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To a large extent, your success is determined by how well you manage your leads and vital relationships, especially referral relationships with allied professionals. Unfortunately, forging and maintaining profitable referral relationships is one of the greatest challenges facing most law firms.

In the coming weeks, we’re going to discuss proven strategies for building a strong referral network. We’ll talk about how to get started on the right foot, the questions you need to ask to qualify your referral sources and properly set expectations, how to track your results, and more.

At the very least, we hope these emails help you understand the importance of the following two concepts:

Contrary to what some potential referral sources would have you believe, your value is not in the referrals you send back. Your value goes far beyond that.

Your goal is not simply to have good meetings with allied professionals. Rather, your goal is to turn meetings into revenue.

Logically enough, building profitable relationships with allied professionals begins with knowing precisely which professionals you should be meeting with. We’ll talk about that next time.

What is the greatest success you’ve had since joining LWP?

Time Management. Though it’s a work in progress and likely always will be, we have learned so much about how to be more efficient, better organize ourselves and our calendars, and become more productive.

What is your favorite LWP tool?

The focusers in general but definitely the Daily and Weekly Focuser!

How has being part of LWP impacted your team and your practice?

We value ourselves as a team rather than just individuals working independently of one another. We have learned about our communication styles and differences that have helped us communicate more efficiently.

Share something about yourself that most people don’t know about you.

Most people don’t know that Jessica loves to cook and is really quite good. And Val loves to eat all of Jessica’s food creations!

What is your favorite book and how did it impact your life?

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. It has helped us learn how to interact with others in a more meaningful way. The most impactful habit we practice is to “seek first to understand, then to be understood.” In other words, learning how to listen empathetically in order to truly understand a person. All people are different, and you never truly know what they are going through.

Congratulations to you on your continued success!

What is the greatest success you’ve had since joining LWP?

My biggest success has been utilizing an Irrevocable Trust to protect a firearm collection for clients that they have built for their children.

What is your favorite LWP tool?

My favorite LWP tools are the Workshops, Estate Planning Auditor and the Vision Clarifier. These tools are super for the client enrollment process and I like how well they roll into each other.

How has being part of LWP impacted your team and your practice?

LWP has impacted my firm by allowing us to have a great structure. It gives the tools to be able to use that structure to build on.

Share something about yourself that most people don’t know about you.

One thing that many do not know about me is that during college I was a basketball cheerleader.

What is your favorite book and how did it impact your life?

The book that impacted my life was Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. It was introduced to me in high school as part of a book class. It allowed me to realize that I was able to do college level classes during my time in high school. It also allowed for me to realize that reading literature was more than just a leisure activity.

What is the greatest success you’ve had since joining LWP?

Consistently making revenue.

What is your favorite LWP tool?

The Medicaid Qualification Sheet.

How has being part of LWP impacted your team and your practice?

It has given our team more confidence, stability and awareness of how the team functions with LWP visuals and processes.

Share something about yourself that most people don’t know about you.

I am an avid hunter.

What is your favorite book and how did it impact your life?

The Ultimate Sales Machine- It has provided good strategies to approach sales on a large scale.

What is the greatest success you’ve had since joining LWP?

Our firm revenue and camaraderie have increased exponentially. And while those two items are certainly successes, my greatest happiness has come from having a system in place that allowed me to rely on my amazing staff. Instead of hoarding my work, I’ve been taught to let my people do their job – and they have risen to the occasion every single time, which is a testament to the training they have received through LWP.

What is your favorite LWP tool?

According to my staff, my favorite tool is (should be) ActionStep. I (but really my staff) appreciate having an online database that tracks every case and keeps old and new clients at my (their) fingertips. Now I (they) can rely on ActionStep instead of my (their) memory or cell phone contacts! (I refuse to acknowledge that my memory may occasionally be shoddy.) My favorite tool – if you really want to know – is my coach. He hears me. He gets me. And he pushes me. Now, if Phil could just phone in when I go to the gym, I’d probably be in better physical shape, too.

How has being part of LWP impacted your team and your practice?

LWP has allowed me to focus more on Lineage and continuing to build my client base. More importantly, however, being a part of LWP serves as a daily reminder that we are a part of a wonderful community of lawyers.

We have been uplifted by each person with their willingness to share experiences and answers. We are only as good as those who surround us and we are surrounded by amazing people through LWP.

Share something about yourself that most people don’t know about you.

My greatest sense of accomplishment is making my husband proud. I love him so much more than anyone really knows.

What is your favorite book and how did it impact your life?

My favorite book is Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. I remember reading it when I was a young teenager – at a time in my life when everything was black or white, left or right, right or wrong. People were either good or bad. Actions defined personality, which, in turn, determined character. This book redefined movement and color. One who engages in bad conduct can be swayed – even ever so slowly – by the nudge of love and forgiveness. A single choice, however significant, may color our lives, but it does not have to define our character. One can be both imperfect and redeemable. I learned that there is a little bit of Jean Valjean in all of us and that even the smallest acts of kindness can make an enormous difference. It seems the lessons learned from a high school English required reading assignment remain true even more so today.

What is the greatest success you’ve had since joining LWP?

Thanks to the LWP Organization and team members, I have developed a knowledge of Medicaid, Elder Law and Estate Planning, That has allowed me to help people in my community to preserve their legacy and secure a future for their families. My approach to the practice of law has always been to provide service and value to my clients and because of LWP I have been successful in doing just that. I enjoy seeing the look on people’s faces when they realize that with proper planning, they can remain in their home and not worry about the government ending up with it when they pass.

What is your favorite LWP tool?

My Favorite Tool is the Revenue Focuser, because it allows me to look at my current position and know exactly what we need to do to meet our revenue goals and set future goals. It allows us to have realistic and achievable goals that we can work at accomplishing as a team and also allows us to track our efficiency and to see where we can improve.

How has being part of LWP impacted your team and your practice?

Being a part of LWP has allowed me to be more fulfilled and satisfied with the practice of law. This area of the law has allowed me to find ways of helping people plan for their future and their families future and I find this very rewarding.

What is the greatest success you’ve had since joining LWP?

I was keen to succeed from the outset! LWP has helped turn my vision into reality and conquer my fear of STARTING MY OWN LAW PRACTICE. The LWP platform prevented me from wasting my time and misallocating my resources, while delivering all the necessary tools for success.

It is like having butterflies before the game. Once you get started, the fear will begin to dissipate. Undoubtedly, other fears may arise as you face new challenges. Nevertheless, LWP helped me rise above my challenges through their affirmations with consistent legal and implementation coaching; a valuable resource that gives me the reassurance I need to succeed.

I started with one employee. Just by following the LWP process, I grew my firm to four employees in eight months.

What is your favorite LWP tool?

The marketing platform. It’s like an orchestra conductor, maintaining harmony with different moving parts. LWP provides a great platform that helped me sidestep cacophony and stand in as a virtuoso conductor, unifying the marketing into a lyrical masterpiece that can truly captivate its audience.

The core system is purpose-built to adapt to new channels and opportunities.

It helped better organize important points of interaction (networking) and orchestrate my personal story across channels with the ultimate goal of helping others.

How has being part of LWP impacted your team and your practice?

Conducting a team meeting each week to review everyone’s personal and professional progress has been a key element within our team. We take the time to listen to each other; approach problems with enthusiasm, not defeat; invite conversation; hire the right person for the job (KOLBE); and clarify expectations while offering guidance and direction when needed.

Share something about yourself that most people don’t know about you.

I enjoy making people smile with random acts of kindness. I have the ability to laugh at myself and I enjoy listening to inspiring podcasts. I try to practice principles of Dale Carnegie.

What is your favorite book and how did it impact your life?

1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Love the quote, “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” This book is an allegory, layered with many intricate concepts and universal principals that have existed since the dawn of civilization, such as, “Perfection is illusion, don’t wait for it,” and “Fear is a bigger obstacle than the obstacle itself.”
2. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. This changed my life by improving the way I interact with, and make an impact on, people.

What is the greatest success you’ve had since joining LWP?
The greatest success Lydia has had has been starting her own practice and using Actionstep for her drafting and accounting.

What is your favorite LWP tool?
Lydia’s most useful LWP tools are the time focusers which help keep her on track.

How has being part of LWP impacted your team and your practice?
Being a part of LWP has impacted Lydia’s practice by providing a reliable way to draft documents. The software makes it possible for her to do last minute drafting and provides a way to get back to the clients in a more timely manner. The software makes everything more manageable.

Share something about yourself that most people don’t know about you.

Lydia is a black belt in Judo!

What is your favorite book and how did it impact your life?

This was a difficult question for Lydia, because her mother was a librarian and she read constantly so every book she read was impactful to her life. One of the more recent books she has read- August 1914 by Barbara Tuchman- changed her appreciation for historians and the stories they tell. This book is a work of non-fiction about the events prior to the start of World War 1 and Lydia said that it was so enthralling, it read like fiction.

What is the greatest success you’ve had since joining LWP?
LWP has helped me systematize my practice, which allowed me to hire my first employee, and has now gotten me to the point where I likely need to hire a second team member in the near future.

What is your favorite LWP tool?
The systems and processes for the estate planning client from initial call in to my client services coordinator Stacie, to the workshops, vision, design and signing meetings. Without these processes I would still be mired in overwhelm.

How has being part of LWP impacted your team and your practice?
With the help of our implementation coordinator Phil, I have been better able to get the reports I need to see how my practice is really running, and where I need to improve.

With the help of my coach Candace, she has helped me see where I can overcome my own brain damage that is affecting my meetings, my close ratio and my overall satisfaction with my practice.

Additionally, the community feel of the TAPER retreats has allowed me to not only meet new friends, but also bounce ideas off of other attorney’s and their teams that I can take back to my office.

Share something about yourself that most people don’t know about you.
I love surfing and before going to law school I lived in San Diego for about 6 months and surfed 5 days a week. Now unfortunately I live back in Colorado and have to settle for surfing mountains, which is almost as fun!

What is your favorite book and how did it impact your life?
The most recent book that I read that really made an impact on me was “The E-Myth Attorney.” This book really helped me to see that if I didn’t get it in gear and systematize my practice that I was doomed to inefficiency and continued struggles toward my goals.

Congratulations to you on your continued success!

What is the greatest success you’ve had since joining LWP?
Our greatest success has been the launching of our new business, Chesapeake Wills and Trusts.  Our firm had focused on litigation for the past 15 years and we finally decided to expand the array of series we were able to offer the members of our community and our existing clients. This has been a very exciting and rewarding expansion of our business.

What is your favorite LWP tool?
My favorite LWP tool has been the education and training offered.  From the Practice with Purpose we attended to the vast resources offered on the LWP website, LWP has provided us with everything we need to be successful.

How has being part of LWP impacted your team and your practice?
There is a sense of community within LWP and you feel that everyone is rooting for you to be successful.  Phil and Candace have been great resources for us and we look forward to our calls with them. Amanda has been available to answer legal/technical questions when they arise and Ryan and Briana have helped our office staff make a successful transition to elder law. In addition, other, more experienced members have graciously opened their offices and workshops to us so that we can learn from their operations.

Share something about yourself that most people don’t know about you.
Most people don’t know that my first job when I was in high school was dressing up as Chuck E. Cheese.  It was the best job I ever had (other than estate planning, of course!).  I get to tell people that I was a rat long before I was a lawyer!

What is your favorite book and how did it impact your life?
The E-Myth Attorney is my favorite book.  That book changed my outlook on the practice of law and has made me a better lawyer and better at running the practice. 

Congratulations to you on your continued success!