I think this is often the case with mission trips, they are actually opportunities to allow yourself to open your heart and mind in preparation to receive the gifts of those you are there to help. And if you think about it, this is an opportunity that we have, not just on mission trips, but on a daily basis as we interact with those around us, even with our clients. This gift of perspective allows us to see the world from so many different ways and through many different “eyes”, yet often we sit with our eyes closed. We get so narrowly focused on one perspective only—our own.

This is the greatest gift that I brought back from my trip to Nicaragua—the ability to see the world and those that I experience from different perspectives. What about you?  Do you consider the perspectives of those around you and your clients? Do you truly try to walk in their shoes?  Do you “share” their concerns and their fears?  Is your office and your practice so client-centric that they feel like “you’ve got it” when they share their struggles and their worries?  Do they feel like they are truly being taken care of or do they feel like they are just another number?  Are you listening to what your clients are telling you or are you projecting your perspective onto them? Are you listening to them or are you telling them?  Is it always your opinion that matters most?  What about their concerns?  What is keeping them up at night? Do you stop long enough to really see them, hear what they are saying, and then respond in accordance?  You might just be surprised; it might not be what you thought they were “saying” at all.

When you really “get it”, your firm has a “way” about it – an experience that becomes so natural that when a client (or even a perspective client) encounters your firm, they feel it. It is an experience. Everything that you, your attorneys, your staff do, say, how they handle the process is different. It is all focused on making it easier for the client. Everything is seen and done with the client’s perspective in mind. All of the communications from the moment they hear your firm’s name all the way through the follow-up of their case and the touches that occur afterwards in your client relationship marketing, all are client centric. They all contain the little things that matter and let them know that “you’ve got it” and they are special to you.

So, I invite you to “climb up on the mountain” (I haven’t come down yet). Get some perspective. Maybe change your perspective, or alter it a little. Share your thoughts with your team. Get their perspective. Then, see what a new perspective might do for your firm – you will be amazed what happens when you just stop, look and listen.

By Jeff Nischwitz

Often when talking to one of my law firm clients, I hear stories starting like this: “You’re not going to believe this, but …” “Boy, did I get lucky …” or “Let me tell you about the coincidence that happened the other day.” Whenever I hear comments like these, my ears perk up because I am confident that these stories are believable and not about luck or coincidence. While the outcome may not have been planned, the new business success stories are almost always the result of what I call The Magic Touch!  I am talking about the magic we create when we consistently, predictably, and rhythmically practice the art of connecting with our clients.

The rhythm is the result of new habit formation through consistent interaction and communication to overcome the comfort zone of practicing and doing the “stuff” of law.  Most lawyers I have met cite lack of time as their biggest obstacle.  However, the bigger obstacle is that the practice of law is our comfort zone.  In order to overcome these obstacles and be successful, we must create new habits.

A big client complaint is that lawyers are very attentive and communicative when they want the business, but these fade once the client is obtained. We work hard at communicating and demonstrating how much we care to a prospective client. Yet after, we often retreat into our comfort zone of legal work and believe that all our clients expect is quality legal work.  Nothing could be further from the truth. Clients do expect high quality legal services, but they also want to know that they are valued and more than just a revenue source. We often believe that connecting with our clients is a touchy-feely thing, but   “connection” is the outcome of clear, purposeful actions that show the client that we care.

These three key elements are critical to creating a world-class client experience:

1. Know Your Clients
2. Listen and Capture
3. Deliver the Unexpected

Law firms that consistently execute on these elements create a client-centered culture, develop referring fans, and effectively differentiate themselves within a competitive marketplace. They step into the rhythm of business development.

Know Your Clients

Your clients have specific needs and wants. Good lawyers dig deep to understand both. Better lawyers help clients clarify both to make good decisions. Great lawyers identify their clients’ unstated needs and wants then deliver on those even if outside the legal scope.

Often we see our clients as someone with legal needs, but the truth is they have personal problems with legal implications. When a person is injured, loses their job, or is the victim of medical malpractice, legal questions and claims arise. However, at the core of these situations are personal tragedies, risks, and outcomes that could have profound impact on our clients. The same is true in business disputes.  We often say “it’s not personal, it’s business,” but businesses are nothing more than groups of people, so it is personal. The legal needs of business owners ALL have personal impacts and implications. Many of our clients have never been involved in a legal dispute.  They come scared, uncertain, confused, and vulnerable. We often forget to look past the legal issues and understand the personal impact.

Great lawyers seek to understand their clients’ context: How does this matter impact your client? What are their primary concerns? What may be impacted by this legal dispute? What are the family dynamics? What time factors might impact the dispute and resolution? Without this critical context, we cannot best serve our clients.  As a trusted legal advisor seeking to deliver the best overall result and outcome, the key to uncovering this vital context is to ask the right questions and then to listen.

Listen and Capture

Because our clients are not “legal experts”, it falls on the lawyers to ask deeper questions to gain understanding.  We must learn to listen for the “golden nuggets” hinted by our clients so we may deliver their unstated needs.  As we proactively listen, we gain knowledge about our clients, allowing us to personalize the client experience.

Every time you communicate with a client, there’s an opportunity to listen and learn.  What’s going on, what do they value, and what important events are coming up in their lives?  These are vital in their lives, but we often miss them because they may not be relevant to the legal issues.  Valuing your clients means capturing their real life information.

Tune in to the information your clients share with you daily. Train your team to listen and capture this information. This is the “gold” in building relationships that matter with your clients.  This causes them to want to be your client, who value your firm, and who will share their positive experience with others.

Deliver the Unexpected

Many lawyers provide great legal services. Many have a similar background as you.  But few lawyers listen and know their clients unexpected wants and needs. This is your path into the 1% of trusted advisors – a category with little competition.

When was the last time you called your client just to check in with no agenda or legal questions?  When was the last time you called to thank a client for their business?  Imagine how you could set yourself apart by simply caring (giving flowers for an anniversary, sending a birthday card, or writing thank you note).  These go a long way and communicate volumes.

By knowing what is going on in your clients’ lives, you connect on a personal level which enhances their trust.  This art of listening and delivering the unexpected creates a niche to excel.  This heightens trust and, more importantly, moves them from mere clients to powerful relationships.  This is all the result of the Magic Touch!

Jeff Nischwitz is the Growth Acceleration Associate at Lawyers Marketing Associates, Inc. (www.lawyersmarketingassociates.com) and the Founder and Chief Acceleration Officer of Think Again!^TM (www.thinkagaincoaching.com), a training, consulting and coaching company.  Jeff works with law firms and law firm leaders to accelerate their results in four core areas: business development training and coaching, team and leadership development, client experience, and law firm succession planning and future leader development. For more information on Think Again’s programs, contact Jeff at jeff@lawyersmarketingassociates.com or (216) 373-7610.

HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD!

With PILMMA just around the corner, there is no time like the present to set your GPS for the “yellow brick road” to New Orleans.  It will definitely get you and your law firm heading in the right direction with regards to firm development and marketing.  Too often we take for granted our firm development destination and only know that we are “off to see the Wizard.”  We don’t necessarily know who that wizard truly is, and we aren’t always willing to ask.  Never be afraid to ask, you will be surprised at how many other lawyers are wondering the exact same thing!

Don’t take for granted that you know what direction you and your law firm should be headed even if you have been in business for 20 or more years.  Often we find that what is most important in firm development is not the answers, but the questions.  Lawyers Marketing Associates (LMA) asks you to take a long look in the mirror and ask the hard questions of yourself and those in your firm so that you find the best course to take that will help grow and develop your firm.

So take this opportunity to come to PILMMA and truly determine which direction is the best direction for your firm. Set your GPS so that you and your firm can develop and grow to its fullest potential.  Come see us while you are in New Orleans.  We’ll be the ones at the end of the yellow brick road, helping you set your course.  Lauren, Jeanne and Jeff will be ready to talk to you about where you and your firm have been, and what LMA can do to help head you in the best direction for success.  Whether your brand needs tweaking, your TV campaign needs revitalizing, your website needs optimizing or you simply need a new perspective on your overall firm, we are here to help from the inside out.  We have the tools from brand analysis and surveys, to integrated strategic and marketing plans.  We will work with you and your team to help implement all of the tools that you need to help take your firm in the right direction and develop your firm to its fullest potential.

PILMMA SPRING SUMMIT: MARCH 16-17

Do you have a clear direction for your law firm development and marketing or are you just on “auto pilot”? Let Lawyers Marketing Associates provide a clear voice to help you reach your destination as you are busy “manning the wheel” of your firm.

Join the LMA team in New Orleans March 16-17 for the Spring Marketing & Management Summit. Our very own Jeff Nischwitz will be speaking on “Secret Service: Building a Client-Centric Law Firm.”

Stop by the LMA booth and say hello!  We look foward to helping you reach your law firm development and marketing destination.

Don’t take for granted that you know what direction you and your law firm should be headed even if you have been in business for 20 or more years.  Often we find that what is most important in firm development is not the answers, but the questions.  Lawyers Marketing Associates (LMA) asks you to take a long look in the mirror and ask the hard questions of yourself and those in your firm so that you find the best course to take that will help grow and develop your firm.

So take this opportunity to come to PILMMA and truly determine which direction is the best direction for your firm. Set your GPS so that you and your firm can develop and grow to its fullest potential.  Come see us while you are in New Orleans.  We’ll be the ones at the end of the yellow brick road, helping you set your course.  Lauren, Jeanne and Jeff will be ready to talk to you about where you and your firm have been, and what LMA can do to help head you in the best direction for success.  Whether your brand needs tweaking, your TV campaign needs revitalizing, your website needs optimizing or you simply need a new perspective on your overall firm, we are here to help from the inside out.  We have the tools from brand analysis and surveys, to integrated strategic and marketing plans.  We will work with you and your team to help implement all of the tools that you need to help take your firm in the right direction and develop your firm to its fullest potential.

Contact us today to start heading in the right direction!

The rhythm is the result of new habit formation through consistent interaction and communication to overcome the comfort zone of practicing and doing the “stuff” of law.  Most lawyers I have met cite lack of time as their biggest obstacle.  However, the bigger obstacle is that the practice of law is our comfort zone.  In order to overcome these obstacles and be successful, we must create new habits.

A big client complaint is that lawyers are very attentive and communicative when they want the business, but these fade once the client is obtained. We work hard at communicating and demonstrating how much we care to a prospective client. Yet after, we often retreat into our comfort zone of legal work and believe that all our clients expect is quality legal work.  Nothing could be further from the truth. Clients do expect high quality legal services, but they also want to know that they are valued and more than just a revenue source. We often believe that connecting with our clients is a touchy-feely thing, but   “connection” is the outcome of clear, purposeful actions that show the client that we care.

These three key elements are critical to creating a world-class client experience:

1. Know Your Clients
2. Listen and Capture
3. Deliver the Unexpected

Law firms that consistently execute on these elements create a client-centered culture, develop referring fans, and effectively differentiate themselves within a competitive marketplace. They step into the rhythm of business development.

Know Your Clients

Your clients have specific needs and wants. Good lawyers dig deep to understand both. Better lawyers help clients clarify both to make good decisions. Great lawyers identify their clients’ unstated needs and wants then deliver on those even if outside the legal scope.

Often we see our clients as someone with legal needs, but the truth is they have personal problems with legal implications. When a person is injured, loses their job, or is the victim of medical malpractice, legal questions and claims arise. However, at the core of these situations are personal tragedies, risks, and outcomes that could have profound impact on our clients. The same is true in business disputes.  We often say “it’s not personal, it’s business,” but businesses are nothing more than groups of people, so it is personal. The legal needs of business owners ALL have personal impacts and implications. Many of our clients have never been involved in a legal dispute.  They come scared, uncertain, confused, and vulnerable. We often forget to look past the legal issues and understand the personal impact.

Great lawyers seek to understand their clients’ context: How does this matter impact your client? What are their primary concerns? What may be impacted by this legal dispute? What are the family dynamics? What time factors might impact the dispute and resolution? Without this critical context, we cannot best serve our clients.  As a trusted legal advisor seeking to deliver the best overall result and outcome, the key to uncovering this vital context is to ask the right questions and then to listen.

Listen and Capture

Because our clients are not “legal experts”, it falls on the lawyers to ask deeper questions to gain understanding.  We must learn to listen for the “golden nuggets” hinted by our clients so we may deliver their unstated needs.  As we proactively listen, we gain knowledge about our clients, allowing us to personalize the client experience.

Every time you communicate with a client, there’s an opportunity to listen and learn.  What’s going on, what do they value, and what important events are coming up in their lives?  These are vital in their lives, but we often miss them because they may not be relevant to the legal issues.  Valuing your clients means capturing their real life information.

Tune in to the information your clients share with you daily. Train your team to listen and capture this information. This is the “gold” in building relationships that matter with your clients.  This causes them to want to be your client, who value your firm, and who will share their positive experience with others.

Deliver the Unexpected

Many lawyers provide great legal services. Many have a similar background as you.  But few lawyers listen and know their clients unexpected wants and needs. This is your path into the 1% of trusted advisors – a category with little competition.

When was the last time you called your client just to check in with no agenda or legal questions?  When was the last time you called to thank a client for their business?  Imagine how you could set yourself apart by simply caring (giving flowers for an anniversary, sending a birthday card, or writing thank you note).  These go a long way and communicate volumes.

By knowing what is going on in your clients’ lives, you connect on a personal level which enhances their trust.  This art of listening and delivering the unexpected creates a niche to excel.  This heightens trust and, more importantly, moves them from mere clients to powerful relationships.  This is all the result of the Magic Touch!

Jeff Nischwitz is the Growth Acceleration Associate at Lawyers Marketing Associates, Inc. (www.lawyersmarketingassociates.com) and the Founder and Chief Acceleration Officer of Think Again!^TM (www.thinkagaincoaching.com), a training, consulting and coaching company.  Jeff works with law firms and law firm leaders to accelerate their results in four core areas: business development training and coaching, team and leadership development, client experience, and law firm succession planning and future leader development. For more information contact Jeff at jeff@lawyersmarketingassociates.com or 216-373-7610.

Like many things do, however, we are coming full-circle. Many seem to have realized that they prefer “local business” over “big business”. Cities are celebrating shopping and eating locally. Social media and the Internet are giving us more access to the companies that once seemed unapproachable. Company presidents are now tweeting about their personal lives. Real people are blogging about their passions and people are asking to do business with them, why? Because they LIKE them and connect with them. Yes, the world is progressing and changing, but really, we’re coming back to what we’ve always enjoyed: people.

Here are a few ways that your law firm can remind the world that you’re not only professional and successful, but that you are also “people”:

• Share your values out in the community. People want to do business with someone they connect with and share values with. Sponsor and run a 5K that raises money for a cause you care about. Participate in a local art walk and invite local artists to display their works in your office. If you’re in an urban area, invite the Girl Scouts to sell cookies in front of your office.
• Share your values using social media tools. Whatever your passion or cause is, be sure to share it online, as well. Take photos from the 5K you sponsored and post them on Facebook. Blog about a charity event and invite your clients and readers to donate items and bring them by your office. Start a scholarship and invite the community to donate via your website.
• Put a face to your company’s name. Personalize your firm’s website, newsletters and mailings and include “human interest” pieces. Post photos of your staff members at office or community events on your website or Facebook page. Include a favorite recipe from a staff member in your monthly newsletters.
• Be an influencer in professional organizations. Network and seek leadership opportunities (great or small) within your professional community and get to know the people within. If others connect with you and share your values, they may just WANT to give you referrals.

Put your best “face” forward and see what new opportunities open up for your firm!

A recent study by Dr. Kelly McGonigal, Stanford University psychologist, suggests that we should actually “plan to fail.”  In the study, a group of “aspiring exercisers” was asked to write down, every day, specific obstacles that they face while pursuing their goal of exercising and then come up with specific plans to avoid the obstacles.  This simple daily exercise of self-awareness allowed them to double their exercise habits by the end of the study.

It’s important to imagine our future selves as successful and thriving in our professional and personal lives, but this vision may not be all that we need to produce steadfastness.  We know that because we are human we are going to falter (this is why some of us are too discouraged to even create New Year’s resolutions in the first place), and yet, we don’t plan for our inevitable failings.  We tend to pretend that we will just set about our goals perfectly from start to finish.  No need for Plan B.

So, what about you?  Have you stopped to think through what obstacles you will face (or maybe have already faced) in achieving your goals?  Do you know what could distract you from achieving those goals?  Do you have a plan in place for avoiding those distractions?  If not, take the time to create a Plan B.  Planning to fail is ultimately planning to succeed.

Creating your firm’s annual budget is only the first step in “financial management”.  As it turns out, budgets themselves do not produce results, but managing them does. Without regularly tracking your progress, your budget doesn’t stand a chance.  Have your accountant generate an income report and a cash flow statement at the end of each month and set aside time in your schedule to analyze your budget before the next month begins.

Practicing a monthly budget review not only allows you to stay within your budget, but also allows you to set new benchmarks that will increase your monthly profit.  Here are a few things to keep in mind as you review your firm’s budget each month:

• Compare different practice areas to see which are more profitable.  Maximize those areas that are bringing in cash and re-evaluate or consider eliminating those that are not.  If nothing else, consider spending less on marketing those areas where your ROI is less and more where the ROI is greater.
• Increase monthly cash flow by decreasing the time it takes for cases to reach conclusion.  Measure the number of cases you turn over each month and review your processes and procedures to ensure that your firm is returning phone calls, obtaining and reviewing medical records, and sending out demand letters to insurance companies in a timely manner.  Doing so could increase your monthly case numbers and, therefore, cash flow.
• Evaluate your marketing expenditure to date vs. case intake to date.  Compare month to month and year to year.  Are you taking in more cases than you were last year this same time?  Are you taking in more cases this month than last month?  What about your expenditure?  Are you spending more or less this month or last?  This year or last year?
• Now compare your attorneys.  Which attorneys are your “rainmakers”?  Which ones are your best trial preparers? You best “litigators”?  Can you maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses?  Can you help them help the firm be more efficient and effective?  Would restructuring the firm in a different manner allow for better profits based upon the strengths of your attorneys?
• Take a look at where you’re spending money. Some credit card companies “group” expenses to help you track them. Or create your own groups.
• Look at your staff personnel and employee performance vs. salary. Is everyone producing? If you have anyone who is idle a portion of the time, consider hiring a contract employee for specific tasks or making the role part-time.

Finally, I encourage you to ask employees for input on ways to generate more revenue or reduce expenses. You might even want to make it a contest where the winner gets a week’s paid vacation or something even better. You may get some really great ideas!

As you set new goals this year, please let us know if we can help you with any of your firm development and marketing needs.  Contact me at Lauren@LawyersMarketingAssociates.com.  I look forward to working with you and making 2012 your most sucessful year yet!

Lauren Currin

Lawyers Marketing Associates, Inc., President

www.LawyersMarketingAssociates.com

“Soft marketing” is when you make an effort to put your name out in the community without directly “selling” your firm’s services. It can include newspaper articles or press releases about your firm, sponsoring a local event or charity, or giving away free educational materials that demonstrate your firm’s expertise.

Consider these ideas for your “soft marketing” goals this year:

-January is “National Blood Donation” month so, have your law firm give back to the community by hosting a blood drive. Gain goodwill from your community and build morale and camaraderie as your team members work together for a good cause. Contact your local newspaper to let them know about the event or send in a press release. Go here for more information about hosting a blood drive.

-”Adopt” a local charity as a law firm this year and encourage employees to sign up for volunteer days together. Get started at one of the following links:

• The American Red Cross
• Habitat for Humanity
• The Salvation Army
• Big Brothers Big Sisters
• For a list of more local volunteer organizations see: http://www.volunteermatch.org/

-Offer potential clients free educational materials on legal topics of interest. Your willingness to give away solid content for free will have potential clients coming back to your firm when they are in need of an expert in the law. LMA can help with both writing and publishing your book. For more information, check us out here.

When you think of it from this angle, customer service and satisfaction should soar right to the top of your priority list. Although you need to be surveying your clients for their desires and expectations throughout the time that you’re working with them, there a few things that all clients are looking for when they seek out an attorney.

1) A Down-to-Earth Expert: Clients are likely seeking your services in a fairly vulnerable state because they’ve encountered a hardship of some kind. They certainly want to know that you are the expert in the law, but speaking in “legalese” can lead to feelings of confusion and intimidation rather than feelings of assurance. Your clients need to be put at ease and empowered to learn and ask questions. You can give them this confidence by letting clients know up front that your job is to make sure that they are clear on everything you discuss and if not, you are happy to take the time to clarify. Then follow through with this promise by checking for understanding throughout your meetings and patiently answering all questions.

2) A Trustworthy Advocate. Clients want to know that they can trust you and that you’ve got their best interest in mind. No one likes to feel like they’re “getting the wool pulled over their eyes.” So how can you get clients to trust you? How about by being trustworthy? Be up front about what you can provide and by when you can provide it. Then stick to your word. Neglecting to follow through will only burn bridges when referral time comes.

3) A Focused Responder. A client wants to feel as if they’re the most important client you have. Sure, you may have bigger fish to fry, but they don’t want to know that. Respond quickly to clients’ inquiries and give them the focused attention that you might give to your biggest client. Everyone loves feeling important and by offering this to your clients, you stand out in the crowd.

You’re a skilled, experienced and hard-working lawyer, but that doesn’t mean that you should expect your clients to revolve around you. Your firm exists to serve them and you should always be thinking about how to make your business more client-focused. If clients stay, then you stay in business.