More Marketing and Management Tips
Get Recognized
Wendy Brickman
Gaining recognition by winning awards can be a very effective public relations strategy. Usually, people just wait to receive awards. However, the smart marketing strategy is to seek them out. There are probably many awards that you are eligible to win. Your first task is to identify them. Monitor the business briefs in your daily newspaper and trade publications. Ask your colleagues. Your local and state Chambers of Commerce will have annual awards. There are often community awards. Next, you must apply. You may need to find someone to sponsor you. Once you win an award, be sure to send a press release to your local and trade media, alumni magazines, and professional association newsletters. Mention the award in your organization's newsletter, website, and in other publicity materials you use for your firm. If there is a symbol or logo associated with the award, obtain it and use it whenever you list your award.
Remind Them You Are There
Jan C. Gabrielson
By the time you are into your career and developing a clientele, most of you have met many people who are potential referral sources. How many of those people know where you are now and what you do? While you are busy meeting people and developing new referral sources, don’t forget to stay in touch with the people you already know. Create a mailing list. Go through professional directories, alumni lists, club rosters—everything that will remind you of people who will recognize your name. Mail something brief, meaty, and useful. If you are a bankruptcy lawyer, summarize the new bankruptcy law, emphasizing matters of general interest. If you are a tax lawyer, send a punchy list of tax-saving tips, trying not to rehash obvious or obscure ideas. Someday, one of the people you mail to will have a referral to make in your area of expertise. Be sure they think of you.
Follow Up After Seminars
Harriett Greenbaum
Seminars are great marketing tools, however, without follow-up, their value is greatly reduced. The key to follow-up is having the names and contact information of your attendees. This is easy if you have invited the guests. It is more difficult if the seminar is produced by a third party. In that case, negotiate access to the list of attendees as a part of your agreement - rather than asking for the list after the event. A great way to insure follow-up is to make an offer to provide some added value to those attendees who request it: a reprint of an article; a checklist; an invitation to another event, etc. Immediately after the event, make sure you reach out to all the attendees. Be prepared with a plan for your communication. Ask for feedback. Ask for topics for future programs. Ask to have a follow-up meeting. Ask for an introduction to the decision maker. The more dialogue you have, the more bonded your prospects will become and the greater the likelihood of their willingness to hire you.
Tell The Truth
Clint Hodges
A major obstacle to marketing is the fear of having to embellish the truth. You may have this belief because so many abusive marketers are guilty of just that. Notwithstanding the existence of frauds, a key to your marketing success is based on your ability to be accurate. Your goal is to communicate that you offer a superior alternative to the competition. Your task is to be good at telling the whole truth - and nothing but the truth. Of course, you can't tell the truth if you don't know it. So, part of your job as a marketer is to identify all of the benefits you bring to the table. The more detailed your understanding of the benefits, the greater the confidence in the value you offer; and, subsequently, the more eloquent you are in painting an accurate picture of your services. When that happens, the fear of fraud is replaced with the pleasure of precision.
Learn Why Your Clients Leave
Jeff Miiller
When clients leave, they do so for a reason. However, too often people don't really know what that reason is. Not knowing is dangerous because it could lead to further client loss. There may be a weakness in your service that you are not aware of. Maybe the action of a colleague or support staff soured the relationship. Implementing an Exit Survey will give you valuable insights. It gives you an opportunity to identify trends in your performance, and fix problems. If you're uncomfortable implementing the survey yourself, delegate it. Keep in mind the goal is to get their comments, not to woo them back as clients. Past clients can be a valuable source of feedback. An Exit Survey gives you the ability to strengthen your service and limit any further dilution.
Write For Busy People: Summarize at the Top
Patricia Alexander
Most of your business writing goes to busy people - clients, colleagues or referral sources. Whether a memo, letter or a newsletter, use headlines to identify a paragraph’s subject and point. This allows your reader to skim first (which they’ll do anyway) and return for content details. Whenever possible, let people know that you would appreciate it if they used the same approach so it will be easier for you to prioritize and accelerate your reading their material.
Market Yourself Within Your Firm
Melissa Udell, Ph.D.
If you're a partner in a law firm, your best marketing targets may be your partners. Take some time and identify those who have clients that may need your services and reach out to them just as if they were an external prospect. Visit with them and review their client list. Point out how you could be of service to each client. Then, follow up with the partner the same way you would follow up with any prospect. It takes time to build trust.
If you're an associate, you should also market yourself within the firm. Too often, associates simply wait for partners to assign work. But you can take control of your career by verbalizing your areas of interest. Identify the partners you would like to assist. Ask about the possibility of being of service. Then, follow up. If you do, you will be more likely to get the work you want.
Cure Your Client-Servicing Addiction
Lawrence Kohn
We see lots of clients who are so addicted to serving their current clients, they can't set aside the time required to bring in new clients. The addiction makes sense since servicing clients has probably been the key to their success. And, there is the emotional rush of solving a problem. It's exciting. It feels good to be helpful - and to feel needed. But the business model of serving clients to the exclusion of finding new ones is flawed. Client attrition is common and the sales cycle is long. One way to ease the addiction is by changing the way you sell. Notify prospects at inception that someone else will be handling the day-to-day client contact. If you don't have qualified staff or you aren't skilled at delegation, you'll have to deal with those issues first. When you do, you can offer the services of your team, meet the needs of your client and keep your time free for bringing in more business.
For more marketing and management tips, visit the Articles Section of our web site. Thanks.
Wendy Brickman
Gaining recognition by winning awards can be a very effective public relations strategy. Usually, people just wait to receive awards. However, the smart marketing strategy is to seek them out. There are probably many awards that you are eligible to win. Your first task is to identify them. Monitor the business briefs in your daily newspaper and trade publications. Ask your colleagues. Your local and state Chambers of Commerce will have annual awards. There are often community awards. Next, you must apply. You may need to find someone to sponsor you. Once you win an award, be sure to send a press release to your local and trade media, alumni magazines, and professional association newsletters. Mention the award in your organization's newsletter, website, and in other publicity materials you use for your firm. If there is a symbol or logo associated with the award, obtain it and use it whenever you list your award.
Remind Them You Are There
Jan C. Gabrielson
By the time you are into your career and developing a clientele, most of you have met many people who are potential referral sources. How many of those people know where you are now and what you do? While you are busy meeting people and developing new referral sources, don’t forget to stay in touch with the people you already know. Create a mailing list. Go through professional directories, alumni lists, club rosters—everything that will remind you of people who will recognize your name. Mail something brief, meaty, and useful. If you are a bankruptcy lawyer, summarize the new bankruptcy law, emphasizing matters of general interest. If you are a tax lawyer, send a punchy list of tax-saving tips, trying not to rehash obvious or obscure ideas. Someday, one of the people you mail to will have a referral to make in your area of expertise. Be sure they think of you.
Follow Up After Seminars
Harriett Greenbaum
Seminars are great marketing tools, however, without follow-up, their value is greatly reduced. The key to follow-up is having the names and contact information of your attendees. This is easy if you have invited the guests. It is more difficult if the seminar is produced by a third party. In that case, negotiate access to the list of attendees as a part of your agreement - rather than asking for the list after the event. A great way to insure follow-up is to make an offer to provide some added value to those attendees who request it: a reprint of an article; a checklist; an invitation to another event, etc. Immediately after the event, make sure you reach out to all the attendees. Be prepared with a plan for your communication. Ask for feedback. Ask for topics for future programs. Ask to have a follow-up meeting. Ask for an introduction to the decision maker. The more dialogue you have, the more bonded your prospects will become and the greater the likelihood of their willingness to hire you.
Tell The Truth
Clint Hodges
A major obstacle to marketing is the fear of having to embellish the truth. You may have this belief because so many abusive marketers are guilty of just that. Notwithstanding the existence of frauds, a key to your marketing success is based on your ability to be accurate. Your goal is to communicate that you offer a superior alternative to the competition. Your task is to be good at telling the whole truth - and nothing but the truth. Of course, you can't tell the truth if you don't know it. So, part of your job as a marketer is to identify all of the benefits you bring to the table. The more detailed your understanding of the benefits, the greater the confidence in the value you offer; and, subsequently, the more eloquent you are in painting an accurate picture of your services. When that happens, the fear of fraud is replaced with the pleasure of precision.
Learn Why Your Clients Leave
Jeff Miiller
When clients leave, they do so for a reason. However, too often people don't really know what that reason is. Not knowing is dangerous because it could lead to further client loss. There may be a weakness in your service that you are not aware of. Maybe the action of a colleague or support staff soured the relationship. Implementing an Exit Survey will give you valuable insights. It gives you an opportunity to identify trends in your performance, and fix problems. If you're uncomfortable implementing the survey yourself, delegate it. Keep in mind the goal is to get their comments, not to woo them back as clients. Past clients can be a valuable source of feedback. An Exit Survey gives you the ability to strengthen your service and limit any further dilution.
Write For Busy People: Summarize at the Top
Patricia Alexander
Most of your business writing goes to busy people - clients, colleagues or referral sources. Whether a memo, letter or a newsletter, use headlines to identify a paragraph’s subject and point. This allows your reader to skim first (which they’ll do anyway) and return for content details. Whenever possible, let people know that you would appreciate it if they used the same approach so it will be easier for you to prioritize and accelerate your reading their material.
Market Yourself Within Your Firm
Melissa Udell, Ph.D.
If you're a partner in a law firm, your best marketing targets may be your partners. Take some time and identify those who have clients that may need your services and reach out to them just as if they were an external prospect. Visit with them and review their client list. Point out how you could be of service to each client. Then, follow up with the partner the same way you would follow up with any prospect. It takes time to build trust.
If you're an associate, you should also market yourself within the firm. Too often, associates simply wait for partners to assign work. But you can take control of your career by verbalizing your areas of interest. Identify the partners you would like to assist. Ask about the possibility of being of service. Then, follow up. If you do, you will be more likely to get the work you want.
Cure Your Client-Servicing Addiction
Lawrence Kohn
We see lots of clients who are so addicted to serving their current clients, they can't set aside the time required to bring in new clients. The addiction makes sense since servicing clients has probably been the key to their success. And, there is the emotional rush of solving a problem. It's exciting. It feels good to be helpful - and to feel needed. But the business model of serving clients to the exclusion of finding new ones is flawed. Client attrition is common and the sales cycle is long. One way to ease the addiction is by changing the way you sell. Notify prospects at inception that someone else will be handling the day-to-day client contact. If you don't have qualified staff or you aren't skilled at delegation, you'll have to deal with those issues first. When you do, you can offer the services of your team, meet the needs of your client and keep your time free for bringing in more business.
For more marketing and management tips, visit the Articles Section of our web site. Thanks.
posted by Larry Kohn at 4:18 PM
