Skip to main content

What She Said – Putting Testimonials to Work

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Allan Colman, Attorney Marketing, Business Development, Client Retention, Content Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization, Email Marketing, Law Firm Leadership, Law Firm Marketing, Marketing for Law Firms.

One way to establish trust in the early phases of the business development process is applying “what she said”, or, putting testimonials to work on your firm’s behalf.

Many firms pitch every chance they get, polishing proposal after proposal. Yet they continue struggling to win new business. When asked, most prospects and clients say the “no’s” are due to a lack of trust.
Testimonials are the forms of validation that tell prospective clients that others have trusted and hired your firm. This endorsement is especially helpful if someone has stumbled upon you from an online search. Why would they consider you over the next firm that popped up?

Here’s an example of the power of a well written testimonial. “Marcia Colman is a consummate professional who consistently provides me with excellent legal representation. Marcia’s work ethic, attention to detail and overall sense of urgency is hard to find. She also has an extensive network of arbitrators, financial and tax colleagues to lean on, which I found extremely helpful. Marcia is always available to provide great advice and counsel.”

The first step in obtaining testimonials is recognizing the variety of ways to get them. (Adapted from Kissmetrics)

FACEBOOK REVIEWS

SEND A CLIENT SURVEY

SEND AN EMAIL

PUT YOUR TESTIMONIALS IN ONE PLACE

THE DARK SIDE OF REVIEWS

Contact Closers Group for details on these 5 tactics to enhance testimonials.

Dancing With The Stars and Client Retention

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Allan Colman, Attorney Marketing, Business Development, Client Retention, Content Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization, Email Marketing, Law Firm Marketing, Marketing for Law Firms, Marketing Partners.

Which of the four personality types are you trying to tango with?

For those focused on accelerating new business and client retention, Dancing With the Stars, “Which of the four personality types are you trying to tango with” offers an important lesson: the hard work you put in during rehearsal is every bit as important as your time spent dancing in front of the camera.

There is nothing more important than your ability to talk, listen, look at, express, laugh, be serious, and connect with your client. Each client, depending upon his or her personality type, will respond to you according to how they process information. Just like a couple who moves across the dance floor as one, the words and how they are delivered by you during a meeting or encounter will make a difference in your business development outcome.

In general, most clients will fall under four personality types. Think about a few of them now. Can you categorize any of them into one of the following personality types? If so, here are some tips on how to communicate more effectively:

1. The Socializers

The socializer is the easiest group to communicate with. They’re fun, talkative, and gregarious. They’re OK if you’re busy or late. They’ll put you in a good mood. They are open-minded. They will accept unanticipated changes. They have lots of friends and want you as one also. For case presentation or to present a new idea to them, just be earnest and friendly and tell them what they need.

2. The Drivers

The drivers can be intimidating, but they are the second easiest group to accept your recommendations.
They’re all about business, being on time, being productive, and getting it right the first time. They don’t care if you’re their friend. They want you to be competent and professional. Every spare minute is important to them. Multi-taskers, they could be texting while you are getting settled into the meeting! Be confident and present. Don’t give them options. Your conversations should be: “This is what we need to do….and why….”

3. The Realtors

This group is more challenging. They are warm, gentle and considerate clients. They do not make quick decisions. They need to talk about your recommendations, think it over. They need time. Don’t be sensitive or upset that you don’t get the quick “yes”. You’ll wonder, perhaps, what you did wrong if they don’t say “yes” right away. These aren’t first-day-decision clients. If you have a “realtor” as a client be sure that you focus on:

  • Discussing how many times you’ve been successful with the specific matter you’re talking about
  • Presenting examples
  • Being clear and thorough during your presentation

“Realtors” just need more time to think. Hang in there.

4. The Thinkers

Just like the name implies, the Thinkers like to think it over. They are courteous, respectful, and inquisitive. They want you to be professional and informed. They don’t like changes. They might ask you for a detailed accounting of their matter and why. Making a presentation to a “thinker” is like presenting to a colleague. Know your stuff! Be detailed and to the point.

 

Dancing with the Stars and Client Retention

Remember, when it comes to attorney marketing, your clients (and potential ones) are both the audience and the judges. The more you prepare the better your performance will be.

 

 

4 Secrets to Accelerating Growth

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Attorney Marketing, Business Development, Content Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization, Email Marketing, Law Firm Marketing, Marketing for Law Firms, Practice Group Leaders, Strategic Planning. 1 Comment on 4 Secrets to Accelerating Growth

In order to practice the 4 secrets to accelerating growth, using our one-page-strategic-plan becomes key. As practice areas, offices and cross-specialties groups build this approach into their firm culture, they will open and then close multiple new business development opportunities. And business acceleration becomes a highly recognized and respected key to your firm.

By turning your business growth strategies into action, you have learned to avoid fatal mistakes and garnered more management support. You will build and sustain new revenue by using the 4 secrets;

* Increase the number of clients you serve;
* Get those clients to purchase more services each time they retain you;
* Encourage your clients to purchase more often from you;
* Increase your fees.

Now get to it before the competition does.

Have You Been Told to Grow Your Practice? – Origination Credit

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Allan Colman, Attorney Marketing, Business Development, Content Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization, Law Firm Marketing, Marketing for Law Firms, Online Marketing.

As competition for legal services increases, non-equity partners are being challenged to “grow your practice.” In more and more firms, marketing and business development efforts are being intensified and carefully measured for new revenue origination.

Those who succeed have not only applied law firm marketing coaching and advisory support, but now understand how to achieve:

  • Sustainable revenue growth
  • Providing superior client value
  • Out-maneuver the competition
  • More success in less time
  • Define and use their “identity capital”

These 5 and other components of accelerating new revenue and fee origination are designed to help grow your practice by transforming your ability to market and closing multiple new opportunities.

 

Have You Been Told to Grow Your Practice?

For a complimentary consultation on growing your practice and accelerating your new business, please contact us for a free consultation.

90% of Marketing is “Half” Mental

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Allan Colman, Attorney Marketing, Business Development, Content Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization, Email Marketing, Law Firm Leadership, Leadership, Managing Partners, Marketing for Law Firms, Marketing Partners, Practice Group Leaders.

Yogi Berra’s famous quote, in it’s modified use, addresses the most important aspect of marketing and accelerating new business development. Ultimately it is the attorneys and paralegals that will drive law firm business development into the “accelerator zone.” For management, understanding how to support and drive their people by using our “one page strategic plan” becomes the road to success. Psychologist Bruce Tuckman observed a 4 phase path that teams need to follow on their way to high performance and accelerating new business — “forming, storming, norming and performing.”

Today’s column deals with the “forming” stage, where team members are positive and polite. Some are anxious as they do not fully understand what work they will be doing. As the leader, you play a dominant role at this stage, because roles and responsibilities are not clear. Be aware that this stage can last for some time, as people begin working together and make an effort to get to know their colleagues. The so-called attorney “silo” operational set is still all to present and prevents early acknowledgement of entering the “accelerator zone.”

Next column will cover “storming.”

Are Hamsters Running Your New Business Strategic Planning ?

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Allan Colman, Business Development, Business Strategy, Client Retention, Content Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization, Marketing for Law Firms.

New business strategic planning is the process by which an organization’s leaders define and implement the plan needed to achieve the firm’s fundamental purpose — successfully solving problems and preventing them in the future. The output is a set of high level objectives [we identify them as “critical improvement areas” per 36ixty] and initiatives/specific actions to achieve these objectives.

In other words, turn strategy into action. And since most strategic plans sit on a shelf, gathering dust, we propose starting out with a ONE PAGE STRATEGIC PLAN – yes, one page. State the purpose, identify the anticipated profit, set the priorities, measure the performance and track the progress. Insure that firm members all understand what is happening, anticipate how their roles are critical to success, and build it into your firm’s/company’s culture.

Why Focus on Your Client's Bottom Line?

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Allan Colman, Business Development, Business Strategy, Content Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization, Email Marketing, Law Firm Marketing, Leadership, Marketing for Law Firms.

Accelerate Your Business Now – Chpt.3

Note that these 12 Practices from 36ixty [brand, leadership, strategy, communication, team, core message, marketing, sales, customer experience, revenue and systems]Closers Group: Is Your Firm in the "Accelerator Zone"? break down into 3 manageable groups; how people work; how processes work; and systems to integrate and manage them all. We call them “impact areas” where clients focus on bottom line results. And in order to define these, we start with having senior firm management answer these questions as a group.

• What do I need to do more of?
• What do I need to do less of?
• What do I need to start doing?
• What do I need to stop doing?

The right questions are designed to focus on what is really important to the business and internal aspects necessary for success. The answers become the foundation that might lead to refinement, transformation in effectiveness and profits. They are the keys to growing new business. What then follows is the strategic planning process in our next column.

Is Your Firm in the “Accelerator Zone”?

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Allan Colman, Business Development, Content Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization, Email Marketing, Law Firm Marketing, Marketing for Law Firms, Online Marketing.

 

Acceleration is about generating new business development successfully in less time. In order to enter the “accelerator zone”, one must first understand what happens when you are not in the -accelerator zone-. Chances are that you:

  • Put growth before value;
  • Don’t know what you stand for;
  • Have a strategic plan that is gathering dust;
  • Aren’t sure how to create a commitment-based culture;
  • Don’t have a core story;
  • Have not deployed all the marketing tools available;
  • Have undervalued the sales process;
  • Haven’t modified or eliminated outdated policies.

Sound familiar? Where does your law firm fall in addressing these? Does firm management address issues such as these? If they did, is firm “leadership” capable of major refinement? Would they even understand the value of moving their firm into an “accelerator zone”?

What Do Your Prospects Need? – Accelerating New Business Now.

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Allan Colman, Asking for Business, Attorney Marketing, Business Development, Law Firm Marketing, Marketing for Law Firms, Marketing Partners.

Prior to meeting with new business prospects, we urge clients to prepare a needs analysis. You can’t help a client until you know what they need. Rainmakers diagnose a prospect’s problem by asking questions and listening closely to the answers.

To conduct a proper needs analysis, you must know the questions you will ask. And you need to ask these questions in a logical order. Keep track of the questions asked. And at the same time, take notes on the prospect’s answers. Questions, answers, tangents new areas of investigation must all be juggled.

Questions to Include in Your Needs Analysis

Ask and answer the following questions before the first meeting.

  • What are their goals?
  • What are their challenges?
  • What solutions have they tried?
  • What is the problem costing them?
  • What are the consequences if the problem continues?
  • What is their timetable?
  • What is their budget?
  • Who else are they talking to?
  • Who, in addition to the person you are meeting with, will be involved in the decision making?
  • What are your concerns?

 

 

Branding: “If You Chase 2 Rabbits, You Will Not Catch Either One”

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Attorney Marketing, Business Development, Law Firm Marketing, Marketing for Law Firms, Marketing Partners.

Branding is the first of 12 Essential Practices (36ixty) we use to help companies accelerate revenue. It combines your purpose, vision, mission and values all into a strategy and implementation tactics. This becomes your brand.

3 Initial Steps to Branding

In my role as a Senior Business Accelerator Advisor with 36ixty, we find 3 steps to help clients become the best at one thing. This is critical in building the recognition coming from a brand.

Step #1 – M

Get your message right. Clarity addresses questions such as why do we exist? Who are we serving? How do we behave? What values will we adhere to? What is it that we actually do?

Step #2 – A

Leverage the appropriate amplifiers. Once you get the message right, this is where you use all the marketing tools available, from social media, to press releases, to advertising, to collateral, to speeches, etc.

Step #3 – P

Persevere. Over time you need to be seen as credible, expert and a master.

 

There is a Russian proverb which clarifies this approach, “If you chase 2 rabbits, you will not catch either one.”

 

Essential Branding Questions

Answering the following questions will help get you your brand:

  • What do you do when providing your product or service that is different than what everyone else does?
  • Why do your clients/customers return to you and your product/services?
  • When people refer business to you, what do they tell others about you? (Ask if you don’t know)
  • What skills to you have that people find interesting and helpful?

 

As the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos said, “Your brand is what stays in a room after you leave the room.”