You have to stop seeing yourself as a litigator or transactional lawyer.  Litigation leaves clients miserable and legal documents on their own are virtually worthless.

When my father-in-law died, after spending a few thousand dollars on a set of estate planning documents with his personal lawyer, I thought that lawyer must have committed malpractice because the documents didn’t work.

Why didn’t they work?

Because the lawyer completed the transaction (legal docs) for my father-in-law and never followed up with my father-in-law to make sure his assets were owned properly or that he’s legal documents stayed up to date with the changes in his life.

Divorce lawyers finalize their client’s divorces and never make sure their estate planning documents are updated.

Business lawyers put in place LLCs and S-Corporations and never make sure share certificates are issued, agreements are put in place with vendors or team members, or that the client has the right insurance in place.

Are we really helping our clients when we see them as a transaction, a case, or a matter?

No, we aren’t offering anything more than our clients would get if they went online.

So my question for you is what will you do when they realize they don’t need you?  Or has it already begun?

Please don’t tell me that you’ll deal with this by decreasing your costs and becoming a virtual law office providing unbundled legal services as seems to be the trend these days – that’s a recipe for failure unless you do it so that you are creating a killer experience for your clients that they cannot simply replicate by going online and doing it themselves.

So many lawyers are trying to compete with online companies providing “buy them as you need them” document preparation services.  But unbundled legal services, deep discounts and doing nothing but turning out reams of paper do nothing to build relationships with your clients.

It’s a one shot deal at best and doesn’t provide an ongoing revenue stream for your business.  That’s a recipe for misery and a Going Out Of Business sign (as many law businesses, even large ones, are learning).

As I learned in building my own practice to more than $1 million in revenue, the best way to keep your clients coming to you (and referring their friends and family) are to follow these 5 tips:

1.    Give away the legal documents for free. Yes, free. You’re not selling the paper – you’re selling the client YOU, your energy, your counsel, your advice.  Clients call lawyers because they need help. They want you to take care of them, to love them, to make it easy for them.  The documents are merely the by-product of the relationship.

2.    Give away free legal documents on your website to generate leads you can then build a relationship with and convert into lifetime counseling clients. As an example, we do this at http://www.KidsProtectionPlan.com where we let people name guardians for their kids for free because we know that many of those people will need a fully counseled estate plan once we develop a relationship with them.

3.    Narrow your niche.  Stop trying to serve everyone who calls or walks in your door.  It devalues your service and who you are.  Decide who you love to serve and who you do your best work for and build your business around deeply serving these most perfect clients.

4.    Create a billing structure that encourages your clients to communicate with you without fear of the cost. Most of the time, clients don’t want to talk to you because they know they’ll get a big fat bill at the end of the month.  This can keep them from telling you about significant changes in their lives or businesses.

5.    Learn to love your clients again.  Stop seeing them as cases, transactions, and matters and return to the reason you went to law school.  Connect at a heart level, whether you do it virtually or in-person.  In this new economy, it’s the only path to your success.

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1. How Lawyers Screw Themselves and Their Clients
2. Stop Answering Your Phone and Feel the Love
3. Love, Sweet Love for Lawyers

In the beginning of your business, you are pretty much entirely focused on revenue because you are already spending as little as you possibly can.

Once you’ve got revenue going, you’ll start to notice that your expenses slowly start to creep up.

And it might feel like for every dollar of revenue you bring in, you add another two dollars of expenses.

That is not a winning proposition.

So, today I’m going to share with you three sure-fire ways to increase your revenue without adding any more overhead.

Way #1: Engage More Prospects

One of your biggest expenses is very likely to be marketing.  You are either spending a lot of money on it or a lot of time on it or both.  If you are marketing and not engaging at least 75% of the prospects calling your office, you are losing a whole lot of profit because getting your phone to ring is where all the cost is.

You’ll increase your revenue without increasing overhead if you just start hearing yes from more prospects.

Way #2:  Offer More (Expensive) Services to Your Clients

You can add more revenue to your office without adding any additional overhead by offering those clients who do say yes additional complementary services.

I did this with the Kids Protection Plan  – adding a more comprehensive form of planning for parents with minor children at home added $1,000 to my fees.

And then I found other services I could provide that my clients wanted and were happy to pay me for.

Once I figured this out, I was collecting an additional $1,000-$3,000 on each engagement with no additional overhead.

Way #3:  Get More Referrals

Every time one of my clients sent me a client, I was increasing my revenue without adding any overhead.

So, I built systems into my office that resulted in more referrals.

I always made sure my clients knew how valuable referrals were to me because I worked that into my client engagement process.  I developed a system in which I could comfortably ask for the referral without feeling strange.  And I was always publicly thankful for all referrals – whether they turned into clients or not – by acknowledging the referrer with thanks in my monthly newsletter.

Try one or all three of these and let me know how much additional revenue you make without increasing your overhead.

Related posts:

1. Four Easy Ways To Recession Proof (and Grow!) Your Law Firm
2. More Streams of Revenue For You
3. How to Be the Indispensable Advisor Your Clients Love

In last week’s Law Business Briefing Memorandum, we discussed strategies you can implement before each live event to boost your effectiveness and generate higher turnouts than ever before.

If you missed that article, I encourage you to read it here, but essentially, you’ll want to start communicating with your prospects before the event via the information collected on the registration form and gather leads during the event by utilizing an opt-in form tied to a free gift or offer.

Yet gathering leads is only half the battle in relationship-based marketing. The second and arguably most important step in making the most of your speaking engagements is to automate the follow-up process to ensure no prospect is left behind and everyone receives consistent communication from you and your firm.

You may have heard the saying, “the money is in the follow-up” and I can vouch from personal experience this is true. So with that said, here are four easy steps you can take after each live speaking event to ensure money is in the follow-up for you as well:

1. After the event, compare the initial registration list to the names of those who were in attendance.

2. From there, break those names down into three categories: those who took your offer at the event, those who attended but didn’t take your offer and those who registered but didn’t attend—then create appropriate follow up sequences. The follow up sequence should include multiple touches in various ways (email, phone, snail mail) for the best effectiveness!

3. If the free gift you offered requires fulfillment, strive to distribute your materials promptly while you are still fresh in the prospect’s mind.

4. Always add all leads to your house list and maintain consistent, friendly ongoing communication with them via both email and direct mail.

As you can see, the hardest part of this maximization effort is automating the follow-up process so you can contact your prospects long after the event has taken place.

Infusion is my personal automation software of choice because it allows for segmented lists and hence very specific follow-up campaigns designed to motivate prospects and get them to say YES to your services if they didn’t already do so at the live event.

But don’t let not having a good email marketing/ contact management system stop you from getting started with this! Either make a quick investment into a good CRM like Infusion (which is money VERY well spent on your part), or use an excel spreadsheet or some good ole’ fashion tickler systems. Either way—just get started.

So next time you have a speaking engagement, I encourage you to give these steps a try and chart your results. And don’t forget to email me at alexis@lawbusinessrevolution.com with your success stories!

PS- If you’re considering a CRM like Infusion, be sure to email support@lawbusinessrevolution.com for further information on special bonuses we’ve negotiated for members of the Law Business Revolution. We’re always happy to help.

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2. How EVERY Practicing Attorney Can Generate Income Through Speaking Engagements
3. 5 Key Strategies in Setting Up Your Local Marketing Mastermind Collaborative

Let’s face it.  You can be the smartest lawyer, the savviest marketer and even an outward success, but if you aren’t happy with what you are doing and who you are being, your leads and prospects will ultimately feel that energy and be repelled.

Referrals will slow down as your clients simply don’t feel comfortable sending people they love to you for help. You won’t have the kind of impact you should be having on people that keeps them coming back for more.  And worst of all, you won’t be giving each client your “all” out of frustration, annoyance or boredom with your work.

All of these traits drive clients away from your business.  The only way to fix the issue is to take a cold, hard look in the mirror and figure out who you are, who you want to be and how you can contribute more value to the world.

No matter how “out there” this sounds, if you can’t attribute meaning and value behind the work you do on a daily basis, you’ll never reach your full potential as a lawyer.  You’ll never reach the income levels that are truly possible for you or the impact your business can have on the world.

A lawyer who is confident and secure in herself, on the other hand, who knows he is changing lives and making an impact on the world will attract more of what is needed to keep moving forward-namely clients and income.

None of that can happen until you identify what you are really passionate about and the area of law which ultimately provides you with the most personal fulfillment.

If you are finding that your client attraction strategies simply aren’t working the way you wish they would, consider that it might be because you are not putting yourself out there as much as you could because you are not happy with the lawyer you’ve become.

If that’s the case, consider a new practice area.  It’s never too late to make a change.

If you are in a practice area you are passionate about and are ready to serve a whole lot more of your ideal clients, be sure you’ve registered for my client attraction coaching call today at
http://lawbusinessrevolution.com/holiday/

One of my personal passions is helping lawyers really love their businesses and clients really love their lawyers.  I’ll be sharing the big picture of my single best strategy for generating a lot more business for your firm in 2010.  So be sure to register here and prepare to bring more satisfaction, fulfillment and happiness back to your law business!

PS. After your register for the call, be sure to review the rest of the e – course by clicking here for video 2 here for video 3 here for video 4.

See you then!

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1. How to Be the Indispensable Advisor Your Clients Love
2. A little creativity = a lot more clients!

You may be wondering, ‘Is my practice next?” “How long will this last?” “Can I afford to ride out the storm?”

Here’s the good news about the economic shakedown:

I don’t want you to believe a word I’m saying here. I want you to test it out in your own business. I know it works because it’s what turned my law firm into a million dollar business within three years and has my Personal Family Lawyers and private coaching clients doubling and even tripling their income right now by making a few fundamental shifts in the way they do business.

And the really good news is that it doesn’t have to take a whole of time, effort or money to make this shift in your business. But, the return on your investment will be phenomenal.

So what does high concept/high touch look like in your law firm?

Essentially it means creating a WOW experience that appeals to all of your prospect’s or client’s senses, not just their minds.

There’s a new business model emerging as a result and if you are prepared to embrace what client’s really want . . . high concept / high touch and interaction, you will completely differentiate yourself in the marketplace and your business will thrive.

Try some of these out in your practice:

Continue reading Alexis’ guest article on Lawyerist.com……

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I’m sure you can imagine how I felt then when all three appointments cancelled in the same day!

I knew I could not continue to run my business this way and if you’ve been experiencing cancellations in your business, you can’t continue to run your business that way either. Cancellations mean no consistency, no predictability and ultimately may mean no business.

There are a few ways to eliminate cancellations and they all have to do with how you are showing the value of your time:

1.    Convert your free initial consultations into a meeting that has a name, a value and a purpose. For example, Personal Family Lawyers don’t have free initial consultations, they have $750 Family Wealth Planning Sessions or $1,250 Whole Family Wealth Audits, each with a specific purpose.

2.    Take a credit card to reserve time with you. This is a strategy that virtually every lawyer I’ve talked to has been scared to death to try, but every single one that has tried it has never gone back. It’s critical that you do it right though – or you will lose clients. When done right, you’ll never do it any other way.

3.    Create a follow up campaign that is run whenever someone makes an appointment. Last week we talked about the pre-meeting package and that’s the first step. After that though, you want to send out a series of emails and make a series of phone calls to your prospect that are all designed to get them prepared for the meeting and, most importantly, show up for the meeting ready to say yes to your services!

If you’ve been experiencing cancellations, take these three steps and watch the cancellations disappear. You and your business deserve it. Your time is valuable and it’s time your prospects know that too.

And last, but far from least, be sure to mark off October 29th at 3:00pm EST on your calendar now when I’ll be covering all of these client engagement strategies in depth and live on a special client engagement tele-conference training you won’t want to miss.

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Do your prospects view you as “stuffy”, “slimy”, “cold” or “self-absorbed”?

While you’re probably thinking the answer to that question is a big HECK NO, the subliminal messages you’re sending by way of your office space may say otherwise.

Essentially, if your office space is littered with stuffy law books, grouchy faces and uncomfortable furniture, I can guarantee you are losing potential clients.

Why?

Because people want to see your human side, they want to know they are more than just a number to your firm and they want to feel like family.

And in most cases, a prospect will say YES on the spot to an attorney who makes them feel that way, even if their price is a bit higher than the guy down the street, because it’s so rare.

Fortunately, there is a whole lot you can do to revamp your office space so clients feel right at home upon walking through the door.

To show you what I mean, here’s a video clip of my personal office space which includes some really essential tips in creating a tranquil and home-like setting.

The video is only 7 minutes long and I encourage you to watch it in its entirety if you’re looking for simple and easy steps to immediately bring more paying clients into your firm.

www.personalfamilylawyer.com/officevideo

PS – your office doesn’t have to look just like my office to make people feel at home, just like your house doesn’t look like my house. But, give some thought to how you can take the elements I talk about in the video and adapt them to your personality and style. I’d love to hear what you come up with. Drop me an email back and let me know.

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1. A little creativity = a lot more clients!

Then she asks for that one key piece of information and you begin to flounder.  You can’t find your documents, you’re nervous, and you’re starting to say things that don’t quite make sense.

How do you “look” in that situation?

Unprepared?  Maybe even untrustworthy? Totally not professional.

Most of us would never dream of showing up unprepared before a judge, but we think NOTHING of appearing completely disheveled, unprepared and even untrustworthy to potential clients.

And that could be why are not engaging most of the prospects who come in to meet with you.   

So what does being unprepared at a client meeting look like?  Consider the following real life examples:

* You start a client meeting without everything you would need to engage the client and collect a check should your prospect say “yes” to your services.  Instead, when someone does say yes, you have to leave the meeting room several times, holler for your secretary, wait for the forms to be printed, etc…  You get the picture.  Hopefully, it’s not the picture of what happens in your office because when it does, it shows you are simply not organized and prepared.

* You quote a fee that you pulled out of the air without presenting a formal, pre-thought out fee schedule.  When the prospect looks surprised at your price, you begin negotiating, agreeing to lower your fee.  Now, your prospect sees you as untrustworthy.

* Your secretary interrupts the meeting so you can take an “important phone call” and you actually do it-leaving the client to feel as they’re being “squeezed in” and the meeting wasn’t well planned by your office staff.

Now, these are extreme examples and perhaps you’ve never acted so unprofessionally in your office.  But, I’ll admit, I can’t say the same.  When I first started out, I didn’t know how to go into an initial client meeting prepared to quote a fee or engage a client.  I never left a client meeting to take another phone call, but I’ve watched shocked as another lawyer did.

So how can you ensure that your prospects see you as the trustworthy, prepared, organized professional that you are?

Start here:

* Don’t just offer food and drinks to your prospects when they come in-have a spread waiting for them, as though they are welcome guests.

* Have every document you could possibly need when they say yes to your services, pre-printed in a folder, including your engagement letter, privacy notice and method of payment form, so you never have to leave the office or make the prospect wait once they’ve decided to move ahead.

* Prepare a laminated fee schedule that you bring to each meeting so your prospects don’t feel like you’re just making up numbers that are open to negotiation if they don’t like the price.

* Never take another phone call or allow any other interruption during a client meeting.  

Don’t just take my word for it-TRY IT this week!  Be prepared, and I mean really prepared, and keep tracking your results.  You’ll be astonished at how small shifts can have a big impact.  And, if you’ve already seen it, let us know.

Don’t forget to mark your calendar for October 29th when I’ll be hosting a special training call and going in depth on my system for engaging nearly every prospect who calls your office.  It works for hundreds of lawyers and it will work for you too.

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I’ve heard quite frequently that clients feel as if they’ve fallen into a black hole.

What that means for you is that you can make a huge impact on your clients and turn them into raving fans by counteracting this experience.

What happens in your practice right now after your client writes you a check?  When do they hear from you again?  When do they get reminded that the investment they just made was a good one? If this follow up is happening, is it happening the same way, at the same time, for each client? Is it being tracked so you’re sure no one is falling off the radar?   

If you couldn’t answer these questions affirmatively, you are sabotaging the hard work you put into the client engagement process.

Fortunately, automating your follow-up and creating a WOW experience after the client engagement process is easier than you think.

To get started, you’ll need to set up a practice management system (there are many to choose from), or even an excel spreadsheet that lays out what needs to happen (and more importantly WHEN it needs to happen) after a prospect becomes a paying client of your firm.

Next week, I’ll outline a simple process for you to follow that will make a HUGE difference in how your clients talk about you to their friends, family, clients and colleagues, which will result in far more referrals for you. 

Stay tuned and until then think about what you’d want to receive from your lawyer if you’d just made a big investment in his or her services.

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Hopefully by now you have a rough list of stats compiled that tells you how effective your overall client engagement process really is (and if you missed last week’s article, you can find out how to gather those stats here). But for the purpose of this lesson on client intake, I want you to grab that spreadsheet and focus on the number of prospects that called your office last week vs. the number of prospects that set up an appointment with your firm.

If you’re not showing at least a 50 % conversion rate and preferably 75%, you need to take a closer look at how your intake is being handled.

There are 4 essential do’s and donts that dictate this process and if you violate any one of these principles, you will see a direct downward impact on the number of appointments you set each month.

To ensure you are getting the absolute best results from your intake process, take some time this week to implement these principles in your own firm:

1. DON’T be your own intake specialist! You must have someone besides yourself answering the calls from prospective clients. Most people are intimidated speaking directly to an attorney and quite frankly, there are much better uses for your time. So whether you hire someone in-house or contract with a virtual intake specialist, commit to stop doing intake from now on.

2. DO provide a detailed script to your intake specialist-  Your intake specialist should be using a script for every phone call which explains your services, conveys the value of your initial meeting and encourages prospects to say “yes” to coming in for an appointment. You never want your intake specialist to come up with this information on the fly, and it’s up to you to write a script that will achieve those goals.

3. DON’T discuss numbers on the intake call! When done right, your intake specialist should NEVER have to discuss your fees on the intake call. In fact, a good intake specialist using a great script won’t even need to give a price range! But, at all costs you want to ensure that the prospect doesn’t feel as if you are avoiding the “how much will it cost” question or they’ll flee faster than you can say boo. The only numbers that your intake specialist should have to focus on are what it will cost your prospect to NOT meet with you and the value of your initial meeting that they’ll be getting free.

4. DO follow up with prospects that don’t set an appointment after the initial phone call- Whether you send a warm letter, email or welcome packet via direct mail, this constant communication helps people on the fence eventually pick up the phone and call. Studies show that it takes up to 5 “touches” or contact with a firm for a prospect to take action—so don’t give up if the prospect doesn’t say “yes” right away.-

And don’t forget to track your numbers this week as you start making some of the changes I mentioned above! I want you to see with your own eyes the impact that automation and client engagement systems have on your bottom line and how simple direction in this area can change the effectiveness of your firm forever.

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2. How to Revamp Your Client Service System in 24 Hours or Less
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