Until I facilitated and spoke about branding at two different lawyer events last week, I wasn't convinced the word "brand" was a relevant concept for lawyers. I didn't even think it worked very well for law firms. While the word reputation seemed more accessible, brand seemed a very amorphous concept that marketing consultants push, with law firms re-branding by changing their logo, colors, tag line and web design. Working through preparation and discussions last week, however, persuaded me that the concept of a "brand" has relevance and value for lawyers.
Brand and branding have hundreds of different definitions. It's easiest for me to think of a brand as the essence or promise of what will be delivered or experienced.
Consistency
Lawyers shoud have a personal brand in the sense that you should figure out what the consistent experiences and expectations are that people have with you as a lawyer and what you want them to be. Ideally you want them aligned.
Lawyers don't need to have a personal brand in the sense of something you describe to someone else. You don't have to be able to tell a prospective client your "brand identity." It isn't a question people ask each other.
For example, Nike doesn't say action, athleticism, performance, excellence and success are its brand. But those are words that capture the essence of Nike athletic apparel and the image that Nike conveys in its marketing. By making sure that its products live up to this image, Nike maintains its brand and the consumer knows what he or she will receive every single time he or she purchases a Nike product.
Capture the Essence
Like Nike, Apple or McDonald's, consider what words capture the essence of you as a lawyer and the consistent experience you want people to have with you as their lawyer. Those words won't necessarily appear in your tag line, elevator speech, website bio, LinkedIn profile, introductions when you speak or author notes when you write an article. But self-reflection will better focus you on your strengths and core values as a lawyer, the services you offer, your reputation, image, style, real interests and fit with your best clients. You will have more clarity on who you are as a lawyer and the consistent experience you provide for your clients.
The Compelling You
With this clarity you can create a more compelling website or website bio instead of using the same buzz words as every other law firm. You can rework your self-introduction to sound more like you. You can write a better personal business plan for 2012 or speak more confidently and directly during your next evaluation.
The clarity and focus will help because you will realize what you do well, what is important to you, how you connect with your clients and colleagues and why they keep coming back to you.
After you identify your brand, you can build brand awareness by raising your visibility and name recognition. Become known by your target market and potential referral sources for the consistency of the services and experiences you provide.
Results
Getting focused and clear on your brand helps you attract more business, advance professionally and have more control over your day, practice and career. Regardless of whether you are in a law firm, corporation, government or elsewhere, a new lawyer or an experienced one, identifying your brand is time well spent.
If you are ready for coaching on branding, please contact me.
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Solo Lawyers: Build a Strategic Network
If your network consists mostly of lawyers who offer the same legal services you offer, your network may not work for you, at least not for getting new clients.
Look at the lawyers in your network and also where your work comes from. Are occasional referrals due to conflicts frequent enough to justify your time? Think about where you can get the greatest return on your time and provide the most value to others who might help you in return.
I know hundreds of solo lawyers who know and hang out with lots of other lawyers who do exactly what they do. ie. criminal defense, family law, consumer bankruptcy, estate planning, probate, personal injury, plaintiffs' employment and immigration. They get to know each other through state and local bar sections, continuing legal education classes, etc. These lawyers have similar interests and common challenges but they don't have many opportunities or reasons to refer much business to each other.
If the above sounds familiar and you would like more business from your network, here are three strategies for boosting your lawyer referrals:
1. Develop meaningful relationships with lawyers who practice in a different area of the law. Get to know these lawyers, help them and become the lawyer to whom they refer all inquiries they receive in your niche practice area. You can start by seeking out and meeting these lawyers at networking events instead of standing around talking to your friends/competitors.
2. Develop meaningful relationships with key lawyers and other people who frequently receive inquiries about lawyer referrals. How do you spot these people? They may be people seen as leaders in the local legal community or perceived as having a vast knowledge of it, and other people with extensive networks. They know lots of lawyers who practice in your niche. To receive their referrals you will have to stand out. You have to earn their trust and respect as a lawyer in your niche, and in general as a professional and personally. Knowing them is not enough.
3. Develop meaningful relationships with lawyers outside of your geographic region and become their contact person for any legal issue in your region. You can then make referrals for these lawyers and they will always think of you regardless of the legal practice area involved. Sooner or later you will get clients through them and from the lawyers to whom you refer the other legal work.
Networking is really relationship building and that takes time. Build your relationships more strategically and you will develop more business. The sooner you start, the sooner you will see results.
If you are ready for coaching on building a more strategic network, please contact me.
Look at the lawyers in your network and also where your work comes from. Are occasional referrals due to conflicts frequent enough to justify your time? Think about where you can get the greatest return on your time and provide the most value to others who might help you in return.
I know hundreds of solo lawyers who know and hang out with lots of other lawyers who do exactly what they do. ie. criminal defense, family law, consumer bankruptcy, estate planning, probate, personal injury, plaintiffs' employment and immigration. They get to know each other through state and local bar sections, continuing legal education classes, etc. These lawyers have similar interests and common challenges but they don't have many opportunities or reasons to refer much business to each other.
If the above sounds familiar and you would like more business from your network, here are three strategies for boosting your lawyer referrals:
1. Develop meaningful relationships with lawyers who practice in a different area of the law. Get to know these lawyers, help them and become the lawyer to whom they refer all inquiries they receive in your niche practice area. You can start by seeking out and meeting these lawyers at networking events instead of standing around talking to your friends/competitors.
2. Develop meaningful relationships with key lawyers and other people who frequently receive inquiries about lawyer referrals. How do you spot these people? They may be people seen as leaders in the local legal community or perceived as having a vast knowledge of it, and other people with extensive networks. They know lots of lawyers who practice in your niche. To receive their referrals you will have to stand out. You have to earn their trust and respect as a lawyer in your niche, and in general as a professional and personally. Knowing them is not enough.
3. Develop meaningful relationships with lawyers outside of your geographic region and become their contact person for any legal issue in your region. You can then make referrals for these lawyers and they will always think of you regardless of the legal practice area involved. Sooner or later you will get clients through them and from the lawyers to whom you refer the other legal work.
Networking is really relationship building and that takes time. Build your relationships more strategically and you will develop more business. The sooner you start, the sooner you will see results.
If you are ready for coaching on building a more strategic network, please contact me.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Social Media, Stereotyping Strengths and Horn Blowing
The ABA Journal published an article discussing whether Web 2.0 plays to women's "strengths" more than men's.
Based on my 22 years in the legal profession, I agree that generally women are less comfortable blowing their own horn than some men seem to be. I don't agree with a view that women are better at building and nurturing relationships and that they are better at using social media to do so.
In fact, I don't see a lot of lawyers using social media to build strong personal relationships. I see lawyers using it to raise their credibility and visibility which is wonderful, but this is not the same as actually establishing and maintaining personal relationships.
Social media is a doorway to relationships but many lawyers stand on the threshold without ever saying hello. For example, if you typically send a LinkedIn request without a personalized message, you are doing exactly what I'm talking about.
Using social media like LinkedIn, blogs and Twitter, plus websites, to provide value, stay in touch and demonstrate knowledge and expertise, increases your credibility and raises your visibility. Regardless of whether you are a female or male lawyer, using social media to do so is often a lower key, more comfortable way to stay visible and/or toot your own horn than sending personal success story emails or walking the halls pounding your own chest.
Why not give it a try?
If you are interested in coaching to enhance your credibility, raise your visibility, develop stronger relationships and bring in more business, please contact me.
Based on my 22 years in the legal profession, I agree that generally women are less comfortable blowing their own horn than some men seem to be. I don't agree with a view that women are better at building and nurturing relationships and that they are better at using social media to do so.
In fact, I don't see a lot of lawyers using social media to build strong personal relationships. I see lawyers using it to raise their credibility and visibility which is wonderful, but this is not the same as actually establishing and maintaining personal relationships.
Social media is a doorway to relationships but many lawyers stand on the threshold without ever saying hello. For example, if you typically send a LinkedIn request without a personalized message, you are doing exactly what I'm talking about.
Using social media like LinkedIn, blogs and Twitter, plus websites, to provide value, stay in touch and demonstrate knowledge and expertise, increases your credibility and raises your visibility. Regardless of whether you are a female or male lawyer, using social media to do so is often a lower key, more comfortable way to stay visible and/or toot your own horn than sending personal success story emails or walking the halls pounding your own chest.
Why not give it a try?
If you are interested in coaching to enhance your credibility, raise your visibility, develop stronger relationships and bring in more business, please contact me.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Lawyer Marketing & Business Development: Be Strategic
When I was a first year associate, and for a hundred years thereafter, the common school of thought on business development for lawyers in firms was "learn to be a good lawyer and the work will come." Sometime later lawyers started to advise associates to get involved in an organization or two as an extra curricular activity for marketing and business development purposes.
Rarely, however, did experienced partners advise younger lawyers in firms how and why to be strategic about business development. Rarely did, or do, they talk with them about how people find and hire lawyers, or how and why business might develop from extra curricular activities.
Therefore, associates across the country joined local alumni groups, junior chambers of commerce, women's groups, athletic clubs, etc., without a clue as to how legal work might come their way as a result. And, as a result, they spent a lot of time in those groups without ever getting much legal work.
The main mistake was the lawyers' lack of strategy about who and why people might hire them. They never thought about who they wanted calling them or referring a client to them.
Such lawyers never created a strategic plan that (1) identified a target market of potential clients and referral sources, and (2) laid out how they would reach that target market. Instead, they spent their extra time networking without a plan, hoping that someone they knew would someday need their services or know someone who did.
Granted, lawyers in general, within and outside of firms, are much more sophisticated now in terms of marketing and business development than 22 or even 5 years ago. But I find that many lawyers still do not approach marketing and business development with a clear idea of who they want to hire them and how that market will know of them when they need their services.
People do business with people they know, like and trust. People hire lawyers they know, like and trust. But being known, liked and trusted is not enough to develop business. To get retained as a lawyer, you have to be known, liked and trusted by the people who will need your services or refer you legal work in your practice area.
You can be highly admired and incredibly valuable in your local alumni group but if no one in the group is likely to ever need a commercial litigator or business tax lawyer, or know someone who does, do not consider your involvement to be business development and marketing. It may be an important part of your personal plan, but it is not part of your business development plan.
If you want coaching to create and implement a strategic marketing and business development plan that works for you, please contact me.
Rarely, however, did experienced partners advise younger lawyers in firms how and why to be strategic about business development. Rarely did, or do, they talk with them about how people find and hire lawyers, or how and why business might develop from extra curricular activities.
Therefore, associates across the country joined local alumni groups, junior chambers of commerce, women's groups, athletic clubs, etc., without a clue as to how legal work might come their way as a result. And, as a result, they spent a lot of time in those groups without ever getting much legal work.
The main mistake was the lawyers' lack of strategy about who and why people might hire them. They never thought about who they wanted calling them or referring a client to them.
Such lawyers never created a strategic plan that (1) identified a target market of potential clients and referral sources, and (2) laid out how they would reach that target market. Instead, they spent their extra time networking without a plan, hoping that someone they knew would someday need their services or know someone who did.
Granted, lawyers in general, within and outside of firms, are much more sophisticated now in terms of marketing and business development than 22 or even 5 years ago. But I find that many lawyers still do not approach marketing and business development with a clear idea of who they want to hire them and how that market will know of them when they need their services.
People do business with people they know, like and trust. People hire lawyers they know, like and trust. But being known, liked and trusted is not enough to develop business. To get retained as a lawyer, you have to be known, liked and trusted by the people who will need your services or refer you legal work in your practice area.
You can be highly admired and incredibly valuable in your local alumni group but if no one in the group is likely to ever need a commercial litigator or business tax lawyer, or know someone who does, do not consider your involvement to be business development and marketing. It may be an important part of your personal plan, but it is not part of your business development plan.
If you want coaching to create and implement a strategic marketing and business development plan that works for you, please contact me.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
New Associates in Law Firms: Year 1 Business Development Plan
"People do business with people they know, like and trust." Successful franchises survive on this maxim because they are known to consistently provide a good quality product or service. In fact, most successful businesses depend on this principle, including successful lawyers, financial advisors and pediatricians, barbers, hair colorists and babysitters.
Last week I worked with new associates in law firms about how to use this principle to form a basic business development plan for their first year as a lawyer. We talked about the following elements of a plan:
1. Your Reputation (in marketing terms a.k.a. your "brand"): decide now what you want your reputation to be inside and outside of your firm by the end of 2011 and what specific steps you will take to develop that reputation. Be as specific as possible when defining your ideal reputation for your first year and how you will achieve it.
2. Your Network: identify ways to strengthen your existing relationships, rekindle former relationships and establish new ones - - inside and outside of your firm, personal as well as professional.
3. Marketing: learn ways to appropriately let people know what you do as a lawyer. This can include in person, on your business card, through your profile and status bars on LinkedIn, Facebook or other social media, your bio on the firm website, your email signature block, information at the end of your articles, etc. For example, even as a brand new associate, you should practice a brief self-introduction, a.k.a. an elevator speech. Know what services you and/or your firm offer and the types of clients with whom you work. In other words, know how you and your firm help and who benefits.
Just as you should with respect to developing your legal knowledge and substantive skills as a lawyer, watch and learn about business development from lawyers you admire.
You will probably hear and learn that there is no secret formula or a sure thing when it comes to getting clients and developing business. But credibility and visibility are two keys to generating business. So start taking steps to become known, liked and trusted inside and outside of your firm. It's a great time to start.
If you are interested in coaching to get started now, please contact me.
Last week I worked with new associates in law firms about how to use this principle to form a basic business development plan for their first year as a lawyer. We talked about the following elements of a plan:
1. Your Reputation (in marketing terms a.k.a. your "brand"): decide now what you want your reputation to be inside and outside of your firm by the end of 2011 and what specific steps you will take to develop that reputation. Be as specific as possible when defining your ideal reputation for your first year and how you will achieve it.
2. Your Network: identify ways to strengthen your existing relationships, rekindle former relationships and establish new ones - - inside and outside of your firm, personal as well as professional.
3. Marketing: learn ways to appropriately let people know what you do as a lawyer. This can include in person, on your business card, through your profile and status bars on LinkedIn, Facebook or other social media, your bio on the firm website, your email signature block, information at the end of your articles, etc. For example, even as a brand new associate, you should practice a brief self-introduction, a.k.a. an elevator speech. Know what services you and/or your firm offer and the types of clients with whom you work. In other words, know how you and your firm help and who benefits.
Just as you should with respect to developing your legal knowledge and substantive skills as a lawyer, watch and learn about business development from lawyers you admire.
You will probably hear and learn that there is no secret formula or a sure thing when it comes to getting clients and developing business. But credibility and visibility are two keys to generating business. So start taking steps to become known, liked and trusted inside and outside of your firm. It's a great time to start.
If you are interested in coaching to get started now, please contact me.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Holiday Parties: Go With a Purpose and a Plan Even If . . .
Networking Survival Tip for Lawyers this Holiday Season: go with a purpose and a plan even if it is a purely social and non work related party.
If you just want to relax, have a good time and talk with your friends, that is your purpose and your plan. Permit yourself to do just that and you will. You will be guilt-free and relaxed.
Similarly, if you are going to a work-related party that you will log as business development time, know your purpose for attending and how you will achieve it. Maybe you want to catch up with five people you haven't seen in a while. Perhaps you want to meet three potential referral sources. How about a new client as a result of attending this party? By going with a purpose and a plan, you will spend your time more effectively and you will be that much closer to getting what you want.
Another word of advice - - only ask for a business card from people you actually connected with and enjoyed meeting. If you can't imagine ever having coffee with someone, sending them an email, or putting them together with someone else, save yourself time and angst afterwards. You don't have to get their card.
If you just want to relax, have a good time and talk with your friends, that is your purpose and your plan. Permit yourself to do just that and you will. You will be guilt-free and relaxed.
Similarly, if you are going to a work-related party that you will log as business development time, know your purpose for attending and how you will achieve it. Maybe you want to catch up with five people you haven't seen in a while. Perhaps you want to meet three potential referral sources. How about a new client as a result of attending this party? By going with a purpose and a plan, you will spend your time more effectively and you will be that much closer to getting what you want.
Another word of advice - - only ask for a business card from people you actually connected with and enjoyed meeting. If you can't imagine ever having coffee with someone, sending them an email, or putting them together with someone else, save yourself time and angst afterwards. You don't have to get their card.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Business Development for Lawyers: Real Life Examples of Successful Behaviors
Lawyer Patrick provides value first every day. He does this for clients, prospective clients, referral sources and potential referral sources. He doesn't keep score and he doesn't expect anything in return. He goes out of his way to help people. This practice philosophy took time to begin paying off but now it always pays off in engagements, referrals, information or other opportunities. Sooner or later it always pays off.
Lawyer Anya engages with her target market at least twice a week. She has coffee or lunch with people in her target market and attends other events for them. She provides information and puts people together for their own benefit. She looks for and creates opportunities to help her target market. She is increasing her visibility and building her credibility in that market. It took well over a year but now she regularly gets new clients from her efforts, and she can track the clients to those efforts.
Lawyer Karla approaches every day with a business development attitude and belief that she can succeed in getting more clients. She is in court several times a week. She always sees and looks forward to the opportunity to be a great lawyer for her clients in the courtroom. She always sees and looks forward to the effect that has on her reputation in the courthouse. She always looks forward to meeting new people while she is there. She has the same philosophy in situations beyond the courthouse. Her confidence and success attitude, combined with her open, friendly way with people, create opportunities for people to approach her, seek her help or at least want to get to know her. She gets referrals from her clients and from other people who meet and see her in action in the court. She also gets referrals from other professionals and friends who know of her client relationship skills and her courtroom skills.
Of course, these lawyers have other components in their marketing and business development plans. But these three examples demonstrate how choosing and commiting to a behavior, and doing it over and over and over again, leads to success.
What new behavior would you like to establish? What will lead to your success? If you would like coaching to get you there faster, please contact me.
Lawyer Anya engages with her target market at least twice a week. She has coffee or lunch with people in her target market and attends other events for them. She provides information and puts people together for their own benefit. She looks for and creates opportunities to help her target market. She is increasing her visibility and building her credibility in that market. It took well over a year but now she regularly gets new clients from her efforts, and she can track the clients to those efforts.
Lawyer Karla approaches every day with a business development attitude and belief that she can succeed in getting more clients. She is in court several times a week. She always sees and looks forward to the opportunity to be a great lawyer for her clients in the courtroom. She always sees and looks forward to the effect that has on her reputation in the courthouse. She always looks forward to meeting new people while she is there. She has the same philosophy in situations beyond the courthouse. Her confidence and success attitude, combined with her open, friendly way with people, create opportunities for people to approach her, seek her help or at least want to get to know her. She gets referrals from her clients and from other people who meet and see her in action in the court. She also gets referrals from other professionals and friends who know of her client relationship skills and her courtroom skills.
Of course, these lawyers have other components in their marketing and business development plans. But these three examples demonstrate how choosing and commiting to a behavior, and doing it over and over and over again, leads to success.
What new behavior would you like to establish? What will lead to your success? If you would like coaching to get you there faster, please contact me.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Elevator Speeches & Lawyers
What is an elevator speech and why do you need one as a lawyer? Never mind why it's called an elevator speech, just remember two things:
- It is a short, memorable description of what you do and who you do it for.
- It is a marketing tool.
You need to have it ready for any time you meet someone new and they ask what you do. You also use it when you introduce yourself in front of a group.
Focus on the benefits you provide. To preclude snap judgments about lawyers and generate interest, focus on the benefits or results you provide and for whom. For example, when asked what you do, you could say "I am a tax lawyer". A more meaningful answer might be "I help small businesses reduce their taxes and be more profitable. I am a tax lawyer."
Connect with your audience. To be more memorable, take your listeners into account and, if applicable, adapt your description to them. For example, "I help small businesses like yours reduce their taxes and be more profitable." An estate planning lawyer could say to a new parent "I help new parents get at least a little more sleep by getting plans in place and having peace of mind. I am an estate planning lawyer."
Have energy. If you are bored with your own introduction, your audience will be too. If you don't believe in what you do, your audience won't either. Find the words that work for you, practice them with other people, and then try them. It's natural to keep revising your introduction until you are really comfortable. To keep from trailing off and keep your energy up, keep it short.
Hint: to find your energy and the words that work best for you, consider what you like most about what you do for your clients.
The keys are keeping it short, simple and descriptive - the benefits of what you do and for whom.
Contact me for a single coaching call to develop and practice your self-introduction. elizabeth@yourbenchmarkcoach.com or 734-663-7905.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Marketing 101 For Lawyers Without a Marketing Plan
Here are marketing basics I discussed with a group of 12 mediators-in-training today. The group was a mix of lawyers, educators, accountants, business people and others, all of whom had loosely formed ideas about how they want to use their mediator skills. Our time was limited to one hour. As we talked they filled out their worksheet with information that made sense to them personally.
If you keep meaning to put together a marketing plan, but never get around to it, limit yourself to 15 minutes right now and use this outline. The bullet points are just ideas to get you thinking.
Even if you are way beyond Marketing 101, take a fresh look at who you want as clients and ask yourself how you can sharpen your focus. Take a fresh look at your tactics and your tools and ask yourself how you can be more effective.
I. Your Target Market - Who Do You Want To Reach?
If you keep meaning to put together a marketing plan, but never get around to it, limit yourself to 15 minutes right now and use this outline. The bullet points are just ideas to get you thinking.
Even if you are way beyond Marketing 101, take a fresh look at who you want as clients and ask yourself how you can sharpen your focus. Take a fresh look at your tactics and your tools and ask yourself how you can be more effective.
I. Your Target Market - Who Do You Want To Reach?
- Who needs your services?
- What kinds of people or situations do you like to service?
- Where do you already have opportunities, a lot of connections, a knowledge base, or a reputation? (i.e. Based on your work history, education, extra curricular activities, family, etc.)
II. Your Marketing Tactics - How Will You Reach Your Market?
- Networking through personal contacts, associations, etc. related to your target market?
- Referral sources (list them by name and/or by occupation)?
- Online technology (website, blog, email, e-newsletters, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.)?
- Writing and/or public speaking?
- Advertising?
- Low tech, low cost placement of marketing material (community bulletin boards, etc.)?
III. Your Marketing Tools - What Will You Use?
- Register your name as a domain name. Even if you don't use it, no one else can.
- Create a Google profile for yourself.
- Business cards.
- LinkedIn - a simple, no cost way to start a professional presence on the web.
- Prepare a 30 second elevator speech.
- Website
- Blog
- Brochures
Choose marketing tactics and marketing tools that fit you. Put your plan in writing. It's not a plan unless it's in writing. Go with your strengths, stay focused on your target market, and get started by taking one small action step and then another and another . . . . The key is to stay focused on your target market.
If you would like coaching to develop a marketing plan that works for you, please contact me.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Effective Use of Social Media by Lawyers
Here is a link to Cherie Curry's article in the Detroit Legal News today on lawyers' use of social media. It includes a bit of advice and some common sense reminders, including a few comments from me and lawyers I know.
Detroit Legal News Article
Detroit Legal News Article
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Business Development for Lawyers: Why Pick a Niche?
Many of my lawyer clients are either working on identifying and selecting a niche practice or really developing and capitalizing on the one or two specialties and related target markets that already form a part of their legal practice. Some of the broad legal areas in which they practice include business litigation, estate planning, business tax, criminal defense, health law, family law, employee benefits, employment law, construction, mediation and other alternative dispute resolution, business transactions, corporate work, bankruptcy, insurance defense, banking, real estate, etc. But within those practice areas are specialties and niches where they can see, and are seizing, opportunities to develop a client base or expand their book of business.
I have found and witnessed that by developing a niche you can maximize your marketing efforts and resources. You can aim at and organize your marketing around the clients you really want and the services you most want to offer. You will use your time, money and energy much more efficiently and effectively than a haphazard, generalized and exhausting approach that makes you blend in rather than stand out.
Rather than going to numerous random, unrelated, interesting sounding yet ultimately unproductive networking events, spend your time at events involving the target market for your niche. Spend your time identifying and talking to people who are most likely to be good potential clients or good potential referral sources for your niche. Unless you are working on beefing up your credentials, or you get or believe you can get a lot of referrals from other lawyers, don't spend time educating other lawyers through articles or presentations. Focus your efforts and resources on your market niche. Write for and speak to your market.
I know the idea of selecting and developing a niche scares some lawyers, especially newer ones. They think they will lose out on business that might otherwise come to them. But by targeting the specific market niche you want to serve, you are focusing yourself to develop business and you are building a name - a brand - for yourself. If clients outside your niche show up on your doorstep, you can still decide whether to work with them.
If you would like coaching to pick and start developing a niche law practice, please contact me.
I have found and witnessed that by developing a niche you can maximize your marketing efforts and resources. You can aim at and organize your marketing around the clients you really want and the services you most want to offer. You will use your time, money and energy much more efficiently and effectively than a haphazard, generalized and exhausting approach that makes you blend in rather than stand out.
Rather than going to numerous random, unrelated, interesting sounding yet ultimately unproductive networking events, spend your time at events involving the target market for your niche. Spend your time identifying and talking to people who are most likely to be good potential clients or good potential referral sources for your niche. Unless you are working on beefing up your credentials, or you get or believe you can get a lot of referrals from other lawyers, don't spend time educating other lawyers through articles or presentations. Focus your efforts and resources on your market niche. Write for and speak to your market.
I know the idea of selecting and developing a niche scares some lawyers, especially newer ones. They think they will lose out on business that might otherwise come to them. But by targeting the specific market niche you want to serve, you are focusing yourself to develop business and you are building a name - a brand - for yourself. If clients outside your niche show up on your doorstep, you can still decide whether to work with them.
If you would like coaching to pick and start developing a niche law practice, please contact me.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Career Advice For Lawyers From LeBron James
Hate it or love it, it seems that NBA superstar LeBron James' decision yesterday to leave the Cavaliers and join the Miami Heat boils down to positioning himself to win NBA championships. He knows what he wants to achieve in his career and he knows he needs help to achieve his goal. He looked for teammates and an organization that he thinks will provide the best opportunity to succeed. He made a tough and controversial decision about his own career.
My theme here is not to encourage you to leave your place of employment. Rather, I encourage you to look at how you can best position yourself to get what you want in your career and then have the courage to take the actions to achieve your goals.
If you want to develop a specialty within your practice or firm, what do you have to do first (and then next and then after that), and whose support do you need?
If you want to work with more than just a handful of lawyers within your firm, what can you do about this and who can help you make it happen? If you have tried and failed, what can you do differently next time? How can you match your needs and interests with the firm's needs and interests?
If you want more referrals, how can you expand your network into more meaningful relationships? How can you first provide value to people who are in the best position to give you referrals? How can you make it easier for other people to think of you and remember what you do when they have an opportunity to make a referral?
If you want more clients, who is in your target market and how can you best position yourself in front of your target market? How can you let more potential clients know what legal services you offer? What can be your unique niche? How can you differentiate your legal services from other lawyers' services?
Instead of sitting in your office wishing your phone would ring, or attending numerous yet random and unproductive networking events, figure out what you want, make some decisions, and take action.
As a client of mine said the other day, you're not going to get a hit if you're not in the batter's box. And you won't even get near the plate if you're not in the game. Or, as some say in golf, never up never in.
So take charge of your own practice and career. Make decisions about what you want and start positioning yourself to get what you want.
Get in the game. Step into the batter's box. Give the putt a good roll. Circling back to basketball, be your own point guard. No one else will.
If you would like help figuring out what you want, making an effective plan and/or taking actions, let's set up some coaching. You'll be glad you did, especially since you still have six months left in the year to make this one your best.
My theme here is not to encourage you to leave your place of employment. Rather, I encourage you to look at how you can best position yourself to get what you want in your career and then have the courage to take the actions to achieve your goals.
If you want to develop a specialty within your practice or firm, what do you have to do first (and then next and then after that), and whose support do you need?
If you want to work with more than just a handful of lawyers within your firm, what can you do about this and who can help you make it happen? If you have tried and failed, what can you do differently next time? How can you match your needs and interests with the firm's needs and interests?
If you want more referrals, how can you expand your network into more meaningful relationships? How can you first provide value to people who are in the best position to give you referrals? How can you make it easier for other people to think of you and remember what you do when they have an opportunity to make a referral?
If you want more clients, who is in your target market and how can you best position yourself in front of your target market? How can you let more potential clients know what legal services you offer? What can be your unique niche? How can you differentiate your legal services from other lawyers' services?
Instead of sitting in your office wishing your phone would ring, or attending numerous yet random and unproductive networking events, figure out what you want, make some decisions, and take action.
As a client of mine said the other day, you're not going to get a hit if you're not in the batter's box. And you won't even get near the plate if you're not in the game. Or, as some say in golf, never up never in.
So take charge of your own practice and career. Make decisions about what you want and start positioning yourself to get what you want.
Get in the game. Step into the batter's box. Give the putt a good roll. Circling back to basketball, be your own point guard. No one else will.
If you would like help figuring out what you want, making an effective plan and/or taking actions, let's set up some coaching. You'll be glad you did, especially since you still have six months left in the year to make this one your best.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
"Resisting The Urge": Today's Real Life Lesson in Networking
On December 18th I posted a challenge to resist your last minute urge to skip an event you had planned to attend. I adhered to this challenge again today and am glad I did.
Late this afternoon I almost didn't go to a get-together of the local new lawyers & criminal law sections. No rsvp had been necessary and I hadn't told anyone I was going. I had a coaching call at 7:00 p.m. I needed to be back for and I knew I could attend for only less than an hour. However, I had a couple of suits ready to contribute to the event's "suits for success" drive and I knew I could get there, be there and be back in plenty of time. So I went.
As it turns out, a free lance reporter for the local online paper was covering the event and interviewing people who brought in suit donations. One of the organizers directed him my way. Fortunately, or at least hopefully, between the two of us we managed to come up with something a little snappier than "I got a notice from the county bar association so I brought some suits."
In addition, I learned some helpful information from the reporter that I can use in coaching my lawyer clients who are enhancing their marketing efforts. I also had a bite to eat for dinner, met a few new people and caught up with a few I already know. A nice and useful forty minutes.
My comments may end up on the virtual editing room floor, but if I hadn't resisted my last minute urge not to attend, I wouldn't have even met the reporter or learned information I can share in my lawyer coaching.
p.s. As it turns out, I made the cut....
http://www.annarbor.com/news/washtenaw-county-bar-members-launch-program-to-dress-parolees-for-interviews/#
Late this afternoon I almost didn't go to a get-together of the local new lawyers & criminal law sections. No rsvp had been necessary and I hadn't told anyone I was going. I had a coaching call at 7:00 p.m. I needed to be back for and I knew I could attend for only less than an hour. However, I had a couple of suits ready to contribute to the event's "suits for success" drive and I knew I could get there, be there and be back in plenty of time. So I went.
As it turns out, a free lance reporter for the local online paper was covering the event and interviewing people who brought in suit donations. One of the organizers directed him my way. Fortunately, or at least hopefully, between the two of us we managed to come up with something a little snappier than "I got a notice from the county bar association so I brought some suits."
In addition, I learned some helpful information from the reporter that I can use in coaching my lawyer clients who are enhancing their marketing efforts. I also had a bite to eat for dinner, met a few new people and caught up with a few I already know. A nice and useful forty minutes.
My comments may end up on the virtual editing room floor, but if I hadn't resisted my last minute urge not to attend, I wouldn't have even met the reporter or learned information I can share in my lawyer coaching.
p.s. As it turns out, I made the cut....
http://www.annarbor.com/news/washtenaw-county-bar-members-launch-program-to-dress-parolees-for-interviews/#
Monday, February 8, 2010
LinkedIn for Lawyers - A Few Personal Tips
Here are a few thoughts I have every time I get a LinkedIn invitation:
1. List your area of practice, rather than just associate, partner or lawyer at ABC Firm, in the "headline" space below your name. It will appear whenever your name appears. Let people know what you do as a lawyer. Make it easy for them to see and remember your practice area. This is marketing. This is developing name recognition for something specific as a lawyer. If you are afraid to list a specialty because you believe it will close the door to other potential legal work, consider how many other generic "lawyers" you are competing with in the same geographic region on LinkedIn. Are you willing to miss out on the legal work you really want to do in order to take anything that might come your way? Do you want to stand out or blend in?
2. When you send or accept a LinkedIn invitation to/from someone you know, consider the value of personalizing it with a few more sentences. Notes like that are easy, fast and free. Notes like that help you maintain relationships. At a minimum they say "I'm thinking about you personally rather than as just another name to add to my list." To me it's like the difference between an annual holiday card from a lawyer with (a) just a signature (and who knows who actually signed it) and (b) a signature plus a few sentences or even a single sentence as simple as "Elizabeth, I hope all is well with you" or "Elizabeth, I look forward to working with you again soon", etc.
3. If you send a LinkedIn invitation to someone you don't know, personalize the invitation. I don't accept all LinkedIn invitations and I don't accept invitations from people I don't know who don't even introduce themselves and say why they'd like to connect, where they saw me speak, where they met me, or if they know someone I know, etc. Imagine an in-person "networking" event where no one is allowed to speak. It's simply a business card exchange. How would that event serve you in terms of building relationships?
Remember that networking is about building relationships. Use your relationship skills.
1. List your area of practice, rather than just associate, partner or lawyer at ABC Firm, in the "headline" space below your name. It will appear whenever your name appears. Let people know what you do as a lawyer. Make it easy for them to see and remember your practice area. This is marketing. This is developing name recognition for something specific as a lawyer. If you are afraid to list a specialty because you believe it will close the door to other potential legal work, consider how many other generic "lawyers" you are competing with in the same geographic region on LinkedIn. Are you willing to miss out on the legal work you really want to do in order to take anything that might come your way? Do you want to stand out or blend in?
2. When you send or accept a LinkedIn invitation to/from someone you know, consider the value of personalizing it with a few more sentences. Notes like that are easy, fast and free. Notes like that help you maintain relationships. At a minimum they say "I'm thinking about you personally rather than as just another name to add to my list." To me it's like the difference between an annual holiday card from a lawyer with (a) just a signature (and who knows who actually signed it) and (b) a signature plus a few sentences or even a single sentence as simple as "Elizabeth, I hope all is well with you" or "Elizabeth, I look forward to working with you again soon", etc.
3. If you send a LinkedIn invitation to someone you don't know, personalize the invitation. I don't accept all LinkedIn invitations and I don't accept invitations from people I don't know who don't even introduce themselves and say why they'd like to connect, where they saw me speak, where they met me, or if they know someone I know, etc. Imagine an in-person "networking" event where no one is allowed to speak. It's simply a business card exchange. How would that event serve you in terms of building relationships?
Remember that networking is about building relationships. Use your relationship skills.
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