Do you tell your doctor everything?

Truthfully, do you tell her every little detail of your personal habits…you know, those that could have an impact on your health?

After all, we tell our doctors everything, right?

They’ve heard it all before, so they won’t be shocked.

Hmm…I didn’t think so.

Why?

• Could it be because you don’t like looking like a failure?
• Could it be that you don’t like admitting that you are doing something wrong?
• Could it be that you might hear something you don’t want to hear?
• Could it be that your doctor might scold you for not doing what you know you should be doing?
• Could it be that you started out strong on the path they recommended, then fell off target at some point?

Well then….

Let’s think about your clients, which really are your patients, for a moment.

They come to you for a cure, or at least for preventative medicine in the form of advice and counsel, right? What might they be holding back, and why?

• Are they not telling you that, even though you took care of their matter in June, they have a new one they are embarrassed to tell you about because they didn’t follow your recommendations?
• Could it be because they’ve known you for so long, and respect you so much, that they don’t want you to know they are failing at something?
• Could it be they think you are so busy with other clients that their small matter is too small?
• Could it be because they just met another provider that offers better pricing?
• Could it be because they don’t feel like you are really listening when you meet with them?
• Could it be that just one time they’d like you to come to their office to see what they do instead of always coming to your office?
• Could it be that they are overwhelmed, and aren’t sure how to proceed, even though you’ve given them your advice countless times, and they don’t want to be scolded?
• Could it be they just messed up again, and don’t want you to know?
• Could it be they had no idea you offered a particular service, so they went elsewhere?

We often say there should never be any surprises when it comes to our clients knowing what’s going on with the work we are doing for them. Equally as important is that you create an environment in which your clients never have to surprise you with what is going on in their world.

What some might not know, and what they need to hear from you on a repeated basis, is:

• It’s your job to help them.
• You have a passion for helping them look better than they looked yesterday.
• That no matter how bad things get, you want them to call you.
• That no matter how many times you have to go back to the drawing board, you will always be there for them.
• That you value having them as a client, and look forward to the next time you can help.
• That you don’t care how simple or complex their challenge is because you care about all of their business.
• That you are close-by if something suddenly goes wrong.
• That both of you are human, and there will be times when things don’t go right, but that’s okay because you are dedicated to helping them.

Of course, find your own words to say those things, but make sure your clients don’t leave you for any of the reasons above, which are ailments that you can probably prevent or cure. Don’t rest on your laurels, and assume your happy clients are going to be there tomorrow.

As Eric Fletcher, Chief Marketing Officer for McGlinchey Stafford PLLC, pointed out on his blog, Marketing Brain Fodder, last week:

“Forget what it used to be like. The successes of yesterday carry no guarantees. Satisfaction is fleeting…quickly becoming the stuff of history.”

Eric wisely summarizes the client/provider situation with the following:

“Shared experiences are one thing. Sharing aspirations is quite another. When a client senses that your aspirations align with theirs — that you are collaborating in the pursuit of the same goal(s) -- the relationship is morphing into partnership. And even in our new normal, the payoff here is a new brand of loyalty.”

If you aren’t already, consider incorporating these practices:

• Meet with them often to see how they are doing.
• Show them the side of you that oozes caring, passion and enthusiasm for helping them.
• Write regularly using Social Media so your clients see that you, too, are human.
• Ask them about their goals and aspirations, and if they and you are on target for accomplishing them.
• Remind them of other services you provide that can help with those goals.
• From time to time, ask them if they are happy with your service, or if there is anything they want you to know.
• Find out what makes each client satisfied, and take steps beyond that to provide the glue needed for your relationship.
• In other words, get to know them on a level much deeper and more meaningful than your competition.

What else do you think you can do to help your clients understand they and you are human, and they can come to you with their challenges instead of going elsewhere, thus becoming, as Eric says, “the stuff of history” to you?

Thanks, Eric Fletcher, for inspiring this post by writing yours!

Take a moment and read this quote.  It made me think about the way we do our jobs, what we offer our clients, and how we are perceived by our target audiences.

“The trend is that for more and more jobs, average is over. Thanks to the merger of, and advances in, globalization and the information technology revolution, every boss now has cheaper, easier access to more above-average software, automation, robotics, cheap labor and cheap genius than ever before. So just doing a job in an average way will not return an average lifestyle any longer.”

This quote was from well-known author and op-ed columnist Thomas Friedman.  In a recent column in the New York Times titled Average Is Over, Part II, Mr. Freidman was writing about weaknesses in education, and the challenge that exists because politicians and CEOs think differently about what is important.

Even though he was writing about education, what struck me was how much this applies to what we do in our firms every day.

Here’s my slight re-write of this quote for you:

“Average is over.  Thanks to competition, globalization and the digital marketing and communication revolution, every client now has cheaper, easier access to an abundance of above-average service providers, with above-average intelligence, than ever before. “

“Just doing your jobs in an average way will not keep clients happy, and unhappy clients will not keep your doors open much longer.”

So what are you to do?

• If you haven’t already, it’s time to step up your game.
• Stop blaming it on a lack of time, skills, knowledge, fear or resources.
• If you want to stay in business, then act like it.
• Look in the mirror, and decide whether you’re above average at what you do.
• Find out if your clients think you are above average.  Make sure their and your perceptions of your skills match.
• Identify what it is that will make you above-average in the eyes of your target audiences, and create a plan to get there.

As my friend, Social Media, Emerging tech and Big Data expert, Deb Dobson, asked last night:

“I’m wondering what would happen if everyone in business tried to medal in business Olympics like the athletes do in the sport Olympics?”

Great question!

If we used Deb’s perspective, it might take a little extra work and focus, which is okay if it means we serve clients better, right?

After all, as Thomas Friedman also pointed out in his column:

“There is no good job today that does not require more and better education to get it, hold it or advance in it.”

Thank you, Mr. Friedman, for inspiring this post.  Although unintended, your lessons are appropriate for many industries and professions.

Thank you, Deb Dobson, for adding a succinct, much-needed perspective to this post.

John & Nancy Myrland with their favorite Mouse

I just returned from a wonderful LMA, or Legal Marketing Association, annual conference, followed by vacation with my husband at Disney World.

I had a fantastic time at both, meeting and seeing new and old friends, learning, laughing, connecting, meeting, celebrating and having fun playing in one of the world’s largest playgrounds.

This was LMA’s 25th annual conference, and it showed. Attendance was up again at about 1100, with marketers and attorneys from 14 countries in attendance.  There was a feeling of optimism in the air, which was nice after the past two years of economic and employment turmoil in many law firms around the world.  Tough times are far from over, but the feeling was a bit different this year.

It was perfectly appropriate to start a conference at Disney World with a keynote from The Disney Institute.  Our presenter was Jeff Williford, one of 30 Facilitators who travel around the world teaching others about Disney’s Approach to Business Excellence.   Jeff had our attention for 90 minutes, and could have gone twice that long because his information was interesting, relevant, fun, realistic and delivered in a manner that was engaging.

Now, I will admit that Jeff had me early on when I answered his trivia question about Mickey Mouse’s original name being Mortimer.  Being very easy to please, I was happy to win a plastic Mickey Mouse figurine that sat on my laptop for the remainder of the keynote, and held a prominent spot on the TV stand in my room for the next 6 days.  I told you I was easy to please.

Some of the highlights that I captured are found below, followed by my interpretation and recommendations for your implementation in italics.

Walt Disney always reminded his people that “We must never lose sight of one thing.  It all began with a mouse.”

Do you know how your firm began?  Do you know what was important to your founders?  Find out, and share this information often.

Disney has identified the components in their Chain of Excellence that must be paid attention to:

1. Leadership Excellence - Management, Lawyers, Practice Group Leaders, Administration
2. Cast Excellence - Everyone who works for your firm
3. Guest Satisfaction - Everyone who is served by, and welcomed to, your firm
4. Financial Results –  Are goals identified before the year starts, then shared with everyone?

Disney calls its visitors Guests, and its employees Cast Members.

Are we as respectful to our employees, or do we still call them “non-lawyers” as if they are somehow substandard?

Disney knows that their strongest marketing comes from all of us, their guests.  They find inspiration in this, and act accordingly.

Do we realize this about our current clients, or are we putting more attention and resources toward acquisition?

Disney knows that every child is blessed with a vivid imagination, and that, just like any muscle, it grows flabby if not exercised.

Do we encourage our lawyers and staff to be creative, or are we still married to tradition and fondness of saying “that’s just not the way we do it here?”

Disney understands that it’s okay to think inside the box if we realize what the 4 sides of the box are, and that it’s okay to stretch those sides and make them bigger.  The 4 sides they have defined are:

1. Vision, which answers the question What do we want to be?
2. Mission, which answers the question What  do we want to do?
3. Customer, which identifies For whom do we want to do it?
4. Essence, which outlines How do we want them to feel?

Disney teaches that you have to think about where to meet your clients on their emotional level.

Are you asking yourself what your clients are feeling at any given moment during your relationship with them so you can help them at every level?

Whether for your cast or your clients, provide guidance and direction, avoid wasting resources (both theirs and yours) and keep everyone focused.  That is your job.

Disney has identified 60 opportunities to build relationships with their guests every day.

Start typing or writing today, and answer the question: “What is every possible opportunity that we have to touch a potential/client?”  Then I want you to be specific about how you expect everyone to fulfill each touchpoint.  Do it as a team, including all who have contact with clients, both directly and indirectly, in order to come up with the best ideas, and to encourage buy-in of this process.

Disney teaches that you need to listen to your clients because they will usually tell you what they want.

Novel idea, yes?  Have you implemented that Client Listening and Satisfaction Program you’ve been thinking about?  If not, give yourself a deadline to start.  Why is next year better than this year to please your clients?

Disney has a continuous process: Listen & Learn, Measure, Act, Re-Measure, Recognize & Celebrate, Share, Repeat

• Listen to clients, staff and attorneys.
• Benchmark where you are today so you can determine success at different intervals.
• Implement what you learned in the Listen and Learn phase when you started.
• Measure progress against the benchmark.
• Discuss and celebrate the results.
• Share results widely….and this means with everyone.
• Go right back to square one and do it all again.

Disney involves its people in decision-making, and gives them the flexibility to make decisions.

It’s okay to hire talented people, train them, communicate your vision and standards, then let them make decisions that don’t always need committee approval.  It’s amazing and rewarding to see how people step up to the plate when you let them.

Disney believes in the Power of Story.  Are people saying what you want them to say?

If you have a message, and we all do, let people know what you want them to say about you.  This means internal and external audiences.  Don’t leave it to chance.  Give them something to talk about.  I wrote about that here.

You have to decide:  What will be the title to your story?

What do you want that to be?   Guess what?  It’s up to you, so decide, then make that the focus of everything you do.  Is it….

• I gave it all, and then some?
• She loved her clients, and they knew it?
• Passion, People and Practice?
• He never stopped learning?
• They always knew where he stood?
• He always went above and beyond?
• She added value to every relationship she had.

Disney teaches that the most important thing you can do is to manage your relationships.

How much time do you spend connecting with your clients, both internal and external?  Do they know, like and trust you and your work?  Are you easy to do business with?  Do they look forward to seeing your name when their phone rings?  Do they mind picking up the phone to ask you a question?

Walt considered himself a little bumble bee, going from one area to another, gathering pollen, then distributing it.

How many other practice or industry groups, or even offices, do you visit with the goal of learning how you can best talk about what they do, or what the entire firm does?

How many times have you taken your knowledge of two compatible teams or clients, then connected them?

Disney teaches that your firm culture must be:

1. By design
2. Well-defined
3. Clear to all
4. Goal-oriented

How many times have we all heard: “The culture of law firms is different.  We’re just not like our corporate counterparts.” What does this mean?  It has to be more than the partnership structure that gives a law firm its culture and feel.  Is it something that just happened over the years that we don’t really understand, or know how to define, and just expect our people to adapt to?  Be more deliberate than that.  Sit down and define and design what you want your culture to be.  Make sure it’s easy for everyone to understand.  Make sure it’s easy to see how it helps to achieve your firm’s goals.  Then communicate it often to everyone.  Then you will have a culture everyone will understand and can be proud of.

There are 4 key strategies for hiring cast members at Disney.

1. Communicate your culture.  If they don’t hear it now, how can you expect them to demonstrate it?
2. State your non-negotiables up front.  Don’t make this a mystery.  People understand parameters.
3. Treat applicants as guests.  If you exhibit this respect up front, your people will understand how to treat clients.
4. Hire attitude not aptitude.  You can always teach skills, but you can’t always teach a positive attitude.

Be proactive with recognition. How do you recognize all of your people for the seemingly small, everyday things they do?

You’d be surprised how much it means to people at all levels to be thanked and recognized for what they do.  Institute a formal recognition program, including giving everyone the ability to award and report Everyday Excellence when they see it.  It doesn’t always have to come from management to be effective.

Quotes from Disney’s people:

• “Every day we have the opportunity to play a small part in helping to make a dream come true.”
• “I love having a job where I have the freedom to make people happy.”
• “I get to bring magic to life, so to speak.”
• “We create happiness by providing the finest in entertainment for people of all ages everywhere.”

Write 5 quotes that you wish your people would say as a result of working at your firm.  Then work backwards. Go to them, and ask them what the firm can do that would cause them to feel this way, and to be able to honestly say those 5 things.  Encourage them to think creatively, and that there are no silly answers.  Don’t stop there.  Institutionalize and implement those practices. Why wouldn’t you want an army of happy, empowered client-service people out there?

Disney knows that the more you know about your clients, the more you can be prepared for them.

What client doesn’t want to know that their lawyer or professional knows them inside and out, and can anticipate their next move?  In this day of extreme competition, it’s worth it to research clients on a daily basis.  Interview them, stay on top of their company, their industry, their goals and challenges, and be proactive in approaching them when you see something that has an impact on them.  Remember, if you don’t, someone else might.

When people spend money with Disney, Disney wants to know if they found value in that.

Do you dread sending bills because you know your clients are going to hit the roof?  Before you start the engagement, ask your client what a win would look like for them.  Discuss wins of all different kinds.  Every matter doesn’t fall on the side of the client, so what makes the process a win too?  What kind of behavior and representation do they expect?  Then discuss these outcomes when the matter has been closed.  This not only sets up your relationship on mutual footing, but it also helps the client understand what part of that “winning” scenario, which they defined up front, was accomplished when they are presented with your invoice.  There should be no surprises.

Disney strives to exceed their guests’ expectations (Strategy) by paying attention to every detail of their delivery (Tactic).

State your goals by firm, practice area, industry group and administrative area.  Then take time to identify the strategies that will help you achieve your goals, then decide what tactics you need to use to accomplish those strategies.

Walt Disney said: “Give the public everything you can give them….I think they will hang around then.”

Isn’t this the same for your clients?  If they perceive you are giving them everything you can possibly give them in terms of your dedication, time, loyalty, wisdom, advice, value, knowledge and determination, won’t they be less likely to follow the next attorney they meet, or who approaches them?   This doesn’t mean give them everything you have, just everything you can possibly give.

If you would like to read another post I wrote the last time I visited Disney World, and observed their recognition of their clients, you can find that here. It is called Clients: What Button Are They Wearing?

If you would like to read all of the posts written thus far by The Bloggers of LMA, you can find them at Heather Morse’s blog here.

My question for you: Given what you know or have read about Disney, what other practices of theirs do you think apply to your firm or practice?

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• Legal Marketing: What to Do Now? #lma11 (myrlandmarketing.com)
• Are You Comfortable Meeting People at Conferences? #lma11 (myrlandmarketing.com)

I had the joy of spending a day with my 9-year old nephew, Isaiah, this week. My brother, Frank, who is a talented public speaker and wealth manager, was on a swing through Florida to see a few of his clients.  This was Isaiah’s week to go on a business trip with his Daddy.  I love that.

Isaiah and Frank have great lessons to teach us.  Please read on.

Isaiah was a magnet at every event they attended. From receptions to meetings, everyone fell in love with him, but not just because he’s so cute. You see, he has outstanding interpersonal skills that take adults by surprise.

Last week, they attended a reception for two hours with the heads of a major Indiana university.  The situation that took place next is worth sharing.

A man at the reception walked up to Isaiah, who was the only child in the room, and reached out his hand and said,

“What’s your name?”

Isaiah shook his hand, looked him in the eyes, and said,

“Isaiah.”

The kind gentleman said,

”It’s nice to meet you,”

to which Isaiah smiled and replied the same.  Isaiah’s new friend said,

“I sure wish more young people would do what you just did.”

He then described the importance of eye contact, a firm and polite handshake, and the ability to directly engage with someone.  Frank said they all agreed, sadly, that this has become very rare.

What my brother told me next is VERY important to all of us as adults.

“It was certainly a proud moment for me as a Dad.  In case anyone wants to know our secret…we practice.  We practice meeting new people, shaking hands, smiling, saying ‘Nice to meet you,’ etc.  When the kids do it well, we reinforce it.  When they don’t, we remind them.”

“A few years ago while taking Nora (his daughter, my adorable niece) to a conference, I made a deal with her.  She got a nickel every time she met someone, and could then tell me the color of their eyes after the introduction.”

The skills mentioned above might sound simple, and you might even think that adults already know all of this, but I assure you, not all are comfortable engaging people like Isaiah.

Not only is this connection critical in developing a positive first impression, but it is also important in nurturing and solidifying our relationships with our clients and potential clients.  These are all non-verbal methods of communication we send every time we interact with another human being.

I call that marketing, and I call it very important.

Thanks for the lesson Isaiah.  Nice job Frank.  I’m proud of both of you.

Hand-painted in blue letters on a 36″ by 48″ sign located in a stairwell between the Notre Dame locker room and the tunnel out to the football field is a sign that reads Play Like A Champion Today.

Head football coach Lou Holtz asked for it to be painted and hung there so that all players would touch it on the way out to the field.  It is one of the most meaningful traditions at The University of Notre Dame.

Coach Holtz said,

“I’m going to put it in the same place [as it used to be] and everybody is going to hit it on the way out to the field to remind them of all the sacrifices they have made, their families have made and other people have made for them to be there.”

It also serves as a reminder of how important it is to play like a professional.

Traditions like Play Like A Champion Today are meaningful to me because I’m from South Bend, home of the Fighting Irish, and grew up around Notre Dame football.

I’ve been thinking about this phrase lately, and how it pertains to what you and I do every day in our respective fields.

Aren’t we called upon to play like champions every day?

Just like Notre Dame football players are called upon to play like champions for their school, their team, their fans and their families, we are called upon to play like champions on behalf of our firms, companies, colleagues, clients and families.

Among other characteristics, playing like a champion means:

• Conducting ourselves professionally…toward our clients, our potential clients, our colleagues, our service providers, those we manage, those to whom we report and all we come in contact with
• Acting with integrity….by being honest and trustworthy when we do business
• Making informed decisions....by researching, learning, listening to others, looking all around us for signs, changes and developments, then acting accordingly
• Playing to our strengths….and exhibiting them when the time is right
• Strengthening our weaknesses….when we know we need them to help our clients.

Take a moment.  Picture champions you know, in any field of play, on the court or off, in the boardroom or not, part of the partnership or not, and picture what makes them a champion in your mind.

Now please take another moment, and share those characteristics here with all of us.

What does it mean to you to Play Like A Champion Today?

Today I ran across a post I sent to the LMA, or Legal Marketing Association, listserve on December 5, 2008 in response to a post my friend and colleague Ross Fishman posted.

Ross was talking about how special it made him feel, in the midst of what was then an overflowing inbox, when a Partner at his former firm sent him a hand-written note saying “Congratulations Ross!”

He still had that note a decade later because it meant so much to him that the Partner took the time to hand-write the note.

I replied to Ross and the listserve that I had to smile when I read his post because it reminded me of a dear former colleague in the Customer Service department at Time Warner where I worked for just short of 10 years in the 80s and 90s.

My response to Ross continued:

“At Time Warner, we were given anniversaries and birthdays in the monthly newsletter, so I tried (I wasn’t always successful, but I tried) to write an anniversary note to employees on their anniversary.  I can’t tell you how touched (humbled really) I was when years later, John, my dear Time Warner friend, told me he still had my note!   I think that meant more to me than to him, but I’m not sure.”

I found it interesting that in December of 2008, I shared:

“I believe we were entering an age when it is rare to communicate by the written hand, or even by mail.   This can be a time when a person, company or firm has the opportunity to stand out from the crowd, to really differentiate itself by adding a written and/or mailed component to its marketing strategy.

I’m not discounting new media, and think it can also be incredibly powerful if given careful thought, but the marketing mix is just that, a mix, not a single shot marketing tactic we hope will accomplish everything we’d like. When the crowd all seems to be going one way, think about where they aren’t going, and see if it might make sense to go there all by yourself.

Bottom Line: You might call it “old media,” but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be included in your marketing mix.”

Whether 2008 or 2011, my feelings have not changed.  We are living in an incredible time when we have so many options and tools with which to communicate.  Even so, don’t forget the special touches, those methods you can use to reach out and really touch someone, and try to do it in a way that your recipient might just find pretty rare these days.

Sincere appreciation goes to Jane in Devon, UK for the beautiful image used above.

Lately I’ve run into a few blogs and Facebook Pages that don’t allow visitors to comment.  This isn’t typically an accident as it can only be done by deliberately going into one’s settings and choosing this feature.

From a marketing, customer service, leadership, product and service development, and human perspective, I don’t think this is a wise business decision.

Why?  Let’s take a look.

To begin with, we’re talking about Social Media, with a heavy emphasis on Social, right?

Social Media, by its very nature, was developed, and continues, to help individuals and businesses of all types communicate and converse with their audiences.  At their very best, these tools help all of us develop relationships in a manner unprecedented in recent decades.

Posting messages without allowing input is defeating your use of these media. To not allow someone to comment, say hello, give an opinion or voice dissatisfaction is sending messages I’m not sure you mean to send.

I’ve heard a few of the reasons for doing this, ranging from the fear of people posting comments that are divisive or negative, to simply having the desire to use these media only to let everyone know what you’re doing, to not having enough time to respond to everyone.

Seth Godin, author of many worthy marketing and communication books, has made it very clear on his blog that he doesn’t allow comments because he would end up writing in anticipation of the comments vs. what he truly wanted to write in the first place. Interesting philosophy, yes?

I urge you to reconsider if you have disabled comments in any Social Media you use.  You aren’t making your visitors feel very good about you and, in many cases, are causing them to feel unwelcome and irritated.  I doubt those are goals in your marketing or business plans.

Using them in this one-way fashion is a close relative to broadcast media that only serve to communicate your message and not encourage conversation.  This is expected there, but it’s not expected, and typically not welcome, in Social Media.

Bottom Line:  If you don’t allow me to post comments about something you’ve written, then you are sending me a clear message that you don’t care what I have to say, and that you definitely think that what you have to say is much more important.  You’re not allowing me to talk to you about your product, service, employees, give suggestions, get to know, like and trust you, and all of those wonderful connections that help me want to do business with you.

In essence, you’re taping my mouth shut.

I asked my friends and followers on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook how it made them feel when they discovered comments were disabled.  Please take time to read them as there is a great deal of wisdom to be found here.  It didn’t surprise me that those I heard from are those I typically see engaging their friends and followers in Social Media.  They take the time to develop relationships.

I thank all of you below for taking the time to comment when I asked these questions:

• What do you think of companies or people that disable comments?
• How does it make you feel when you discover comments have been disabled?

Chris Brogan: “I think there are limited times when this is a great strategy, for instance if you want more calls to action on the content. It’s certainly a negative signal to some, so make sure you have a post explaining why not. Seth Godin did.” Chris, thank you for reminding me about Seth’s position.

Zach Woodward: “We can compare this to YouTube comments being disabled. I think the same thought process is involved. The video/page is popular, but for the wrong reasons perhaps.”

Abbie Fink: ”Why bother?  If you’re not using it to engage, what’s the point?”

Mary Biever: “If they don’t want to listen, then I don’t want to spend my $ there.”

Pamela Reilly:  ”Eliminating the ‘social’ from media makes it obvious they are stuck in the past.”

Brian Shelton: “I think it just reinforces their desire to control communication. One-way communication is over… for the winners.”

TKO Graphix: “I think a no-comments page lacks consideration for the reader.”

Renee Barrett: “You mean glorified digital press releases?”

Beatriz Alemar: “It defeats the purpose of being on FB. You’re on FB for engagement and communication – otherwise you use your website.”

Gwynne Monahan: “Annoying when blog post [is] shared on FB but have to click a few links to get to blog & comment.”

Kevin Chern: “If you post a blog to inspire opinions, might as well give people a forum to discuss them in your comments section.”

…and one final comment to bring a bit of levity to this rather serious discussion from my friend Gini Dietrich:

“You should have blocked comments on this post. That would have been pee in your pants funny.”

Again, thank you all for taking the time to leave such valuable comments, including you, Gini, when I posted my questions.

Those of you who don’t allow comments, are you getting a feel for what you are missing when you see the input above?  The Social Media experience is much richer and more valuable because of the interaction and conversation you will discover.

I encourage all my visitors to please join in the discussion we’ve started by adding your own comment below.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

Some of you might remember the 1970s Smith Barney commercial starring the famous actor and producer John Houseman.  This line, which he delivered at the end of the commercial, will be remembered for generations to come, not only because of his brilliant delivery, but also because of the profound message it carried:

“How do they make money?  The old-fashioned way…they earn it.”

This line has been on my mind for the past 4 days for some reason, perhaps I heard it repeated somewhere, so I took that as a sign that it was time to write about it.  Here’s why:

We live in an era of instant gratification.  No, this phenomenon did not start with the development of the Internet, Web 2.0 and Social Media.  Generations ago, we were introduced to products and services that made busy family lives much easier.  Parents didn’t have to cook so long.  They didn’t have to take clothes out to the river and beat them on rocks, although I’m still not sure how they got clothes clean by beating them on rocks.  They didn’t have to rely on a switchboard to connect phone calls…etc.  In case you didn’t know this, microwave dinners, or TV Dinners as they were called, were not left here by Noah when he parked the Ark after the flood.  They are an invention many of you were alive to witness.

Just like today, time was not standing still, and neither were progress and the desire for efficiency.  Human beings were hooked on shortcuts, and so were the brilliant minds who were wired and educated to develop these products and services.  I love those people, and their minds!

My modern-day application of this hunger for efficiency lies in how we conduct business.  We want phone systems that connect to our customers and clients before we even pick up the phone.  In my Time Warner days, they were called predictive dialers.  We want laptops that are lightning-fast so we can have 50 tabs open at once on our browser and not experience a slow-down…guilty as charged!  We want phones that either allow multiple apps to be open at once, or are so fast and smart that they begin to think for us. We want CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, systems that organize all of our contacts and related data to make doing business more predictable and successful.

You and I can think of hundreds of developments that feed our desire for increased efficiency and speed, but one we can not ignore discussing is the desire of many to develop relationships with little or no work involved.

There is a process to developing relationships with those with whom we would like to do business, or those we would simply like to call friends.  It’s called building trust.  The steps to building trust aren’t the same for everyone, or for every two people, but what I do know is that it takes time.  We must earn it.

We can not expect others to trust us enough to give us their business from the first moment they read our names, see us speak, watch us swim by in their Tweet Streams on Twitter, see us across the room at Business After Hours, have a friend introduce us when we stop by their table having lunch at Ruth’s Chris, and so on.  We must earn it.

The process of developing relationships is made easier by the tools we have been given as gifts today, called Social Media.  They can help make the process of building relationships quicker, easier and unbelievably more targeted than it was only a mere 5 years ago, but they can not do it for us. We must earn it.

We’re all busy.  Some wish this process of attracting clients would just go away so we could do our work.  No, I’m not one of them because that’s part of what is fulfilling to me in my business; building relationships with my clients, and helping you build relationships with your clients.  But we do owe it to ourselves, and to those who could truly benefit from our work, to take time to find and get to know people, to listen to them, to talk to them, to care about their needs and their lives, to learn what it is that is on their minds.  In other words, we must earn it.

My final thought for you is the line preceding John Houseman’s famous quote in the commercial:

“Why in the world do they work so hard?  Because Smith Barney knows that old-fashioned hard work is often the difference between getting stung or getting a taste of the honey.”

Go get your honey, but, by all means, expect to work hard building the relationships to get there.

As always, your thoughts and comments are greatly appreciated.

A while back, while reading David Meerman Scott’s blog post about all of the bad PR pitches he receives, one of his points struck me as very important, and one all of us who communicate, or teach others to communicate, need to remember.

I know this appears to be about PR professionals only, but stick with me as it applies to everyone.

David said that if you are going to pitch media on a story, be prepared to answer the question,

“What problems do you solve for your customer?”

That is what David wants to know when considering a pitch, and suggests we all prepare for this question.

I agree with him because if we can’t articulate what we do for our clients, how can we expect our clients, friends and referral sources to understand what problems we are prepared to solve?  How can we give WOM, Word of Mouth, a voice if we don’t define that voice, or if that voice has no words to speak?

I originally wrote about this on my Facebook Page, and asked my friends and visitors what problems they think they solve for their clients.  Thanks to Lindsay Griffiths, Bill Wolfe, Deb Dobson, Greg George, Gary Murphy and Rhoda Israelov for sharing their thoughts and the problems they solve with me.

Feel free to share your answers with us here.  It doesn’t matter if you think of one, two or even ten.  Feel free to share them as it is part of the process of figuring out the best way to present your information.  In fact, you never know when someone else visiting this blog might have the problem you are solving, right?!

Go ahead and post your ideas even if you can’t quite adequately define your solutions.  You will be helping others think through theirs, and perhaps others will even help you narrow down your language to identify your solutions for clients.  If you think you need help, draft something below, then ask others to feel free to help you focus your language.  I have some very smart people who visit on a regular basis who might just be interested in giving you their opinion!  Consider this a non-threatening workshop for you with help from your peers and mentors!

This is an important exercise as you need to use this language, or some form of it, in your client communication, whether written or spoken, and especially when you are thinking about how to design your business to actually be of service to your clients.

So, my friends, what problems do you solve for your clients?

Someone from a well-known service provider left a voicemail message for me yesterday afternoon, telling me I had signed up for their webinar, and was not able to make it, so he was…

“…calling to follow up to see what your interest was as far as social media……”

To encourage discussion, I posted a comment about this on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, suggesting a simple website check would have helped him approach me in a different manner.

In my case, he wouldn’t have even needed to look very far to know that my “interest” in marketing, including Social Media, is very high.  My tagline with my logo gives a hint: Strategic Social Media.  You can see it up there at the top of this page.

I write about this not to make anyone look bad.  I didn’t post the name of the individual, nor his company. That’s not important.  Nor do I think I am more special than the next person, warranting anyone making a big deal about what I do, because that’s not the case.  I have a feeling he’s a very nice person.  I am writing this to bring attention to the very basics of sales, business development and relationship-building.

My suggestion: Cover the basics before you make calls, write emails or schedule in-person meetings.

I know it takes time.  I started my career in sales, and am involved in it now by virtue of owning my own business.  I respect what rainmakers, salespeople, professionals and business development experts do for a living.

Think of it this way:  You just spent a lot more time and opportunity by coming across unprepared and uninterested enough in the process of learning about me than you would have by covering a basic step such as visiting my website.  It would have taken less than a minute to establish my areas of expertise, which you could have then mentioned in your phone call.  They are mentioned in a few different tabs on my website, in bullet form here and a much longer version here.

Think how impressed I would have been to hear this on my voicemail:

“Nancy, I’m sorry you weren’t able to make our webinar. I know how busy you are, but it was a great one, so I’ll email the replay link to you in case you’d like to watch it later.  I see from your website that your business is marketing consulting, including social media, so I would love to talk to you about how our service might be something to offer your clients….”

Bottom Line:

Show your potential clients you are serious by being prepared enough to learn a fact or two about them or their business before approaching them.  Just like in a job interview, it tells them you understand enough about them to match your service or skills with their, or their clients’, needs.

What do you think? Do you do this kind of research before talking to a potential client?

There will always be reasons NOT to start something.  Can you relate to any of these?

1. I will not invest in the time it takes to write a Strategic Marketing Plan to guide my business and my actions toward success because I don’t know where to start.
2. I will not take the time to start a blog because I just don’t have the time.
3. I will not get in to Social Media because I don’t have anything valuable to say.
4. I will not schedule lunches with 3 top, middle & lower revenue-generating clients because I have too much else to do.
5. I will not send someone out to conduct Client Satisfaction interviews with my clients because I already know what they think of me.
6. I will not create a marketing budget that reflects the retention and growth my practice deserves because I’ve never created one, and don’t know where to start.
7. I will not start that Referral Recognition Program I said I would start 3 years ago because referrals are coming in just fine.

However, will there ever be reasons that correspond to each of those that will cause you to start doing these practices?

1. Will you ever know how to start creating a Strategic Marketing Plan that will help you say yes, no or maybe to marketing activities, tactics or events?
2. Will you ever have the time to start writing blog posts in order to build, reinforce, strengthen and communicate your expertise, and to help guide where you would like to be positioned in the minds of your potential clients?
3. Will you suddenly discover valuable things to say in Social Media when you realize your clients really are spending time there?
4. Will your top, middle and lower revenue-generating clients have time to go to lunch with you when they’re busy with your competitors?
5. Will you still be certain what your clients think of you when you suddenly discover they’re using another lawyer or firm for the work you used to do for them?
6. Will you suddenly discover a pot of gold to fund marketing and business development activity that wasn’t there before?
7. Will you start that Referral Recognition Program when you are mysteriously receiving only half the referrals you did before?

Bottom Line:

You can create your own list of activities you know or sense you should be doing if you had worked through the process of deciding what it might take to grow your practice.  You also have a host of reasons for not getting to them just yet.  Some of those are valid, and some are based on fear, procrastination, uncertainty, certainty, the feeling that you already know how to do them, the feeling that you don’t want anyone to know you don’t know how to do them….you name it.

But what I don’t want to see happen to you is that you’ve put off making very important marketing and business decisions for reasons that are not based in sound, practical, passionate, client-driven reality.

If it is important to you to grow your practice, to have clients to advise, to have referral sources who think of you first when someone in your area of expertise is needed, and to have focus to lead you in to investing in all the right places to grow, then you need to stop allowing yourself to make the excuses I shared in the early part of this post.

If a struggling economy is not the right time to start focusing on marketing and business development, when is the right time?

Many thanks to Cordelia Roberts for the image used above

The other day I read, and commented on, a post from Twitterville author Shel Israel, in which he was discussing his assertion that social media is now at the end of a period of great disruption, and is now entering a longer, quieter period of normalization.

The thoughts I shared on his blog, along with a few new additions, are these:

Business, as well as all kinds of institutions and organizations, make decisions for all kinds of reasons. Fear, uncertainty, arrogance, competition, desperation, passion, nurturing, empathy, sympathy, follow-the-leader, follow-the-loser and a host of other factors go in to good and bad decisions and developments.

I think we are in the midst of several worlds co-existing in Social Media. One is the world of those who dove in head-first, embraced tools that are the most revolutionary communication and connection tools we have witnessed in many years, and are continuing to use them to their advantage. Another world is of those who are curious, are dabbling and are scurrying around experimenting. Another is the world of those who think Social is the devil, and, by golly, they don’t need it to survive and they’re going to prove that to everyone by holding out!

Many worlds exist in between the three I mentioned. What is important for all to know is that it is no longer our decision, but our clients and potential client’s decision regarding how they expect to be communicated with, how they want their problems solved, the speed at which they expect an answer, and the way they are evolving with their comfort level and knowledge of tools available to them.  As they evolve, so does our need to evolve and meet them where they live and do business on a daily basis.  In fact, I’m a firm believer that we should get there first if at all possible so we are there, communicating and establishing relationships comfortably. Wouldn’t we all like to be welcomed by our service providers rather than welcoming them down the road?

It’s time to jump in strategically, and to take advantage of the tools and the gifts we have been given that allow us to be closer to those whom we would like to care about our products and services.

Many thanks to AmandaJoy2008 for the Flickr image used above.

A few times a week, I write short marketing words of advice called Myrland Marketing Moments.  This morning’s Myrland Marketing Moment was born of a real-life experience I had with my Mom this morning while at the doctor.  Here it is:

Myrland Marketing Moment:

Insensitive client mktg language I just experienced:

“Is it Friday yet? I don’t do Mondays.”

It’s not obvious what I meant by the 120 characters I try to limit myself to when I write these Moments, so I decided to share a little more here.

The “insensitive client marketing language” came from a health care provider to another nurse, my Mom and me just moments after Mom’s appointment began.  She asked if it was Friday yet because she doesn’t do Mondays.  I was not impressed with her declaration, even if she was trying to be funny, which I don’t think was the case.  I find it very easy to be sensitive to others’ conditions, but this was not one of those times.

Why?

Because my Mom was her client.  Actually, I was too as I was a family member of her client.  Mom was there because she had to be.  I was there because I care very much about her client, my Mom.  We both deserved her absolute best.  For her to declare that she doesn’t do Mondays said the following to me:

Client, you aren’t what is the most important here.

Client, my wellbeing, and my state of mind and body, are much more important than you are at this moment.

Client, you are not the center of my attention.

Client, I don’t care if you don’t feel like you are the center of my attention.

Client, I don’t do Mondays, so aren’t you lucky because that must mean I don’t do you on Mondays either!

Some of you might think I am feeling overly sensitive about this language, but let me explain a bit more before you decide.  I am a marketer in addition to a daughter.  Being a marketer for the past 25 years has enabled me to understand that just about everything that comes out of our mouths as service providers is marketing.

How can that be?  Everything we say is marketing?!

Our words and actions contribute to what our clients, the public and our potential clients think about us, whether that be negative, positive or neutral.  Neutral has marketing impact too.  If it impacts our product, which is us, it is marketing.

Yes, we are living in the age of “transparency.”  Yes, I endorse allowing people to learn the personal side of us, in fact, I encourage and teach it.  No, I don’t think being formal all the time is necessary.

However, I do feel it is necessary to treat our clients as though they are the absolute center of our attention whenever possible.  If I am  having a bad day, or I don’t like Mondays, Saturdays or even Tuesdays after 10PM, it is not my clients fault, nor is it fair to them to share that with them during their time with me.

When someone has a need, and spends their hard-earned money with me, it is my duty to give them 100% of me, not half of Nancy because I don’t happen to like Mondays, or whatever day we’re together.  If Mom had been friends with her for the past few months or years, and they were accustomed to sharing their likes and dislikes, my reaction would have been different.

What lessons can we learn from this experience?

Let us be careful how we talk to our clients.

Let us not lead conversations by focusing on what we like and dislike.

Let us not be known for the drama in our lives.

Let us help them feel like they are the center of our attention.

Let us rise to the occasion to be what we need to be to take care of their needs at that moment in time.

Let us be sensitive to their feelings and their situation.

Let me know what you think.  I’d also love to have you add your thoughts to mine regarding what we can do to help our clients understand they are the focus of our attention while we are together.

Remember, this is part of marketing, part of doing  business and part of life so we need to pay attention to it.  If we don’t, we have many competitors who would be happy to.

Thank you to Feuillu for the image used above.

Last night, John and I had the good fortune to be invited by our lovely neighbors, Jim and Anna White, to the James P. White Lecture on Legal Education at the Indiana University School of Law on the IUPUI campus in Indianapolis.  This lecture series brings in those important to the law and legal profession in the United States as Professor White was, and still is, instrumental to the formation of legal education around the world.  As Robert A. Stein, Executive Director of the ABA commented, “Jim White is more responsible and deserves more credit than any other person for the high quality of legal education in the United States.”

Our distinguished speaker last night was Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.  The crowd was welcoming and warm to him, not only because he, like all the Justices, is in the midst of important, historic, and selfless public service to the citizens of this country, but also because he grew up in Northwest Indiana.  We’re a humble state, but we are immensely proud of our own.  He is no exception.

The first half hour of our time with him was as students and teacher.  He gave us an interesting history lesson of the Supreme Court of the United States, how they interacted with their President at the time, and what decisions were important to their Court.  Mr. Chief Justice used Powerpoint to show photos of the different courts.  Seeing photos of the Justices, as well as the Presidents during whose term they served, was an interesting addition to his lecture.

The Q & A period was the best part of the night because his personality, thought process, humor and insight came through loud and clear.  He is a humble man, but strong in his conviction that Justices are to be umpires, not players on either side of the game.

One point that stuck with me was when he talked about very few people being able to recite the names of the former Chief Justices throughout history.  During his charming introduction of Chief Justice Roberts, Indianapolis IU School of Law Dean Gary R. Roberts even admitted he could not.  Justice Roberts modestly, but with humor, told everyone this was a good lesson for a Chief Justice to remember.  Everyone laughed, and understood his point with no more explanation needed by him.  They won’t remember, and that’s okay.

This made me think about those of us who do what we do to serve others.  No, I would never compare myself in importance to Chief Justice Roberts, but I can compare what he said to all who serve clients as a way of life.  It is probably true that our clients’ children, employees or successors will not remember our names long after we are gone, but that doesn’t matter.   It is rare when you and I will have court cases named after us, marketing, business planning or social media applications that carry our names, or buildings that bear our name so that we might be fondly remembered.  This does not matter at all.  They won’t remember, and that’s okay.

Why doesn’t this matter?

Because what is most important is what we actually do for our clients at the very moment we are doing it, without lofty goals of making a name for ourselves, or looking forward to adulation because of important people noticing what we did after the fact.

What matters most is that our clients understand, without a shadow of a doubt, that we are completely present for them, that we care passionately about their business, what happens to them, that we are there to protect them, understand them, and that we have their best interest at heart when we are with them, and even when we are not.

We owe them….

• We owe it to our clients to treat them as the special, important human beings they are, without the expectation of being recognized by them as being somehow special because of our credentials, reputation, our degree, who we know, or the size of our firm or client list.
• We owe it to them to turn our phones off when we’re together.
• We owe it to them to help them understand what is going on at every stage of our relationship, even when we have no important news to tell.
• We owe it to them to give them news, whether good or not-so-good, in a timely manner.
• We owe it to them to say thank you to them whenever possible.
• We owe it to them to give them the feeling that we have their backs, that they can trust us to watch over them to the best of our ability.

I’d like to thank Chief Justice Roberts for his slight, subtle bit of humor about not being remembered last night, and for reminding, and inspiring, me to share these thoughts with you.

Do you have examples to add to my list that show how we can be memorable to our clients at the moment we are serving them?  If so, please add them below.

My husband and I are on vacation this week, making our way through Disney World.  Yes, just the two of us.  You might be wondering why I’m working during vacation, but sometimes inspiration is found in very interesting places and needs to be committed to memory. 

 Disney has perfected the art of recognizing guests who are celebrating.  It happens to be my birthday this week, so they gave me a Happy Birthday Nancy button to wear around the parks.  If you know me, you know I have chosen to wear it from the moment we arrived until the moment we leave.  I enjoy celebrations. 

Every time a “Cast Member” sees my button, they exclaim, with enthusiasm I might add, “Happy Birthday Nancy!”  As you can imagine, this evokes a smile and a “thank you” from me because they made me feel good.  You see, I deeply appreciate kindness and warmth.  There are thousands of people walking around with buttons of all types, whether they are to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, 1^st visits, newlyweds, those recently engaged, or just celebrating life. 

Regardless of the number of people wearing them, the Disney way is to make each one of us feel as though we are the only one wearing that button at that moment.  Whether the Cast Member is dancing in a parade, cleaning the street, taking pictures, working security, or any of a thousand different tasks they are being paid to perform, they stop and take the time to greet me, to make me feel important and welcome.  They even go so far as to yell out from their place behind the counter 10 feet away to say, “Happy Birthday Nancy!”  I don’t know how they can read my name from so far away, but it keeps happening! 

It’s also contagious.  Whenever John sees someone with one of these buttons, he wishes them a happy birthday or anniversary.  Yes, kindness is contagious.

We can learn from this practice of Disney’s.  What if we practiced a version of this with each of our clients, potential clients and other human beings?  We, too, have the distinct advantage of being able to recognize everyone by the “button” they are wearing, thus alerting us to the opportunity to treat them with a welcoming smile and a hello whenever we see them.  We have the ability to make them feel good by greeting them as though they were the only person in the room, the only person on the street or the only person we care about at that moment, which is exactly how we should view those with whom we interact.  Even if we are in the midst of “working a room,” trying to make our way to a meeting, standing in line to get an iced tea or trying to finish an important piece of work for the next day, we are also able to stop and make these people feel important. 

What is this button, this clue, they are wearing that will help us know when to greet them?  Well, it’s much more obvious than the one Disney gave me to wear…sorry Disney.  It happens to be the button that says they are a human being, and deserve this type of warm treatment and hello from us at all times.  They don’t need a button to tell us this.  They are simply human beings in our path, and that is our clue that we have the opportunity to make them feel good about coming in to contact with us. 

Take the time.  Let people know they are important.  Help them feel welcomed in to your world, whether that be in person, in writing, in Social Media you use, from a podium, the way you open your videos, your audio, your articles or the smile you use in your photographs. 

Pick up your head when walking down the street.  Pavement is not that interesting.  Acknowledge other human beings with a warm smile.  You’ll be amazed at your ability to turn a grimace on another human being’s face in to a smile, even if it’s only a small one. 

Someone might not be having a good day, and could use that smile and hello.  Someone might be trying to decide which firm to use, but none stands out in his/her mind.  Stand out.  Better yet…help them stand out by greeting them and helping them feel important, because they are…they’re a human being. 

After all, isn’t that our job every day, to help our clients stand out, and to feel comfortable if at all possible?  When we are given such simple ways to make life easier for those we serve, shouldn’t we take advantage of them?

I was partially wrong the other day when I Tweeted one of my Myrland Marketing Moments on Twitter. Here’s what I said:“Myrland Marketing Moment: Twitter is not a direct response, ‘call now’ sales tactic. It exists 2 build relationships.”

I recently had a partner ask me what I thought the next “big thing” is as he wants to make sure his firm stays on the cutting edge.  I shared with him that, although there are many marketing initiatives that need to be paid attention to, ONE of the major developments gaining speed rapidly is Social Media and Networking. 

I recommended to him, and to you, that you add Social Networking to your list of traditional media to consider when implementing your marketing, communication and business plans for 2009 and beyond.  Traditional media have their place, depending on what you are trying to accomplish, and shouldn’t necessarily be thrown out just because Social Media is hot.  It depends on your situation.

I shared with him that I think he should create strategy around how to accomplish firm goals through all media available, and to pay attention to the benefits Social Media can add to the conversation we all attempt to have with our potential/clients. 

One of our goals as marketers and business owners is to find ways to engage and interact with our clients and potential clients in order to build and cement our relationships with them.  Even if we think our target audience isn’t spending time using social media, we might be wrong.  It can’t hurt to be there before they get there, then show them the way.  To be viewed as a resource for the unknown, or the intimidating, is just one more way you can reinforce your brand as a trusted advisor. 

Sure, it can be intimidating.  To get started, you could pick at least one practice, industry group, department, service or studio, and add a Social Networking strategy to your marketing and business plan for 2009, if not sooner.  As you are ready, add it to other areas.  Just don’t put it off because you are afraid of it.  Ask for help. 

Twitter, for example, is one of the fastest growing applications out there.  I invite you to “follow” me on Twitter www.twitter.com/nancymyrland.  If you don’t know about Twitter yet, go to www.twitter.com and set up your account in a few seconds.  You not only have the opportunity to create connections with your target audience and friends, but you will also find multiple ways to expand your knowledge by following thought leaders around the globe. 

Twitter, as well as LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook and other applications, creates the perfect opportunity to update clients at a moment’s notice if they care about a subject with which you are connected.  Thus, reporting on legislative issues, new laws, changes in policy, events, personalities, etc., often throughout the day would be one way to engage potential/clients. 

Social media itself is nothing without sound strategy behind it, the same as video, radio, direct mail, podcasting and other marketing media are nothing without good content and execution behind them.  They are all simply means of sending a message to our intended audiences.  The difference with social media is the ability to interact instantly with those we care about, and who have chosen to care about us, and for them to provide feedback if they so chose.  This makes for a pretty powerful connection.

Good Monday Morning!

Let’s talk about referrals.  Few things in business are more satisfying than receiving a referral from a current or past client, a friend or a colleague.  How do we make sure we keep referrals coming?

There are many ways, but I will tackle a couple here today:

First, make sure you are doing great work.  Be someone who is easy to refer.  Ask yourself if you would want to refer you if you were the recipient of your work.

Second, let your contacts know your business relies on referrals, and that if they find it appropriate to mention you to others in need, you would be most appreciative.  People like to help people they like.  It makes them feel good to contribute to your success.

Third, the very day you find out you’ve been referred, call or email the generous person who did so and let them know how appreciative you are, and that you will let them know what happens.

Fourth, within two days, send whatever your Level One Referral Recognition gift is to that person with a personal note.  It could be a small box of fabulous cookies, a $10 Starbucks card (I’ve been the recipient of both and loved the surprise!), something you make, anything that is genuine and heartfelt.

Fifth, when you schedule a meeting with this person, call or email the referrer and let them know you are planning on talking to this person at such-and-such time, and that you will continue to keep them updated.  Thank them again.

Sixth, if this referral turns in to business, send your Level Two Referral Recognition gift to the referrer.  This should definitely be larger and more valuable than Level One so the message is clear.  Write a gracious note that lets that person know exactly what happened.  Don’t get in to price and confidential details that are between you and the new client, but let them know the general nature of the business you will be conducting.

Seventh, once or twice a year, create a card (have your designer, printer, www.48hourprint.com or www.vistaprint.com design and print them) that is specifically worded to your referral sources and how thankful you are for them, how much your business thrives because of them, etc., and send to all your referral sources EVEN if you haven’t received one from a particular source in a long time.  Keep your name and need in front of them, and help them remember why they sent business to you in the first place.

Again, there are many ways we can build a Referral Recognition Program, but these seven should put you well on your way to building and nurturing referrals for years to come.

On a personal note, it’s Mother’s Day week.  I know the day isn’t until this Sunday, but why don’t you join me and let your Mom, or a Mom of your choice, know how much you care about them every day between now and Sunday?!  You know they deserve it, and they will be delighted and touched to hear from you.  Send flowers, make a phone call, send an email, a card, a Starbucks card, cookies, deliver a box of candy, a candle, anything!  Just do it while you have the chance, and make sure you let them know how you feel.

I love my Mom dearly, and don’t know what I would do without her.  I can’t wait to see her this weekend when I go “home,” which is anywhere she happens to be.  Her name is Ginny Leyes, and she owns a huge piece of my heart.

Good luck with your referrals!

Nancy

http://twitter.com/nancymyrland

This morning, marketing and business development consultant Jim Hassett asked ”When the economy goes down, should marketing spending go up?”

Here are my thoughts:

It depends on how much firms are currently spending on marketing.

If they have undertaken a careful marketing planning process that is focused on the clients they have, the clients they want, what messages are appropriate to tell each of these groups, if they have determined what needs these two groups have, what their competitors’ strengths and weaknesses are, where and how they should reach them, etc., and have built a budget and a plan around all of these factors, then they need to stay the course, but make sure follow-up and accountability to the components of this plan are being paid attention to…with laser-like focus.

If firms are committing what I would call “random acts of marketing,” and feel like they are faltering with no apparent results, then they might need to visit all of the above, as well as their marketing budget, and ramp it up immediately.

A down economy, as well as a good one, is a perfect time to focus on marketing, as well as what services you offer your clients.  Their needs might be changing too.  The difference with a down economy is that everyone at the firm might not be working as much as they could or should, so this might be the perfect time to get their attention, and to coach and lead everyone in to an active marketing and business development mindset.

If you like the results you are achieving, then stay the course, but with more passion and diligence than ever before.  If you don’t, then something needs to change.  It might be your marketing budget, it might be your marketing tactics, it might be your marketing and business development behavior, or any of a number of other changes.

One thing I would definitely change would be to help your clients understand that you understand exactly what they are going through in this economy.  If you don’t know what they are going through, or exactly how it has impacted their business, then this is the perfect time to ask, or have someone else go out and ask, them what they are going through.  Client service can shine during this time, so take advantage of it, and become the best trusted and caring advisors possible.

Nancy

One of the most effective ways to build and retain client loyalty, not to mention the BEST way to stay in touch with what is on your clients’ minds, is to get out of the office and go visit them. 

If you do nothing else in your marketing action plan, commit to doing this:  Call 5 clients TODAY AND TOMORROW and invite them to breakfast, to lunch, to come over to their office, to dinner, to your suite, whatever you have at your disposal, but make it perfectly clear that all you want to do is to get together and catch up with what is going on in their office, in their world, and in their company or firm.  Make sure they know this is about them, not about you, and that you won’t charge them for this time.   When you get together, do not ask for business, do not pitch your services, just ask questions and listen.  When you are finished, thank them for the opportunity, and even take a few minutes to write them a thank you note for sharing their busy time with you. 

If you do this already, please reply and share your stories with us.  If you start doing this today, reply and let us know how it goes!

Nancy

Thursday was another great day at the LMA Conference in Los Angeles.  Even though I was 3 hours off on my internal clock, and it is the middle of the night, I have a few thoughts to share with you that I think you and your firm might find useful.  They have to do with your clients and what they want from your firms and your attorneys.

One of the most powerful presentations of the day was facilitated by veteran marketer and Zeughauser Group consultant, Mozghan Mizban.  Panelists included Zeughauser colleague, Melissa Hoff, Client Development Manager from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, David Wolber, and last, but definitely not least, Steven Rodgers, Director of Litigation for Intel.

Steve’s comments were worth the price of admission as he is in the position of evaluating, working with, and maximizing Intel’s use of dozens of law firms, soon to be only 6 after next week.

The discussion centered around client teams and client service interviews.  A few thoughts Steve shared when asked about the law firm/client relationship from his vantage point at Intel are to be noted and shared with your attorneys, along with your suggestions and/or a plan for what your firms and attorneys can do to become what Steve, and others like him, need:

Steve:

“It all comes down to trust.  There are probably hundreds of firms that could handle specific issues for us without any difference in the outcome.”

Bottom line:  Steve just gave what amounts to a free pass to those firms that get how to become trustworthy to him on an ongoing basis.  I suggest you work to figure out how to do that.

When asked what is important for law firms (to know and do for Intel), Steve wants the following:

• “I want a firm that cares about understanding what I want and what I need.”
• “I want firms who truly seek to understand me….who know me so well they could almost do my job.”
• “I want firms who come to me and say ‘Here’s what we perceive to be your situation and here’s what we think you should do.’ “

What does this mean?  Spend some time learning how to that which Steve described above.  It’s not rocket science.  It just takes deliberate, authentic, ongoing effort.

Another question asked of Steve was how firms get to know him:

• “They ask.”
• “Only 2 Managing Partners have called me in the past several years.”

His point:  He isn’t hard to get to know if you just spend time asking him what makes him tick, what 3 things are bothering him, or are important to him, and checking in with him on a regular, unbilled basis to make sure you understand him.  Only then can you truly perform intelligent legal work truly based on his needs.

When asked what he thinks of the client satisfaction interview process, and who should conduct these interviews:

“There are things I am just not going to say to somebody’s face, so having an intermediary is key.”

Regarding how many of the firms Intel uses have client teams devoted to Intel:

“I’d be willing to bet I can identify which of my firms have client teams and communicate regularly.”

His point here was that it becomes completely transparent when firms form client teams around his work and Intel, meaning they communicate strategically, methodically and with purpose about how best to take care of Steve and Intel.  It takes time and thought, but it can and should be done.

Someone asked Steve what was important for the relationship manager to know:

• Put my needs ahead of the firm’s
• Be powerful enough in the firm to advocate for what I want and need.
• Sometimes it’s hard to tell who they work for….Intel or the firm
• They tend to think of things before I do.

Steve’s comments are not to be taken lightly.  I would advise all firms with clients to sit down and think how to deliberately create the situation Steve has outlined.  Do it now before you find yourself in the position dozens of firms will be in next week when he narrows his choice of firms down to six.

Don’t give all the Steve Rodgers of this world the opportunity to even think about being frustrated, or to find a need to whittle their numbers of firms down.  Sit down and think hard about how to make individual clients happy, then set about doing it—tomorrow—or go ahead and start today if you have time!

Here’s to another valuable day of information for law firm attorneys and marketers from the LMA Conference!  Good job conference organizers and all those involved.

Nancy

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