by: Stephen Fairley,
CEO, The Rainmaker Institute

If you were a competitive athlete, you would want to know everything you possibly could about your competitor. Make no mistake about it, legal mark'eting is as competitive as any sport. A well-prepared prize fighter will know the facts about his opponent - height, weight, reach, wins, losses, training schedule, etc. A well-prepared trial attorney will not only study their case, but also their opponent.

Mark'eting your law firm consists of quite a bit of information gathering; learning about top competitors is one of the first steps.

Below is a list of ideas your firm can use to become acquainted with your competitors and to gain an important edge in law firm marketing.

1. Review and analyze their website. You will be surprised what a law firm will reveal on their website. Studying their website will give you some important clues about their level of professionalism too. Is the website well-written? Is it written in language most prospects will be able to easily understand?



2. Call (or enlist a friend's help to place the call) and interview their associates as a potential client. Be prepared with a list of questions before you place the actual call. Choose questions that will reveal important data about the competition. If you make the call yourself, be careful not to sound too "well-informed" by using technical legal jargon. A simple telephone call may produce a wealth of information about the competitions' law firm marketing techniques.

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Posted on September 17, 2008 by Stephen Fairley

At one time, lawyers tried to gain more business based on their own merits and the way that they were respected in the community. Those days are gone. Now, legal marketing has changed the way that lawyers represent themselves to the public. Law firms are starting to get more and more solicitations asking attorneys to compete for a spot on the "best" list, another tactic for law firm marketing.

Any lawyer will admit that the face of legal mark'eting has changed, and it is now more important than ever for attorneys to carve their names in the minds of the public and find a way to stand out against the other lawyers.Without the right kind of legal mark'eting, that is not possible.

Unlike the days of placing an advertisement in the Yellow Pages, legal mark'eting now consists of:

• Making it on a list for top lawyers
• Gaining recognition in a lawyer's Who's Who
• Having placement in magazines

Legal marketing has turned into a popularity contest. In order for a lawyer to stay on the top of his game, he needs to be popular with not only the public, but with other lawyers as well.

Legal mark'eting has changed, and so have lawyers. At one time, lawyers had the job of learning the law and following it. Now, they also have the job being a local celebrity.

Those who fail to take part in the legal mark'eting of today fall behind and do not get the clients they need to keep their business afloat. Therefore, lawyers have resigned themselves to the fact that they are going to have to embrace their new found celebrity status.

The next Rainmaker Retreat is scheduled for October 17-18 in Los Angeles.

Join us for this 2-day event and learn a proven law firm mark'eting system for landing more and better clients .

"I will tell you that the $1000 spent here this weekend will come back at least 10 fold. The one thing that you will learn is that it's simple, easy if you just simply follow steps, you will increase your business through mark'eting which falls into place. And you don't have to do it; you can have your staff do it! Unbelievable."
Geoffrey Evers, Esq, Partner, Real Estate & Business

Over the two days, attorneys will understand and be able to apply the core concepts and secret strategies of legal marketing experts. You will also experience dozens of opportunities to immediately put these into practice in your firm through the use of Action Steps and Action Groups

"This program has been great. It's really helped me think outside the box; to see things differently. I went to law school to learn how to practice law and how to learn legal cases and legal theories and principles and I come here and I learn how market my practice and make money and enjoy what I'm doing. I highly recommend it."
John Wollman, Esq, Partner Business Litigation & IP

For more information or to register, contact Diane, Director of Client Relations:
Phone: (888) 588-5891 OR
Email: info@therainmakerinstitute.com

I invite you to join me for the Elite Rainmaker Series event with six-star ultra luxury water transportation aboard Silversea's Silver Shadow from Ft. Lauderdale to Bridgetown, Barbados on December 3-12, 2008. (Other dates and locations are also available.)

Here's a sample of just a few items you will learn when you join us:

• How to build a Lifestyle Law Practice
• How to Generate More and Better Referrals
• 7 Proven Strategies for Building a 7 Figure Practice
• How to Use the Internet to Increase Your Revenues by 30%
• 10 Ways to Set Your Law Firm Apart from Competitors

Register online at www.BusinessTravelOnly.com/seminars-by- sea Or call toll-free: 1-866-593-7272