I recently heard about this theory from the tech world, but I think it has relevance in the legal environment, as well. When a business first starts, it aims to produce a product or service that its members can feel good about. They want to be proud of what they have created, and the service [...]
In over 30 years of working with law firms on improving productivity and profitability, I’ve seen countless marketplace surveys on the incredible value of client feedback mechanisms. In many instances it’s been labelled as one of the fastest and most effective ways to boost firm revenue. So, you’d think that law firms would be all [...]
I have a lot of time for Law Firm Marketing Researcher Michael Rynowecer. So, when his blog “The Mad Clientist” arrives in my inbox, I usually read it. The latest edition highlights recent research his company, BTI Consulting, regarding the current US law firm mood, seven months into the pandemic. For fun, I thought I’d [...]
It’s telling that only a handful of my clients have been asking for advice on how to market during Covid. Most of them are still trying to figure out how to be more productive with a workforce that is still at home at least part of the time. But for those who are ready to [...]
Great marketing isn’t a single action; rather it’s a series of connected actions, each one building from the other for the purpose of creating a mutually beneficial and ideally ongoing relationship. This is a difficult lesson for lawyers to get, for three main reasons. Most lawyers don’t like marketing. It isn’t why they joined the [...]
Lawyer time is valuable… and so is client time. When a lawyer has decided to meet with a client in a non-billable capacity, they are well-served by taking the time to ensure both parties receive maximum value in the exchange. Contrary to popular belief, showing up for a non-billable meeting with a client isn't enough. [...]
If you aren’t preparing for every interaction with a client or prospect, you may be wasting your time and theirs. Here’s some food for thought on lunches and other planned client interactions. Lawyers who “do lunch” do so because it seems like part of a healthy marketing strategy. And it is. But just showing up [...]
In every business relationship there will be moments of miscommunication, misunderstanding or good old-fashioned error. In a lawyer/client relationship, these awkward moments can also result from a difference of opinion over objectives, timing, cost or methodology. These moments are inevitable, but how we deal with them often defines the future of that relationship. As a [...]
I often get asked “what kind of marketing should we do?” Or I’m asked to “just provide us with a bunch of great marketing ideas”. No time spent determining what the firm wants to look like in the future. No proper assessment of where they are today. No indication of what success would look like. [...]
Client teams may be one of the most powerful business development tools at your disposal, but are an oxymoron to most lawyers. As a profession, lawyers aren’t usually known for being team players. By nature, they are individual thinkers and doers. They like their autonomy, and tend to feel that too many rules restrict their [...]