Profiting With Public Relations

Why Law Firm Public Relations Fails?

For any law firm public relations initiatives, to be successfully implemented requires first and foremost buy-in from the decision makers of law firms.

When that doesn’t happen relationships are bound to go  south, and that frequently is chalked up to the following: 

•    The lack of serious commitment on the part of the firm, has led to missed  opportunities.
•    Unrealistic expectations of the law firm.
•    Attorneys taking the back seat. The assumption being:  we  have the ‘PR Firm’ to do the work.
•    Disrespect, not valuing the work of the public relations professionals.
•    Lack of understanding on the part of the attorneys on the basics of media.

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Media Training: When Is An Interview On The Record?

Always!

Like most  of my friends,  I've been captivated by the current presidential primaries, particularly on the Democratic front. I have a couple of friends actively involved in both campaigns. So you can imagine some of the discussions.

As a public relations professional, I'm always paying attention to how candidates respond to reporter's questions, which programmes they appear on and why? what tactics they adopt to avoid uncomfortable questions, etc. Conversely, I'm also a  keen observer of watching how and what the press selects to cover.

Last month, Barack Obama's adviser Samantha Power, a Harvard professor and Pulitzer Prize winner, whilst talking to Gerri Peev reporter, from  The Scotsman, committed a couple of mistakes. Mistakes that ultimately lead her to resign from the campaign.

So, what lessons can we learn:

1. Mistake One: Know and understand the parameters of an  interview with journalists, especially if they are with foreign publications.  (If you don't have the time or your public relations folks haven't done their home work (fire them!) ALWAYS ALWAYS assume everything is on the record!

2. MIstake Two: Know thyself. Don't schedule interview when you are exhausted and jet lagged, especially  when different time zones are involved. If you are talking to a reporter from a foreign publication,  play it safe and assume its on the record.

3. Mistake Three: Regardless of the fact that you may be very good friends with the reporter always assume that everything is on the record.

To find out how to manage interviews with the press, contact me.

Always!

Like most  of my friends,  I've been captivated by the current presidential primaries, particularly on the Democratic front. I have a couple of friends actively involved in both campaigns. So you can imagine some of the discussions.

As a public relations professional, I'm always paying attention to how candidates respond to reporter's questions, which programmes they appear on and why? what tactics they adopt to avoid uncomfortable questions, etc. Conversely, I'm also a  keen observer of watching how and what the press selects to cover.

Last month, Barack Obama's adviser Samantha Power, a Harvard professor and Pulitzer Prize winner, whilst talking to Gerri Peev reporter, from  The Scotsman, committed a couple of mistakes. Mistakes that ultimately lead her to resign from the campaign.

So, what lessons can we learn:

1. Mistake One: Know and understand the parameters of an  interview with journalists, especially if they are with foreign publications.  (If you don't have the time or your public relations folks haven't done their home work (fire them!) ALWAYS ALWAYS assume everything is on the record!

2. MIstake Two: Know thyself. Don't schedule interview when you are exhausted and jet lagged, especially  when different time zones are involved. If you are talking to a reporter from a foreign publication,  play it safe and assume its on the record.

3. Mistake Three: Regardless of the fact that you may be very good friends with the reporter always assume that everything is on the record.

To find out how to manage interviews with the press, contact me.

Attorney Misconceptions In Networking (Part Two)

Many attorneys use the opportunistic or, as it is commonly referred to, the hit-and-miss approach to networking. Typically, attorneys attend an event , strike up a conversation , talk about themselves , and exchange business cards. They usually attend these events wit h the mind - set of collecting business cards, without really paying any attention to having two or three engaging conversations.

This type of random networking will produce clients every so often. However, it is based on the fact that the person you are speaking to requires legal services. Usually when opportunities do occur , their impact on your practice is marginal.

One of the other problems with this type of networking is that while business cards may have been exchanged, if services are not needed, the cards are discarded.

Strategic networking is more focused and tends to position attorneys at seminars, conferences and trade shows where potential clients are likely to assemble. With this type of networking , it ’ s common for attorney s to join and actively participate in associations or clubs and attend breakfast lectures and luncheons where they will pass out business cards.

Depending on the overall marketing plan, giving presentations and sponsoring a function may be part of the law firm’s overall strategy . This type of networking produces better and consistent results than the random acts of networking, although once again it is dependent on the needs of the individuals from the organizations you are involved in.

"Leverage networking” is what Keith Ferrazzi calls networking with the connectors and super connectors. Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time These are individuals who are well connected and whose jobs entail considerable contact with people, such as fund - raisers , journalists, public relations professionals, lobbyists, conference organizers , etc.

In leveraged networking, the attorney cultivates continuing relationships with people who are constantly in contact with large numbers of people in the attorney ’ s target group. The relationships are carefully chosen and continually maintained to assure that the contact will refer a client if the opportunity arises.

An example of this type of relationship is a transactional business attorney who has a continuing relationship with an accountant and financial planner. This is a mutually beneficial relationship since the attorney can occasionally refer clients to the accountant and financial planner , and vice versa.

On a practical level, there are several levels to get started, depending on your comfort level. Since networking has to be long-term endeavor, becoming involved in an area where your interests lie. Serving on a board, for example, will not only help build your network but will also build your confidence. Most nonprofit boards and community-based organizations are seeking volunteer-based general counsels. The boards in turn have the opportunity to get to know you and the quality of your work without your peddling your services.

Key to all networking activities is listening and asking open-ended, engaging questions -- those that require more than yes or no answers and open up a dialogue.

The objective is to find out more about these people. What do they do? Why are they attending this particular event? What are their concerns, interests and hobbies? A good gauge when meeting someone is to listen at the very minimum 50 percent, although some would say 80 percent of the time. Body language indicates whether you are actively listening and interested in what the other individual has to say, and not looking across the room to see who else has appeared.

Ultimately, all of us want to know that we are cared for. Stephen R. Covey says, when networking, “Seek first to understand and then be understood.” Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey

An area in which almost everybody falls short is the follow up. It is after the initial meeting that relationships begin to develop. All the listening, well-crafted marketing messages and best first impressions go down the drain if there is no follow up. Following up within 24 hours demonstrates enthusiasm, interest and initiative, and more importantly, the groundwork has been laid for a face-to-face meeting to explore whether it’s a relationship worth taking to the next level.

Rather than resist networking, attorneys need to take stock of the skill set they already have and apply it. Like most things there is no magic formula; the truth lies in discovering what that magical formula is for you. To find out how we can work together email me.

On May 2nd I will be talking talking about building your networth at the Paralegal Conference in New York, held by Estrin Legal Ed.

Networking Misconceptions Held By Attorneys (Part 1)

For many attorneys, the word “networking” conjures up trepidation and concern about their own inadequacies about not being able to “schmooze,” coupled with misconceptions ranging from not having enough time and not having “star” power, to networking being a waste of time that robs them of valuable billable hours. So it’s no surprise that networking often ranks on the lower rungs of business development activities.

By holding these misconceptions to be true, attorneys are really doing themselves a disservice. The truth is that informal networks are at the heart of our lives: it’s how we find jobs, find the right business coach, get our children into the right universities, and even find our spouses.

Similarly, business-related networks provide us with an array of benefits, often overlapping into our personal lives: they help us create strategic partnerships, foster professional development, and as an added benefit, many lifelong friendships are formed along the way. Networks increase our value, as we are more able to help others with their needs.

Networking gurus such as Keith Ferrazzi, the author of Never Eat Alone, will tell you that professional services marketing is about building relationships and, quite simply, that these relationships develop through contact. To borrow a phrase from the real estate industry, networking is really all about contact, contact and more contact.

According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, third edition, “a network is a group, system of interconnected or cooperating circles.” The Penguin English Dictionary, third edition, describes networking as a “group of persons, sharing an aim, interest, etc., and frequently communicating with or helping each other.”

The problem lies in the fact that attorneys, by nature, are more attuned to viewing networking as a transactional relationship. Networking, though, is rarely transactional; 99 percent of the time networking is relational. Attorneys have to make that intellectual shift for their networking efforts to be successful. Fortunately, the same skill set required for being an attorney -- being organized, focused, and applying yourself -- is required for networking.

Mistakenly, many young attorneys look at “star” attorneys at their firms and try to emulate their style. However, since networking is essentially building relationships with other human beings, it takes longer for inauthentic attorneys to build trust and commitment, as people are able to detect sincerity.

Equally problematic in today’s fast-paced technological world is a natural tendency toward immediate gratification, particularly if attorneys are just beginning to network. Having realistic expectations at the outset will reduce frustration and disappointment. Building good networks takes time and patience, very much like gardening. After plants are planted, they must be cultivated and nurtured.

Gardeners are forced to take a step back after planting and feeding. Similarly, when networking, it’s imperative to take a step back rather than pushing, and just allow relationships and opportunities to develop. Quick fixes don’t work. Generally, it takes at least six to eight impressions for people to remember and begin to trust a new person.

Part two of this article which originally appeared last September in The New Jersey Law Journal will be appear tomorrow. On the other hand, if you want to read the article in its entirety, please visit The Sun Communication Group.

If you want to learn more about networking, how to make all your networking efforts productive and  effective,  do check  my audio series, "How to Grow Your Law Practice on a Shoestring Budget," specifically session #2, Networking  or email me  to find out how I can help you.

Non-Billables Contribution to Your Legal Practice's Bottom Line (Part Two)

Attorneys will inevitably have to broaden their skill sets beyond practicing law. Firms should have tailored networking plans, become sources for the press, write articles in publications geared toward their target markets and speak at seminars and industry-related events.

Experienced marketing professionals can help educate, train and guide the key players who will be building the firm’s relationships and boosting business development.

    Having the right structure in place will help the firm measure the effectiveness of its marketing plan. One of the most successful approaches to marketing is the use of practice groups, highlighted by Patrick McKenna and David Maister in their book First Among Equals. For any firm, practice groups are the most successful way to structure marketing. Each group has a specific target audience, and a specific set of skills and techniques.

    The following are fundamental to the success of a marketing plan:

    1. Identify and prioritize the firm’s objectives. All the firm’s efforts must be focused on what will do the most good, saving time, money and resources rather than practicing random acts of marketing and business development.
    2. Create a position statement, outlining benefits that the practice groups offer their target markets. Clarity will eliminate any mixed messages sent to prospects.
    3. Outline how results will be measured.
    4. Incorporate marketing strategies, indicating where and how the firm’s prospects get their information.
    Once you have a strategic plan in place, (the big picture) then you need to evaluate your marketing model. This is a good indicator as to how likely you are to meet your objectives.

    Take a long look at all your marketing tactics; what may have worked very well in the past may no longer work at this stage of growth. Understand the difference between advertising and public relations. Name recognition does not automatically mean a good reputation. Reputation has to be tied with the value of the services the firm is known for.

    Lead generation systems must run smoothly. If not, take steps to make them work cohesively and effectively together.

    Tweak your weakest public relations tactics (speaking, writing, networking, etc.) Allocate deadlines to help get tasks performed, especially if evaluation periods are looming. Leverage your marketing so that everything is working in sync. To find out  how you can effectively leverage all your marketing check out our home study version of teleseminar: "How To Grow Your Law Practice On A Shoe String Budget".

    Finally, it’s important to understand there really is nothing new in marketing. Regardless of which marketing tactics you choose, the key to the success of your marketing is consistency and making adjustments when the need arises. More is not necessarily better; doing a few things right is not only considerably cheaper but far more effective. Looking for the latest marketing gimmick is sure way to fail and demonstrates a lack of thoughtfulness. It’s about knowing your strengths and weaknesses and asking for help.

Non-Billables Contribution to Your Legal Practice's Bottom Line

Many lawyers enjoy practicing law much more than they enjoy running and building a business. Considering their training, it's no surprise that lawyers don't want to do any business planning.

    Yet, study after study has shown that those with formalized plans -- for business or life -- are more likely to succeed than those without such plans. Yet business planning need not be complicated. Andrea Combs, staff reporter of the Wall Street Journal, June 3rd, 2007,in an article entitled, “Starting a Business? Don’t Do This,” pointed out that only 44 percent of small businesses with more than one employee survive after the first four years. The article points out that one of the biggest mistakes contributing to this statistic is the lack of a detailed marketing plan and the failure to seek advice from seasoned professionals.

    Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People published by Free Press in 1989, says to "begin with the end in mind." Simply put, it is like going to London without knowing how you are going to get there, where you are going to stay or what you are going to do and see. In fact, most of us are just not that adventurous and can't imagine taking off to some foreign location without some sort of plan.

Of course, some think that formulating a plan in your head is good enough. Wrong. You don't see the holes, gaps and pitfalls. Getting it out of your head and onto paper is not as overwhelming as you may perceive it to be.

    Not all strategic marketing plans are about growth. Objectives can range from focusing on building and developing relationships with your current client base, to solidifying your referral networks, to making sure infrastructure exists to support growth.

    It’s almost certain that any legal-marketing plan will fail without proper support from all managing partners and without the right structure.

    Managing partners need to understand the importance of marketing and must be able to explain why marketing is crucial to the growth of the firm. Non billable marketing contributes to the firm’s bottom line and helps measure compensation for everyone, including the office administration support staff and marketing professionals.

Part two will be posted tomorrow.

Getting Published

Getting articles published in trade publications, magazines and newspapers have long been considered  important benchmarks for building reputation as thought leaders and experts in a specific market for all businesses.

When approached strategically, getting published can help you:

• Increase the law firm's visibility with key constituents.
• Begin building relationships with editors of publications, read by your target market.
• Enhance, continue building the law firms/attorney/associates reputation.

So where do you start?

If your firm doesn't work with a public relations firm, your marketing manager should be responsible for this task.

If you are doing your own marketing and public relations, then follow the guidelines below:

1. Come up with a couple of ideas that will be of interest to YOUR reader not you. Remember its all about your reader not you.
2. Identify a couple of publications your target market reads.
3. Review at least a couple of issues, before approaching the editor.
4. Approach the editor. Follow your cues from there.

Undoubtedly, there will be other competing interests for your time, understand that when done well, the article can be leveraged into other marketing activities, such as reusing the article into blog postings, republishing it in the firm's newsletter, utilize parts of the article as a basis of a speech or presentation.

When talking to potential legal clients, I've heard attorneys say "been there, done that, nothing came out of it". The problem is when I dig deeper, much to my dismay, typically I discover they have written only one article and had unrealistic expectations. With a bit more probing I discover aside from putting the article on the website, the firm does little else. But, one thing is clear there is a great deal of frustration and disappointment.

In order to avoid this sort of frustration law firms, associates and solo's need a cohesive marketing plan. A plan that gives the firm direction and  understanding of how all the pieces of the marketing pie come together. My partner Allison C. Shields of Legal Ease Consulting and I  put together an 8 week long teleseminar on "How To Grow Your Law Practice On A Shoe String Budget. You can purchase individual sessions,  or really get the most bang for your buck  by buying all the sessions. To find out more about how we can help your firm, please email me.

Tidbit: Publish or Perish!

Attorneys often complain that it takes considerable time writing articles for trade publications. There is thought, organization, planning and then of course simplifying the legal jargon, all of which takes precious hours from clients. What's key is to remember that getting published whether its in the American Bar Publications, your local bar or trade publications read by prospects, it is part of building your credibility as an expert.

Writing is a very effective way to gain exposure to new audiences, build referral relationships with other attorneys, establish your expertise, and give prospective clients a way to sample your knowledge.

Rather than receiving a cheque from the trade publication editor, consider your "payment" the form of an extended byline or resource box –- you know that little blurb at the end of an article that provides more information about the author.

On that note, in Autumn we  plan to launch a new column about your firm in our monthly newsletter. Here's a copy of February's newsletter. If you like what you read please sign up at The Sun Communication Group.

We will be covering: 
New hires and promotions
Awards/Honors
Big cases, unusual pro bono cases 
Bottom-line is there something exciting happening in your law practice? We want to know.

To be considered for publication:

Provide contact information for all parties mentioned - information will be fact checked.
Submit news about any marketing initiatives that are working and can be beneficial to other law firms.
Include the date of the newsworthy item.

We have subscribers from United Kingdom, Canada and Israel. Finally, our subscribers are not limited to small firms, we have 500+ attorney firms and everything in between!

Send your firm's news to me. Please note, submission does not gaurantee publication.

How To Stand Out In An Over Crowded Marketplace?

Former presidential candidate Al Gore announced plans to launch a three-year, multi-million dollar advocacy campaign calling for the U.S. to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and educating the public about global warming. Its key objectives  educate Americans, so that they will mobilize their leaders into taking proactive measures and slow down global warming.

The organization Alliance for Climate Protection's "We" campaign, plans to  combine advertising and online organizing with grassroots groups, to ensure that all key groups are reached.

As part of the media blitz Mr. Gore appeared on 60 Minutes, it was inevitable that Leslie Stahl would ask questions relating to the current democratic primaries.  However Mr. Gore stayed on message, he steered the interview back to  global warming and its implications for us.

Becoming an expert or a thought leader in your area of expertise is something that I  am continually speaking to attorneys about, particularly when they want to add public relations to their overall business development strategy. Currently I'm working on a white paper on this very  topic. To receive a copy of the white papers  email me.

Rather than abandoning marketing to a marketing department, experts become actively involved in the process. They write books, articles, speeches, and become media sources, by working with public relations professionals to keep their visibility machines rolling. By becoming experts  your law firm  stands out from an over-crowded marketplace and is heard. Lets face it far too  many law firms  look alike and sound alike. There's nothing that separate them.

So what lessons can your legal practice group/law firm learn from Mr. Gore:

1. He has become a handful of recognized global experts in this area. To date, he has a film, book  An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We can do about it, and film/presentation An Inconvenient Truth.

3. Mr. Gore is  constantly sought after to speak at various industry organizations and non-governmental organizations such as United Nations.

4. He has received many awards for his work. (Oscars and Nobel Peace Prize)

5. He is using both traditional forms of media and new forms to reach targeted groups with his message.

6. The press is continually seeking him out as source.

Finally, Mr. Gore  is committed and passionate about global warming and is  spending a lot of his  own money. Being an expert requires both generosity of time and the willingness to share resources and knowledge.

Action Items:

What action steps are you or practice group leaders taking to become known as experts? To find out more how we can help you, please contact me.