Injury victims are flooded with a barrage of lawyer advertising on TV, radio and billboards. One injury lawyer after the next is in their face with obnoxious claims that their firm is the “heavy hitter” or greatest trial lawyer in the universe. It’s no wonder consumers don’t trust lawyers. But in a marketplace flooded with outlandish lawyer ads, how can you stand out?
You can’t stand the obnoxious lawyer ads and you don’t want to refinance your mortgage to pay for a TV or radio ad. What if you took a different approach? Instead of bragging about your settlements and verdicts, you gift-wrap your best advice in the form of white papers, articles and guides and give everything away to consumers. With a Shock & Awe, you are different from every other lawyer.
Where You Should Start
Begin by having a graphic designer put your logo and firm’s contact information on your best educational articles and package them in a “Shock & Awe”. Your Shock & Awe should consist of articles that educate injury victims about their rights. You might begin with your best consumer-friendly articles:
#1: “Your Responsibilities”: Explain the client’s responsibilities in our relationship with them, i.e., responding to phone calls, preparing for their deposition, attending the trial, etc. Ask your clients to sign and initial each page of this agreement. You need your clients to know that they are responsibilities too and if they aren’t willing to do some work, you’ll fire them.
#2: “Your Right to a Jury Trial”: A document that summarizes the pluses and minuses of a jury trial and why we recommend that our clients waive their right to a jury trial. Make sure your clients are aware of the potential risks of jury trials.
#3: Book, The 7 Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims: Small book that answers the most common questions ask by medical malpractice victims, i.e., how long the lawsuit will take, how the value of their case is determined, etc. Saves a lot of time answering questions.
#4: “Our 3 Rules of Communication”: An article setting forth your three basic rules of communication with clients. Once you explain that you don’t take unscheduled phone calls and walk-in office visits and you don’t respond to email and texts, you will take back control of your workday…and just maybe get more work done.
#5: “Your 8 Basic Rights”: An article that outlines the rights of malpractice victims. Educate your clients about their rights, i.e., they have the right to fire you, reject any settlement offer and get a complete copy of their file, and they will love you for your transparency.
#6: “Our Rules for Protecting Your Privacy and Confidentiality Rights”: An article that educates your clients about their rights to privacy and confidentiality, i.e., how you protect their medical records and private documents.
#7: “What You Can Expect during Your Lawsuit”: An article that lays out each step in a lawsuit from the exchange of discovery, depositions, a defense medical examination and the trial. Your clients will know what to expect and they won’t have a million questions throughout the case.
#8: Retainer Agreement: Your “client-friendly” retainer agreement that educates and protects your clients’ rights. Be different from every other injury firm in your retainer agreement, i.e., your clients will not be responsible for the reimbursement of case expenses if they lose their case.
#9: Case Budget: The pre-litigation Case Budget is an itemized checklist that sets forth the costs of litigation in each phase of the lawsuit. Your clients should know that you’re making a substantial investment of time and $. And with any luck, your clients will understand that they have to jump when you tell them to.
Have your graphic designer create a pocket folder that has your law firm’s logo, photos of former clients and your team members (i.e., secretary and paralegal) on the front and a list of your law firm’s core values and purpose on the back.
Blowing Away Injury Victims with Your Unique Value Proposition
Your Shock & Awe does 2 things:
- You are completely different from every other injury lawyer when you give away your best secrets and advice; and
- Injury victims will feel indebted and if they have a case, who do you think they’ll hire?
You might offer your free Shock & Awe as an enticing offer for new subscribers for your email newsletter, a Facebook ad campaign or a phone book ad. There’s no limit how you can leverage your Shock & Awe, i.e., video and social media posts that explain each article. You have a marketing asset that blows away injury victims with content-laden, valuable information that they can use regardless of their decision to hire you.
Where Do You Get Started?
Send an email to our Client Relations Director, Alyssa Marcello at receptionist@fishermalpracticelaw.com, and she will send you an email with our Shock & Awe. Feel free to copy, and send me an email to let me know you’ve created your own Shock & Awe.
photo credit: 2015-02-27 高雄市平安燈會煙火(Kaohsiung New Year Festival Of Light And Peace Fireworks) via photopin (license)
