Archive for the ‘Client Development Tips’ Category

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Writing your law firm bio. Yes, it’s important!

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Your bio is important!  There, I said it.  I know you better than you think I do.  I know that when you started working at the firm, the marketing department asked you to write a bio and you never did.  Then, they wrote one for you based on your resume and something they overheard you say about your previous work; and now that’s the biography of your career life.  Something someone who doesn’t know you or your experience wrote and put on a website.  Probably four paragraphs or less, and most of it is about your undergrad and law school – two things that were most likely not the highlights of your career (at least I hope not).

People (prospective clients) read your firm profile.  It needs to make you look like the attorney you are – a star!  You need to make sure that someone who reads the biography will get a sense of who you are, your experience level and a few of your greatest career achievements (or maybe more than a few of those achievements).  Trust me, it’s important.  So, take a little time and create the perfect profile.  After all, this is how most of the world knows you – only a few simple paragraphs.

1.       Talk about your experience.  This is the one thing that, ironically, many attorneys leave out the law firm profile.  This is the most important part!  Explain the type of cases you have handled in the past and in the present.  Emphasize the types of cases you want to continue getting.  Be sure to add a few specific cases where you had an outstanding result or a case that is right in line with the types of cases you want to continue getting.  You want potential clients to read your profile and think to themselves “This attorney handled a case very similar to the one I have pending. Maybe I should give her a call.”

2.       Don’t be shy.  Be sure to add many of your achievements.  Don’t skimp.  Were you ever published?  Make sure to include the name of the article, the publication and a sentence or two about the content.  Have you been recognized by your peers with an award or an honor?  Add this to the bio, as well.

3.       Keep your education to a minimum.  Really.  Where you went to undergrad is nearly irrelevant, and where you went to law school is just a touch above that.  There are some advantages to adding your education, like making a personal connection with a potential client (“You went to the University of Oregon, too?  What year?  What a coincidence!), but beyond that education is merely filler.  Keep it short and mention is at the bottom of the profile.

4.       Make sure that you have a nice picture to add to the profile.  It needs to be a close-up of your face.  You should be the only person in the picture, and it should be relatively recent.  Make sure you like the picture, as well.  First impressions count!

5.      Be sure to update your bio.  Keep everything current and check back once every quarter.  It’s so much easier to update a few little things every quarter than to completely re-write the profile every two years.

Need more help?  Don’t hesitate to contact us!  We’re attorneys who have been placing attorneys in California for more than 15 years.  We’d love to help you!

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What am I going to do with a box of 1,000 business cards?

Thursday, December 2nd, 2010

The question we’ve all asked at one point in time.  You know the drill.  You get a new job, a new office and desk and begin working with a new secretary.  About two weeks into the routine, a large rectangle ends up on your desk with a business card taped to the top.  Another 1,000 business cards just for you.  When you left your last job, you had approximately 900 of the cards remaining in the rectangle box and now you’re starting all over.

As impossible as it seems, those 1,000 business cards should be gone in about 6-9 months!  It’s a crazy notion, but it works.  Business cards are actually the cheapest way to generate revenue for the firm.  The only catch is that you have to give them to people.

As attorneys, building a book of business isn’t typically one of our core strengths.  No one wants to market themselves for fear that they will look like a used car salesman.  I’ve heard the complaints a million times.  However, I’m here to tell you that no one views a business card as a form of sales.  Most people simply view the card as a way to contact you should they ever need your services.  This is exactly what you want them to do!

So, don’t be afraid to hand out business cards.  You should have at least five cards in your purse or wallet at all times.  Hand them out generously.  They cost somewhere in the ballpark of $.02 each, so go crazy!  Leave one on your table at a restaurant.  Give one to your brother-in-law at the family holiday party.  Give one to every attorney you meet.  Chances are they he or she will come across a case in your practice area at some point, and now the attorney can contact you to handle the matter.  (Referral business is the best!)

Business cards are really an old-fashioned piece of marketing that works.  So, don’t let them linger in your bottom drawer – get them out into the world and see what happens.  My guess is that within a few months of passing out the cards, you’ll start receiving more phone calls and emails about potential cases.  In addition, you’ll be building awareness about your practice area and your firm.  All this for just $.02!

Need more advice about how to jump start your legal career?  Contact us!  We’re attorneys helping attorneys, and we’re ready to help you.

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Building business in spite of the other partners

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

It’s true.  Not every attorney “gets” marketing and self-promotion.  Those attorneys who do are usually not thrilled about putting them into action.  It isn’t why you signed up to be a lawyer, but it needs to be done.  So, how do you get started when you know it must be done and the other partners are reluctant (or downright refuse) to help and support you?  Great question!

Start slowly

Start with small things that you know how to do without a huge learning curve.  One day at a time.  Check out our step by step process of how to market yourself and generate revenue.  This way, you can start marketing without outside financial help.  Also, you’ll probably do these things so quickly that no one will realize you’re not doing your “real” job of helping clients.

Keep track of your progress

Keep a marketing journal of everything you do and the date on which you did them.  After several weeks, you’ll begin to see some results, and you want to know which of your efforts actually produced the results.  No sense wasting time on things that don’t work.   You want to concentrate on things that help grow your book of business.

After you start seeing results, it’s time to put them into a report and show the partners.  You can prove to them that your efforts are working.  You’ll be amazed how quickly their attitudes change when they see how much money marketing and networking can bring in to the firm!

Be persistent

It’s true that marketing doesn’t always result in immediate success.  Sometimes, your efforts will take awhile to show results.  That’s OK.  Since you’re tracking progress, you’ll appreciate the little steps and you can see what is working and what isn’t.  Stick to a schedule and treat marketing like it’s a second part of your job.  You will see results eventually.  Make sure you give your efforts enough time to reap rewards!

Need more help?  Contact us!  We know that bringing business can be overwhelming, and we’re here to help!

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Generating business for your firm: Q and A

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

In response to our web series, Marketing yourself, generating revenue and increasing your value, we received many questions. This one I found very interesting, and so, with the author’s permission, I’ve re-asked his question (paraphrasing in parts) and posted an answer.  I hope my answer resolves some of your questions about legal networking and legal marketing, as well.

I came across your website and have found it to be very helpful. In particular your program “Marketing yourself, generating revenue and increasing your value” has been an eye-opener.

As a newly-admitted attorney I have found the marketing aspect of practice very difficult. I have the academics behind me and the partners/directors are impressed with my quality of work and billing. But I find myself going from one month to the next dependant on billing- this “syndrome” was clearly identified in your article.

My firm specializes in Maritime/Shipping and fishing law. Clients in the fishing industry are locally based and this work is the bread-and-butter of the firm. However, my interest lies in shipping law. This field is dependant on foreign clients. I have found that larger firms in my area that specialize in shipping law get a huge amount of work from attorneys/solicitors from England and Singapore.

My question to you is, how do I market myself to these solicitors/attorneys? With my firm having a very limited budget, international travel is, at present, not an option.

This is an interesting situation, and the legal community is certainly becoming more international.  We are no longer limited to the city in which we practice.  The best thing to do is to find some attorneys who are active in shipping law (whether in your country or internationally) and speak with them directly.  There are several ways to go about this.

You could make inquiries to some of the European legal associations and your local legal associations to determine if there are any networking events and/or seminars in the region that are specific to the practice area that interests you (in this case, shipping law).   If you can attend these conferences, you should go and meet as many people in the field as possible.  (Don’t forget to follow up with them after the seminar to start building a relationship.)  If you are not able to attend the events, you may be able to get a list of those who did attend.  These people would definitely be ones to reach out to for information.

Another way to meet people in the shipping law community is through your personal contacts.  Send out an email to all of your friends and professors from law school.  Chances are, you’ll get at least a couple of suggestions of attorneys to contact in the shipping law area.  Who knows, you may even get a personal introduction.  (This is always the best way to meet someone.)  Don’t forget to send a hand-written thank you note to your friend or connection who introduced you.

Do some simple internet research.  Find law firms that have large shipping law departments and contact one or two of the lawyers directly.  Talking to partners is wonderful, but don’t overlook the junior associates, as well.  They probably have a lot of information, and they may be more approachable.  (I’d limit my contact with any firm to one or two people.)

Once you find some individuals you’d like to speak with, directly approach them.  Although it may be a bit intimidating, remember that most people love to talk about their business and to help others.  In your communication with these professionals, be honest and straightforward.  Let them know that you’re trying to gain contacts and relationships abroad. If you are honest and polite, you’ll usually get a nice response.  If you’d rather not call or send an email, you may be able to find connections thought social media channels, like LinkedIn.

You may also wish to consider subscribing to shipping law trade publications or online journals.  Subscriptions to trades will keep you abreast of the latest developments in this type of law.  You’ll also begin to know more about some of the “big players” within the industry.

Generally, the old saying, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” rings true.  The more people within your desired practice industry you can contact, the better.

If you have any questions about legal networking or legal marketing, please contact us.

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Marketing yourself, generating revenue and increasing your value wrap-up

Monday, March 15th, 2010

You’ve worked hard for weeks on generating revenue for the firm.   It’s certainly difficult balancing your regular work and bringing business, but you’ve managed to find the balance.  If you can keep up this work in the future, you will see all of your hard work pay off.  You now have all of the tools you need to continue on your journey. You’ve learned how to network and how often to network.  Most importantly, you’ve learned that everything you need to be successful at bringing business can be done in an hour (or so) a day.  This week, we recap everything that you need to do to generate revenue.  All you need to do is to continue networking!

Make face time. It’s so important to get out among the people.  Do whatever you can to meet people each and every week.  If you have a family or a long commute, maybe you’ll want to go to breakfast or lunch meetings.  Find a charity group or a practice area, or a local bar group or anything else that interests you.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be related to the legal field, it just has to be an event where you can talk and meet others.

Social media is your friend. When it comes to quick networking, social media is the best!  You never have to leave your desk, and you can communicate with other people quickly and easily.  Make sure that you check in with your social media accounts as often as possible to update your status and comment on the status of others.  Remember, social media only works with two-way communication.  You can’t simply state what you’re doing and not comment on others’ progress or answer questions they may have.  “Introduce” yourself to people on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook and start communicating!

You can be a blogger, too! Even though it may be something you never thought possible, you can be a blogger.  Blogging is nothing more than providing information through a modified website.  Create a blog about your practice area.  Answer questions that people ask every day.  (If one person asks, there are at least 10 others with the same question.)  Build yourself up to be the expert within your legal space.  People will continue to come back to you with questions, and with time, you may earn their business.

Business cards mean business. Even though you may not think that the guy in the elevator or the person behind you in line at the coffee shop need your business card, give it to them anyway.  I’ve met many attorneys who get business this way.  It’s simple, it doesn’t take any time out of your day and it works!  Be sure to give them your “elevator pitch” as well.  They should know what you do and how they may be able to use your services.  Be sure that you listen to what they do, as well.  You may need their services someday!

Follow up with everyone. Any time you meet someone or get a business card, an email, or a question on LinkedIn you should follow up with the person via email or with a phone call.  You should also make sure that the person and their contact information is in your online address book.  You never know when this information may come in handy.  The more people you know and know you, the more chances your services will be needed.

Persistence is key. Even if you haven’t generated revenue yet (which will be most of you), don’t give up!  Sometimes it takes awhile to bring business, particularly when you’re new to the game.  However, don’t worry about the time.  Your efforts will pay off eventually.  Stick with the tips we’ve given, and eventually you will be viewed as one of the most valuable attorneys at the firm!

Now you’re ready!  You have all the tools you need.  If you have any questions, or if you need some inspiration along your path to generating revenue, be sure to contact us.  We’ve all been there, and we know this can be a difficult journey.   Whatever you do, keep going.  Good luck!

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