A very good way to meeting prospective clients is through actively becoming involved in organizations and trade groups. The key is to pick quality organizations. Depending on your purpose whether to build strategic alliances or increase your visibility, they are full of opportunities. A note of caution what ever the reason of you attending it will take time to build solid relationships. Plan to invest the time.
Lawyers make the mistake of joining/attending events with out giving much thought to the organization and its members. Take some time and review the organization that you are thinking of participating in. If its the 'right' organization at least 30% of its members are potential clients. A test to know if its the right organization aligned with your goals is to ask your best clients which organizations/groups they participate in. Chances are you will run into like minded people.
A common question asked by attorneys located outside the big urban centers is: will getting press in local community papers build my credibility Here me loud and clear the answer is YES, especially if that community is your target market. Reporters with communities papers are sources to build relationships and get known in that area. Don't forget these reporters are plugged into those communities and are very well-connected.
So what if you don't have big city marketing/public relations budget where do you start?
Here's a couple of pointers:
Community news outlets (radio, community tv and print) primary focus is local concerns. That means localizing your message. Without that local perspective, I can guarantee no-one will return your telephone call.
Create content with a shelf life, consider the hot topics of today. Its pretty certain that after the US Presidential Election the focus of the press is going to be the economy.
Weekly papers, in particular, are interested in well written, common-sense lifestyle, financial, real estate, how-to and other service features, which aren't as time-sensitive as straight news announcements.
Remember many of these small papers are part of weeklies with circulation of 100,000+. If your news is of wide enough interest, it has a better chance of making it into the common pages that go into all of the chain's outlets, thereby maximizing exposure in that geographic market.
So its worthwhile spending some time researching what issues the papers are covering and developing story ideas with shelf life. For a consultation please contact me directly at pmahli@suncommunicationsgroup.com and for other articles on media visit our website.
With a weakening economy and a restructuring of the country’s financial institutions, it is no surprise many of us our worried about our investment portfolios. Most of us have already seen our savings dwindle by 20-30%, whether it be in savings or prices of our homes. Every day it seems there is some financial institution on the brink of disaster. I wonder if U.S., Secretary Treasury Paulson has had a weekend off this last month or so, what his emotional or physical state must be. The conversations that must be occurring in the early hours of the morning.
There is a lot to be concerned about, but worrying about circumstances that you have NO control over is not going to help. This is where I find that very English attitude of "getting on with it," "doing the task at hand" comes in really handy and helps you focus on the things that you can do immediately.
Look at your business and implement some of the action items on your list. Up the ante with your networking efforts, which will become even more important for your business.
Networking is about building communities of like minded people, those who share your individual and your business interests and activities -- people who will ultimately add value by becoming a customer, or acting as a resource or referral.
When attending events, make a strong, positive first impression by asking questions and listening. (Introverts are so good at this) Highlight what the two of you have in common and relevant contacts you may share/introduce him/her to.
Increasing your networking efforts could mean just meeting more people at an event rather than attending MORE functions.
Try attending industry functions that you normally don't go to, especially those with fund-raisers, politicians, journalists and pr folks, these people are connected and they know other people.
Always remember it takes time to get to know, like and trust people. Don't expect immediate gains.
Finally, make your hard work pay. Do plan to keep in touch with your contact over time. Try sending relevant blogs, articles or news their way. Add new contacts to your online social network like LinkedIn. This will help develop lasting relationships.
Filling your pipeline with prospects is only half the battle, the other half requires staying in touch without being obtrusive. This is where businesses lose hundreds and thousands of dollars each year, because they fail to follow up in a consistent manner. Common excuses given by attorneys range from: how can I be more efficient in my relationship building activities to I don't know how to do this.
Staying in contact is something that I cover extensively in session two of "How To Grow Your Law Practice On A Shoestring Budget" teleseminar.
Here are some items that I have found very helpful in staying in the prospect's radar, for example inviting them to events, such as:
To find out more how you can not only stay in touch and maintain that contact with prospects contact me at pmahli@suncommunicationsgroup.com for a consultation.
The bad news is that attorneys whom by nature of their work have a controlling disposition MUST accept that they cannot control interviews with the media.
However, attorneys can control their message, simply put that means that you have 100% control over what comes out of your mouth, and that has an enormous impact on the content of the story.
So, when a reporter contacts you directly, you should ask for reporter's deadline, what the story is about? and schedule a time with a reporter so that you have had time to gather your thoughts and material together.
Should the reporter be on deadline buy yourself at least 30 minutes to gather your thoughts together. This makes a huge difference.
Getting by-lined articles in targeted trade publications is a good way for attorneys especially those who don't like the limelight, of building their credibility in their target market. Done well, published articles can be leveraged into speeches, white papers, and provide content for blogs etc.
One of the biggest mistakes I have seen attorney's make when writing articles is having a great topic, especially one that their prospects are interested in. The attorney usually has a specific publication in mind as well. The problem arises in failure to conduct due diligence when it comes to editorial guidelines of the publication. Why is this important? A great article does not automatically gaurantee publication. Editors have specific guidelines and they must be adhered to. Otherwise, efforts to have work published will have mixed results.