Adding Public Relations to your Strategic Communications/Marketing mix Part 2 of 3

In the previous post, I offered some reasons why you should consider public relations as part of your marketing mix and some tips on selecting a PR professional. This post expands on those thoughts.

Ways to interact with the media

One of the very first steps in any good media relations campaign is identification of key media with whom you wish to develop a relationship. Target the publications that your prospective clients read. You probably don’t have the budget for a wide-ranging media campaign, so you need to have a good focus at the outset.

It is best to have a long-range time horizon and through the assistance of your public relations counsel, to develop a relationship as a “source.” Often this is done over a meal where a reporter has the opportunity to get to know you and ask questions to determine the areas where you may be useful to him/her. This is not about you placing a story, it is about establishing credibility with the reporter as: 1) someone knowledgeable about certain topics; 2) someone who can speak clearly and get to the point e.g. someone who is quotable: and 3) someone who is responsive to the needs and timetables of the media. To this end, your PR counsel and your office staff need to be very responsive to media requests. Do not let your assistant use the “He/she is in a meeting” with the media. Media often call with short deadlines, and unless you absolutely cannot be interrupted. If a reporter’s calls get “parked” and returned after the deadline, they will stop calling and go to someone who is more responsive.

These sourcing interviews allow you great latitude in what you can talk about, and sometimes it may not be something that you think is critical, but it is a story he/she is developing. As an example, a former client of mine is in the construction business and did a great deal of healthcare construction. We set up a sourcing interview with a healthcare writer at a major US daily newspaper. During that interview, a story idea was born that culminated a few months later with a story that was on the front page of the business section on a Sunday, which is the largest circulation day for newspapers. The story was adapted by a media organization and ran statewide in approximately 20 newspapers. We were given the first quote in the story, which is very important since news stories are edited from the bottom up. When the story ran on the wire service, our quote was the only one included in the story in the out-state papers. And it all began with a sourcing interview where we were pitching experts and a story idea took shape during the interview.

Once you have established a relationship with a reporter, occasionally contact him/her with stories you see that they can “localize” or that you can add to. National stories that can be brought to a local level, such as identity theft, foreclosure prevention, etc. that are big stories nationally can often be made “local” with the addition of some local experts. If you can line up two or three experts to refer to the reporter, you will have made yourself even more valuable. I had an attorney client who is an expert in automotive safety, and had worked for one of the regulatory bodies overseeing the auto industry. When new safety rules were proposed, we had him sit down with some auto writers for sourcing interviews. A story line developed and he supplied the reporter with other experts inside and outside the government to interview, and saved the reporter a tremendous amount of time in research. Little touches like that go a long way, and the next time something in that area came up, he was at the top of the list to be called when they needed a local expert.

Another method of working with the media is to develop a story idea, or “pitch” and present it to them. This can be something very broad, or very narrow, as in the case of new clean air regulations being proposed by the EPA. My client was an environmental attorney with extensive knowledge of clean air regulations. Our pitch was that, if the regulations went forward as proposed, they might bring back several unpopular programs including auto emissions testing. So we pitched it to the reporter, with some supporting evidence, so that he would be interested. He was interested and used the story as a lead in the business section with a photo of my client. Since the paper’s service area was heavily industrial, any new proposed clean air regulations would have a significant economic impact, which was the direction the story took. And my client was able to translate the impact into terms that business owners and employees could easily grasp.

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Becoming a Rainmaker: Business Building Strategies for Lawyers

Based on Stephen’s highly successful seminar series by the same name, this 3-audio CD program covers dozens of practical recommendations and step-by-step sales and marketing techniques for solo practitioners and small law firms.

Stephen has given this seminar to hundreds of lawyers at state and local bar associations, and is scheduled for many more in the upcoming months.

To order this valuable seminar, visit our website http://therainmakerinstitute.com/products.htm

Adding Public Relations to Your Strategic Communications/Marketing Mix – Part 1 of 3

Despite the turmoil in the economy and the general economic slowdown, now is an excellent time for attorneys to develop a relationship with a public relations counselor who can help grow your business.  During tough economic times, one of the first budget categories to be scaled back is marketing and communications.  With the larger firms pulling back, this provides an excellent opportunity for smaller practices to stand out with well-placed stories and relationships with reporters covering beats important to you and your clients.

To be clear, public relations is a broad term that encompasses many areas of communications. It does not, in this article, include paid media such as print, electronic and digital advertising.  It will include several communications techniques including media relations, direct mail, and website media room management.

Working with the Media

One of the most difficult aspects of working with the media is that you do not control the final outcome of the piece.  With advertising, you can control all aspects of a piece – size, content, placement on page,  frequency and run date – but with “free” media you do not have that kind of control.  Attorneys often struggle with this because of their desire to tightly control messaging to avoid anything that may seem ambiguous, misleading or incorrect.  The reality is that you cannot control the message, and you have to accept that everything you want to say will not be included and occasionally some facts may be mixed up.  It is the nature of working with human communications.

Once you have decided to begin a program of working with the free media, I strongly suggest that you interview several firms specializing in professional services public relations.  Just as in law there are many areas of specialization; the same is true in public relations.  One great way to find firms is to ask your colleagues for referrals of PR pros they know.  Another option is to contact the local chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (www.prsa.org) and ask them for referrals of independent practitioners or firms specializing in professional services public relations.

It is important that the relationship between the PR practitioner and you, the client, be one where you can openly discuss ideas, markets to focus on, as well as areas to avoid.  Some things to consider are:

• Areas of your expertise – in which areas are you very knowledgeable? Don’t fake it, but don’t limit yourself to areas where you consider yourself an “expert” either.  If you have knowledge, feel free to share it.  If you need to do a little research to feel comfortable, do it as well.  Just don’t try to pass yourself off as something you are not.  Reporters will quickly see through that and you will lose all credibility
• Your target audience – what kind of company/individuals are you trying to attract as clients?  If your clients are mostly corporations, small or large, then focus on business magazines.  If your targets are consumers, then more general news media would be an appropriate method to use.
• Your past cases – you will need client permission to discuss their cases, unless you do it in extremely general terms.  A good media hit is rarely worth irritating a client and referral source.

Rainmaker Retreats coming to Chicago and Orlando.

Lawyers looking to increase their number of referrals and size of their revenues should mark their calendars for the upcoming Rainmaker Retreats in Chicago – October 16-17, and Orlando – October 23-24. These extremely popular 2-day law firm marketing boot camps are tailored for small and solo law firms and teach techniques for building your business and taking it to the level you desired when you started your practice. The Rainmaker Retreat teaches you our proven Rainmaker System which has helped more than 6,000 attorneys from hundreds of law firms across the country discover how to generate more referrals and find new clients fast.

You won’t want to miss the information shared or the interaction with your fellow attorneys.
The Rainmaker Retreat is designed for solo attorneys and those in small practices who do not have the marketing resources of the larger firms. It is a working retreat that will help you:

• Create a written 90-day master marketing plan for your firm
• Discover your Unique Competitive Advantage
• Have a written plan for improving your internet presence
• Outline either an article or produce a professional press release to submit online
• Create a letter of introduction to potential Strategic Referral Partners

Some of the topics covered in each Rainmaker Retreat include:

• Achieving Expert Status as an Attorney
• Building a Strategic Referral Network
• Creating Credibility in Your Practice Area
• Secrets of Highly Successful Attorneys
• Social Media for Small Law Firms
• Leveraging Technology: Beating the Big Firms on the Internet
• Generating More Clients Using the Power of Speaking
• Advanced Technology Tactics for Small Law Firms and Solo Practitioners

The best way to gauge the effectiveness of a Rainmaker Retreat is to listen to the comments of the participants:

http://www.youtube.com/user/stephenfairley

If you are still unsure about attending a Rainmaker Retreat, I encourage you to join our FREE Preview Call on:

• Wednesday October 7 at 4-5:00 p.m. PT/7-8:00 p.m. ET.

These free, one-hour calls will give you a taste of what you will learn during a Rainmaker Retreat. Click here to register for a Preview Call. You can also request a free Rainmaker Retreat Preview DVD, which will give you a look into the Rainmaker Retreats and an opportunity to hear from the participants.

Each Rainmaker Retreat runs from 8:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. on Friday and 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Early-bird registration for the Rainmaker Retreat is still available for a limited time. A special VIP registration is also available for attorneys looking for more personalized attention. Registration information is available by visiting the Rainmaker Retreat website, www.RainmakerRetreat.com or by calling 888-588-5891.

Additional Rainmaker Retreats are scheduled for:

• Los Angeles – Friday, November 13 & Saturday, November 14
• Las Vegas – Friday, December 4 & Saturday, December 5

3 Keys to Reaping the Rewards of Relationships

I was recently coaching an attorney at a small east-coast law firm who was lamenting how slow new business had become in the past few months. As we talked, I asked him, as I ask dozens of attorneys every week, “What have you done in the past 3 months to build relationships with potential referral partners?” He mentioned going to lunch a few times and speaking with a couple over the phone when they made a referral to him.

I asked him to open up his Outlook contact database; there were more than 200 non-client contacts in it including: accountants, financial planners, angel investors, business brokers, and private investment bankers. Here are the 3 keys I share with him to develop the relationships in his “Golden Rolodex.”

Law Firm Marketing Key 1:
When It Comes To Referral Relationships Take An Active Role

There is a Jewish saying “A man who has friends must show himself to be friendly.” Don’t wait for someone to take the initiative and contact you – be the first to reach out. In the last few years we have coached and trained thousands of attorneys and the ones who are the best rainmakers are the ones who make at least 3-4 contacts with potential referral sources every week.

Action Step: Take 2 minutes and scan your contact list. Select 15 to 20 names of potential or current referral sources and send them an email or better yet, pick up the phone and call them with an invitation to lunch or coffee. Set a goal of having three face-to-face meetings per week for the next month.

Here’s a sample script: “It’s been a while since we’ve connected. I was wondering what your schedule looks like for the next week. I’d like to get together with your for lunch or coffee, just to catch up – my treat. Let me know what dates work better for you.”

Law Firm Marketing Key 2:
Increase the Frequency of Your Contact

Try as we might, it’s difficult with our hectic schedules to meet with every potential referral source on a regular basis. Here’s one strategy I teach lawyers: Set up a Google Alert for a specific phrase that would be of interest to your referral sources such as “becoming a rainmaker.”

Collect interesting articles and keep them in a separate folder (Referral Articles). Once a month pull one out, print off a bunch of copies and attach a brief handwritten note on each copy (“I thought you might enjoy this article”). Enclose your business card and mail a copy of the article to all of your referral sources.

Several of my clients have doubled and tripled their referrals in 6 months using this simple technique to stay in front of their referral sources on a frequent basis. You can set up a Google Alert at:www.google.com/alerts

Law Firm Marketing Key 3:
Focus on Serving Not Selling

When you meet with referral sources don’t make the mistake of dominating the conversation. You are there to listen, not hear yourself talk. Any attempt to “sell” them on your services will be a complete waste of your time and theirs. Look for ways you can serve them and their clients by connecting them with other resources or pointing them in the right direction regarding a legal issue. Ask a lot of questions about their business.

Educate them about your Ideal Target Market and how you can benefit their clients only after you have carefully listened to them.

Attorneys who want to become top Rainmakers don’t wait for someone to knock on the door or the phone to ring or the referral to come in. They take the initiative, stay in touch, and focus on serving their referral sources, not selling them a service.

Remember, people will forget what you tell them. They may even forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

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Ready to Take Your Law Practice to the Next Level?

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• Over 65 proven strategies to build a 7 figure law firm
• How to triple your referral sources in 90 days
• 10 techniques for dominating your competition online
• How to create a 6 month marketing plan
• How to transform your website into a client generating machine
• Ways to promote your law firm to 150,000 people for $200
• Using blogs and social media to build an internet empire
• How an attorney doubled his revenues in 12 months
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Click here to request your copy of the free Rainmaker Retreat preview DVD

Want To Learn How To Earn A 7 Or 8 Figure Income? Check Out My Presentation At The State Bar Of California Annual Meeting On September 10

DON’T MISS THE “TOP 10 “SECRET” STRATEGIES USED BY RAINMAKERS ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 FROM 2:15- 5:15 PDT

82^nd Annual Meeting of the State Bar of California During the I will be presenting time-tested, proven strategies that solo and small-practice attorneys can use to build a seven and eight figure practice during difficult economic times. Some of the topics to be covered include learning how to triple referrals in 90 days, recession proofing your practice, staying connected with current and former clients, the benefits of online social communities, and three “real life” tools that can be used immediately to generate more and better referrals.

Attendees will receive a legal marketing education that will allow them to take advantage of the current economic climate and position themselves for even more growth in referrals and revenue as the economy rebounds. You won’t want to miss this three-hour presentation that can help you take your practice to the next level.

Don’t forget to look for the Rainmaker Institute booth during the State Bar of California. We will be in Booth 614 and would love to have you stop by and learn about some of the ways that the Rainmaker Institute can help you increase your referrals, on-line presence, and revenues.

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Mark your calendars for the Rainmaker Retreats coming this fall to a city near you.   This 2 day marketing book camp for attorneys is full of information that will boost your referrals and increase your bottom line.

Our schedule is:

Chicago – Friday, October 16 & Saturday, October 17

Orlando -Friday, October 23 & Saturday, October 24

Los Angeles – Friday, November 13 and Saturday, November 14

Las Vegas – Friday, December 4 & Saturday, December 5

The schedule for each retreat is Friday – Registration at 8:00, Retreat begins at 8:30, and breaks for the day at 5:30. Saturday begins with breakfast at 7:30 and the retreat runs from 8:00 – 2:00 p.m.

To register for a Rainmaker Retreat or for more information, please visit our website,

Rainmaker Institute CEO presentation at “Get a Life” conference featured in September ABA Journal

Rainmaker CEO’s presentation to 250+ attorneys captured by ABA Journal writers.

In May, 2009 I presented “The Five Immutable Secrets to Building a Seven-Figure Law Practice While Staying Sane” during the Total Practice Management Association’s “Get a Life” conference in Chicago.  Two writers from the ABA Journal were in attendance and wrote an article based on the presentation attended by more than 250 attorneys.

The Total PMA conference targeted the work/life balance issue that so many attorneys struggle with.  During my presentation, I offered some secrets that attorneys need to use in order to attract and retain more clients without losing their sanity.

My presentation focused on creating the right systems, and having the right people in the right places within those systems.  I advocated the creation of “simple” systems, which are not to be confused with easy.  Attracting business and website traffic is only part of the system.  Without adequate resources to take advantage of the additional traffic and referrals, the net benefit to the attorney is negligible.

The “simple” systems are not easy to implement.  If that were the case, everyone would be wealthy.  Simple is a mindset that creates an efficient system to allow the results you desire to be achieved without unnecessarily complicated effort.

I encourage you to take a look at the article.  The attorneys who were in the presentation received information that can transform their practices, and their lives.

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Want to learn more about becoming a Rainmaker for your small or solo practice? Come to the Los Angeles County Bar Association on Tuesday, September 15 for a 2-hour “Becoming a Rainmaker” session with Stephen Fairley.  Click below the Register Here button on the website.

Marketing for lawyers – Mistakes Attorneys Make–and How to Avoid Them Mistake #2

Law Firm Marketing MISTAKE 2:
TARGETING THE WRONG MARKET

This is one of the biggest mistakes I see among attorneys especially in small law firm marketing—targeting the wrong market. Identifying and targeting the right market for your services is the most important thing you can do marketing your law firm to ensure the success of your practice. If you don’t target the right market, nothing else you do will matter.

Let me give you an example.

As a law firm marketing consultant I was talking with a lawyer in Chicago and asking her about her target market. She said that her target market was small business owners who were too small to need in-house counsel or who couldn’t afford the high priced downtown lawyers. They needed someone who understood the legal issues small businesses face and who offered them a flexible payment plan.

I asked her, “Do you know how many small business owners there are here in Chicago?”

“No,” she replied.

I stated, “Recently, Crain’s Chicago business magazine reported there were over 300,000 small business owners here in Chicago.

“Now, I’ve never been very good at math, but for the sake of illustration, let’s say that only 50 percent of those business owners needed or wanted your services, that’s a pretty large task trying to reach 150,000 prospects even once.”

Marketing research has shown that it takes seven “touches” before a prospective client becomes a client. The Law of 7 Touches is based on research that found it takes an average of 7 to 10 meaningful touches EVERY YEAR to move someone through the cycle from not knowing anything about you to being ready to buy from you.

This is just the average, not a guarantee, because in hypercompetitive markets, like legal services, it often takes many more touches than that. In addition, it also takes consistency.

There are also ways you can speed up this process and create multiple touches all at once by being highly-targeted in your marketing materials; using technology like law firm internet marketing, law firm websites and using mail delivered by the post office.

In general, only 3 percent to 5 percent of your target market is ready to buy at any given time. Therefore, it’s how you reach the other 95 percent to 97 percent that will make or break your business. You must consistently be in front of your prospects to be at the top of their minds when they are ready to buy.

Now that you know The Law of 7 Touches, you can better understand why it’s so vital to narrow your target market in your law firm marketing plan. Remember the story I told about the Chicago attorney who targeted small business? Well, according to The Law of 7 Touches, you multiply this lawyer’s 150,000 prospects by a factor of 7, maybe 10. That means she would need to produce 1 to 1.5 million meaningful touches every year. Considering both her time and money, there is no possible way a typical solo practitioner could do that and smart business owners who are also smart marketers won’t even try.

Marketing For lawyers – Mistakes Attorneys Make–and How to Avoid Them, Mistake #1

In having coached more than 6,000 attorneys in small and solo law firms over the years, I’ve discovered that in law firm marketing they share many commonalities. One of these is their realization that marketing for lawyers is challenging; it is time-consuming, budget-draining and often lacking in results.

And the reasons why attorneys find marketing their practices so challenging are best summed up in the 10 major marketing mistakes that attorneys make when creating their law firm marketing plan. We will be introducing each mistake in upcoming posts.

Law Firm Marketing MISTAKE 1:

BELIEVING “IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME”

One of the most common mistakes attorneys make in their law firm marketing plan is their believing “If you build it, they will come.” It’s the false belief that all you need to do to grow your practice is to tell friends and family about it, or to place a Yellow Pages ad, and people will be lining up outside your door.

This is simply not true.

To be successful in business, you need to take an active role in that business. Top rainmaker attorneys do not risk their chances of success by depending on someone else to spoon feed clients to them. They actively seek new clients. They seek to control their destiny rather than placing their financial future in another’s hands.

It takes more than courage and money to make a new business succeed; marketing your law firm takes creating and daily implementing a law firm marketing plan of action.

The next several blogs will discuss marketing for attorneys and the actions that will truly bring success.

Why Law Schools Are Failing Attorneys and The Legal Industry

Law schools are failing the 43,600 attorneys who graduate from them year after year…

A bold statement? Not really from my perspective.

I was watching the video interview of Rex Gradeless on his Social Media Law Student blog the other day.

If you don’t know Rex I first found him on Twitter.

Rex has, according to Lextweet.com, the largest number of followers on twitter of anyone in the legal industry. At last count he was well over 63,000 followers (@Rex7). I was very impressed with this and so I started following him some months back just to see how a law student was using social media to build a loyal following.  In the video interview he mentions just graduating law school and taking the bar exam (I hope you pass Rex).

I was inspired to write this post partially by his situation and also a discussion on LinkedIn under the Legal Marketing group. I’m sure more than a few law schools will not like this post, but then again, as those of you who know me understand that being liked by everyone has never been a very strong motivator for me.

I truly believe law schools are failing most of the attorneys who depend on them to show them how to be a successful attorney.

I have heard that around 85% of lawyers end up in a small law firm at some point in their career. The number of new solo practices that open up every year far outweighs the number of attorneys who are now entering big law.

If you do not even know the fundamentals of setting up a law practice (from a business perspective), how to build relationships with referral sources, the principles of excellent customer service, and specific strategies for law firm marketing and business development how can you reasonably expect to succeed in this dog eat dog environment?

Bottom line: You cannot…unless you depend on someone else to feed you, thereby making you a helpless and hapless dependent.

For those of you running or working at law schools who follow me (yes, I know who you are) here is my challenge to you:

Is this really the best you can do? You are the institution whereby almost every single person who wants to practice law must go through—you are the first line of defense for the legal industry…and you are failing them.

You must hold yourself to a higher standard than to continue cranking out lawyers who are entirely unprepared for the intensity and effort required to build a financially successful and personally satisfying law practice. You are better than this!

Your constituents depend on you to teach them how to be successful lawyers, in every sense of the word. If you know the majority of them will require an understanding of various areas of the law, you teach them.

So will someone PLEASE tell me why you will not teach them the business side of law if virtually all of them will be required to know it and practice it when they get out?

Most, if not all, law schools do not teach (and many do not even offer) a single course on the “business of law.” What? Are you serious?

Can anyone please give me a logical reason why you should not require at least 2-3 entire classes on this? Perhaps even require it in your internship experience?

Many attorneys are still taught the best way to grow a law firm is to go work for “big law” for 7-10 years and see how the big boys do it (bottom line is they don’t know how either). There are several myths and unspoken implications in this fallacious thinking:

• Just being a good attorney is enough: Hogwash! That may have worked 20 years ago, but certainly not in today’s hypercompetitive environment. 20 years ago (probably the last time when many law school professors were last practicing) it was enough to be a good attorney and just by hanging out your shingle, clients would start coming in. But does anyone still remember those days?
• Competency will rule the day. How does anyone still believe this stuff? Look around…we all know attorneys who are borderline incompetent who have more clients than they can handle and vice versa we know many attorneys who excel at their craft and are dead broke!

  Let’s put this myth to rest once and for all: Having a financially successful practice has absolutely NOTHING to do with being a great lawyer or having perfected your legal skills!!

  You can hire great technicians who can do the legal work for you. They are a dime a dozen right now. Who is truly in demand? Rainmakers! Lawyers who can bring in the business and the deal makers will always take their rightful place at the head of the table.

  Do not misunderstand: I am not giving anyone an excuse to be incompetent in your craft. There is no excuse for that. Like thousands of others, I too have been taken advantage of by incompetent attorneys, but unlike others I know the truth—the majority of attorneys (at least in small law firms) are fair minded, competent, caring professionals who love to serve their clients to the best of their ability.

  Competency is necessary, but not sufficient to a successful law practice!

• You can learn good rainmaking skills by osmosis: The implication is that you will naturally pick it up if you are smart enough. As someone who has taught over 6,000 attorneys how to be rainmakers I can tell you with some authority that having intelligence does not in any shape or fashion equate to being an effective Rainmaker.

  Intelligence may help you pick up the skills faster, but it does not ensure you will know how to apply them. Rainmaking is a skill you must learn and develop. It is not something that 95% of people are born with.

In other fields, the companies that hire graduates have demanded their training change to meet their needs. It does not serve the best interests of attorneys nor does it serve law firms to have to hire young attorneys who are incompetent when it comes to business development.

And how about the role the media plays in this? Every year U.S. News & World Report’s law school rankings come out and every law school fights to be in the top positions! There’s big money riding on this not to mention prestige.

U.S. News & World Report (and other ranking systems), here’s my recommendation: add a new category in “Training in Business Development” or “Law Firm Marketing Training” that plays a part in weighing your rankings.

When every law school (except one or two) FAILS the test, those who pay attention to this critical area will rise to the top.

We have ranking categories for everything else from Alternative Dispute Resolution to Zoning law. So why not “law firm marketing training”? And no, “clinical training” does not cut it.

Entrepreneur magazine rates business schools in terms of how well they prepare students for entrepreneurship. We all know that small businesses are the back bone of America. So Entrepreneur magazine has taken up the mantle to reward universities and B-schools who teach core skills of entrepreneurship. BTW, if you were interested Babson College is #1 and University of Arizona (my adopted home state) is #4.

Why shouldn’t a legal magazine rate law schools in how well they prepare attorneys for the business of law?

Is this pie in the sky thinking? Perhaps, but someone needs to exert some outside pressure on these behemoths in order to effect real change.

Attorneys in practice, here is my challenge to you: When will you stand up and say you have had enough? When will you demand a better trained workforce of young associates? Have you had a heart to heart conversation with your local law school? Have you tried to push for change from the inside out?

Until lawyers in both “big law” and small law firms lobby these law schools I do not believe you see a change in this irresponsible behavior.

If you do not take up the banner and demand something better from law schools who will?

I await your comments, rants and insights…

7 Powerful Tips to Remember

1. Don’t do it all by yourself. Most of the follow up should be done by your staff, not you. Don’t have a staff? Then outsource it to a virtual assistant or someone who provides legal marketing services. You should remain focused on bringing in more business, meeting with prospects, signing new people up as clients, and billing your clients. Attorneys are not in business to chase down people they meet, especially unqualified leads. Focus on making money by bringing in more clients and then by billing them for your services.

2. Create your written plan ahead of time. Do not wait until the last minute to create your follow up plan.   Think about it ahead of time. How do you want to connect with them after your event (trade show, seminar, presentation, article, networking event, etc)? As part of your law firm marketing you plan you should write down the exact steps your team will take to connect with them. Write down roles, responsibilities and time frames. Go over it with your team just before the event to answer any questions and make sure they know their role.

3. Have a plan for obtaining their full contact information and then have a back up plan. Do not rely on someone else giving you their contact information in a timely fashion. They may or may not. They may have better things to do or an emergency might arise or they may forget. Always, always have a back up plan. Make sure you get all their contact information including: full name, mailing address, phone number, and email. This will be of great value later on.

4. Use a database to keep track of your contacts. Do not rely on the stacks of business cards you have on your desk. Put them into a database like ACT or Goldmine or zoho.com. I heard of an attorney who went to a very important networking event and gathered about 30 business cards from some high profile contacts. He left them on his desk and when the cleaning crew came that night they threw them away as trash. Have someone on your team input them into a database as soon as possible!

5. Use multiple methods to connect with them. Some people read emails, some people read letters, and some people respond to phone calls. Any law firm marketing consultant will tell you to use at least two of these methods to connect. If possible, use all three. For example, have your assistant send out an email the very next day after your networking event. Have a letter sent out the day after that and three days later have them follow up with a phone call to set an appointment for you.

6. Remember the Rule of 48. The Rule of 48 refers to the amount of time you have to follow up with a qualified prospect after you meet them before they forget why you are contacting them. In most cases, you have 48 hours to make the first contact or you can forget about it.

I remember meeting with an attorney who still had a list of “qualified prospects” he met at a networking group six months ago. I told him the only thing they were qualified for is the trash. The fortune is in the follow up so do it quickly. If you don’t have time, make time or don’t bother. Even a quick email is better than nothing. Here’s a helpful tip: whenever you have a big event coming up, clear two or three hours first thing the next day from your schedule and use that time to start the follow up process.

7. Plan for the long-term. Even though you usually only have 48 hours to start the follow up process, your law firm marketing plan should include specific ways you can stay connected to your leads, prospects, clients, and referral sources over the long-term. Whether it’s a monthly newsletter, a quarterly phone call, or a legal update you send out. Once a semi-qualified person is on your list, institute a process to stay connected with them at least seven to ten times per year.

For law firm marketing, the fortune is in the follow up! You need to have a system in place to connect with and stay connected to your leads, prospects, clients, and referral sources. Why not take some time this week and meet with your staff to develop a written system for following up with people in a timely, systematic fashion. “Top attorneys

understand the fortune is in the follow up!”

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Need some help keeping in touch with your contacts? The Rainmaker Institute has a new service for Attorneys just like you. We will write and send out a personalized monthly or quarterly ezine to your contacts to help you keep them informed of upcoming events, keep your name in the forefront of their minds and offer them helpful tips and information. And if you need more help turning your contacts into clients so you can earn a seven figure income join us at our next Rainmaker Retreat. In this two-day marketing boot camp for small and solo law firms, you’ll learn valuable information and practical steps to take to better market your practice. For more information or to sign-up for the next one, go to: www.RainmakerRetreat.com or call 1-888-588-5891