How to Put Law & Order into Marketing Your Legal Practice
First in a series of three articles Regardless of your law firm's focus ? criminal, civil, corporate, family, business, etc. ? the greatest challenge most small to mid-size firms face is the lack of a strategic and disciplined approach to business development. Relying on referrals does not a strategy make! And waiting to get serious about marketing until that major case is wrapped up is way too late. Whether you're frustrated with past marketing efforts that have been expensive, time-consuming, and haven't paid off?or you think you can't afford to take a sophisticated, results-driven approach to business development like the big firms do, guess again. While your firm may not have its own in-house marketing expert on staff or the generous marketing budgets that the larger firms enjoy, you can systematically and affordably attract more clients than you ever thought possible. It just takes a thoughtful strategy that leverages the laws of marketing, and an ordered approach to stay on track. Laws of Marketing First and foremost, marketing is NOT about brochures, websites, advertising or cold calls. These things may or may not be tools that make sense for your firm, once you've leveraged the laws of marketing. There are two basic laws of marketing1 that must be mastered by professional service providers who want to stop wasting time and money on ineffective marketing efforts. They are: 1. Build your base (carefully craft your message) 2. Reach out to your market (build and nurture relationships) Here's a quick look at what each of these laws requires? Build Your Base. This law means spending thoughtful time defining your firm's niche, developing language that grabs your prospects' attention, articulating what makes your firm stand out from other firms offering the same services, demonstrating your value, and illustrating your firm's authority to deliver better than all other choices. Unfortunately, 90% of professional service firms ignore the law of "build your base" and rush to communicate about their firm without a carefully articulated message. This leaves your target audience unconvinced or, at best, confused about how your firm can serve them better than all others vying for their attention. Invest a little time in building your firm's base, and you'll be ahead of most of your competitors. Reach Out to Your Market. This law involves developing and implementing a system of strategies to build and sustain relationships with your target market and current clients. They are executed both offline and online. They are done systematically and repeatedly. They work in synergy to create an unstoppable buzz and attraction to your firm that takes on a desirable life of its own, once you've put them in place.
These strategies include things like networking, direct outreach (personal or mass mail), PR, articles and speaking, keep-in-touch systems, using technology to attract, develop, and retain relationships; tapping centers of influence, developing joint ventures, launching a client relationship strategy, using a customer creation system, pursuing a relationship selling strategy, introducing a win-win fee strategy, and developing next-level strategies for current clients. Orderly Conduct This is the hard part for most law firms...making marketing happen is a function of carving out the time from precious billable hours - not an easy task! However, you can do it, especially if you take a disciplined and orderly approach to staying on track. This means you have to? Get focused. Schedule a meeting with key decision-makers in your firm to discuss making a commitment to marketing. You don't have to make any major decisions at this first meeting, except determine how much time you can commit weekly to your firm's marketing efforts. Start small (2 hours per person) and put it in your schedules. Then schedule your next marketing meeting to discuss the results of your homework, the attached Are You Ready for a TurningPointe? marketing assessment! Get organized. Use the results of the marketing assessment to stimulate discussion about where to start. At this point, if you've not done market strategy and planning before, call in an expert. It'll save you lots of time in the end, since you'll START with a strategic marketing plan that makes sense for your firm and is realistic to implement. Some basics to consider when developing your plan include: ? Keep it simple; don't take on too much at once. Spread out your deadlines. ? Identify a mix of short-term, easily implemented goals and longer-term, harder-to-implement goals. Build in some quick "wins" for an immediate return on your investment. ? Prioritize but be flexible; be willing to change dates or put things on hold when other marketing priorities make sense (which means you don't stop, you just shift). ? Identify the obstacles (people, time, money, lack of expertise, etc.) that could derail you and plan tasks for how to overcome them. ? Plan for how to make marketing a reward, not a punishment. Build in rewards for people who take time from billable hours to market. Stay on track. At a minimum, guard one hour every week for a status check on your marketing plan ? even if you're a solo practitioner, that means making an appointment with yourself! The mere act of focused thinking or discussion about marketing every week will make an enormous difference in your ability to attract more clients. Once you have a smart plan in place that's realistic (see Get Organized, above), all you have to do is focus on taking one step at a time, then another, and another. Each small marketing task builds momentum and before you know it, you've implemented a major goal. The key is to keep moving?or if you stop, get restarted. It also helps to have "accountability" to an outside party, who keeps you on track through regular telephone and in-person coaching sessions. The Defense Rests So your practice has a stellar track record of client victories, you do good work that you care about, and you know your contribution makes a positive difference in the lives of your clients. What if you could reach more clients than you ever thought possible with all that you offer? Apply the laws of marketing through an ordered plan of action that keeps you on track, and you will. Case closed. References 1 Middleton, R. Laws of Marketing TeleClass. Action Plan Marketing, Inc. 2003. (c) 2004 TurningPointe Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved.
Marketing educator, Kelly O'Brien, is creator of the "Create a
TurningPointe!" Marketing Bootcamp. To learn more about this step-by-step
program, and to sign up for FREE how-to articles and 20-page marketing
guide, visit http://www.turningpointemarketing.com
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Freebie Seekers? Turn Them Into Clients and Referrers - or Turn them Far, Far Away
Many service business owners these days are
"giving away" their business services ? and then
wonder why people aren't hiring them in droves. In
the name of "marketing," business owners are
providing way too much information for free. Some
shifts in thinking are necessary if these business
owners expect to be in business years from now.
Even trained coaches, I believe, do too much
pro-bono work. Why? They say that they need to
practice, but the bottom line, IMO, is that they
don't value their gifts.
Where to Find New Customers Using B2B Direct Mail
The challenge in business-to-business direct mail is knowing where to look for new business. You need a source of potential new clients that is reliable and affordable. A source that will give you the contact information you need to send a direct mail package to prospective customers who need, want and can afford what you offer.
Website Marketing: 10 Uncommon Bonuses That Will Help Make Your Product Hotly In Demand
Giving away free bonuses is an important website
marketing secret that can ignite your sales.
Pre-Cleaning and Updating Addresses in Your Database
When you send a direct mail piece using the Addressed Admail reduced postage option, it can cost you anywhere from 60 cents to $1.25 or more for printing, mail production and postage. Items that cannot be delivered will be "recycled" by Canada Post resulting in your money going down the drain. Not only that, without updating your database you will continue to spend money on undeliverable advertising.
5 Steps to Success: A Surefire Way to Achieve Your Goals
No doubt you started this year with some big
ideas about what you wanted to accomplish.
I know I did!
The Easiest Small Business Direct Marketing Tip You?ll Ever Get
This really and truly is the easiest (and most profitable) small business direct marketing tip you'll ever get.
And when I say easy? I really mean EASY.
Sage Advice from a Marketing Expert!
An international hair-cutting chain opened a new store directly across the street from the small town's only barbershop owned and operated by a man affectionately known to the locals as 'ol'Joe'.
Secret of Strategy - Part 1
I'll bet you think you already have a strategy.
Mail Can Make You Money
Are you still waiting for business to turn around before you start direct mail marketing? Waiting around won't get you any business. The time to start is now.
Gift Cards - Is It Time to Use Them for My Business?
You're probably thinking, here we go again somebody is trying to sell me something that I really don't need. I'm sure it will benefit them, but will it benefit me? Firstly let me say that my company, Solutions Ink does sell gift and loyalty cards. The market out there while huge is certainly not for anyone. Who then are these cards good for?
The Top Ten Ways to Get Beyond Networking And Generate Cash-Building Exposure
Gain the exposure you need to succeed with these ten tips:
Peddling Your Own Wagon Through Local Exposure
In my e-book "Articles That Sell", I've shared the secret of marketing your business on the Internet. If you've been active in your efforts, you've been writing and publishing free reprint articles.
The Beginners Mail Order Opportunity Guide
The "Mail Order" business is not a business of itself, but isanother way of DOING business. Mail Order is nothing more or lessthan selling a product or service via advertising and the offersyou send out by mail. Therefore, to start and succeed in a mail order business of your own, you need just as much, and in some cases, more business than you would need in any other mode of business.
Two kinds of Advertising for a Marketing Strategy
Advertising is the lifeblood of any business. If you do not
learn how to advertise your products and services both
efficiently and effectively, you won't be in business long.
While the Internet has lessened or eliminated many of the
costs normally associated with starting and running a small
business, and it's now easier than ever, you'll never
realize significant profits if you don't grow your business
through effective marketing.
Read Your Markets Mind - 3 Great Market Research Resources
Starting a new online business, developing a new product,
launching a new marketing campaign, buying advertising
can all depend on how well you are able to research your
market.
Lessons From a Six Year Old
My 6 year old daughter Emily knows exactly what she wants to be when she grows up. Two weeks ago she knew that she wanted to be a teacher. Last week she knew that she wanted to be an Olympic swimmer. This week she knows that she wants to be a professional singer.
Signage for Mobile Car Wash Vehicles
If you are in the mobile car wash business and you should be. Then you know that your clean work vehicles is your best piece of advertising. But what type of signage should you put on it? Your work vehicles will be very visible in the parking lots while you are working. It will be seen all day long as it is driven around town and when it is parked and you are working. The truck should be used as a sales tool. This brings us to the topic of signage on the van or truck. How can we sell car washes, recruit new customers and at the same time provide a proper image for our customers and the corporations where we clean cars at?
Global Market in the Cyber world?Go and Get It !
With the Internet opening up the doorway to the global market, everybody is up and running to reap the maximum benefit of this widely used medium. Not only has Internet gained importance as an important medium of communication but also has given a platform to thousands of people to nurture their entrepreneurship and realize their dreams of self-employment.
4 Ways to Get a Prospects Attention Fast
Can you remember the last dozen advertising messages beamed at you today? Can you remember even one of them? Most people can't.
Down To The Wire
When you want to win and woo new clients with national publicity -- and don't have an enormous budget to distribute your message -- turn to the news wires. But first, be sure you're telling a story that's worth printing.
|
