In Black And White : Legal Marketing Strategies & Insights : Paula Black & Associates : Law Firm Marketing, Branding and Positioning

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The question we are considering this week is: Are you focused on asking questions?

Results

1. I never ask questions. – 20%
2. I ask questions when I remember to. – 0%
3. I have a list of questions in my head that I ask. – 80%
4. I have a list written down that I take to every business development meeting. – 0%

Thanks to everyone who participated in this week's poll...

My Thoughts - A clear split...  80% of you are actively getting clients to talk, and you have the questions in your head. It takes just a few seconds to THINK about questions before you go into a meeting, so why are 20% of you not bothering to do it? Quite frankly most people LOVE to talk about themselves, it's an easy conversation to get started.

Doug Waldorf  from Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt thinks about it this way...

" Ask questions and remember to listen more then you talk. Ask clients about industry trends, the impacts of political and regulatory changes and other matters relating to their business. Everyone likes to share their opinions and be heard, so ask and then follow-up. Show your interest!"

Black Pearl - A little something to think about: Scott Gibson, the managing partner at Gibson, Ferrin & Riggs writes a blog titled BiziBoom. I ran across his post Think Like a Client - Cold, Warm, Hot where he explores the value of listening to your prospect. He received a comment from Gerry Riskin, who adds an interesting perspective... check it out.

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The more you know about your client and their business the more you are able to help them in ways that neither of you can see if you don’t. I'm NOT talking about their legal matter, I'm talking about the operation of their business, their customers, their strategy and business plans. As well as personnel issues: how many kids do they have, where do they go to school, what do they like to do in their spare time? And the by-product is a stronger relationship and increased business.

This is a universal issue. No matter what city on the globe you do business… connecting is human nature.  John Strachan from Paull & Williamsons in Scotland points out…

“Focus on your potential clients’ business. Don’t just read off a list of services that your firm can provide or a description of the size, make-up and location of your firm. That will generally be a turn-off for potential clients. Focus on listening to the person and learning about the client’s business, then talk about how your firm’s services can be tailored to meet their specific business needs and requirements.”

Getting people to talk about themselves and then listening is an ART. Some people are so smooth and interested that the other person doesn’t feel interrogated. The reward is that you have gathered the information you need to position yourself  as a solution to their needs. 

Asking is critical, so do you ask and more importantly HOW do you ask? Please take TWO SECONDS to answer this poll question, I will close the polling Wednesday at 5pm EST. and on Thursday I will post the results.

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The question we are considering is: How many clients do you give something for free?

Results

1. None – 25%
   
2. Less than 5% of my clients – 12%
   
3. 6- 25% of my clients – 13%
   
4. 26 - 50% of my clients – 25%
5. More than 50% of my clients – 25%

Thanks to everyone who participated in this week's poll...

My Thoughts - So… who’s giving it away? 75% of you are giving SOMETHING. Of those, 25% are giving to OVER 50% of their clients... WOW,  that's a commitment to client service and building relationships!

As for the 25% of you that NEVER give anything away... I can't help but wonder how valued your clients feel, and how much business you are leaving on the table for others to pick up. 

Showing that you value your client and their business is important to every relationship and knowing when to stop the clock will pay dividends down the road. Studies show that it takes 7 times more money to acquire a new client than to keep the ones you have. This is a marketing habit that makes good business sense.

For those of you who didn't take the poll, where do you fall in on these stats? Stopping the clock is a great way to pick up new business. Your clients already trust you (or they should), so if you “check-in” and there is a matter sitting on their desk, wouldn’t they give it to you?

Black Pearl - A little something to think about: A couple of weeks ago CBS Sunday Morning had a very interesting story Free For All, Profit For Some and featured Chris Anderson's new book Free:The Future of a Radical Price, presenting a compelling case that free doesn't have to be a four letter word and it can be a form of marketing. There is a great success story from The Wall Street Journal, take a look and tell us what YOU think...

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Something for free… isn’t that what every client wants? Sometimes we have to think about the value of building the relationship and know when to stop the clock.

The word free, I’m sure, makes some of you cringe and others think, “I wish I never had to charge at all.” Well it doesn’t have to be an either/or… a little goes a long way. Stopping the clock can be a means to solidifying a business relationship that will stand the test of time. My friend Richard Few, Managing Partner at Smith Moore Leatherwood in South Carolina, has an interesting take on the issue…

"Check in, don’t check out! Most new business comes from existing clients. You don’t have to bill every time you talk to a client. Check in periodically with your client; see how they and their businesses are doing at no charge. For young attorneys, their ‘clients’ are firm partners, so the advice is still the same. And usually, you can get another piece of business from the client just for checking in. No one gets much business by being checked out."

With the pressure to bill more hours these days Richard is pointing out that giving an hour or two could pay big dividends. Let’s find out how often you give a client something for free. Please take TWO SECONDS to answer this poll question, I will close the polling Wednesday at 5pm EST. and on Thursday I will post the results. 

No matter how you answer the question, think about how it could impact your practice if you did it more? How much more business could you bring in? Anybody have a great success story? Please share… 

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Welcome back! On Tuesday we kicked off our weekly poll with the question: How much time do you actually spend marketing each week?

Results

1. More than 120 minutes - 32%
2. 60-120 minutes - 27%
3. 15-60 minutes - 21%
4. Less than 15 minutes - 8%
5. None - 11%

Thanks to everyone who participated in this week’s poll…

My Thoughts: A big congratulations to the whopping 59% of you who spend over an hour a week on marketing efforts. At first I was pleasantly surprised by the numbers, but I soon realized that even simply visiting this blog shows a dedication to furthering your marketing and business development. Anyone searching the web for education and information is most likely already on a marketing path. Fantastic!

Another congratulations to the 29% who at least make an effort each week. Even the smallest efforts can make a difference and you’re off to a great start.

As for those 11% who do nothing… see above! That’s 88% of your peers who spend time each week marketing themselves. It’s time to ask yourself why you're not on board! Are you developing a practice or do you simply have a job?

But the bigger question is how much time SHOULD you be spending on marketing? The conventional wisdom is 200 hours a year for partners (associates 100). If you are doing that... fabulous! But, I think the most important issue is to FOCUS on consistency, small things over time make a huge difference. Instead of the pressure to carve out 4 hours a week, which may be overwhelming, and virtually impossible, think about doing something every single day. Create a habit... spend 10-15 minutes a day.

Everyone can carve out 10-15 minutes, even on the busiest of days. Call a referral source, make a lunch appointment with a potential client, write a handwritten note, spend time on social media… If you do that you will naturally move into more conversations and meetings that build relationships and develop business. It’s common sense, sometimes we just need a reminder.

How do you compare to your peers? One thing is for sure... to grow your practice you have to invest those non-billable hours. My advice... do something every single day!

Black Pearl: A little something to think about: Michael A. Stelzner, conducted a survey, How Marketers Are Using Social Media to Grow Their Businesses, and he found that 64% spend more than 5 hours a week using social media. Granted they are not lawyers but it is an interesting benchmark. Maybe for lawyers a reasonable target would be 1/2-1 hour a week. What do YOU think?

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Welcome! Today I start my first blog… it reminds me a little bit of the first day of school… I hope all my friends are here and am looking forward to meeting new ones.

With this new forum I would like to open a conversation on… you guessed it… marketing, branding and business development, as well as explore great resources and new ideas!

What makes In Black & White different you might ask? The polling I will be doing each week. On Tuesdays I will ask a question that will only take 2 seconds to answer, then on Thursdays I will post the results and invite conversation. I hope you will join in and give everyone the benefit of your point of view.

Yes, today is Tuesday… so let’s jump in with both feet!

Make Your Commitment Absolute.

When it comes to lawyers and marketing, billable hours vs. non-billable hours is a constant struggle. In the end, it’s your career. So whether or not your firm rewards your non-billable efforts…you need to invest in your future.

One of my greatest challenges is trying to find ways to convince busy attorneys to place their focus on business development… when it’s not billable. I discussed this issue with Tom Grella, Managing Partner at McGuire, Wood & Bissette, in Asheville, North Carolina and I think his take on the situation may surprise some...

"Treat your non-billable marketing hours as a personal requirement. This means that if you have met your billable hour requirement in a certain week or month, but not your non-billable marketing requirement, you simply refuse to work the extra billable hours until you have met your non-billable obligation. This commitment can be difficult because the lawyer will always find an exception, or special important matter, that simply is too critical to wait. To make such a plan work, the commitment needs to be absolute."

Let me repeat that: The commitment needs to be absolute. To me, that means setting a realistic goal and sticking to it. But what’s a realistic goal when you’re balancing billable hours? How much time SHOULD you spend on marketing? I have my opinion (which I’ll reveal on Thursday) but I’m curious as to yours. Poll closes Wednesday at 5 and I’ll post the results with my analysis on Thursday morning. See you then. Please take TWO SECONDS to answer this poll question, I will close the polling Wednesday at 5pm EST. and on Thursday I will post the results.

So I ask you the question...