Miami Legal Business Development | Branding | Law Firm Coaching | Paula Black

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If you are like me, you make New Year's Resolutions every year. RESULTS? Some years are better than others. It is about CHANGE. Not every year requires giant steps; some years can be about small steps. The key is progress.

What will you declare as your Resolutions?

How about creating a legal marketing habit in 2010? Do something every single day... if you do that, I guarantee that the results you achieve over the year will astound you. When I reflect on my results for 2009, I have a sense of satisfaction. Some of the things I could not have imagined, simply unfolded as the consequence of staying focused, being open to possibility and doing something every single day.

So my friend...

I WISH YOU A VERY PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR FILLED WITH UNIMAGINABLE POSSIBILITIES!

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Grand gestures or small steps, getting others involved can boost your legal marketing efforts and help keep you on track.

 This week we asked: What are you doing to inspire legal marketing within your firm?

 1. Leading marketing and business development initiatives - 62%

2. Providing training and resources - 23%

3. Holding members accountable for their marketing efforts - 10%

4. Surrounding myself with extroverts who understand marketing and business development - 5%

My Thoughts: As I suspected, most of your efforts (62%) fall into the leadership category. Though being a passionate leader is an important part, providing concrete incentives and training shouldn’t be overlooked. A true marketing culture can't be implemented overnight, like anything else it takes hard work, dedication and focused efforts. Try...

• Training and resources… That can mean anything from seminars or workshops to sharing helpful websites or blogs (like inblackandwhiteblog.com!) Read a great marketing or business development book? Pass it around the office. Exposure to ideas and strategies can spark action.
• Creating a forum for results… Set up a monthly or quarterly marketing meeting, where those interested in business development activities can get together to report on their initiatives, share leads and be held accountable for their efforts. It will keep you on track.
• Hiring extroverts… Make marketing and business development a part of your hiring practices. Bring in lawyers who are extroverted and able to embrace change. The same goes for support staff or anyone else who can contribute to firm marketing efforts.

Enlisting help and support in your journey may not be easy, what with billable hours and everyday excuses, but if you can get just a few outspoken and influential colleagues on board it can reap serious rewards for all of you. Remember, marketing culture doesn't just happen; it's a process that requires time, effort and most of all FOCUS.

As my colleague Sharla Frost of Powers & Frost said:

“You have to set an example by talking the talk and walking the walk.  I’m always giving speeches, writing articles, meeting with clients, sending marketing e-mails, providing in-house training, and even working with people at other law firms to develop relationships where appropriate.”

Black Pearl: For more information on inspiring your firm and colleagues look at my second book “The Little Black Book on Law Firm Marketing and Business Development.” It paints a good picture of the tactics you can employ to initiate firm involvement in legal marketing. And... It's a quick 30 minute read.

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Getting together for the Holidays is at the core of what the Holidays are all about. They are about connecting and supporting one another. As we move into 2010, let's hold on to that thought...

 While fostering a legal marketing habit can often be a solo activity, there's no better inspiration than enlisting the help and support of other firm members. Whether it's other attorneys or staff, their help, encouragement and ideas are imperative to business development success. Collaboration with others—even peers who practice in other areas of law— can make your marketing efforts even more powerful, allowing you to keep each other on track, spark new ideas and even join forces in joint marketing efforts and strategies.

Question of the week: What are you doing to inspire legal marketing within your firm?

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This week we asked you…
Where are you spending your law firm marketing budget?

Most of my legal marketing budget goes to:
1. Firm events - 42%
2. Advertising - 7%
3. Public Relations - 18%
4. Pet Projects/Community Organizations - 21%
5. Entertaining clients (lunch, dinner, sporting events, etc…) - 12%

My Thoughts: As I mentioned on Tuesday, I usually advise clients to allocate about 3 to 4 percent of their gross revenue towards marketing and business development. But I always stress that firms and individuals spend cautiously, there are many traps that even the most marketing-savvy lawyers fall into. Here’s a quick rundown of my thoughts…

• Events—a great way to build relationships (think seminars, open houses, political events) but be sure to keep it small and follow-up is a must if you want to see results.
• Pet Projects—make sure to differentiate between sponsorships and contributions that fit into the firm’s strategic plan and those that simply take up time, resources and serve a small percentage of the firm.
• Advertising—hold on to your cash unless you plan to devote significant planning to design, messages, and most of all, frequency.
• Public Relations—Set a course and stick to it! It can build credibility if done right (see my Black Pearl below).
• Golf, Lunch, Etc.—make sure you’re devoting that money to the people who make decisions… either to hire you or refer you business. As my friend likes to say, “Random acts of golf” are not marketing initiatives.

The key once again is to plan and stay true to that plan. It’s the most important piece of advice I can give.

Glenn Callison of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harrs looks at his budget this way:

“We have a zero-based budget approach that allows for special requests from individual lawyers. We start by asking, ‘Okay, how many exposures do we want out there and where do we want to be?’ We pull that information together, develop a media plan, and then look at sponsorship opportunities and event marketing. Then we pull all that together and analyze where we are as a percentage of total revenue, compare it to what we were doing in the prior year, and then plug it into the budget - knowing full well that there will be special requests from individual lawyers throughout the year that need to be accommodated.”

Black Pearl: Need a little help with your public relations initiative? Here's a great article I found on JD Supra by Jordan Furlong to help you get in the right mindset to write powerful articles about your cases.

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Figuring out your marketing budget can be difficult, especially since ROI on marketing and business development expenses is notoriously difficult to measure. I usually advise clients to allocate 3 to 4 percent of gross revenue to legal marketing initiatives, but the real question becomes where exactly to spend that money. Many, many firms are guilty of squandering budgeted money on marketing vehicles that just don’t hit the mark. Before we go into HOW to spend your money, let’s find out WHERE most of you are directing your budgets.

Question of the week: Where are you spending your law firm marketing budget?

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The most important step in nurturing your referrals is figuring out who they are. Once you have a solid list it will make it easier to cultivate…

This week we asked you…Where are your referrals coming from?

1. existing clients -32%
2. former clients -15%
3. other lawyers -33%
4. business leaders -9%
5. friends -11%

Just as we thought, a total of 65% of your referrals come from your existing clients or other attorneys with another 15% from former clients. The remaining 20% seems to be about evenly split between business leaders and friends. Now that you’ve identified where the referrals are coming from, let’s talk about your plan to keep them coming!

My Thoughts: In my opinion there are two specific plans of action that all lawyers need to have when it comes to referrals. The first is how to generate them. Remember the basics when it comes to client service. Meaning: listen to their needs; respond quickly; avoid e-mailing and talk to them; inform them of interesting news relating to their industry or situation; develop a personal relationship; and manage their expectations by communicating your timelines and processes.

The second phase of the plan is to have a strategy in place when a referral comes in. My advice? Pick up the phone immediately and thank the referrer, then follow up with a card or small gift. Keep your source updated on any meetings with the new client and, when it turns into actual business, send another larger token of appreciation. Finally, send business back. Reciprocation counts for more than you might think.

My colleague Leslie Lott of Lott & Friedland says:

“Lawyers refer their clients to attorneys who send work to them. Years ago, a good friend in New York called to send litigation work to our firm. He had worked with local counsel in Miami for many years. That lawyer was excellent, but had never referred work back to the New York lawyer. We had a client with a problem in New York and had sent the client to our friend. That was the catalyst for his sending his next case to us instead of the lawyer he had previously worked with who never sent him work.”

 

Black Pearl: For more on building your relationships you might want to take a look at Mark Maraia’s “Relationships Are Everything! Growing Your Business One Relationship at a Time.” Highly recommended!

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When it comes to referral sources, sometimes the best resources are right at hand. Whether it be existing or former clients, if you’ve done a great job they’re more than likely to refer you business. A similar formula exists with your peers. If you’ve expressed appreciation for the business sent (and even sent business back) you can be sure they’ll remember you when a client or friend comes looking for help.

The first step in creating a plan to build and nurture your referral base is to understand where most of your referrals are actually coming from. Once you can clearly see that list, you’ll be better able to create strategies to maximize those relationships.

Consider this advice from Marrero Bozorgi’s Susan Bozorgi:

“Realize that your friends are the cornerstone to your marketing plan; ask for their help and resources. Maintaining friendships is one of the most important things you can do to grow your business.”

 

The Question of the Week is:

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Relationships are the base of most successful marketing and business development efforts. If you make your interactions meaningful it will make your business development even easier…

This week we asked you: What aspect of your client service could you work on?

Results:

I could work on:

1. More phone, less e-mailing - 30%
2. Keeping up with my client’s industry news and trends - 7%
3. Going to their place of business - 27%
4. Asking for feedback - 16%
5. Connecting on a personal level - 11%
6. Giving them something for nothing - 9%

Not surprisingly, 30% are guilty of phone neglect! Another 27% need to work on going to visit your clients at their place of business. See a pattern? In order for client service to truly make a difference we need to abandon technology once in a while and get in front of our clients. On the other hand... bravo to all of you for being on top of client industry trends and news--a great way to keep in touch and show your interest and dedication.

My Thoughts: Though you may not recognize it, every time you interact with a client you’re marketing yourself. Take advantage of it. Here are a few of my tips for making the most of your client service:

• Get in front of them! Nothing can replace face-to-face meetings.
• Show an interest! Send them interesting articles that relate to their industry.
• Prove you’re an expert! If a law that effects their business changes—let them know.
• Take notes! It shows you’re paying attention and gives you a reference point for later.
• Get feedback! Be direct and ask them what they think of your client service.
• Pick up the phone! Take an e-mail break and let them hear your voice.

Lee Thuston of Burr & Forman shared this story:

“In the end analysis, it’s all about relationships. I had a young lawyer that made a mistake with one of our clients. She was upset because she let something get by that was going to cost the client some money (but not a great deal). I called up the general counsel and said, ‘Hey Joe. I’m sitting here with Mary who tells me she let this deadline get away from her.’ I quantified that it was going to be about X-thousand dollars and that I’ll take it off next month’s bill. He said, ‘Okay, I really appreciate you calling.’ I looked at her and said, ‘That’s called having a good relationship.’ First of all, I called the client and brought the situation to his attention. He might never have known about it, but it’s better to tell him up front. That keeps our integrity intact. Was he happy about it? No. But was he really upset? No.”

Black Pearl: For a daily dose of client service commentary stop by Patrick Lamb’s “In Search of Perfect Client Service” blog.

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Welcome back! I hope you had a great holiday and took some quality time out to connect with friends and family. As you know relationships are at the heart of business development and great client service is really about connecting with people. Strong relationships can not only spark more business from the client, but encourage them to refer friends and colleagues as well. From how you answer the phone to how often you communicate, every interaction is a form of client service. Take a few minutes to truly evaluate your client service and think about where you could improve. It’s one of the fastest and easiest ways to experience results from your daily marketing and business development efforts.

Think of it like James R. Courie, from McAngus Goudelock & Courie, LLC...

“It's all about personal relationships. Get to know your clients, their employees, their children and family. Remember birthdays and special occasions. Start every conversation with a minute or two about family, sports, etc. People enjoy doing business with people they like and trust."

Question of the Week: What aspect of your client service could you improve on?