Just think, when is the last time you held on to a business card that you got from another lawyer? Sure, maybe you kept the business card in your wallet for a couple of days just ‘cause you felt guilty tossing it out right away. But 99% of the time, you toss the business cards into the garbage and never give them another thought.
Let’s start with one basic fact: business cards are pretty much a waste of paper. You hand them out at depositions and bar association dinners, but garbage pales are littered with business cards at the courthouse and restaurants. But conventional lawyer wisdom tells you that handing out a ton of business cards will be good for business—NONSENSE!
The Greatest (and most Indestructible) Business Card Ever
But what if you had a business card that was indestructible? What if you had a business card that was so good that no one EVER threw it into the garbage and kept your business card forever? This is the dream come true of all business cards—you stay present in the minds of your clients with the business card of your dreams. You have a business card unlike any other lawyer and you violate all industry norms with a business card that is virtually indestructible.
Yes, the indestructible business card exists. But much better than your traditional business card that simply has your address, name and phone number, this business card does so much more—in fact, there is no limit to what you can do with this business card. You can educate and inform your prospective clients about your area of law, provide details about your wonderful professional background and show consumers why you are the perfect lawyer for their case. But even better, this business card gives you a virtual guarantee that it will never been thrown out and will remain with your clients and peers for years to come.
The best business card in the world is a book
Before you start thinking, “this guy Fisher is nuts, why would I write a book?”, you should ask one question, When was the last time you threw out a book? Okay, maybe you’ve donated some books the local library or sold a few books at a garage sale, but I’m willing to bet you’ve never thrown out a book. But why?
Books are sacrosanct in our culture. And we’re not talking about e-books—real, physical books you hold in your hands. And yes, even the books you’ve never read or maybe started reading but didn’t like—all of these books hold a special place in our culture that says one thing: you better not toss me out! So, even though you don’t like the clutter, the books (yes, even books you’ve never read) sit on your coffee table in your living room and stare you in the face day after day.
And yet perhaps you don’t give a single thought to the book, but it still sits there. You have parties and friends over to the house, and that book is still sitting there for all to see. Endless people see the book over the course of years and it’s got dust all over it, but it still sits there. But how can a book help you?
How you can use a Book to Change your Practice
Let’s say you have an elder law practice and you’ve written a treatise, guide or book about special needs trusts (just stick with me for a moment). You have a new prospective client, Mr. Jones, who wants to meet with you about a special needs trust for his brother and he is interviewing a number of elder law attorneys to find the best lawyer. So you meet with Mr. Jones, review the pros and cons of special needs trusts and at the end of your meeting, you hand him your book about special needs trusts.
Now you’ve got his attention. Mr. Jones has met with a number of elder law attorneys, but none of them have given him a book. With a surprised look on his face, Mr. Jones thinks, “What’s this about?” So Mr. Jones goes home and begins reading and reads some more—he devours the information in your book because it reads as if it was written just for him. All of Mr. Jones’s questions and concerns are answered by your book.
Before you handed your book to Mr. Jones, you were just another lawyer. After handing him your book, you are suddenly the lawyer who “wrote the book” and you are suddenly different from every other lawyer Mr. Jones has interviewed. Once he gets your powerful book that is chockfull of great information about special needs trusts, is there really any doubt who Mr. Jones will hire for his attorney?
You are no longer competing with other lawyers for work—your book does all of the selling for you. Mr. Jones will be completely pre-sold on you as his lawyer because you gave him something that no other lawyer did—a book that is full of great information that answers all of his questions.
Your Book: A Gift that Keeps Giving
But it gets even better. Your book about special needs trusts will sit on Mr. Jones’s coffee table for the next ten or fifteen years and hey, maybe no one will read it, but who cares? By the time your book gets donated to the local library (remember, no one throws out books), your book will have been seen by hundreds of family and friends of Mr. Jones. And even when your case with Mr. Jones is long over, your book will be a constant reminder to him of the excellent work you did and he will refer you to his friends and family.
A book is a gift that keeps giving. Mr. Jones asks for more copies of your book to give to his friends and now you’re in business. Your book is getting read by high quality prospects who you might actually want to represent (yes, the clients who can pay you). While you’re sitting on a beach in the Caribbean, there are new prospective clients reading about you and how you can help them with their legal problem. New clients are presold on you before you’re first meeting with them and hey, why not, you’re the lawyer who “wrote the book”.
The Greatest Lead Generation Device on the Planet
But we’re just getting started. Rather than just keeping your book in a dusty bookshelf, you offer an electronic book to consumers on your website. In exchange for their name and address, you provide prospective clients with a free e-book that costs you nothing. While you’re sleeping, new prospective clients are downloading your free e-book and devouring the information you give them. And yes, part of this is that they are reading about you and why you are the perfect lawyer for their case.
And maybe they don’t have a case right now—maybe your prospective clients are just trolling for free information. But don’t let that stop you. There’s a reason why the consumer found your website and downloaded your free e-book—you are providing information that they need. And maybe they don’t need your services right now, but there’s at least a decent chance they will need you eventually and when the time is right, voila! You’ve got a new client.
Now you’re growing your law firm beyond a regional practice. Prospective clients from outside your community are downloading your free e-book and calling you for representation. You’re growing your law firm from a regional to a statewide and even national law practice and your book is the cornerstone building block for the growth of your firm. With a book, you’re thinking of the future and building a system that will generate a steady pipeline of new clients and referrals that will keep your law firm open for years.
Why you should write a book NOW
Let’s stop for a moment and ask, “What other lawyer in your community is writing a book?” (remember, the goal is to differentiate you from every other lawyer in your market). That’s right, no one! Every lawyer in your town brags about their settlements and verdicts and how they have been nominated for Super Lawyers…blah, blah, blah. But not one of them has bothered to write a book.
So here’s the great news for you: your book separates you from the crowd of lawyers who are just fighting for any crappy case they can get. Now, your clients perceive you at the top authority, so why would they even think of hiring anyone else? That’s right, there is no downside to writing a book—it will give you celebrity status among your clients and fans and generate new cases in a way that nothing else can.
Why isn’t everyone writing a book?
Wait a minute, you say, how will you find time to write a book and even then, how will you find a traditional publishing house, like Harper-Collins or Simon-Schuster, to publish your book? These are exactly the type of thoughts that will stop you dead in your tracks.
If you set aside 30 minutes a day for writing, you can write a book in 3-6 months. Is it easy? No, but let’s face it, nothing worth having is easy. And you won’t need to do a load of research because the information you need to write your book is already in your head. You just need to sit down and start writing—no, not War and Peace, but just a couple of paragraphs a day. In just three or four weeks, you will be on your way with the first three chapters of your book. Believe me, you can do this.
Okay, but what about finding a publisher willing to publish your book? Don’t let this stop you, my friend. There are self-publishing companies (I published my first book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, with self-publisher, Word Association) that can publish your book for $2,000 and yes, that includes proofreading, copy editing, graphic design of the front and back cover and interior layout. If you want to self-publish a book (and that’s what I recommend for your first book), a self-publishing company can publish your book in three months.
Don’t just take my word for this!
That’s right, a book is the ultimate business card—an indestructible business building machine that you will have your entire career.
The Power of a System is full of insider secrets about law office management and practice building. Rather than keeping this information in my head, I gave it all away in the book. And why, you ask, would I do this? Hey, not all of you will read my book, but I’m willing to bet there are at least a few of you who will read it and implement some of the concepts. And perhaps you might call me or ask me to lunch to ask a few questions or ask for the free compact disc of forms of pleadings, motions, and discovery responses that I offer with the book (it took half a year to organize these forms).
But I’ve got a secret, hidden agenda: I’m building my relationship with you—my top referral partners—simply by giving away all of the great information (and lessons from a ton of mistakes I’ve made) about law office systems and practice-building. Yes, I have to admit: it’s not all altruism. But in the long run, I’m willing to bet that you keep my new book on the coffee table of your law firm, maybe read it from time to time and when you’ve got the next big malpractice case to refer, who are you going to call?
How can we help you become more awesome?
What if there was a book about law office systems, management and marketing that leaves no secrets behind?
A book that will give you systems for every aspect of your practice, so your law firm runs like a finely tuned sports car while you’re on vacation.
Yes, a book that Ben Glass, Esq., the nation’s leading marketing guru calls, “amazing”.
Now, for the first time ever, this book exists. The Power of a System: How to Build the Injury Law Practice of your Dreams is crammed full of 328 pages of cutting-edge, “you’ve never heard this before”, inside secrets about law office systems, management and practice and for only $26.99 it can be your’s today (heck, we even rush the book to you by Federal Express for FREE if your order from our website, www.ultimateinjurylaw.com).
Now, go to the home page of www.ultimateinjurylaw.com and order your copy of The Power of a System. Let’s get started building the injury practice of your dreams NOW!
P.S.: And by the way, if you’re not absolutely thrilled with The Power of a System, just send it back to me. You’ll get your money back plus $25.00 just for reading my book (sounds crazy? Read the book!) No questions asked and no strings attached!
