Amata Law Offices

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to sit in on the CLE hosted by Steve Fretzin, Attorney Coach, contributing writer for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, and Attorney Dan Lear, Director of Industry Relations at Avvo. I am not an attorney, but since my clientele is made up of over 800 attorneys I make it a point to stay up to date on as many legal matters as possible.

The subject matter was of particular interest to me since I have been all-hands-in with my own online marketing efforts lately. To be honest, the presentation and materials were great and about 10 minutes into the class I was sitting at attention and taking notes, no small task for someone who has dealt with a level of ADHD all his life. When Dan starting talking about branding a law firm, he keyed in on three themes: authenticity, knowing your ideal client and consistency. I guess these are all easy concepts to understand, but try practicing them and see how easy they are.

As you would expect from someone with experience working at Avvo, Dan brought up several examples to demonstrate these three points, but two really stood out for me. The first was an east coast law firm that specializes in 2nd amendment compliance & consulting. The firm is named Think Pink Law and uses the tagline “We do law. Differently”. Pink is not the last name of a partner, but it sure stands out and is very memorable. If I ever learn of someone in need of legal advice dealing with the 2nd amendment, I am quite sure I will remember Think Pink Law.

The second example I clearly remember from Dan’s presentation is from an immigration attorney who targets a specific clientele by offering assistance in filing Form I-864 for financial support. The target audience is divorced spouses of green card holders. Now I am sure this is only one part of their immigration law practice, but this one very targeted campaign really hits home with their clientele. After they provide quality service to this group, how many client referrals are they adding to their monthly intake? Target marketing such as this is a great way to grow a law practice.

Dan then went into a Top 10 Intake list for lawyers which was very insightful. You can view Dan’s entire list here. Many parts of this list is inspired by this article by Chicago-based Gyi Tsakalakis Lawyerist.

Then if all this wasn’t worth the price of admission (and the free lunch), Steve launched into understanding the “buyers’” mindset and started asking questions like, “What is your motivation for doing business development?” and “What makes someone successful at business development?” (I guessed at this one, somewhat incorrectly). Just for clarification, I translate “business development” to “keeping your new client intake machine churning even when you are on vacation.” Steve explained how behavior influences attitudes which in turn affects beliefs.

To me, this partially explains how a very knowledgeable attorney with a discomfort of speaking to strangers (think networking in an unfamiliar group) is able to change their attitudes and beliefs by attending more networking events and interacting with others. Steve also discussed how to choose the best networking opportunities and how to make the most of these sometimes-difficult learning experiences. If you are serious about growing a thriving law business while also enjoying the business of life you really need to attend Steve’s classes.

Steve has a great understanding in the field of building successful law businesses. After all, he has consulted hundreds of attorneys, both experienced and new practitioners, written two books on the subject, and speaks to lawyer groups around the country. Steve’s full presentation can be found here. You can also visit his web site and learn more about his newest program for attorneys, Origination Station, at www.fretzin.com.

As I mentioned earlier, Steve Fretzin is a contributing writer for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, and his June article, which can be found here, analyzes if the Differences Between Sales and Legal Business Development are just Semantics? and is a great read, offering some great tips to get away from the traditional “pitch” to clients and how to hold back to better understand what will motivate the client to hire you.

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Ron Bockstahler has has worked with individual attorneys and law firms for the past 30 years, gaining an in depth understanding of the business of running a law practice. He is the co-founder and CEO of Amata Law Offices and Managing Broker for Amata Realty Group, LLC, a real estate firm dedicated to consulting attorneys on their office space needs. Ron can be reached at [email protected] or (312) 924-0204.

The founding partner of Samurai Business Group, Bob Lambert, gives an insight on how to transform a well-trusted advisor into a well- trusted asset.

What is a trusted advisor?

A trusted advisor is someone whom you trust that gives you valuable insight on a subject. The important word here is “trust” which poses two key components: character and competence.

How do you earn trust?

Trust is an important factor in a successful relationship. It is important to understand how your buyer evaluates whom they work with. Here are four basic criteria a buyer may use:

1. Does your product/service overcome the pain of change?
2. Do they believe your solution meets their compelling reasons to buy?
3. Is your solution viable for them to implement?
4. Does the buyer trust you and your company to deliver on your commitments and promises?

What is the role of a trusted asset?

Below, Samurai Business Group provides the key differences between a trusted advisor and trusted asset. In order to develop skills of a trusted asset, understand what your buyer values. However, more importantly, always put your client first while going beyond your professional opinion. The way one sees a trusted asset is the equivalent to a trusted friend.

Trusted Advisor vs. Trusted Asset

Source: Samurai Business Group

Apply the standard components of a trusted asset into your business practice today!

To learn more join us next week as Bob Lambert will be the guest speaker at Amata’s lunch & learn: Beyond Trusted Advisor – Becoming a Trusted Asset

Click to download Samurai’s Business Group Full Article

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Amata recently hosted speaker Anne Smith, founder of Neuro Focused, at our Michigan Avenue location for the insightful lunch and learn event The Power of Persuasion. Anne explained how our brains are social and actually crave social connections, a fact that we can use to persuade others, particularly in our business communications. The trick is learning how people think when they are in social settings.

Key Tactics for Persuading People in a Group Setting

Mitigate People’s Bias

It is hard to recognize conformational biases within ourselves, but working in groups and communicating makes it easier to recognize these in others and mitigate. Once you know someone’s biases, you can use the tips below to work around them. Below you will find the most common biases people have and how you can mitigate them to create influence:

• Similarity: People who feel as if they resemble another person and are better than others. A solution would be to find commonality between yourself and that person.
• Expedience: A person feels and believes that if a certain belief or idea is right then it must be true. To overcome this, try to paint a complete picture to open up their thinking.
• Experience: People who relate to your experience. Try presenting new perspectives through narration or visualization.
• Distance: People tend to defer to those who are near them, rather than further away. To overcome this bias, try leading with a simple suggestion or invitation. You can also incorporate the solution for a similarity bias because finding a common ground will encourage them to overcome the distance.

Learn How People Visualize

People are more likely to update their belief when information is presented in graphic form. The brain is able to easily recognize pictures and interpret images before interpreting the text. Any time you can add graphics to your argument, do so to boost your persuasive power.

Make It Short

The human working memory is limited- so carefully explain important details you want others to retain and keep it short. Our brain can only focus on one concept at a time. Therefore, we best digest information in brief chunks- such as seven to eleven words in a sentence.

Now you know the three most important applications to use in a business communication, simply follow these three applications above to persuade your audience in the direction you choose.

Who Is Neuro Focused?

Anne Smith, is a certified professional coach who specializes in brain-based approaches to create a new way of thinking. This approach is a three-step process that includes reflection, insight, and action while learning about the brain. If you want to enhance your thinking and improve your communication with clients and key stakeholders, learn more about Neuro Focused.

Watch the full video of guest speaker Anne Smith: The Power of Persuasion.

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Guest speaker, Steve Fretzin, advises Amata members on a multi-step approach to grow your law practice. It is important to implement a set goal as workload or day-to-day distractions arise. Keep in mind that a plan should push you towards your goal. Follow these simple tips below to keep your firm’s growth on track.

1. Create a Marketing Plan
   First, think of the overarching goal you are trying to accomplish. Reference back to last year, were you able to follow through with your goals? If not, your objectives need to have a stronger strategy.
2. Develop Strategies
   Focus on 2-4 strategies to grow your business that work best for your particular practice. Examples of strategies include networking, sending emails, development of strategic partnerships, and cross marketing.
3. Develop Tactics
   For each strategy, develop 5-7 tactics to achieve those strategies. Tactics are methods to achieve your strategy and answer how to be effective, how to follow up, and how to execute. A tactic should answer who, what, where, when, and how.
4. Create and Prioritize a Database
   Your contacts should be reflected in your database. Think of everyone you know. Now prioritize them based on their ability to help grow your practice. Can they be a potential client, or do they have an avenue of introducing you to potential clients? Group them by A, B, or C- those who are directly useful, those who might be a useful connection (these two lists will be used to execute your tactics), and those who will be of no use to grow your practice.
5. Attend and Utilize Events
   Networking is your chance to grow from the bottom of the pyramid to the top. Be sure to research events before attending and not just attend the ones you hear about. Events that you should attend need to have your two targets: referral sources and actual clients. Don’t spin your wheels to attend events to keep active- that approach wastes time and money. Ask yourself where should I be and what types of events are good for my practice?
6. Control Networking Meetings
   Attending an event is the initial approach, but how you work and follow through an event is crucial. To see if a person is a target you want to ask a few thought-out questions to understand if this is someone you can help or vice versa. If not, its time to excuse yourself and move on. You don’t want to waste your time or theirs.
7. Improve Client Experience
   How do you plan to retain clients? All clients are not created equal and bring different values to your business. Simply break up your clients into categories for different approaches on how to retain them. Each approach may vary and be as simple as sending a newsletter, meeting once a quarter or calling to check-in. Keep in mind you are a lawyer but also a friend, so maintain a good relationship with each client. Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask your clients if they can help you by referring your business. Using the above steps to create strong relationships with your clients will help you feel more comfortable asking them for this favor.

These simple tips will help grow your law practice. Don’t forget in the midst of getting tied up with the little things it is important that your plan has a focus and clear direction. Don’t put off creating your plan. Start today to grow your business.

Steve Fretzin will be presenting What They Didn’t Teach You At Law School on March 21st at 180 N LaSalle, Suite 3700.

Watch the full video on How To Grow Your Law Practice In 7 Steps:

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For most businesses, reputation is everything. Luckily with internet marketing, you have the ability to control how your business is portrayed online.  Online Reputation Management is a commonly overlooked marketing strategy that requires some pro-activeness, time, and patience. But once set-up correctly, you see how valuable and cost-effective this type of marketing strategy can be for your business.

Below you will find a few tips on how you can control your online presence:

• Claim Your Identity
  Start by prioritizing which online directory platforms can be best optimized in your industry. Focus on a few platforms then work your way down a list as your business grows. Google, Yelp, and Bing are one of the most used directory sites and should be at the top of your list.Some believe that their business may be too small to attract anyone; however, as business starts grow, many visitors will want to validate a business’s reputation from major 3rd party (unbiased) sites. If you do not claim or optimize major directory listings, you could lose out on lead opportunities due to low reviews or a very common reason, lack of correct contact information. Do not miss out on this! Optimizing listings will take time and effort to set up at first, but once it’s set, you just let it sit and do its work!
• Monitor Your Reviews
  A common question we get most often is what to do about negative reviews. It is important that you address any negative reviews that have been left on directory platforms immediately. Your reply should ideally resolve the issue in a non-defensive manner.It may be hard to recover from a negative review but you can confide in your loyal customers. Don’t be afraid to ask a customer who has verbally expressed positive feedback to post a positive review online- this can range from their expectations, satisfaction, atmosphere, customer service, and more. If the customer/client was genuinely satisfied, s/he will be more than happy to post a positive review for you and your business. Have your directory links conveniently saved at all times so you can share the link with your customer/client. As you continuously generate reviews, prospective customers will overlook the negative reviews in a glowing bundle of positive ones.
• Maintain Your Reputation
  Today, anything we say or do can end up online- even if it was meant to be private. It is crucial that you focus on how you want to be portrayed on the web by living up to your reputation in-person and address when customers or clients did not get what they expected. Amata provides a directory service for attorneys to help local clients find them online. If you are an attorney and interested in listing your law practice on the aLawCenters.com directory, please be sure to contact us!

For more information on Online Reputation Management and Campaigns, contact Connections Marketing.

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