Direct Mail Checklist for Law Firms, Including a Failed Example from a Solicitors in the UK.

Do you get lots of junk mail? Why do you think that is? It's because it’s not junk mail. It’s direct mail. And the reason you keep getting it is because it works. (Direct Mail can even save lives check out this mailing). And the great thing about direct mail is that the numbers prove it works. You can mail 1000 people for just £450 and you can sell something for £900. If this makes you £450 profit you’ve made your money back. It's worth doing, because that one client that buys £900 of services is now your client, potentially forever. That means if they buy one more thing from you then you are in profit. The thing about direct mail is that it is measurable. Brand Advertising is NOT. DO NOT DO BRAND ADVERTISING – YOU ARE NOT COCA COLA AND YOU MUST ACCOUNT FOR EVERY PENNY YOU SPEND Who wouldn’t want to send a letter out for 40 pence and get 50 pence back everytime? The only reason you’d stop is if you can’t handle any more work, (and even then you’d probably take a commission and send the work to a preferred partner). Direct mail is therefore a skill that every legal firm must master. Or at least be good at. Here's a follow up marketing letter I got about Wills, check out the screencast to see where they went wrong with their solicitor direct mail. It's a must to use direct mail to get your prospects to raise their hand and say “Hey, I’m interested in what you’ve got”. Measuring your response will mean you can test different letters, offers, gifts, reports and of course, different lists of potential clients to market to. As a general rule, according to Direct Mail Expert, Drayton Bird, 40% of the success of direct mail is attributable to the targeted list 40% is down to the offer 20% is down to the creative For a very quick checklist for your Direct Mail always try to make sure that; There’s an offer (free gift, or special expertise) There’s a reason to respond right now – (valid until December 1st Only) There are clear instructions how to respond (call us on our FREE 0800 line today) Copy should be strong and not weak It should stand out There is tracking and measurement (calls generated, appointments, business sold) Always make Direct Mail part of a sequence - people buy when they are ready Results Rule - full stop Remember branding is a by product of direct response marketing. The focus is on measuring the results, testing different approaches and continual improvement! When you have a letter that is guaranteed to make you money every time you mail it, you have one very valuable asset. Use it.

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Why You Need To Be A Great Coach To Manage A Law Firm...12 Must Ask Questions For Your Legal Staff To

If you manage a company you have huge influence over its success. Great managers deliver more sales, bigger profits and lower staff turnover. The fact is that you are only as good as your team. In their book, First Break All the Rules, authors Buckingham and Coffman report on Gallup Inc and how they researched what makes a great manager. Gallup Inc. found 12 questions that employees answered captured the most important information about whether management of a company is good or bad. Employees that gave a more favourable response worked in higher performing companies. These are the questions that employees answered and accurately reflected management and company performance. 1 Do I know what is expected of me at work? 2 Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work the right way? 3 At work do I have the opportunity to do my best, every day? 4 In the last 7 days have I received recognition for doing work well? 5 Does my manager or supervisor seem to care about me as a person? 6 Is there someone at work who encourages my development? 7 At work do my opinions seem to count? 8 Does the mission or purpose of my company make me feel my job is important? 9 Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work? 10 Do I have a best friend at work? 11 In the last six months has someone at work talked to me about my progress? 12 This last year, have I had opportunities to learn and to grow? These questions were answered by 105,000 employees in 250 business units in 24 different companies. With this research they then went on to find the good managers and interviewed 80,000 highly rated managers. Over and over again the researchers heard... Great managers help each person become more and more of who he or she already is. “Manager as coach” is how it can easily be summed up. The process of finding the right person for the right position and them coaching them to a higher level starts with hiring. When hiring, behaviour-based questions, (tell me a time when...) can indicate natural talent and interests, (which can then be coached). Matching the right talent to the right job can have huge results.

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How do I do Marketing for my law firm the right way? Solicitors you really need to watch this video

Just put a short video together to answer the question "How do I do marketing the right way?" http://screencast.com/t/jTUfLqoDyI Enjoy the video. It's for people that know how to market but need a refresher to simplify things for people that haven't really done it before for people that aren't getting the results they want Share it around if you like to anyone that needs a bit of help... I also have a PDF in which there's a framework for getting marketing done over a 3 month (12 week) period. It's within the context of finding partners who can make referrals and how to market to them. However, the same 12 week plan is relevant to any business. (Available on request). Most things I have discovered don't get done in an annual marketing plan. That's why 3 months is ideal because things change too much over a year. So 12 weeks is ideal to take action, see progress and get results. It's a way of having a marketing plan for certain objectives to be achieved. It makes people accountable too. I have also found that relying on other people often means things never happen. Unless you make them accountable. And the best way of this is to use a journal with the marketing plan. For example, a sole practitioner's journal may be to do at least one of these things every day. Today’s Checklist For Success I asked for a testimonial from a loyal client I called a client on the phone to see how they are I responded with a positive attitude to colleagues and clients I asked for a referral from a loyal client I sent a note to an existing client with a personal message I wrote or recorded a brief update for my website I invested 20 minutes in myself I included my partner and family in my work The positive thing I noticed today was... Tomorrow I am looking forward to... A journal on marketing keeps you focussed. Marketing is made up of three elements. Market - who you are targeting Message - what you want to say to them Media - how you get to them It really helps simplifying things in this way. Of course you have to get each element right! It's easy just to write things on paper if you are doing it yourself and then refer to the plan. But if it is a total company plan, which various responsibilities then you may have to use some type of project management tool like http://www.teamworkpm.net/

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Why Reviews Mean Trusts for Law Firms and Solicitors

This survey echoes what I have been telling clients for years... Reviews are extremely important. They provide social proof that a company is good, honest and trustworthy. They are so useful because one of the easiest ways of selling is to say, "we have hundreds of clients that have written about what a great job we did for them." What a great thing to be able to say to the dithering prospect! This proof answers the question, "why should I choose you and pay your rates?" And before you say you don't have time to collect hundreds of testimonials and get a review from every single client think again. Because this firm in Chipping Sodbury has done it and is under the same time pressure as every other firm. And this firm has a unique way of doing it... The point is that they ASK, even before working with a client... They simply say "our clients are happy to give us a testimonial when we have done good work, will you be happy to give us one at the end of our work for you?" So maybe you could spare 1 minute to send an email to your clients asking for a testimonial? Ask them the three magic questions. What were you looking for by working with us? What was the experience like? What would you say to others considering working with us? If you can get some factual answers like, "We wanted to reduce our inheritance tax liability by 50,000 pounds" then it's great. If you only have "nice people to work with" testimonials that's not as great, but can be effective if you can get people to rate you 5 stars on Google. (More about that below). If I only had one tool to sell it would be a box of testimonials or hundreds of videos of people saying I am wonderful and I helped them make 100,000 pounds. (Well I do have an email one of those here) Being known as the best because that's how people see you moves you a long way toward becoming a successful brand. In fact, claiming to be 100% The Best Solicitors is possible if you have proof. Let me ask you, "Who would you rather go to? A brain surgeon with 100% success rate or one with 85% success rate?" A law firm with a 95% success rate or one with an 80% success rate(see this) So I apologise for the firms already doing this stuff. (I hope you don't mind me reminding you to continue your great work). And to other firms I ask that you spend just a few minutes a week getting reviews and testimonials. *** This is my last newsletter before the summer holidays. I know I haven't been in touch much over the last few months. But I have been really busy setting up a network of designers to produce videos, email newsletters, logos etc. I hope you have a wonderful summer with your family and I'll come back raring to go again in September when I'll also be offering a review monitoring service, text marketing services, and a whole host of marketing tools. The reason for this is that I realise most firms want a done-for-you service. So I've committed to make this happen for a handful of success minded firms. More details come September. Thank you for sticking with me so far. Boyd ************************************************************* Here's an unscripted video I did about Google Plus and your listing and reviews...don't have to watch all 10 mins...just first 4 will give you the info you need. http://screencast.com/t/1zOkmol3utrn And here's a reminder about why getting reviews that are good is valuable. I hope no-one has left you a bad review online. But if you have online reviews there's a good chance at least one of them is bad and possibly unfair. (Although this restaurant owner in Australia has successfully sued for a review) Reviews do two things. Firstly they help your rankings. Secondly, they help people decide to click on your website link. Or not. It would be great if your clients just decided all by themselves to write outstanding positive reviews about your business. It would also be great if money grew on trees. You’re going to have to ask your clients to give you positive reviews (unless you believe in the tooth-fairy.) So here’s some things you’ll want to bear in mind. Firstly, what reviews do you want? (I’d suggest Google reviews but there are other review websites.) Secondly, have you got a simple process that allows all your employees to strike whilst the iron is hot…e.g. when your client is smiling about your work? Thirdly, do employees understand that more reviews that are positive means more business means more money and success for them and the firm? Fourthly, getting reviews won’t be really easy at first. You’ll have to adapt your strategy. But it’s a major factor in managing your online reputation so it is worth doing. There may be reviews about your already on the internet. It might be worth Googling your company name plus the word review. You might find fake reviews, negative reviews, positive reviews or no reviews. Whatever your thoughts are about reviews, you’ll surely realise that they are important factors in helping people decide where to spend their money. Here's a good article from a solicitor Yair Cohen about fake reviews... And here's a quick video about getting more reviews on Google. http://screencast.com/t/a2Or1oCvvk

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Use Reviews and Testimonials as Core Selling Tools For Your Law Firm...

Here's a really good survey about how people use reviews of local businesses to help them to choose where to spend their money. http://www.brightlocal.com/2014/07/01/local-consumer-review-survey-2014 One of the easiest ways of selling is to say, "we have hundreds of clients that have written about what a great job we did for them." That is called proof and it answers the question, "why should I choose you and pay your rates?" And before you say you don't have time to collect hundreds of testimonials think again. Because this firm in Chipping Sodbury has done it and is under the same time pressure as every other firm. And this firm has a unique way of doing it... So maybe you could spare 1 minute to send an email to your clients asking for a testimonial? Ask them the three magic questions. What were you looking for by working with us? What was the experience like? What would you say to others considering working with us? If you can get some factual answers like, "We wanted to reduce our inheritance tax liability by 50,000 pounds" then it's great. If you only have "nice people to work with" testimonials that's not as great, but can be effective if you can get people to rate you 5 stars on Google. (More about that below). If I only had one tool to sell it would be a box of testimonials or hundreds of videos of people saying I am wonderful and I helped them make 100,000 pounds. (Well I do have an email one of those here) Being known as the best because that's how people see you is a long way toward becoming a successful brand. In fact, claiming to be 100% The Best is possible if you have proof. Who would you rather go to? A brain surgeon with 100% success rate or one with 85% success rate? A law firm with a 95% success rate or one with an 80% success rate (see this) So I apologise for the firms already doing this stuff. (I hope you don't mind me reminding you to continue your great work). And to other firms I ask that you spend just a few minutes a week getting reviews and testimonials.

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Pick Up The Phone Stupid Because If You Don't It Will Hurt Your Law Firm Bank Balance

Back from France. Tried to buy that house I was speaking about. Went to the notaire...(French solicitor) Got a "procuration" so my mother in law could sign contracts whilst we are in England. But the document had contractual limitations on the house...something we thought the seller had put in...so we asked our notaire to explain by calling us...but she didn't call...leaving us concerned about the contract and to cut a long story short we decided not to go ahead with the purchase... So what's the story? Did we act too hastily? Were the restrictions real or just a standard in the contract? Does it matter? No. The point is that all of the doubt could have been removed with a simple phone call from the notaire...but she preferred doing things by email. Probably because putting things in writing makes it easier/better? But in this case a simple phone call would have kept a house purchase going. The reason I am mentioning this is because a) I said I'd let you know how I got on in France looking for our house and b) never underestimate the power of the phone call and your own ability to explain things better on the phone. I can speak much faster than I can write. I am also better as speaking than I am at writing because I can hear what my clients are saying. It's two way. Did we act to swiftly in not waiting for the notaire to make it abundantly clear? I don't think so. We were the buyers. We didn't understand the contract. We pulled out. Simple. Being on the "shopping" side from time to time really makes you appreciate just how clear you have to be when dealing with clients. If you leave any doubt in their minds about what service you will be providing and what you are doing for them then doubts can occur. These doubts can quickly grow and put a brake on the momentum that's needed to keep things flowing to conclusion. So use that phone call to oil the wheels and remember that even if the client is "thick" and doesn't understand you might feel like blaming them but it won't help your bank balance.

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Simple Selling Framework for Solicitors and Law Firms - Use These Questions on the Phone and Face To Face

If you are like me, you'll probably get most leads by phone. There are a number of power lead-in questions you can use to draw out needs and motives of someone thinking about buying from you. Try these questions (in your own natural manner) the next time you have someone on the phone. What do you know about your present legal situation? What's been your experience of any other advice you have received? What do you want the end result to be when working with us? In your opinion what's the most important thing to you in engaging a solicitor? Ultimately this is about drawing out the problem, defining it, and ensuring someone is happy to pay for it because they tell you the most important thing is to solve the problem with the right outcome, (unless they say the most important thing is the price.) It's a framework that will keep you on track and hopefully provide a swift engagement. Having listened to calls it appears most good sellers are using something like this having developed it over a few years of experience. But now you have the shortcut. http://www.greatlegalmarketing.co.uk/SimpleSellingFrameworkForLawyers There's more on this on my website here

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A Simple Trick To Get More Clients For Your Law Firm - or Solicitors

Just a short video on how to get more clicks to your website. This tactic is often overlooked, but not to be underestimated. Anyone can do it. http://youtu.be/_19s6Z0FOr8 This works...because it's what I do and I monitor the calls that I get.

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Total Quality Service For Law Firms - What Does It Mean To You and Your Bottom Line?

I just went to Halfords. The staff member was great. Called me "Sir" for a start. That's nice. Went to Decathlon, looked at a bike and put it back in the "wrong" place. Huffing and puffing from staff who was displeased with me. Chalk and cheese. Why the story? Because I wrote this... "Law firms that exhibit consistent competence across these areas can also charge more and retain clients." http://www.greatlegalmarketing.co.uk/sitedata/Misc/Total-Quality-Service.pdf It's a simple checklist for you and will help you measure your Service Quality competence, which is what really counts when getting referrals.

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What's The Difference Between Marketing, PR and Branding - Law firms can find out by watching this simple video

Quick video on the difference between Marketing, PR and Branding. http://youtu.be/Om8u2hF0qAU And why you should be a premium brand. Probably helps if you take a look at this newsletter below I sent out in 2012. "Any idiot can figure out why it won’t work. It takes intelligence to figure out how it can work." I like that quote. Probably said by Dan Kennedy. Hint...Get his books Lots of people seem to read about marketing and then spend lots of time figuring out how it doesn’t apply to their business. Which probably explains why there are so many average businesses around. I've put a little PDF together with some thoughts on this...please get it here http://www.greatlegalmarketing.co.uk/sitedata/files/Any_idiot_can_figure_out_w.pdf It'll take a couple of minutes to read...but it may just land you a few new clients. http://www.greatlegalmarketing.co.uk/sitedata/files/Any_idiot_can_figure_out_w.pdf

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Expert Status Will Help Lawyers and Solicitors Get More Clients

There’s an old saying that that it’s about “Who You Know.” Let me tell you something. That's wrong. It’s About Who Knows You. Getting yourself the right personal brand is very important. Take a look at Paul Hajek of Clutton Cox. He's branded as a conveyancing expert. Expert status from Clutton Cox.JPG In lawyer business people are going to buy you. What is your personal brand? Have you ever Googled yourself to find out? So what is it that they are considering buying when they think about buying you? Does it convince them to buy before they have even spoken to you? When you get your personal brand right this is what it can do;  You can create the demand for your service without advertising  People will have confidence enough to buy from you  You’ll earn a reputation for excellence that will be talked about  You’ll establish yourself as the expert  You’ll be seen and known as a leader of the group  You’ll become a valuable resource to people  Your professional stature will increase  You’ll be a positive influence because you will be delivering  You’ll have the decision makers knowing who you are and they are the ones that can make the decision on hiring you And all this will lead to you getting qualified, quality leads. What you must do to make yourself a quality and memorable brand... Read more here http://www.greatlegalmarketing.co.uk/sitedata/Misc/How-To-Position-Yourself-A.pdf

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How Can Your Legal Staff Help Your Law Firm To Make More Money - Try Open Management Questions.

A book I enjoyed re-reading was The Great Game of Business by Jack Stack. It lead me to research open management and about 18 months ago I wrote some questions that need answering if employees are to understand how their job is important to the company. http://www.greatlegalmarketing.co.uk/sitedata/Misc/Open-Management-Questions.pdf These questions are more relevant than ever. And as your success depends on other people helping you I think this will help you.

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Pre-Framing and Legal Services Buyers - How You Can Kill Price Resistance

Pre-framing and buyers. You might have heard about pre-framing (or not). Basically it's about putting people in a certain mood before popping the question. Think about how your kids pre-frame by telling you how wonderful you are before asking you for a tenner. Or how a man takes a woman to a restaurant or romantic place to pop the question. (Or the woman does). Pre-framing also works in business. If people expect you to be expensive then they are already prepared to pay what you ask. If someone answers the phone and puts a client through to "our divorce expert" that pre-frames how the conversation will go. (As opposed to saying, "I'll see if there's anyone in that department"). Pre-framing research has been done that proves tiny, one sentence changes can have a major effect on how people feel about other people. And this is important to you. Because pre-framing questions can also help you get more clients. For example, I once asked a prospect, "is getting the cheapest price for this work the most important thing or do you want it do be done the right way?" This pre-framed my prospect into knowing I would not be the cheapest and would offer a higher price. (Which he took). Everything you do can help you pre-frame. If you answer the phone efficiently that pre-frames for someone. If you qualify someone before they ever get to work with you, that pre-frames for you by making the prospect realise your time is valuable and your expertise is reserved for quality clients. When I hear what law firms say to prospects, I know that pre-framing can play an important role in getting more business. For example, just taking control of appointment options by restricting it to two to choose from, can make a prospect realise you are serious and that you are busy. They then know they have to be a serious buyer to access your expertise. There is not really much on pre-framing and business, it's more NLP stuff that covers it. All I wanted to do is let you know to think about how you set your prospects and clients up to give you the answer you want, which is "I'll buy at any price you suggest because I know you are right for me." Branding is another way of pre-framing your offer and with that in mind I just wanted to let you know that if you want a new logo for your firm or promotion then you are welcome to submit your idea here http://goo.gl/forms/yBJK02K5q6 Or just email me. If I think my designer can help I'll make sure he does a good job for £47 (or your money back).

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Solicitors and Law Firms Increase Prices So You Can Do More Marketing

One of the things that I have to keep reminding people of is that marketing does usually cost money and that it's an investment. The other thing is that it's something you want to do more of than your competitor. You want to be spending more money because if you do it right, no-one will be able to compete with you. The fact is that the person who can afford to spend the most to acquire a client or get them to buy again is going to win. The more profit you make the more you can afford to market. If you think a 17% increase in business with higher prices is something you'd like to achieve. Here's a PDF about how to do it - with a video When someone talks about price it’s the best BUYING signal you can ask for. Even if it is a price objection, the prospect has made that mental leap and thought about having what you have to sell. The request for the lowest price is just another barrier to overcome. Here's the information you want. http://www.greatlegalmarketing.co.uk/sitedata/Misc/Never_Let_It_Be_About_Pric.pdf PS do you want me to talk to you once a week on a one-to-one basis for an hour or so and get your strategy right? I have three slots open for £747 for my 50 Days To Marketing Success programme where I'll get your marketing into shape so you can profit for the next 12 months like clockwork. Just let me know if you want more success and I'll send you the questions you have to answer before I take you on.

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Call Handling For Solicitors and Legal Firms - Where 99% of Firms Go Wrong

When you have paid out to do some marketing and you get "THAT" call...you know the one that will make you money...don't you hate it when it gets thrown away because of lousy call handling? It happens every day and I GUARANTEE it happens at your firm too. Here's my report on tracking your calls so you know what marketing works and what doesn't...there's a lot more in this report too so feel free to pick my brains by reading it. I have solicitors who get 5000 calls a year who know exactly where every call comes from and precisely the best way of handling them to maximise conversions on the phones. >>>>>>Grab it here>>>>> http://www.greatlegalmarketing.co.uk/sitedata/files/Solicitors_and_call_tracki.pdf To track your calls and record them use this. http://www.AdMeter.co.uk or email graham@admeter.co.uk and tell him I sent you and ask for a Boyd Butler price. If you don't want to make the call I'll do it for you - it's that important. Just been thinking about your telephone enquiries... Have you ever recorded your enquiries? Let me tell you it is an eye-opener when you do. One thing that really strikes me is the need for whoever answers the phone to take control... I hear all sorts of things from staff such as "my computer's just stuck...she only works Friday...when would you like to come in?" It just sounds awful and doesn't give a good impression. For scheduling reasons it's important you take control of calls. To ensure you qualify your applicants it's important you take control. To ensure you get your prospects to make the right choice - you must take control. Have you ever been to a supermarket and stood for minutes deciding which marmalade to buy? The choice is simply overwhelming and often people just give up. People want to be told what to do. That's why brands work. It means people don't have to think - there is a click-whirr process that goes on in their brain. The choice is automatic. Here's an example of a woman (yes it's relevant because I've had heard the differences between women and men on the phone) calling after browsing the divorce pages of a firm's website. Here's how I'd expect a call to go if someone takes control. (I'm not going to write how it normally happens - you can imagine.) ______________________________________________________________________________ "Hello, I've been reading your website and I'd like to see someone about a divorce. I don't qualify for Legal Aid" "Would you like to take advantage of our special assessment consultation that is free of charge?" "Yes please." "Our Divorce Specialist, Mrs Janice Grey has two appointments available this week, Thursday at 10.30 am and Thursday at 3pm. Which would you prefer?" "Thursday 10.30am please." "Have you read the document, "What to expect from your 30 minute consultation with our Divorce Expert Janice Grey?" "Yes I have", "Great, that's good preparation to get the maximum out of our meeting" or "No I haven't" "Ok, can we send it by email to you or please make sure that you read it on the website before you arrive for your appointment - it tells you everything you may wish to bring". "Ok I will do - where are you exactly?" "We are right opposite the cinema. There is a map on our website. As we have limited free appointments each week it's important you let us know if you cannot make the alloted time for any reason. Please call us on 0844 8745377 at least 24 hours in advance so that we can re-allocate your appointment. We'll let Mrs Grey know to expect you on Thursday, 29th March at 10.30am at our Reading office and we'll text you a reminder on Wednesday." _______________________________________________________________________________ You can probably come up with your own procedure for enquiries that dramatically improves your efficiency, and puts the prospect at ease. They want to know they are in safe hands. Make them feel safe and they'll trust and like you for it. And that's 99% of the selling job done. And this video is reminder of why I think everyone needs to be an internet marketing expert nowadays.

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