13 Marketing Misconceptions That Cost Lawyers a Fortune

"body">newsletter to clients and prospects quarterly. Not
MISCONCEPTION #1: Common marketingeven close! In today's over-advertised society,
methods don't work in today's competitiveyou're fortunate indeed if you can create an
environment. Wrong! Common methods -- suchimpression in your prospect's mind. If you hope to
as advertising, publicity, seminars and newslettersmake your impression stick, you should send your
-- can be highly effective when used correctly. Ifnewsletter at least monthly. The more often you
they don't work for you, assuming you reachmail to prospects on your mailing list, the more
your target audience, the problem is that you'renew business you will likely attract. The frequency
sending an incomplete marketing message. Thewith which you deliver your newsletter is much
method is only as good as the message itmore important than its size.
delivers. If your message lacks any neededMISCONCEPTION #9: Prospects will go out of
components, you'll lose clients to other lawyerstheir way to do business with you. Hardly! You
who deliver a complete message.must go out of your way to attract their
MISCONCEPTION #2: Your marketing's mostbusiness. Lawyers often think a small obstacle,
important function is to promote your services.such as paying for a long-distance phone call, will
False! The most important function of yourattract calls from more qualified prospects. And
marketing is to establish that you can be trusted.this is true when your prospect comes to you by
Most of us don't do business with people we don'treferral. But if your prospect does not have a
trust. While your prospect is considering whetherpersonal recommendation -- and has not yet
to hire your services, he is also trying toreceived your marketing message -- he may
determine whether he trusts you.have no greater interest in hiring you than in hiring
MISCONCEPTION #3: All you need to do is getany other lawyer. So the small barrier that you
the word out. No! You must both get the wordhope will qualify him more closely actually causes
out and get a response back. This is the meaninghim to turn away from you and call someone
of "direct response marketing," often shortenedelse. I urge you to provide an e-mail address,
to "direct marketing." As our media society grewtoll-free number, business-reply envelopes (where
in the 1950s and 60s, marketers had no need toyou pay return postage), and other conveniences.
measure direct results, so they used institutionalThese increase the likelihood that your prospect
advertising. But today, your marketing effortswill contact you before he calls other lawyers.
must be built on proven principles of directMISCONCEPTION #10: By lowering your fees, you
marketing. Because if you don't receive again a competitive advantage that you can make
response, you can't be sure your prospect evenup in volume. In your dreams! When you lower
received your message.your fees, (1) you undermine your credibility
MISCONCEPTION #4: A public relations programbecause prospects wonder why your services
that generates feature articles and broadcastare no longer worth what you once charged, (2)
interviews will attract new clients to your practice.you attract clients who know the price of
Maybe not. In most cases, p.r. programs bringeverything and the value of nothing (people who
exposure, but exposure does not always bringare loyal to the dollar are never loyal to you!), and
new clients. Attorneys routinely report, "We were(3) you lose money because it is usually impossible
happy with the number of articles about our firm,to achieve the volume of cases you need to
but we didn't get even one new client!" A goodmake up for the profits you lose. Instead of
publicity program can be an important part oflowering your fees, raise them -- because it's
your marketing program. But whether youreasier to justify why you charge so much than to
publicity program generates only exposure or solidexplain why you charge so little.
marketing results depends on the experience andMISCONCEPTION #11: If one person can make
know-how of the person conducting yourgood marketing decisions, three people can make
program.great decisions. Wrong! Your marketing program
MISCONCEPTION #5: The toughest challenge youneeds one quarterback who calls the shots. The
face is to persuade your prospects. No! Yourmore people involved in making the decision, the
toughest challenge is to find prospects. Yourlonger it takes to make and the more watered
marketing program should attract qualified inquiriesdown it becomes. Marketing is like football. Can
so you start to build a trusting relationship withyou imagine how long it would take if the entire
genuine prospects. You could have 100 new clientsteam offered their ideas and everyone had to
tomorrow if prospects knew how you could helpagree before they could make the next play? If
them and where to find you. But, in most cases,your marketing program doesn't bring you the
prospects don't know you exist. So you mustresults you want, change methods or change
assume the burden of getting your message intoquarterbacks. But don't compound your
your prospects' hands. That process begins withquarterback's problems by bringing in more people
finding those prospects.to help him make a decision.
MISCONCEPTION #6: Word-of-mouth referrals willMISCONCEPTION #12: You make your marketing
bring you all the new clients you want. Usually not.more efficient when you cut out the bells and
Every lawyer wants good, qualified referrals. Butwhistles. Usually not. Often, what lawyers think
when you rely on referrals as your only source ofare bells and whistles are actually the essential
new clients, you allow third parties (referralsteps that make their programs successful. Here's
sources) to control your flow of new clients. Inwhat happens: After their marketing plans
addition to attracting referrals, you should have ansucceed, lawyers trim back their programs to
ongoing marketing program that generatesmake them more efficient. Their attempts to
inquiries directly from prospects."streamline" their marketing -- aka "make it
MISCONCEPTION #7: The most effective time tocheaper" -- seem like a good idea until they realize
start delivering your marketing message is whentheir marketing no longer works. You're wise to
your prospect is in your office. Wrong! The mosttest different steps in the marketing process to
effective time to deliver your marketing messagesee if they're necessary. When conducting a test,
is when your prospect first thinks about hischange only one variable at a time and track
problem and wants to know what solutions areresults closely. If your results start to decline,
available. You have a significant advantage overyou'll know that variable is important to producing
other attorneys when you have a packet ofthe results you want.
materials you can mail to your prospect,MISCONCEPTION #13: To attract new clients, you
regardless of his location. You can offer yourshould promote your services. No! When you
information packet any number of ways, such aspromote your services, you take on the role of a
through advertising, publicity, newsletters or directsalesperson, which undermines your credibility. This
mail. When your prospect thinks about hisis called selling-based marketing. Instead, promote
problem, he sees that you offer material on theyour knowledge using Education-Based Marketing.
subject. He calls your office and requests yourThis allows you to attract new clients, increase
informa-tion. Then you send your materials byreferrals, strengthen client loyalty and build your
mail or e-mail. In many cases, this puts yourimage as an authority without selling.
marketing message into his hands before he callsEducation-Based Marketing gives prospects what
other lawyers.they want, information and advice -- and it
MISCONCEPTION #8: You should mail yourremoves what they don't want, a sales pitch.