Posts in category: Legal Marketing

We started off day three of our Practice With Purpose Program talking about leadership and relationships. Everything you do is based on your relationships. Your relationships with your financial planners, clients and your team. And one of the first rules of leadership is to DWYSYWD! Do What You Say You Will Do!

"Trouble is, when it comes to answering for one’s word, many people see little value in honoring their word. Accountability entails taking ownership of one’s actions (which includes promises and commitments) or the expectation of one’s taking action and the consequences that arise from the action or inaction. By failing to honor our word we signal to others that we are unreliable and unpredictable.

Simply put, when you hold yourself accountable, those around you know you can be counted on to complete your responsibilities or follow through on your promises. When you do what you say you will do you build credibility."

http://www.accessathletes.com/blog

At Lawyers With Purpose today we're talking about Power In Partnership. The way we communicate makes a huge difference in our relationships. Simply put one of the first rules of leadership is doing what you say you will do! Another very important element of that is that the leader also holds their team, referral sources and clients accountable to do what they say they will do (gently of course). It includes the role of conflict resolution with your relationships.

Do what you say you’ll do and hold your relationships accountable to do what they said they’d do.

That’s leadership (and integrity)!

Roslyn Drotar

One of the things we like the best at Lawyers With Purpose is being in the room with members at the programs. Whether it's a WHY Coaching Program, Retreat, or the Practice With Purpose Program. The big take away has to be the “a-ha” moments in the room.

A few of yesterday's debriefs were:

“This changed my perception of medicaid! Going back to the basics and using the tools makes it simple!”

“The steps we went through in the first 2 hours gave me a level of confidence to convey this to my clients and make their lives easier!”

“I'm always giving it away, but now I'm going to serve it up.”

The Medicaid process is simple and is wrapped into a nice little package of tools that are easy to use and fail proof. Before lunch our attendees had qualification worksheets and knew Medicaids In's & Out's!

The end of the day debriefs ….

"I would highly recommend it. It will lead to a rewarding, profitable, and less-stressful practice."

"Absolutely essential for running an elder law practice!"

"By using the software I can make eliminate errors and get it done quicker."

We are so excited to be in the room with each of you! Thank you for sharing.

Yesterday our Lawyers with Purpose members were having conversations about (1) listening skills and (2) getting off the habitual pattern we call the hamster wheel. Big Audacious Harry A$$ Goals (B-HAHG) were set and homework was involved at the end of the day to support reflective tools for them to use between now and the next 90 days to support them with their progress.

Through developing your listening skills and communicating what's in your heart to your perspective clients and referral sources, you will naturally draw them to you and they'll WANT to work with you. Isn't that your business as an entrepreneur? Guiding them and providing the leadership to help them make a decision. Your prospective clients come to you for leadership and if you don't believe that, passionately, they won't believe you either. So let your confidence show!

By changing your habitual patterns and going outside your comfort zone, you will become exposed to a whole new way of thinking. A whole new mindset. So working that muscle to create new habits with intentionality will develop the new patterns over time. Our members yesterday were in the room with 70 other attorneys in complete silence planning away to create a path for a practice with purpose.

So … getting back to the homework, our members today declared goals and started creating habits for their future. Some were simple and small steps but they were given the freedom to plan anything they wanted for their future and this planning will give them velocity and our implementation coaches will be their biggest accountability and their biggest fan! Roslyn Drotar, National Director of Implementation

Think of your brand, not only as a visual marketing tool, but also as a way for your potential clients and referral sources to see you as the solution to their problems. As marketplace grows increasingly more competitive, a properly developed brand will give you a competitive advantage.

In today’s world of technology, your brand is more important than ever! I want to share about an article I read in Harvard Business Review: Aligning With the Consumer Decision Journey. It brings a voice to the fact that in the digital world, the famous “funnel metaphor” no longer applies to branding. We can no longer think of our consumers on the large end of the funnel, and target our branding for specific touch points to our prospects until they narrow down their choice and decide.

In the digital world, there is a constant shift.

“Traditional marketing strategies fall short in this new world. Marketers need to drop the funnel metaphor to describe consumer touch points and instead study the evolving and increasingly digital consumer decision journey (CDJ). The CDJ illustrates how consumers add and subtract brands from a group under consideration during an extended evaluation phase. And purchase is no longer the end of the relationship. Now consumers often enter into an ongoing relationship with the brand during which they enjoy, advocate for and bond with it.

Here are some ideas offered from the article with ways you can begin mapping out your commitment to branding your services:

1. Interview your customers. Do this during your initial consult. Find out what brought them to the table and what it was they were looking for when they found you. We do this in the Synergy Meeting.

2. Gather publicly available data on search activity and patterns. Once you find out what your prospects are looking for, use the resources available to you to pinpoint search activity and patterns. Don't just examine the data, let it speak to you and show you where you can improve. We do this using the Five Key Focusers. Review the information and strategize!

3. Identify and Analyze Trends. Once you have committed to your marketing plan, you can begin the implementation. But don’t lose sight of the progress you are making. Track it and act on the things that are working, bury the things that aren’t!

Nurture relationships with your clients, prospects and referral sources. In the end, this is the perfect plan of attack to make an impact with your branding. Always think of your branding as the reason your clients and referral sources come to you. Your solving their problems. Then take your brand out and inspire though your community outreach; grow regularly through your relationship building; and specify the options for the services you can offer to solve their problem.

Roslyn Drotar, National Director of Implementation

Yes, that's about it. It takes the first three seconds for a person to meet you, or walk into your office, take a quick look around and declare their opinion of you and your firm. And let's take that a step further, what if they are calling on the phone, looking at your website, or just seeing your business card. The first impression that you make lasts and is almost impossible to undo.

Take a quick look around and see what impressions your making and see if there is anything you can improve on. Is your conference room professional and do you offer coffee and water to make them comfortable? Is the information on your website fresh and offer credibility? What is the tone of the voice over the phone when they call your office?

Keep in mind that you don't have to have it all. It doesn't need to be the best, but it has to represent your vision of how you want them to receive you. So, for example if you meet clients in your office do you have piles of work stacked everywhere that only you can make sense of? To anyone else, it looks like clutter and overwhelming. Make sure your conference room is tidy and doesn't have boxes full of old cases.

You want people to want to do business with you and for you to come across organized and on top of your game! The impression you make is important because let's face it, you've spent a lot of marketing dollars getting that phone to ring and the client in the door. And each first impression needs to count. Be yourself, smile …. WOW them with a fantastic first impression!

Thank you to all who participated in our member survey.  We appreciate your time and input and take your suggestions and insight to heart.  We look forward to a powerful 2013!

Congratulations to Sabrina Scott at Victoria Collier's office for winning the Google Tablet!