated about it, nor devote the time it takes to do it effectively.  This is why we developed the Rainmaker Automated Blogging and Social Media Program.  You can get new leads for your law firm through blogging and social media done for you, for one simple and affordable monthly investment.

The Rainmaker Institute will develop, maintain, manage, track and measure your blogging and social media program across multiple platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, JDSupra, Avvo, YouTube and more. 

To learn more about the Rainmaker Automated Blogging and Social Media Program, click here.

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Get All the Law Firm Marketing Strategies You Need to Create A 7-figure Law Practice with Rainmaker In A Box: Volume 2!

Newly released!  Rainmaker in a Box: Volume 2 includes:

8 Proven Steps for More & Better Referrals
Discover the proven step-by-step system used to double your referrals from current and former clients and how to build a network of strategic referral partners. Top attorneys have used this exact system to double their referrals in 6 months or less!

7 Strategies to Recession Proof Your Law Firm
Watch and learn as I walk you through the specific strategies top lawyers are using to increase their revenues in this tough economy-and it doesn’t include reducing their fees!

6 Keys to Unlocking the Secrets of Social Media
Social media has emerged as the fastest way to build a massive platform of prospects! I pull back the curtain and let you in on little known secrets of how attorneys are generating dozens of leads every month from social media.

5 Core Components for Highly Successful Websites & Blogs
Stephen Fairley's interview with nationally recognized personal injury attorney John Bisnar on how his law firm uses search engine optimization and internet marketing to drive tens of thousands of unique visitors every month to his 30 websites and 10 blogs. Discover proven techniques for converting website visitors into paying clients.

Data DVD: 
Includes all 4 PowerPoint slides for all 4 presentations. We recommend you print all these off and take notes on them as you experience these information-packed DVDs!

***For Blog Readers, Facebook Friends, Twitter Followers and LinkedIn Connections – we are offering you a $50 discount for Volume 2 and a $100 discount for both Volume 1 and Volume 2 because of your social media presence with The Rainmaker Institute.

Click here now to order!
 

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Referrals continue to play a huge part in new business for attorneys because they are based on trust, and trust is based on the customer experience.
 
People will forget what you tell them. They may even forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
 
One of my employees recently had an experience that illustrates this powerful marketing principle beautifully.  She relates...

"I went to the dermatologist the other day for my annual skin scan, a necessary evil when you live in Arizona.  As usual, I was handed several forms to update my medical records.  The receptionist also handed me another piece of paper and asked me to read it as I waited for the doctor, telling me it was mine to keep.

"I didn’t keep the paper, but I can’t quite forget what was written on it.  First, it was clear the doctor had written it himself.  My doctor has quite a personality, and it shone through immediately.  It was typed with no capitalization and haphazard grammar – clearly not a professional writing job – and it looked as if it had been Xeroxed a thousand times.

"The gist of his message was this:  There are circumstances when I will have to take a piece of your skin for a biopsy.  Your insurance company requires that we send it to their preferred lab, where results are read by machine.  However, my preferred method is to send it to X Lab, where results are examined by medical technicians and shared with me.  This gives me the opportunity to confer directly with the biopsy specialist about your diagnosis.  I am ultimately the responsible medical party for your health, and this provides me with the comfort of knowing I have obtained the most accurate diagnosis.  You should know that your insurance company may charge you a bit more for using X Lab since it is not their policy to use X Lab as a preferred vendor, but it is my policy to obtain the most accurate diagnosis.

"I was unbelievably impressed by this.  I did not care one whit that any biopsy may have cost me a little more out-of-pocket.  But I did care a lot that my doctor explained this to me in a way that clearly demonstrated his top priority was my health.  If anyone I know ever needs a referral to a dermatologist, this guy is certainly at the top of my list!"

What does this have to do with law firm marketing?  This story is a perfect illustration of how doing something simple to build trust and a relationship with clients can come back to you many times over in new client referrals and repeat business. 

If your clients spend time waiting at your office, consider handing them something to read that will reinforce their trust in you and help you build that referral relationship.  When’s the last time a magazine did that for you?

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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!)
• 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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It wasn’t too long ago that attorneys who merely had a website stood out for that reason alone.  However, that is no longer the case as more and more law firms are waking up to the incredible power the Internet has to help them attract clients.

So what can you do to stand out online in a way that will bring you more and better clients?  Here are some tips:

Create a website that zeroes in on your ideal clients. Don't make the common mistake of trying to be everything to every person. People don't want to work with a generalist. They want to trust specialists. When it comes to marketing your law firm online, focus is critical to your success.

Give website visitors a reason to visit you. Every law firm's website has a place for a free consultation. How boring! That's simply not enough to attract someone's attention. Instead, offer an incentive for paying you a visit – start with that free consultation, but then partner with another local business to offer something of value for every visit.  What divorcing woman couldn’t use a spa treatment?

If you have multiple practice areas, develop a micro-site for each one. Again, focus is key here. For example, a personal injury lawyer may have a practice specific website for: SUV rollovers, construction accidents, dog bites, and automobile accidents.

Have your content speak your target’s language. Please remember, writing for the Internet is not the same as writing a legal brief. My recommendation is to hire a professional copywriter who has experience writing for law firms.

Work with an SEO firm. Search engine optimization is the technical process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to your law firm's website. Once you have developed your website into exactly the format you want, you can begin using online legal marketing strategies to market it. 
Make sure they have experience in the highly competitive field of legal marketing.

Submit educational articles to online directories. There are hundreds of places online where you can submit articles for prospective clients for free.  At the very least, post helpful guides on legal directory sites like Avvo and JD Supra, sites that spend much more than you are ever likely to invest to drive traffic to their sites -- use their marketing muscle to expose your expertise to potential clients.

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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!)
• 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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