4 Secrets Top Rainmakers Use to Fill Their Practice

Strategy 3.  Keep In Touch With Clients

The best source of referrals is often a satisfied client, but only if the client remembers you when one of their friends or colleagues needs your help. If you're like most attorneys, you have helped hundreds of people over the years, so staying connected to them every 4-8 weeks can be an overwhelming task. Here are a few tips we recommend for keeping in touch with your clients:

• Use a contact management system. Have your assistant enter their contact info into a database program like InfusionsoftforAttorneys.com, ACT!, Goldmine or Salesforce.com. Information is only as useful as it is accessible.
• Collect their email addresses. Add a place for their email addresses on your intake form.
• Send out a "Keep In Touch" letter to former clients thanking them for the opportunity to serve them.
• Conduct an Annual Client Satisfaction Survey. Ask clients what they liked most and least about your firm as well as what upcoming challenges you could assist them with.
• Offer them a special report or "Top 10 Tips" sheet and request they update their contact information.
• Send them practical, educational information every 4-6 weeks. Electronic newsletters, called E-newsletters, are the best way to stay connected. Make them short. Focus on informing, educating and adding value to your clients (do not turn this into a sales pitch). We recommend www.ConstantContact.com to manage your e-zine.

Strategy 4.  Answer the Question, "Why Should I Hire You?"

With an estimated 600,000-800,000 attorneys in private practice across the nation, standing apart from your competitors is increasingly difficult. I have asked hundreds of attorneys, "Why should someone hire you versus your competition?" Virtually all of them respond with the same four answers: quality, service, years of experience, and price - none of which has any impact on prospective clients!

Quality is not a feature people will pay extra for. It simply means you meet the minimum level of expectations. For every service you provide there are a thousand other law firms who offer the exact same service. Regardless of how long you've been in practice, someone has been there longer. And do you really want to be known as the "Wal-Mart" of law firms-the low cost leader?

Every prospect who walks in your office has the same question: Why should I hire this attorney versus any other one out there. While they may not verbally ask it, they are all thinking it. To be effective, you need to answer the question for them. Here are three things to emphasize in your response:

• Focus on the benefits, value, and results. When meeting with a prospective client, emphasize the benefits you offer to clients, the value you bring, and the results you achieve. Be careful not to run afoul of your state's ethics in advertising regulations.
• Focus on your service, not the list of services your firm provides. Explain how you serve your clients better by going out of your way for them and by treating every person as a VIP. Ask yourself what kind of "client experience" you want each to have. Be very specific and write down your ideas. Put an action plan into place with your staff to ensure that every experience a prospect or client has with your firm is a positive one.  
• Focus on solutions. People don't buy legal services; they buy solutions to their legal problems. Prepare a case study of how you found a creative solution to another client's problem. Explain how you came up with it and the results.  

Marketing your law firm is both art and science. There are no magic wands or silver bullets. It takes time, energy, money and advanced planning. It's important to realize that marketing is a process, not an event. Too many attorneys view marketing as an event you go to or an ad you place in the yellow pages. Top Rainmakers recognize marketing is a process, a systematic approach to building referral relationships, cultivating contacts, and staying connected to clients

UPCOMING EVENTS

Register For The Rainmaker Retreat

Now is the time to create your Lifestyle Law Firm!

The Rainmaker Retreat is our 2-day Marketing Boot Camp where we teach lawyers how they can have it all; increase the number of clients they have, double their income, and yet work less. Build and create a 'lifestyle' law firm that is professionally satisfying, but allows you the time to do what is important to you.

Friday, July 22nd and Saturday, July 23rd - Orlando, FL

Friday, August 19th and Saturday, August 20th - Las Vegas, NV

Friday, October 7th and Saturday, October 8th - San Francisco, CA

Friday, December 2nd and Saturday December 3rd - Los Angeles, CA  

Many people have asked us what it is like to attend our Rainmaker Retreat. This is a "snapshot" of what you will learn. Listen to colleagues (and even competitors) Describe their experiences at the 2 day Rainmaker Retreat.  Watch now or order a free DVD recording.

If you take advantage of the Early Bird Special (only available when you register at least 2 weeks in advance of the event) you receive $300 worth of extra benefits!

Discount Pricing available for multiple attendees from the same firm. 

For more information please call: 888-588-5891 or visit www.RainmakerRetreat.com

UPCOMING DATES:  

Thursday, June 2, 2011 1pm PT | 2pm MT | 3pm CT | 4pm ET   

Wednesday, June 7, 2011 12pm PT | 1pm MT | 2pm CT | 3pm ET  

Stephen Fairley - CEO of The Rainmaker Institute will be a featured presenter at the following bar association conferences, summits, and conventions:

Friday June 10th, 2011 - Colorado Women's Bar Association Convention.  Stephen will be presenting "From Lead Generation to Client Retention: Secrets of Highly Successful Rainmakers"

Wednesday June 15th, 2011 - Tennessee Association for Justice Annual Convention in Chatanooga, Tennessee.  Stephen is kicking off the opening day of this annual convention with a 4-Hour seminar on "Advanced Law Firm Marketing Strategies for Attorneys"

Thursday, June 16th, 2011 - Arizona State Bar 2011 Annual Convention in Tucson, Arizona.  Stephen will present "Leveraging the Power of Social Media to Market Your Law Firm" - Specific tools that attorneys can use to benefit immediately from the power of social media.

Thursday June 23rd, 2011 through Saturday June 25th, 2011 -California State Bar Small and Solo Summit.  Stephen is serving as the keynote speaker for four general sessions at this annual educational summit designed for solo or small firm practitioners. Topics discuss Law Firm Marketing Strategies in a Social Media World,

Proven Strategies for Using Websites and Internet Marketing to Generate More Leads, and Lead Generation to Client Retention: Secrets of Highly Successful Rainmakers.

Thursday September 15th, through Saturday September 17th, 2011 - 84th Annual Meeting of the State Bar of California. Join law firm marketing expert Stephen Fairley for an energetic workshop on how to use social media to generate more leads and develop a referral network. Attendees will discover the top 6 social media websites for attorneys, and learn how to use social media platforms to drive more referrals and leads. Take away top tips for attorneys new to social media and how to get started.