Archive for the ‘practice management’ Category

10 Ways to Stand Out from Other Law Practices and Make Your Firm Unique

May 7th, 12 / 0 Comments


Stand out in front of the crowd

 

 

 

 

What a competitive environment law practices are in right now!  There is no doubt that potential clients have lots of choices.  What makes them choose to work with you rather than other law firms?  How do you stand out from the others? Perhaps it is the way you run your practice or because of your own charisma.  I’ve written a list of 10 ways professionals differentiate themselves.   My list is a mix of practice related ideas and attorney related ideas.  Some combination of these or others will help your firm and you to standout from other attorneys doing the same type of legal work.

  1.  Great customer service – No one has a successful law firm that doesn’t give acceptable customer service.  To be a standout however you need to go above and beyond.  Returning calls when you have promised them, updating clients on a regular basis, getting the work done when you promise it will be done etc. Ask clients what exceptional customer service is for them and then meet their expectations.
  2. An office with a group of allied services – If you work with clients that regularly need related services, you could provide the services in your office.  You might share space with an accountant, a title examiner, or a social worker depending on your practice area.  I used the accountant my divorce attorney had in his office before, during and after my divorce. That was in over 30 years ago and I still remember the lawyer.
  3. Fixed fee for routine services you offer – Clients like to budget for attorney’s fees so if you can give a fixed fee for the service that you provide clients will remember you. If other attorneys are doing this in your area, then find something to include in the package that makes your offer even more attractive.  Lowest price is not the only way to distinguish yourself.
  4. Compelling story for choosing law – If you have a compelling story about why you chose law or a particular practice area and you publicize that story, it will become memorable for potential clients. The story needs to include something about how it impacts your practice today. As with all these you’ll need to use the story in your marketing and refer to it online and in print.
  5. Well known results that others talk about – If you have won a lot of cases, gotten big settlements, negotiated amicable divorces, you will set yourself apart from other lawyers.  Lawyers and law firms that win awards also standout from other practices.
  6. Humor - Some people have a type of humor that sets people at ease.  This can be a wonderful trait especially when things get tense.  Humor is often the only thing that can diffuse a tense situation.  Knowing how and when to use humor is a really wonderful skill that will help you to standout with your clients and potential clients.
  7. Expert advice on a blog – If you have a blog that is a resource of your clients, this can help differentiate you.   The blog will have to be popular and useful to your target market.  Blogging regularly will make you unique among your peers.
  8. Visible volunteer in a nonprofit – Working for a nonprofit is a great way to meet referral sources.  It becomes a differentiator for you when you are at a high enough level in the organization that you and your firm get mentioned frequently by others.
  9. Your office has a theme related to your interest – Whether you are a sports buff, opera lover, skier or a musical theater enthusiast, sharing that interest with your clients can differentiate you from others.   You can use a bookcase with memorabilia, pictures around the office or a wall of trophies.  I once worked for a VP who had a wall of pictures of himself with famous people.  It made him memorable.
  10. Unique and memorable dress – Think about Tom Wolfe and  Michael    Gerber.  Both like white suits and hats.  It does make them memorable.  At first this one seemed a little frivolous to me.  What do you think?  It is pure marketing.  I know a coach who wears red clothes and a red hat.  I do remember her!  Food for thought.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Michael Gerber                                   Tom Wolfe

What do you do to make yourself or your firm stand out?

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Lawyers, practice management, tips

10 Ways to Use Leverage in Your Law Practice

Apr 3rd, 12 / 0 Comments

Many people supporting money

Think of leverage as getting the most “bang for your buck”.  With a little effort you maximize your results. It might be investing a few dollars to get more but there are other ways to leverage your efforts. Here are 10 ways to use leverage in your law practice:

 

  1. Leverage your time – One way to leverage your time is to create something you can use over and over.  An example of that might be creating and saving templates for documents you use frequently.  Another might be the creation of an operations manual so that staff and all the attorneys know how all the systems in the practice operate.  I wrote a list in 2004 on ways to leverage your time.  You will find it here: http://www.asparker.com/ppts0604.html
  2. Leverage your strengths – What are the skills you enjoy using?  These are the ones that are usually easy for you and the ones you excel at.  Find ways to use those skills to benefit your practice.  For example if you are someone who enjoys  meeting and talking to people you will  do well at networking with people and speaking to groups of people – two great ways to develop your business.  Others who excel at writing can find ways to write articles and books to attract business.  In either case with a minimum of your effort you get big results.
  3. Leverage your network – It is said that everyone knows 250 people.  Now is the time to use those connections to develop a powerful network.  Ask your current network to introduce you to people who are well connected and have the ability to refer multiple clients to you.  With 20 powerful connections you will get the referrals you need to run your practice.
  4. Leverage by using strategic partnerships – Partner with someone who also comes in contact with your target market for example a real estate attorney might partner with an appraiser and/or a real estate agent in doing a workshop for the purpose of educating new home buyers.  You can leverage your time by doing the same workshop for new buyers multiple times.  You can leverage the relationship with the partners by sharing leads and referrals.
  5. Leverage your client’s good will – Stay connected with clients who know, like and trust you.  They know your work and are likely to refer to you if you are in the top of their minds when someone asks them for a referral.  Connection can be by phone, email, or snail mail.  In fact a mixture of all three keeps it interesting.
  6. Leverage your knowledge – Use your expertise to create several different products from one.  If you have written an article to be published, give a workshop on the same topic.  Use a synopsis of the article in your email newsletter.  Include a link to your article in a Tweet and/or on your LinkedIn page.
  7. Leverage your technology – Once you have bought into software or hardware and mastered using it then use it in as many ways as you can to get the maximum benefit.  Use QuickBooks for your accounting but then generate reports to see how you are doing.  Compare month against the financial goals you set and then compare with the previous year to see the growth.  Check what your expenses were to find waste.  Make a plan for the next month to stay on track or make up for past performance.
  8. Leverage your money to invest  in support services for your practice– This will free up your time to do what you do best (the legal work or practice management and strategy).  If this is a strain on the budget then use the time gained to do some business development so that you can more than afford the service. A Practice Advisor can help you to set attainable business development goals and will insure that you achieve them.
  9. Leverage your money to invest in education and training – Courses for you and/or your staff have many benefits.  For you gaining expertise in an area can bring new business into your practice either from new clients or current clients.  Adding to the knowledge of the staff increases their productivity and enables them to take on new responsibilities.
  10. Leverage your staff – Delegate all the work to them that they are capable of doing.  The more work you delegate the more time you have to work for your clients or to develop more business.   Train the appropriate members of your staff to do all the administrative tasks.  Initially this takes a lot of time but it will save you much more time than you invest if you train the person well.
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Lawyers, practice management, tips

Use Assessments Cautiously

Mar 19th, 12 / 0 Comments

Woman reviewing assessment with coach

The woman I was speaking to on the phone was someone I knew.  I was planning to hire 7 people for a project and was in the last phase of the hiring process.  Betty was enthusiastic and up to now I was pretty sure I was going to hire her.

The last step was going over the behavioral style assessment that I had asked her to take.  Before the behavioral assessment I explained to Betty that if hired she would be administering this assessment to the clients she would work with as part of the project.  I wanted each of the job candidates to experience the behavioral style assessment before giving it to others.

As we reviewed the behavioral assessment report together I began to get a picture of Betty’s behavior from the report that was very different from what I had observed from our past interactions.   I shared my concerns about the accuracy of the report with Betty.

No assessment is 100 percent accurate.  I was used to having clients say that one piece of the report was not right.  I usually ask the client to talk with people he/she trusts to see if they see that behavior in the client.  Then if most agree that it is inaccurate, the client can just ignore that part of the report.

With Betty however the report was grossly inaccurate and Betty was obviously very uncomfortable with it too.  I wanted to hire her but how could she confidently use this assessment with others when hers was so messed up?!

After going over the full report Betty sheepishly admitted to me that she answered the questions the way she thought a person who was right for the project would answer.  In essence she gamed the system.

What surprised her was that the report painted a picture of a person who had very different characteristics than the ones she thought would come up based on her answers.  She admitted to me that she really wanted to work on the project and was afraid the assessment might show she wasn’t right for the job.  Needless to say she was very embarrassed.

Sometimes hiring managers use assessments to target a particular type of person that they know through experience is right for a job.  In that case while as the job seeker you might really want the job, you won’t be happy in the job if the company is looking for a different type of person.  You can alter your behavior to be what the manager is looking for but it takes a lot of energy and eventually you will burn out.

For my project however I was looking for a variety of styles.  Betty did not need to worry. Often managers are looking for that variety to insure that the members of the team complement each other.

Lessons learned:

  1.  Those giving assessments have to be very clear in their instructions.  I thought I was clear but obviously Betty didn’t hear me.  People tend to get nervous about assessments especially in a hiring situation. Those giving assessments need to be sensitive to this.  Saying something several times clearly in multiple ways can calm nerves.
  2. Those taking assessments need to be honest with their answers.  Getting a job that you are not a good fit for will come back to haunt you.  Get some practice taking assessments before a hiring manager asks you to take one so you will know what the assessment is going to reveal about you.
  3. No assessment is 100 % accurate.  You are the final judge in accepting or rejecting what it says.  If you feel something is inaccurate, let it go.   Use the assessment language of what you know is true to emphasize your strengths to the hiring managers considering hiring you.

Fast Tracl Job Search Guide If you are looking for a new job, you’ll want to read Fast Track Job Search Guide by Alvah Parker and Lenore Mewton.  In it you will find hundreds of tips and ideas for a successful job search.

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Attitude, Career Changers, Lawyers, practice management

Ten Ways Assessments Can be Useful in Your Practice

Mar 3rd, 12 / 0 Comments

Attorneys can use assessments in two ways.  First the assessment is useful in understanding him/herself and second the assessment is useful when hiring a new employee.  Assessments will answer the questions: Will the person work well with me and my staff?  Does this person have the skills and behavioral style the practice needs?

  1. Self-assessments get you to think strategically about yourself. At least yearly you need to look at yourself, your strengths and skills.  Identify the areas that need more development and put a plan together to get training and experience in the areas you want to develop.  Looking at your vision for your practice should help you to see where your strengths and skills fit into your total plan.
  2. A Communications Assessment will tell you what others see in your speech and body language.  The DISC assessment can tell you what your communication and behavioral style tells others about you.  You can learn to adapt your behavior and communication style to suit your situation.This is particularly useful with staff since communication is the key to a smoothly running practice.
  3. A behavioral assessment will teach you how to identify the behavioral style of those you work with.  Once you understand the way others like to be communicated with you can adjust your style to that of your audience.  Better yet if your work team has used the DISC you and they will have a better understanding of individual differences and either adjust or acknowledge your styles.  The DISC behavioral assessment can also help you to understand the best way to communicate with each client.
  4. Assessments help to validate your own self-assessment.  If you believe you have a particular strength it is helpful to get support from an assessment that in fact you do have that strength.  One assessment that can be helpful comes with the book Strength Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/159562015X/parkerassociates
  5. Assessments help you to hire the right people.  By giving the potential employee an assessment you are better able to evaluate if he/she has the necessary skills to do the job and if the person will fit into the culture of your firm.
  6. Assessments help you to know what motivates the person you are going to hire so that he/she will be fully engaged in the work.  In this way you help the employee to do meaningful work.
  7. Assessments will allow you to be more objective in the hiring process.  It is common for an attorneys to hire a person who is similar to themselves when in fact what they  need is someone with a totally different style and skill set that compliments them and the rest of the team.
  8. Assessments can lead to less conflict in the workplace.  Knowing the style and skills of the person you are hiring allows you have realistic expectations.  There is less stress for the employees when they know what the expectations are and feel confident that they can meet them.
  9. Assessments save time and money.  Hiring the wrong person is expensive and wastes your time.  Assessments can help you to find the candidates with the right skills and the right style.  Then it is by interviewing them you can see if they would fit into your firm culture.
  10. Assessments will let you see the style, skills and strengths of your top performers. It is important to have assessments done on all your employees.   If you’ve ever said the person you want to hire is the clone of someone else, an assessment is an objective way of drilling down to what exactly that person has that you are looking for.
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A Values Conflict Can Be a Recipe for Disaster

Jan 18th, 12 / 0 Comments

“Could you fire someone?”  That was the first question the Branch Manager asked me at the interview.  Needless to say I was floored by the question.

I stammered something like, “Yes, if I had given the person time to improve and helped him/her to change but nothing worked then yes I could fire someone.”   Somehow that did not satisfy her.  She said she was looking for someone who was tough, who focused on the bottom line and was ready to quickly fire anyone that was not producing.

I didn’t get that job.  She said that our “styles” were too different.  I wanted the job and was really disappointed.

Since I was on the Sales Vice President’s staff in New York City and had been for 4 years I was eager to get back to Boston.  Later that year the Vice President (her boss too) pretty much strong armed her into hiring me for another sales manager’s position.

Taking that job was a huge mistake.  It was clear from the beginning I was not a good fit for the branch and that branch manager.  Today I would say we had a values conflict that did in fact make our styles very different.

She had hired the other sales managers and they were happy working for her.  I was not comfortable with her nor was I comfortable with the other sales managers.  The 2 years I spent in that job were horrible ones for me.  I was definitely not happy at work!

During that time I secretly criticized her for an insensitive approach to move very quickly, eliminate poor performers and get business at any cost.  Today I would say that her values were in conflict with mine.

What made my predicament really difficult at that time was that I was limiting my job search to AT&T and Boston.  At my level there were very few AT&T jobs in Boston and openings were rare.  I had a good salary and benefits at AT&T so I was reluctant to leave the company.  Oh those golden handcuffs!

Two years later I found a new job –still within AT&T and in Boston.  I reconnected with a woman that I had worked with before.  She had been promoted to manager and brought me on to her team.  I knew her to be organized, dependable and focused.  Her team welcomed me and I immediately knew that I fit in.  At last I was happy at work again.

Let me say that both managers were very successful in their jobs.  It was not a question of a bad manager as I thought when I left the first manager’s branch.  It was just that my values were more aligned with those of the second manager and so we worked really well together.

What did I learn from the situation?

  • My values must align with those of the person I work for.   I must know that before I accept the job!
  • Taking a job with a manager whose values conflict with mine is a big mistake.
  • If I wanted to find a job in Boston I needed to look for it both inside and outside of AT&T.
  • Staying connected with former colleagues is worth the effort. (I still hear from the second manager at Christmas and it has been 15 years since I worked for her.)
  •  Having a good work situation is more important than having a high salary. Being happy at work makes life more satisfying and work more meaningful.
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Career Changers, job search, Lawyers, practice management, values

Ten Secrets to Forming Good Client Relationships

Oct 8th, 11 / 0 Comments


The essence of a good marketing plan is to develop methods  to enhance client relationships with your current and past clients and at the same time identify ways to find new clients.  Many attorneys forget about past clients because they do not realize that they can be a source of referrals as well as new business themselves.  It is important to treat past clients with the respect they deserve.  Here are ten ideas to incorporate in your practice to insure good client relationships with both current and past clients.

 

1.       Make sure your practice is client centric.  The client comes first.  If you have accepted only ideal clients into your practice, you will not need to control the client. You will have clients who respect your time and counsel.  Not sure how to identify an ideal client?  Read this list first published in May of 2010 .

2.       Return phone calls in a timely way. Make it a practice to return calls in 24 hours. If you find that you are receiving too many calls then examine the reasons your clients are calling you.  Is there anything you need to do to cut down the number?  Perhaps another staff member could call back for you.  Perhaps you are not giving the client all that he/she needs during the office visit.

3.       Ask clients for feedback.  Client feedback is very important.  You may not see or hear what the client observes.  It is important to understand the client’s experience of you and your staff.   If the feedback is negative, be sure to acknowledge that you heard it and will address it.  When the issue is addressed get back to the client with the resolution.  Never argue with the client.  Remember number 1 from this list – Your practice is client centric.

4.       Proactively call past clients to stay connected. Keep a list of past clients and call them periodically to stay connected.  Just sending a Christmas card is not enough.  Be sure to have a meaningful conversation with the past client to retain your relationship. People appreciate someone who cares enough to call periodically.  Past clients can be a source of referrals and may even become a client again.

5.       Send clients updates on law changes that affect them. It is your business to know about changes in the law.  Your clients may or may not be aware of the changes.  Periodically either call or write them advising them of the changes and suggesting ways for them to deal with the change.  In some cases this may mean more business for you.  Just doing this one task insures that past clients know you are up-to-date and that you care about them.

6.       Make sure your staff knows each client by name.  Nothing is more welcoming to me than when the receptionist or office manager knows my name and greets me.  I feel that I am important to my attorney and it also makes me feel he/she values my business.

7.       Make sure your staff has a basic understanding of each client’s case.  When a client calls the office he/she may have a simple question for the attorney.  If the staff has an understanding of the case they can answer the simple questions.  You will need to be clear with your staff what questions they can answer and which ones need to be answered by you.

8.       When appropriate be available to visit the client in his/her business or home.  Clients for various reasons may be unable to get to your office.  Make the effort to visit these clients in their own environment.  For business attorneys seeing the place of business may be useful.  For estate planning attorneys it may be necessary in order to see an elderly client.

9.       Forecast your work appropriately so that it is complete when you promise it will be.  If you commit to have the work ready for a client by a certain date, be sure to live up to that promise.  This means you will need to get good at managing your workflow and scheduling your work.  Be realistic.  It is always best to give a date that exceeds the amount of time you think you will need.

10.   Send your bill at least monthly with a clear description of what you did for the fee you are charging.  If you are writing off some expenses, make sure you let the client know that on the bill itself.  Your bill is one way to show the client that you have done work in his/her behalf.

How are you doing on client development?  I have a client development diagnostic tool that will allow you to see how you are doing.  It will highlight the areas where you have weaknesses.  I’d be happy to send you the diagnostic tool and to review it with you once you complete it.  We’ll come up with a plan  to take the necessary action that will drive more ideal clients to your practice. Call me at 781-598-0388 or email me at asparker@asparker.com

 

 

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Lawyers, practice management

Marketing Your Practice

Sep 20th, 11 / 0 Comments

My new coaching client complained that although her practice was pretty good, her efforts to grow it were not working and she was feeling frazzled.  When I asked, “How are you marketing your practice?” she told me all of the different networking events she had attended – 2 or 3 a week in the last month.

No wonder she was feeling worn out and discouraged.  How frustrating to be working hard on marketing your practice with little results to show for it!

What really annoyed her was that she could see attorneys with less skill in her specialty getting more business than she was.  She also noticed that other attorneys she knew who never were at the networking events had thriving practices.  “How do those lawyers find clients?” she asked me.

I can’t speak for the other attorneys I told her but I could help her to generate more business.  Going to 2 or 3 networking events a week would be tiring for anyone but was especially for her since she served a large geographic area and the events were often a distance from her office.  Not only was it tiring but it cut into her practice hours giving her less time to work on her cases. I could help her save time and help her to get more clients.

I asked her to answer these three critical questions:

  • How are you currently getting new clients?
  • Who is your target market?
  • How do you find your target market?

How are you currently getting new clients?

To answer this question my client had to look back in her records to see where the clients she has come from.  Fortunately she kept track of this by asking each client in her intake process where they had heard about her.  She was amazed to find that only a handful came from her networking efforts.  Most came from referrals from either former clients or other attorneys.  She was really surprised by this.

Who is your target market?

She knew she had several target markets.  Targeting one in her marketing didn’t mean she wouldn’t take cases in the others but she would start by targeting just one area.  She would choose from her own criteria either the one that was most lucrative,  the one she enjoyed the most or the new practice area that she was trying to build.  She made a decision to go with the target market where she had a unique expertise. Because of that expertise it was the most lucrative since clients were willing to pay a higher hourly rate for that expertise.

How do you find your target market?

Now that she knew who she was after the decision as to how to go about it was easier. She already had referral sources sending her these clients but it wasn’t a continuous flow. This was probably because she did not keep in contact with these referrers.  Staying in the top of mind of a referral source nets more referrals.  Building her relationships with key referrers became her key strategy in her new marketing plan.

She had about 4 or 5 good referrers that could help her to grow her practice.  She realized she needed more.  By understanding who the referrers were that she was looking for she now knew what networking meetings they would be at.  Now she could cut down on the networking and only go to the events where she knew she’d meet the people who could help her.  Identifying possible referral sources and then finding a way to meet them became her marketing goal.  Her results improved dramatically.

Running in a million directions to attend networking meetings is not a good use of an attorney’s time. In the past my client had focused on finding new clients at the networking events. It did not happen very frequently.  She now knows she gets more leads with less effort from a good referral source. Her focus is on finding referral sources.  This new focus was the key to growing her practice.

Marketing help.

Do you find it difficult to find time to do the marketing you know you need to do? Are you disgusted because your marketing efforts bring little or no results?  I can help to get you on a more productive path that will mean you still have time for your case work— you may even have more time for your case work!   If you are committed to growing your practice and would like some support from someone whose only goal is to help you get your practice to the point where you have a steady flow of potential clients all in your target market, please give me a call at 781-598-0388 or email me at asparker@asparker.com.

 

 

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Lawyers, practice management

10 Tips for Getting Referrals From Past Clients

Sep 8th, 11 / 0 Comments

A simple way to get business for attorneys is from past clients.  Past clients know you and your work.  If you have done a good job for them, they will be willing to refer business to you or put you in touch with others who have the ability to refer business to you.  Here are 10 tips for getting referrals from past clients.

1.       Keep a database of all your clients.  Besides having the usual information about them like name address and telephone number, rate them as a client.  I use A, B, C and D where A is one you enjoyed working with and who made it easy for you to do your work and D is the client from hell whom you never want to see again.  Obviously you won’t be calling the D clients ever (hope you don’t have many of them!) or the C clients unless there are some extenuating circumstances.  For example: if the client is well connected and has a large powerful rolodex, it might be worthwhile calling him/her.  Since clients tend to refer people like themselves however, beware!

2.       Leave a place in your database for the date of your last contact, how you connected and what the result was so that you can follow up at regular intervals.  Keep your database updated!

3.       Decide on strategy for each client. You might put your client base into groups.  If you have not connected with someone for a while, you may have a different strategy than you have for a more recent client whom you have talked to in the last month or two.

4.       If you do not have a client feedback questionnaire that you routinely send to clients after you have finished their case, now is the time to start.  Listen and learn from any negative feedback. You can acknowledge a client’s response to the questionnaire with a thank you.  This is your first communication to this person as a past client. Write a personal note or follow up with a call which ever seems most appropriate. Of course if there was negative feedback you will need to confirm that you heard what was said and if possible say how you will address the issue. Never argue with client about it.

5.       Create a continuing communication plan for your A and B clients as well as the new clients.  The feedback questionnaire can be the first communication in the plan for recent clients.  Now decide on other ways to stay in touch.

6.       Stay connected on a regular basis by sending articles, books, gifts etc. to the past client.  Your goal is to keep this person as an active member of your network.  Add them to your LinkedIn network too.

7.       Periodically ask the past clients on your list if they know anyone who could use your services.  You might say,  ” I really enjoyed working with you and would love to have more clients like you.  I built my practice on referrals from clients like you who were happy with the way I handled their case and recommended me to their friends.  Do you know anyone that has that kind of a need today? ”

8.       If you have been out of touch with clients for a while, make a special offer for past clients to reconnect.  One possibility if you have several practice areas, offer your past clients a discount for using your services in a different practice area.

9.       Another way to stay connected to past clients is by sending a periodic newsletter updating them on changes in the law, interesting cases you or others have had, or useful tips for their family or business.

10.   Have an open house, holiday party or summer barbecue and  invite past clients. This is a simple one time investment of time to stay connected.  Some attorneys have found this to be such a good way to stay connected that they do it annually.

 

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Lawyers, practice management, tips

Leadership Tips – Time Management for Lawyers

Aug 8th, 11 / 0 Comments

As the leader of your firm you set the tone. You have your vision, mission and goals.  If you are not a focused manager, your employees will follow your lead.  If time management is not important to you, your staff will not feel a sense of urgency to complete their work on time.  Here are 10 leadership tips to help you manage your time more effectively.

 

1.        Stay engaged and passionate about what you are working toward by keeping yourself constantly connected to your vision and mission. Review your vision, mission and goals weekly or more if necessary.

2.       Create an overall strategy for managing routine tasks.  Have systems in place to get the tasks completed.  Know what must be reviewed by you annually, semiannually, quarterly, weekly and daily.  Make sure the review dates are noted on your calendar.

3.       Avoid crises!  Meet with your staff weekly to discuss upcoming deadlines and tasks involved in meeting those deadlines. Have a regular time and day that this is done without fail.  In this way you can manage time proactively, anticipating what needs to be done and by when.  Everything is a problem when you manage time reactively because you are forced to drop everything to solve the crisis of the day.

4.       Delegate all tasks that do not require your expertise.  Find the appropriate person in your firm or from a vendor to do the repetitive tasks that are done regularly.

5.       Set a specific time at the beginning of the week to plan your work for the week ahead.  This is the perfect time to review your vision, mission and goals so you are very clear what your priorities are and are committed to getting them done.

6.       Block off time each day to do the necessary tasks taking into account the appointments you have.  (If possible set appointments up during the day in a way that you are left with a block of time for your work.)

7.       Let your staff know what you are doing and encourage them to manage their time appropriately and not to interrupt you during your power hour(s) (those hours during the day with no appointments).  If they know your schedule they can coordinate their work with yours.

8.       At the beginning of each day prioritize the tasks you have planned for the day.  Set a goal of completing at least the top two of those tasks during your power hours.

9.       Have an agenda for every meeting you call.  Ask for the agenda for every meeting you attend.  If the meeting agenda is not something that requires you, politely decline to attend.

10.   Know when you are most productive and schedule accordingly.  If you are a morning person put your highest priority tasks in the morning.  If you are a late in the day person put those tasks in the late afternoon.

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Lawyers, practice management, tips

How to start a newsletter – 10 tips

Jul 10th, 11 / 0 Comments

Email newsletters and blogs are great marketing tools.  By starting a newsletter you  give potential clients a way to learn more about you in an easy non-threatening way.  Have some sample articles and a sign up form available on your website.  This will allow people who may be interested in signing up to see the value of you and your newsletter. Here are some tips on how to start a  newsletter.

1.      Get your email list ready. Collect email addresses of clients,  former clients and potential clients.  Get in the habit of telling people about your newsletter and asking them to give you their email addresses so you can put them on the list.  Have a form on all the pages of your website so potential clients can sign up for your newsletter and/or blog broadcasts.  Include a sample article or two so they know what they are getting.

2.      Get the content of your newsletter ready. Make a list of topics you want to write about.  If you have several target markets write articles for only one or possibly two.  Decide on the one(s) you want to grow.

3.      Identify key words to use in your articles. Make sure those key words are words people search on by checking through the Google adwords tool.  Here is a link to the free tool.

4.      Read what others write. Check to see who else writes on your topic and read a sample of what they have written. Subscribe to other newsletters and read other blogs. Comment on other blogs in order to become known in your field.  When signing up for newsletters notice what others use to give people an incentive to sign up.

5.      Decide on your incentive - Although your newsletter is free people need an additional reason to give you their email address.  Early on when I started my newsletter(~1999) just the newsletter was enough.  Today people give e-Books, White Papers, assessments etc to get people to sign up.  You received a values assessment if you signed up recently for my newsletter.

6.      Find your voice. Identify your own unique perspective that you think others will find useful and write from that perspective.

7.      Write two or three sample articles. You can use these in the first newsletters or blog posts.  Many people have started newsletters and abandoned them after a few issues.  The same is true for blogs.  Before you begin have some articles ready and then write some more while you are using those.  Establish a habit of writing an article once a week, every other week, every month based on the frequency of the newsletter you are planning.

8.      Identify your newsletter host. Find a vendor to host your newsletter and/or blog.  There are lots of them and there are differences between vendors.  Constant Contact is a popular one.  Aweber is the one I use.  Some shopping carts have an integrated newsletter function.  If you need a shopping cart to sell a product, this might be your best option.

9.      Input your email list and names at the host site you have chosen. Consider hiring someone to do this for you if all this seems too time consuming to you.  Start with small list of friends then add the rest once you have completed #10.  You need to confirm that you have permission to email everyone on your list.  If you send email to people who have not agreed to getting your newsletter you are violating the law and can get a serious fine.  Most email hosts have a double opt in policy.  With double opt in you let people know they are on your list and they must confirm by clicking on a link provided in the email in order to be on your list.

10.   Practice sending newsletter out to small group of friends. You will want to see how the newsletter works from end to end.  Be sure your name is on your list so you get a copy of the newsletter too.  Get feedback from friends as to the content and appearance. Once you are confident that the newsletter looks good and is a good representative of you and your work, send it out.  Ask your newsletter readers for feedback as your first call to action for your readers.  The more feedback the better.  You want people to read what you write and comment either positively or negatively.  Either way they read it!!

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Lawyers, practice management