| P R O B A T E & P R O P E R T Y July/Auguest 2007 Vol. 21 No.4 Other articles from this issue |
| Articles from other issues of Probate and Property |
Young Lawyers Network
Get Your Representation Here!
(As Seen on TV)
The Soft Sell of Legal Services
So you became a lawyer because you didn’t want to do sales? How twisted life can be. Developing a thriving client base requires an eye to marketing. But you aren’t selling used cars either.
Many practicing attorneys shudder at the mention of the term marketing, primarily because they equate it with advertising. Think of marketing and advertising as two distinct things. Advertising is a one-way proposition and is relegated to formal media outlets. Your marketing program may contain some advertising as a component, but marketing is a much larger effort. Your best marketing efforts are going to be through the people you encounter every day.
In 2000, the authors of The Cluetrain Manifesto (Perseus Publishing 2000) asserted a set of 95 theses calling businesses to action in a newly connected marketplace. The authors asserted that the Internet presented the potential to transform radically traditional business practices because of the opportunity to have a “human-to-human” conversation. Lawyers have long known the importance of the personal connection with the prospective client.
If you produce happy clients, you have gone a long way to satisfying your marketing needs. The spread of your reputation (good or bad) will be expedited in large part by your former clients. Making effective marketers of your former clients, however, involves more than doing a good job on their behalf. Many lawyers have exceptional legal skills, but, although they do a great job for their clients, their clients may not realize the value of the services. This is an attribute of communicating in detail your efforts to the client, as opposed to viewing it as unnecessary handholding. Take every opportunity to impart to your client the value of the role you are playing.
Effective legal marketing is more systematic than programmatic. Although elaborate ad campaigns may hold some appeal, chances are that not everyone needs the legal services you offer at this time. The best approach is slow and steady. You have to internalize the fact that the standards you maintain in your practice, as well as your personal life, are what will ultimately draw clients—and it may be months or years before you see them. Marketing your legal abilities should be a way of life and applied evenly in the lean and the fat times. Times may be great now, but plan for the long haul.
There is still a need for the fabled 30-second elevator speech. You have to be able to take advantage of opportunities when they present. But remember that a dialogue is much more effective than the sideshow “barker” approach. Taking a systematic approach and having a comfort level with the aspects of your practice that make you stand out will allow you to easily work those into conversations. Like so many aspects of the practice of law, marketing is about the subtleties of communication and the long-term perspective.
For more information about RPPT YLN, please contact:
Hugh F. Drake, YLN Chair
Brown Hay & Stephens, LLP
P.O. Box 2459
Springfield , IL 62705-2459
hdrake@bhslaw.com
Kalimah Z. White, Co-Vice Chair, Membership Committee
NatCity Trust Company of Delaware
300 Bellevue Parkway
Suite 160
Wilmington , DE 19809-3719
Kalimah.White@nationalcity.com
Ask the Mentor
Query: What opportunities are there for a young/new lawyer to get more involved in the Section?
The RPPT Fellows program represents a commitment by the Section to increase the participation of young lawyers in Section activities. The goal of the program is to give young members an opportunity to become involved in the substantive work of the Section, to develop future leaders of the Section, and to enhance knowledge about the work of the Section among members of the Young Lawyers Division and other young lawyers. The Section chooses four Fellows each year, and the fellowship appointment is for two years. As part of the Section’s commitment to diversity, at least two of the four Fellows selected will be minority applicants. In return for the commitment to the Section, RPPT provides a subsidy to assist with the costs of meeting attendance and provides a solid mentorship structure to maximize opportunities for participation and professional development within the Section. Applications are due in early June.
Apart from the Fellows program, the Section has developed the Guide program for everyone interested in getting involved. The Guide program will help transition new members or members who are looking to get more involved. Each participant will be assigned a Guide, who is experienced in the Section, to answer questions, be a resource, and help make connections with people who are doing the kind of Section work that is of interest to them. Guides can introduce a member to substantive committee chairs and publications editors and generally ensure that members are enjoying their Section experience.
To learn more about the Fellows program, please visit www.abanet.org/rppt/section_info/fellows/home.html.
To learn more about the Guide program, please contact Amy Cianci of the RPPT Staff, at ciancia@staff.abanet.org.
