Originally published on June 21, 2010 in our free SmallLaw newsletter.
Marketing is about more than taking referral sources to lunch, updating your Facebook page, and conducting seminars. It's about asking yourself some important questions and taking action based on the answers. Let me first tell you about the 10 questions. Then I'll tell you a quick story about some lawyers who answered those questions and turned their practices, and their industry, upside down.
This column is not just for reading, it's for taking action. Together we're going to ask and answer some questions that will send you and your practice in a new direction. We're going to unearth some issues you haven't thought about before that can boost your bottom line.
Don't just skim this article and put it away. Stop what you're doing at some point today. Carve out a quiet hour to sit with pen and paper, and write down your well-considered answers to these questions. We'll talk about what to do with the answers after you've worked through the questions.
Answer These Ten Questions
- What do I love to do at the office that's so enjoyable that it's more fun than work?
- What am I better at doing than all the other attorneys in my area?
- What other products/services can I offer my existing clients?
- What could I do to get over my fear of marketing and promoting myself?
- How can I make sure people don't forget me?
- What's marketing vehicle currently works best for me?
- Who has the money?
- How can I make life easier for my clients?
- Am I worth talking about?
- How can I give people more than I promise?
Bonus Questions
- How can I say "thank you" to my clients in a way that matters to them?
- Whom can I partner with on a marketing project?
- What are my clients' biggest fears?
Learning From Your Answers (And Dentists)
Now that you've got your answers let's see what you can learn from them. Your answers will certainly lead you to insights that drive you in one direction or another.
Most of us are stuck doing the same old things in the same old way. We practice law like everyone else, we bill like everyone else, we talk about our services like everyone else, and we interact with our clients like everyone else. You're not like everyone else. In fact, no one is like everyone else. We all bring something unique and special to the mix.
The problem is that we don't act on our uniqueness. We don't take advantage of our special talents, skills, abilities and interests.
In answering these questions, you've certainly discovered some of your own strengths. You've thought of some things that energize you like nothing else. You've found some things you do better than the rest and you've identified some elements of your personality that make you different.
You've started to think about the market in a new way and to identify the unmet needs of prospective clients that you hadn't previously considered. You've started thinking of ways you can get paid for delivering value to clients that others aren't delivering.
Most importantly, you've started to find the parts of your practice and your market that you love and the client needs that you can serve with renewed energy and passion. I suspect you've found some great matches between what you can offer and what clients need.
Now it's time to tell the world what you've got. It's time to bring a new mix of products and services to the marketplace and deliver on your potential. You won't have trouble spreading the word when you offer something unique that matches up perfectly with the needs of clients. You won't be reluctant to spread the word when you're doing something you love to do that your clients want to purchase.
When I was a kid, a dentist was a dentist. I went to the same dentist as my parents. He cleaned our teeth and filled our cavities. I wonder if the dentists all got together one day and answered these 10 questions? It's hard to imagine, but maybe it happened. Do you think that's where they got the ideas for pediatric dentists? Maybe that's how pain-free dentistry originated. I wonder if they dreamed up the "smile doctor" during that meeting? Cosmetic dentistry? Teeth whitening? Discount dentistry? Sedation dentistry? Invisible teeth alignment? Special needs dentistry? The list goes on and on.
Incidentally, I found plenty of research that debunks the myth about dentists having the highest suicide rate. Bunk. Many dentists do what they love and do it for patients who feel like they need the service being offered. They've come up with some pretty good answers to the 10 questions and turned them into action.
Do for yourself what the dentists have done. Spend some time with your answers. Do some thinking. The real work in marketing lies in matching up your excellent skills with clients seeking what you offer. Your answers to these questions will lead you in a whole new direction. Find something in your answers that transforms your practice into something extraordinary.
Written by Lee Rosen of Divorce Discourse.
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