In our previous post, we discussed the process of closing, and approaches that attorneys should take in moving toward the sale. But just because the contract is signed doesn’t mean that the work is finished; in many ways, it is even more important and takes more effort to maintain and build the relationship after the deal is closed and you are actively working on an engagement.

How can law firms ensure that they are constantly nurturing the relationship and facilitating future law sales? Here are a few of the tried and true techniques that have worked for our clients over the past twenty years:

• Know what’s working and what could be better: Don’t just assume, directly ask. You’ll be surprised by what you hear.
• Focus on more than just what you’re doing now: Always be thinking two or three steps ahead in order to capitalize on future opportunities.
• Keep adding benefits to your service: Find ways to continue increasing the value of the services you provide.
• Participate rather than just attend: When asked to join in on client meetings, do your homework and plan on taking an active role rather than waiting for questions to be asked.
• Learn their business: Understanding what’s happening outside of your client’s legal needs will actually identify other areas where your services could be utilized.

Remember that a successful professional services firm receives at least 50% of their business from past clients and client referrals. And also keep in mind in-house counsel’s responsibilities to their own clients:

• High quality work
• Accurate risk assessment
• Responsiveness
• Enhanced communications

Ensure that your engagement mirrors the way that in-house counsel engage with their own clients. Then, continue to implement techniques that serve to continue building the relationship and grow your network. As you do these things, you are effectively maintaining and nurturing the relationship and will likely see the payoff of your work in new client referrals and engagement leads.

According to recent report from Hildebrandt Headlines, “the demand for law firm services was largely flat for the quarter and the rate of growth was weak.” So what does this mean for law firms interested in bucking the trend by growing their business and closing more sales? It means that there’s no better time than the present to implement creative strategies and tactics that make the most of existing resources without requiring a large amount of additional time and marketing budget.


One suggestion that the Hildebrandt report offers as a way to prevail over existing market conditions is to develop new approaches for “talent development.” And through our years of experience in using business development consulting to help motivate legal sales, we couldn’t agree more that nurturing your existing talent is an excellent way to promote legal sales.


Talent development tactics that we recommend to help law firms get their lawyers “out there” and prospering include:

• Motivating attorneys to initiate client/prospect contact


• Arming attorneys with pointed client and industry research and analysis


• Offering personalized business development counseling


• Identifying underutilized firm assets and putting them to work for the attorneys


• Increasing collaboration through internal marketing and cross marketing


• Tracking efforts, measuring results, and identifying tools that work and those that don’t.

The lesson to take away is this; it’s important that you focus on nurturing and developing your talent, especially during lean times. Law firms that do an effective job of providing their attorneys with the resources they need to develop their marketing talents are the ones we will see survive and thrive during less-than-ideal market conditions.

In order to overcome the obstacles associated with attorney marketing, you have to identify exactly what those obstacles are. In many law firms, the main obstacle is the attorney’s reluctance to participate in marketing activities. Anyone involved in law firm marketing has certainly heard a variety of reasons and excuses that attorneys give when they want to avoid marketing activities. See if you’ve heard one or two of these before:

• “I’m in law, not sales.”
• “It’s unprofessional for me to market.”
• “Why bother?”
• “I don’t have time to market.”
• “I don’t have time to learn about somebody else’s business.”
• “I have to enter my hours.”

One way to overcome this obstacle is by taking a straightforward yet humorous approach. Oftentimes in our advisory and coaching groups, we present these excuses directly to the lawyers who are participating, and ask them to provide us with some of their best reasons for putting off marketing activities. By facing it directly, they’re drawn into the humor of the situation, helping them overcome their own internal resistance in the process.


Try the straightforward yet humorous approach with your own team. We bet you’ll be pleased with the results.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve discussed quite a few aspects of social media, from how much time to devote to creating and maintaining your profiles to how to effectively deal with Internet trolls. But there’s one subject we’ve only flirted with that it’s time to fully discuss-how the law applies to social networking.


Social networking sites enjoy some protection under the law when it comes to receiving immunity (or at least legal consideration) from people or organizations that are harmed by content that is posted on their networks. But while Facebook execs can sleep more easily at night knowing that they aren’t likely to be dragged into court for what someone says on their site, people who use social media sites don’t get that same protection.


When you’re posting a message to a social media site–especially a message that might be particularly spirited or opinionated–be sure to give yourself a reality check for potentially defamatory statements or other types of content that may cause you issues. And don’t think that you can slide a quick post up and then delete it if you change your mind in a few moments-unlike other mediums, the Internet has a long memory, even for those things you may like to forget or regret you’ve ever said.

“If you build it, he will come,” the prophetic message of Field of Dreams may apply to baseball diamonds, but couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to social media profiles. The fact is that even when you focus on building profiles only on those networks where your best prospects are gathered, you can’t expect your audience to come to you.


Keep in mind that your audience is already engaged in a conversation; as a lawyer delving into social media marketing, it’s up to you to join that conversation and build your network. In order to do so effectively, there are three things that you must consider:

1. You must take the time to understand the dynamics of the group. If you’re networking on Twitter, don’t take it as a given that your friends or followers will read your legal blog unless you provide a relevant link within a tweet.
2. Practicing ethical marketing is your responsibility. Avoid misrepresenting yourself or your firm while you focus on demonstrating the value your services offer.
3. Make sure the time you allocate will be productive.

Neglecting either of these points will lead to – at the very least – not being taken seriously within the community. Simply broadcasting your message without interacting, not taking the time to build relationships, or being perceived as being unethical could lead to being “defriended” or blocked by your prospects. Any of these can have a negative impact on your credibility – meaning that instead of hitting a social media home run, your marketing efforts have struck out. Proceed with caution and common sense, and you’ll be on the right track toward social media success.

In our last post, we talked about the importance of monitoring your social media accounts and building on the conversation. Keeping in mind the goals of online marketing for your firm and the importance of tracking the return on your investment, it is important that you develop a clear strategy for steering your message. This holds true especially in the world of social media, where you may encounter community members who aren’t interested in having a discussion, but instead are looking for a fight. Dealing with trolls and others that may have their own agendas requires you to stay calm and stand your ground – and avoid crossing the defamatory line. As you’re developing your social media messaging plan, remember the following:

• Resist picking a fight – even if you feel that the information being presented is inappropriate or unfounded. When you allow your emotion into your response, you risk crossing lines and damaging perception of your practice and your firm.
• Remember your state’s ethics rules.
• Stay professional without backing down.
• Reassert yourself with a post that reestablishes your position. While a simple solution, reasserting and clarifying your message can have a positive impact on your audience simply because so few professionals monitor and respond to messages on social media networks.

Remember, too, that part of what makes a marketing message strong is the fact that it resonates with your target audience. Ensure that you’re taking advantage of social media to not only grow your connections and increase your network, but also to better differentiate between your offerings and those of your competitors.


Making your case by adjusting, clarifying, and positioning your message is crucial – especially in social media where there are so many things competing for your prospects’ and clients’ attention.

In “Joining the Social Media Conversation,” we talked about the importance of participation and the best practices for setting up your social media profiles. And in our most recent post, we looked at the opportunity to develop business with just 15 minutes a day spent on social media. Following these steps will certainly put you on the right path toward social media success. But the reality is that even when you participate on the right sites, stay focused, and recognize that building relationships online takes time, knowing what to say can be challenging.


So what should you say? How can you be sure that you’re saying the right things?


There’s no doubt that you know the value of having a strong message for marketing your law firm. And while your core message won’t change when you post to Facebook, Twitter, or other sites, the medium changes the dynamics. To use social media effectively you can’t just post your message: You also need to monitor and respond to the feedback you receive.


On one hand, feedback can be frustrating if those commenting disagree with your message (stay tuned for our upcoming post on adjusting your message without engaging in a fight). On the other, feedback of all kinds is a great research opportunity. The comments of your potential prospects – those users who engage with your message – allow you to identify what’s working and see where your message isn’t making a connection.


The oft-repeated phrase “God gave us two ears and only one mouth” even holds true when it comes to engaging with social media. While you should post often, you should commit to monitoring the space even more often.


If you’re committing just 15 minutes a day to social media, spend less than five minutes posting your message. Spend the remaining 10 looking for feedback, and focus on being an effective listener. Get to know your audience. Respond to questions. Respond to criticisms and redirect the conversation as possible – if you can turn a negative into a positive or showcase your ability to help, you’ll be building relationships and your best prospects will recognize your ability to help them and meet their needs.

As we mentioned in previous posts, social media sites offer attorneys another way to reach out to existing clients and getting themselves in front of prospective clients. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networks offer a variety of opportunities to engage and connect with peers and potential clients, among other benefits.


It goes without saying however that with more opportunities comes more work. And for busy attorneys, concerns about how you’re going to fit social media activities into your already busy schedule – particularly when you have not started to see lead generation and business development results – are completely understandable. Thankfully, once you’ve set up your social media profiles, you can maintain and manage your social media presence by just taking a few moments each day. Here are some specific ideas that may help you make the most of the time you spend on social media activities:

• Concentrate on the sites where your prospective clients are: There’s no need for you to have an active presence on every social media site; only participate on the ones that make sense for your business and your goals. Focus your social media efforts on the sites that have the greatest potential to bring you the biggest return on your time investment.
• Set aside time every day to nurture your social media activities: Once your profiles are up and running, you should set aside a small block of time to check in, make and respond to comments, or share information. Try dedicating 15 minutes a day to your social media efforts. Even this short amount of time can have a big impact on your social networking success.
• Stay focused: Certainly, it’s tempting to follow your golf buddy’s link to a funny YouTube video while you’re checking out the latest Facebook updates. But remember your purpose: to network and use social media to help cultivate relationships and build business. Manage your time wisely by remaining focused on professional and networking-related tasks while spending time on social media sites, and make a note to yourself to check out that YouTube video this weekend from home.
• Take your time: Just like with any other business relationships, nurturing relationships via social media takes time—and you risk damaging the relationship if you try to push things too quickly. Remember that your goal in becoming involved in social media is to engage and build relationships with clients and prospective clients in a low-pressure environment. Keep sales pitches and other hard sales tactics to a minimum and let the relationships naturally develop.

Social media offers law firms a worthwhile opportunity to find and connect with colleagues, clients, and potential clients. Make the most of your social media activities by effectively managing your time, and you’ll see the payoff in terms of an increasing number of business contacts and relationships, and in the long-term, a likely impact on your firm’s bottom line.

At the close of our previous post, we commented on new responsibilities. What were we talking about?


In the old days, a law firm may publish a press release or an article about a particular legal issue, but other than a letter to the editor or Op-Ed piece, they were unlikely to get much feedback on their message. But today, with the two-way communication afforded by the Internet and social media, anyone and everyone can and does comment, from your fellow attorneys to the head of the local cause-based nonprofit, to the troll who is simply trying to pick a fight.


The way that you handle yourself and your persona online can have a direct impact on your credibility both in the world of social media, and increasingly, in the real world. Be mindful of your interactions, ensuring that you are following best practices guidelines, basing your messages and posts on solid research, including links that back up the points you are making, and handling both compliments and criticism with grace and aplomb. Take advantage of the nearly limitless audience that social media can afford you, but do so with the knowledge that you are no longer speaking to a quiet, captive audience—you’re taking part in a much larger and potentially louder conversation.


Stay tuned for additional posts on joining the social media conversation; our next post will be related to managing your time without neglecting to engage with your audience.

“Participation matters more than quality.” That’s what author and renowned Internet consultant Clay Shirky urges businesses to remember as they pursue social media activities. Shirky has a point—after all, getting social media efforts to a tipping point where conversations and discussions are naturally occurring is oftentimes the biggest challenge to social media success. But for attorneys who must also consider legal and ethical issues associated with social network participation, quality must still be top of mind.


The approach Shirky describes brings with it new opportunities–namely the opportunity to position yourself or your firm as thought leaders on specific issues, reaching out past your current clients and prospects to people and firms across the nation or the globe. But with these new opportunities come new responsibilities – and the ability to follow through without committing more time than you have to spend.


In the coming days and weeks, we’ll explore some of the changes and identify strategies for managing your time wisely while using social media to market your law firm.