99% of lawyers take pride in being the consummate technician. Lawyers are proud of their skills as trial lawyers and brag about their war stories in court. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned is that, trial lawyers almost never grasp the most important thing that they do: GET CLIENTS.
Scott J. Manning, MBA, a marketing guru, once told me the secret to a seven-figure (or eight-figure) law firm: the best lawyers view their law firm as a business and spend more than 50% of their time on marketing. Easier said than done? Yes, but no one said this would be easy.
Are You a Technician or Entrepreneur?
Craig Goldenfarb, Esq., an ultra-successful injury lawyer in South Florida spends 95% of his time on marketing. Craig’s firm sponsors community events about public safety and he sets aside at least two hours every week meeting with his marketing director. Craig’s investment of time and money on marketing has paid off big-time.
Paul Harding, Esq., a prominent injury lawyer in Upstate New York, requires each of his 119 employees to join 3 charitable organizations. Paul sponsors the organization’s charitable events and his employees appear at their events on behalf of Paul’s firm. Brilliant idea for instilling the entrepreneur mindset in employees!
Joe O’Connor, Esq., an injury lawyer, supports biker rallies for Harley riders throughout Upstate New York. Joe goes to the rallies, chats up the bikers and throws $ behind their causes. Nice way to support the bikers and it has paid off with referrals of 7-figure cases.
How to Become an Entrepreneur
Okay, you know getting clients is important, but what are you really doing about it? Your life is busy with depositions, trials and just maybe some spare time with your spouse and kids and by the end of the week, you’ve done no marketing. You won’t pay the price today, but you’ll pay over the next 2-3 years.
Let’s say you’ve got no funds, no experience and have no clue where to start. No problem, my friend. Get started doing these 3 (almost) cost-free marketing tasks:
- 45 days of blog posts—EVERY DAY,
- Lunch once a week with prospective referral partner,
- Weekly email newsletter for your ideal referral partners
Cost? Just a few bucks for lunch. The rest only requires your time and patience. In just a couple of months, your phone will start ringing.
Easy? Not quite. But if you don’t make time for marketing, you will be just like every other lawyer: AVERAGE. And remember, you have a huge advantage over the rest of your peers who aren’t doing any of this.
Take Small Steps to Improve Your Marketing
Building a multi-million dollar injury law firm takes time and patience and won’t happen overnight. Just take small steps to improve your marketing every day and a year from now, you will be the envy of every other lawyer in your town.
photo credit: danniatherton Image Library Danni Atherton Canberra ACT via photopin (license)
