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• Know your clients’ top competitors. Further, commission your in-house knowledge manager to gather com- petitive intelligence on the competi- tion so you can advise your clients on ways to stay a step ahead of them.
• Create an internal process to get and stay connected with your network including existing clients, reliable referral sources and targeted quali-  ed prospects. Since you are “chasing relationships, not work,” regular and frequent communication is essential.
WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED
O en, clients ask, I don’t want to bug anyone, what am I supposed to say to them? Great question. As a business- building lawyer, you know what your clients and quali ed targeted prospects read to stay abreast of industry news and for professional development. Cre- ate at least one Google alert to gather this same or similar information, then reach out on a regular basis to pass along a nugget of information which is relevant, timely and topical to your cli- ents and prospects.
First, stop thinking and analyzing like a lawyer. Instead, consider how helpful you are being to alert your client, refer- ral source or prospect of information that will be valuable to them.
A quick email such as, “Hi Bob, I came across this news clip in the xxx Journal and thought it may be useful for your next leadership meeting. I’m hap- py to discuss ways we can capitalize on this potential opportunity. Best regards, Joe.”
Second, keeping in mind that get- ting on a prospect’s radar requires 7-10 touchpoints in a 12-month period, there are numerous ways to get and stay connected.  ese may include:
• In-person meetings (could include co ee, meals, sporting events and/or other face-to-face events).
• Regular eblasts with information that your prospects/clients will  nd time- ly, topic and relevant to their business and/or personal interests.
• Regular social media posts (such as blogs and/or news of your profession- al activities and accomplishments).
• Include your clients, referral sources and prospects on  rm email distribu-
tion lists for timely, topic and relevant topics (no one enjoys receiving spam that is of no material use to them).
• O er to present to and/or speak with your client’s leadership team (o  the clock) on a potentially damaging (or novel) legal development and strategize ways to get ahead of the development.
Understanding that a large percent- age of new matters originate from sat- is ed clients and referrals, some say as much as 50 percent per year, you invest in meaningful, continual relationship building to bring value to these growing relationships.
Beyond knowing a birthday, their children’s names and activities or their favorite vacation spot, you build busi- ness relationships with the knowledge of your prospects’ business because it is key to them.  at is thinking as a savvy business owner.
Yes, it requires time – a lot of it and a measurable marketing action plan (to help you stay focused, organized and to provide the needed structure) that is dy- namic and o en changing.
As a savvy business owner, you take the long view. I love Robert Louis Ste- venson’s quote, “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” Take this into consider- ation when building a prosperous book of business.
Hopefully, you now understand the required mindset shi  to think and treat your legal career as a business-building journey, which will have plenty of twists and turns. It is not a linear process, which o en throws lawyers o  kilter.
You are well on your way to building the career of your dreams by helping others in a way only you can. Isn’t that why you became a lawyer in the  rst place?
Now, build away!
KIMBERLY RICE IS PRESIDENT AND CHIEF STRATEGIST OF KLA MARKETING ASSOCI- ATES. AS A LEGAL MARKETING EXPERT, KIMBERLY AND HER TEAM HELP LAWYERS ESTABLISH BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING STRATEGIES. KIMBERLY MAY BE REACHED AT (609) 458-0415 AND KIM- [email protected]. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT KLAMARKETING.COM.
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