 This article is my attempt to simplify your life in the practice of law, as promised in my previous article (Fall 2007). An absolute prerequisite to the practice of law is obtaining a Legal Client. The redundant practice of which is widely referred to as "Legal Marketing."
THREE MONKEYS. We have all heard the ancient folk tale or proverb illustrated by the three monkeys named, "Hear no evil, See no evil, Speak no evil." The great wisdom of the proverb is self-evident. "Yes, Grasshopper (think the TV series, Kung Fu)," with a small change, we can witness yet another ancient, mystical, enduring, legal truth: Hear no legal marketing, see no legal marketing, speak no legal marketing ... you have no legal client.
A DROID ARMY. Many of you have seen the ridiculous Statute of Liberty costumes at the malls and on the street corners advertising certain tax franchises. That must be so very time intensive, although effective. Consider saving the professional degradation and costume expense and instead employ an army of techno-droids to advertise and market your legal skills. This (technical, computer, droid, Star Wars like) army, when properly deployed, can monitor worldwide information highways (The Web), as well as cultivate personal, intimate, legal, profitable relationships, on a 24/7 basis; all at minimal maintenance and cost.
A SECRET. Before we get started, here's a little secret, God has big plans for you, but He expects you to work. "Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth." Proverbs 10:4 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33 The biggest question of all: "How has HE called you to implement your legal calling?"
THE ULTIMATE EVIL. I have a small, somewhat vocal family. Unfortunately, in dealing with them, I have become increasingly familiar with the ultimate nemesis of all personal and group achievement. If mankind could just conquer this foe and overcome this one seminal feat, then the spoils of life could be at their avail. I wonder whether or not God's ultimate sacrifice on the cross still leaves this foe unvanquished for some? This evil obstacle is no stranger to young or old, rich or poor, it is color blind, indifferent to class, language or gender. Sadly, many have succumbed to this Siren like phrase, resulting in fatal and hopeless inaction; the death of hope. It is this simply awful phrase, "I don't want to."
THE PLAGUE. This plague manifests itself something like, "I don't want to market," followed closely by, "I don't want to learn about technology, much less maintain it." Time does not permit the futile discussion for these defeatist assertions.
HELP FOR DUMMIES. A most practical help for the learning challenged is the "Fill in the Blank for Dummies" series of books. The authors take you step by step over the various new procedures adding great humor and wit to assist with your overcoming the ultimate aforementioned foe. There are even on-line tutorials available. Of course, you could always hire out for technical assistance, but it would be better if you could at least be familiar to maintain same to avoid the risk of advertising your "now out of style web product."
OVERCOMING. Assuming that you can overcome these feats, I will encourage you with a word from the Bible: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." Revelation 2:7 Maybe there is a correlation between overcoming, eating and getting legal clients for the attorney?
COMPETE. Are you ready to compete? There are many legal providers, some licensed and professional, some non-licensed and not regulated by the profession (legalzoom.com). Consider:
- In Hampton Roads, there are 142 pages of attorneys and firm adds listed in the Verizon Hampton Roads Yellow Pages directory. Full page ads run about $3,000.00 per month depending;
- Google hits for "lawyer Virginia Beach" were approx. 225,000 (I stopped at 40+ pages)
"COMPETITION" DEFINED. Marketing implies a competition for clients. Black's definition: Rivalry, the effort of two or more parties, to secure the custom of a third party by the offer of the most favorable terms. Author's definition: a contentious opportunity, to the Winner goes the spoils at the loser's expense.
WHAT CAN YOU DO? Can you compete and win? Can you sell, network, serve and communicate about your valuable, beneficial, superior, legal product that everyone likes? I suggest that if you fail to deliver the requisite services in the aforementioned manner, that another will get the job, the good reputation, the profit, the repeat business and the word of mouth advertising. As you can see, producing involves a great many skills in order to bring the benefits of your services to your clients. There are many marketing, customer service and sales resources available to expound upon the aforementioned attributes. Just because you passed the bar and can now produce legal services does not grant you an entitlement to poorly serve and perpetually profit from inferior customer service. Your legal product must stand out from that of other attorneys. Your light must shine, not only with the Lord, but in all aspects of your life.
TARGETING YOUR CLIENTS. Basically, you want to focus your efforts to become efficient. The following questions will assist in this process, thereafter you will need to efficiently and effectively deliver the answers to your target client base.
- Who will come to you and why?
- Do you have a unique sales position (USP)?
- How will you communicate with these clients?
- Do you have and maintain a referral network?
- Are you hungry, industrious, innovative and brazen?
- Have you got a better idea than an Uncle Sam outfit?
- Can you employ technology to create a better representation of your services?
LEGAL MARKETING. Up to this point in your legal education, these marketing or sales thoughts were not likely even on your radar, so to speak. Once you are in practice, I suggest that they may dominate your radar, especially if you are a partner, principal or rainmaker.
COUNT THE COST. Consider for a moment, do you have a business plan for your marketing expenditure, or you going to play your hand blind? The scriptures admonish us to "count the cost before building..."
WHAT IS YOUR STRATEGY, OR WILL THE SALES REPRESENTATIVE MAKE A UNIQUE PLAN FOR YOU AND ALL HIS OTHER CLIENTS. Once you have looked at the numbers, you need a strategy to target your market;
PARTNER EXPECTATIONS. There are expectations for various experience levels, review these and apply them to your life BEFORE you go to your interviews; you might actually get a leg up on the competition:
NEW MARKETING PRODUCTS. Unfortunately, time does not permit us the ability to discuss each of the following in great depth. How has technology changed legal marketing and accessibility? Are you going to allow others to dominate these areas, new web/technological real estate, the ever-changing market place of ideas and information disclosure, or can you do a better job of communicating than others by overcoming in these areas? Just a quick search of the web reveals numerous other innovative communication ideas which are designed to compete and win. This truly is the information age. You should consider, "How you will take dominion over some of these areas and employ technology to assist in these tasks to set yourself apart and glorify God?"
- Websites / E-mail / Digital pics / Youtube video
- Meebo / Facebook / Myspace
- Blawgs / blogs / newsfeeds
- Electronic database / sort / Merge-direct mail
- Online networking
- New client orientation online
- Podcasts – infomercials from websites
- Electronic newsletters
THE CONCLUSION. Hear legal marketing, see legal marketing, speak legal marketing and you shall have legal clients and the possibility of a profitable law practice. Marketing is merely communicating about your skills, a necessary prerequisite to performing legal services. If you are able to harness and employ technology to assist with your marketing, you will be able to multiply your own efforts and effectively compete with the other attorneys that are hunting for legal clients in your territory. When you get the relationships and resulting work, you get the profit and the "baby gets new shoes" when needed; it's a good thing. Once again, after you get by the ultimate evil, "I don't want to," you can then approach the hurdles as listed below to compete and win:
- Hurdle #1 - Find God's plan and work it
- Hurdle #2 - Efficiently, Produce a Superior legal product that creates value and benefit
- Hurdle #3 - Prepare to Compete and Win w/ selling, networking, serving, communicating about your valuable, beneficial, superior legal product
- Hurdle #4 - What is your USP, and how to reach your market?
- Hurdle #5 - Count the cost – How can Technology serve you?
- Hurdle #6 - Implement, evaluate, reassess, modify your plan, technique and performance
CONTINUING. I am hoping to simplify all these challenges for you over the next several columns that I have opportunity to compose. There are lots of tools which attempt to ease the difficulty and to acquaint the user with the information, the technology and the understanding to use the same to create an exemplary work product and quality personal delivery system.
OVERCOMING TOGETHER. I hope that we can increase our ability to traverse and finally master the material in a manner that will glorify God with our performance, fulfilling His plan in this, Our Calling. This mastery may prove to be the critical difference, setting ourselves (and He whom we serve) noticeably ahead of the rest of the legal field. |
