When it comes to setting your fees, you have three options. The first option is to charge fees based on what you want to be paid, which may or may not be the amount you are worth. 

When you do that, many clients think you charge “too much” or you charge more than they can comfortably pay and don’t hire you or, if they do, don’t return. 

Obviously, charging more than clients think you’re worth isn’t the best way to build a successful practice. 

The second option is to adopt a fee schedule that most attorneys and clients would say is fair and reasonable. You ask for fees consistent with the benefits you promise and deliver, consistent with your level of experience, your reputation, and other factors commonly associated with being a “good” lawyer.

You’re paid what you’re worth. This is what most attorneys do and, over time, it is usually sufficient to provide a good income. 

But not always. 

You still have competition, maybe a lot of it, and still need to work hard to differentiate yourself, generate leads, cover your overhead, and bring in enough business to provide you with the income and lifestyle you desire.

There is a third option and it’s the one I recommend.

Instead of charging what other lawyers charge, or charging less than you deserve to remain competitive, set your fees higher than most of your competition and… give clients more value than they pay for.

Charge more but give more. 

When you do that, good things happen. You get hired instead of your “ordinary” competition. You attract better clients, get more repeat business and referrals, and earn more than other attorneys in your field.

Clients will choose you instead of your competition. They’ll pay you more, respect you more, appreciate you more. 

They know you charge more than other lawyers but believe you’re worth it. Because you are.

You’re free to do your best work, don’t feel rushed, never feel the need to justify your fees, and consistently attract all the business your can handle. 

Give clients more than they expect and pay for. That’s how you build a successful practice and the lifestyle that goes with it. 

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The client tells you about their problem, you ask a few questions and immediately know the solution. You have the knowledge, experience, and skills needed to do the job.

You’ve seen their issue many times before, handled this type of case more times than you can count, and want the client to know you know what you’re doing and can help them. 

You should tell them, right? Put their minds at ease and tell them what you can do.

Yes, but maybe not too quickly.

If you move too quickly, you might scare them. Make them think you missed something or are telling them what you think they want to hear. 

Slow your roll. Ask more questions, explain the options, the risks and deadlines. Talk about possible secondary issues; explain how long it might take. 

And reflect back to them what they’ve told you and what you think about that.

Because more than anything, the client wants to know you heard and understood them, and see them as individuals, not just another piece of business.

If you’re too quick to diagnose problems and present solutions, or you rush through the appointment, it can hurt trust. It can make it look like you didn’t listen, don’t care, or you offer one-size-fits-all services. 

Or rushing them to sign up because you need the work.

Yeah, don’t rush. Don’t push. Give them a day or two to think about it. Let them get back to you. 

You’re good at your job and know you can help them. Give them the time they need to come to that same conclusion. 

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I’m not a networker. Not naturally, anyway. And yet my practice and businesses grew significantly as a result of meeting new people.

Traditionally, networking meant going to meetings, shaking a lot of hands, making small talk and getting to know a lot of people, hoping someone might be interested in what you do.

It’s all about building a bigger list of contacts. And hoping you get lucky.

The good news is there is another option. You don’t need to go to a lot of meetings and shake a lot of hands. You don’t need a big network to be successful. You only need to connect with a few people.

If they’re the right people.

Call it Networking 2.0. Or, networking for people who hate networking.

What do I mean by “the right people”? I mean people who are influential in your niche or target market. They know a lot of people who might need your services, or can refer them.

The know a lot of the people you want to know and those people trust them.

Even one or two of the right people could help your practice blow up.

Okay, what do you do?

The first step is to identify them by “category”.

Ask yourself, “What kinds of people are already trusted by a large number of my ideal clients or prospects?”

You’ll probably come up with a list of professionals and business owners or executives, financial advisors, consultants, and others who regularly work with, advise, or sell to the people in your target market.

You might go through your client list and ask yourself who provided you with your last three referrals or introductions. What is their background, specialty, niche, or area of expertise?

Don’t limit yourself to professionals and business people, however. Some of your “regular” clients or contacts might be influential in your target market.

After you’ve identified some categories, the next step is to identify some “candidates”.

The first way to do that is to talk to your existing contacts and find out who they know. people who know you and your work. Tell them you want to expand your network and ask who they know who might be a good contact for you.

And then, ask if they will introduce you.

Yes, it can be that simple.

If they aren’t comfortable introducing you, or you’re not comfortable asking them to do it, tell them you’ll look up their contact info and ask if it’s okay for you to mention that you have a mutual connection.

How could they say no?

You can also find candidates yourself. Probably on social media. Yes, that’s harder to do because the “right people” don’t know you and are undoubtedly approached by an endless number of people who want to get to know them (and gain access to their network), so they’re skeptical and unlikely to help you anytime soon.

It will take some time and effort on your part. Even if you are introduced to them.

Okay, after you’ve identified some candidates, follow them, learn more about what they do and what they want, and when the time is right (don’t rush it), approach them.

Comment on one of their posts or on someone else’s post they replied to, mentioned, or shared.

Get on their radar and then provide value.

Value means helping them with ideas, information, introductions, endorsements, referrals, ratings and reviews, and your opinion on things that appear to be important to them.

Value means promoting their event, sharing their content, telling them about resources you’ve discovered that could benefit them or their clients, and possibly offering assistance with something they might need or want.

Again, don’t rush. Don’t do it immediately after you follow them. First, show them you appreciate what they do, and that you are a serious professional worth knowing.

And give it time.

Don’t expect overnight success. Even if someone they know and trust introduces or recommends you, or you’re able to help them with something important.

it’s going to take time for them to trust you enough to help you.

It will be worth it. Remember, you chose them because they’re one of the right people (for you). And remember, you don’t have to go to endless meetings.

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A picture of two attorneys. The first attorney works hard at marketing. They talk to a lot of people, share good content on a blog or in a newsletter or on social media, advertise or network to meet more people in their niche or market, and continually build their list of prospective clients, subscribers, and business contacts. 

Prospective clients call, follow their posts, read their articles, opt-in, respond to their ads, make appointments, and the attorney gets new clients. 

Unfortunately, those prospective clients don’t always hire them, or don’t have a lot of work for them, or can’t pay for the work they need done. 

The first attorney makes a living but, sometimes, only just. 

The second attorney also talks to a lot of people, shares content, builds their list, gets calls and regularly speaks with prospective clients, but unlike the first attorney, a high percentage of those prospective clients are glad they found them and glad to hire them. They have lots of work for the attorney, liberally provide referrals and introductions, and willingly pays the higher fees the attorney deserves. 

The first attorney gets clients from their marketing. The second attorney gets more clients from the same effort and they are usually “better” clients. 

What’s the difference? Why does one attorney get better results from their marketing? 

One reason? The first attorney “chases” clients and the second attorney “attracts” them. 

If you want to get better clients and better results with your marketing, never chase clients. Make them come to you.

How do you do that? 

Mostly, by believing you can. You’re very good at what you do, one of the best, and you can get most or all of your business from clients who seek you out and ask you to represent them. 

That belief gives you the posture you need to attract those clients. 

Marketing isn’t just about what you do, but how you do it. How you do it comes from belief in yourself. Even if you aren’t the best, you conduct yourself like you are.

In your content marketing, you provide helpful information and (gently, not urgently) invite them to get more. You give them examples of the kinds of work you do and problems you solve, show them (not tell them) you’re good at your job,  and tell them what to do to get that additional information or take the next step. 

Clients are more likely to believe in you when they see that you believe in yourself. You are confident. Calm, cool, collected. The successful professional in demand by others.

That means you don’t “warn” them or use emotional appeals or “fear of loss” more than is appropriate. You don’t push them. You give them the facts, show them what you have done for others, and let them decide to move forward or not. 

You attract clients by inviting them to look at information, ask questions, and raise their hand if they want to take the next step. You follow-up regularly, with additional information and new success stories. You stay in touch with clients and prospects and professional contacts, even though you’re busy (and want them to know that). You are successful, in demand, and don’t need more clients, but for the right one, you’ll consider it.

That’s posture.

In a nutshell, clients want to hire the attorney who can help them but might not be available. 

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You’ve read the books and blogs, watched videos about marketing professional services, attended seminars, listened to podcasts, and subscribed to more than a few newsletters about legal marketing. 

You have a long list of ideas, things to do to bring in more clients and better clients and increase your income. That’s the good news. Too often, it’s also the bad news because with so many ideas and options, with a long list of tasks on your marketing todo list, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and do nothing. 

Ask me how I know. 

You have clients and cases to work on. You don’t particularly enjoy most of the things we call marketing and often have to force yourself to do them. You don’t want to hire more people or spend more on advertising, but you know you need to do something to build your practice and you are willing to do it, you just don’t know what “it” is. 

I have a solution. A way for you to cut through the overwhelm and resistance and make progress. 

The first step is to gather up all of your ideas and notes and lists and put them in one place. Create a master list of things you could do, might do, want to do, and (you believe) will do (eventually).

Put everything in one big pile. Get everything out of your head, out of your drawers, off your desk, off your legal pads, out of your computer files. 

Go through that pile and make a master list of tasks and projects and ideas. Or get your favorite ai to do it for you. 

It’s still overwhelming, I know, but less so than when you had notes and notebooks and files everywhere. You’re making progress. 

Okay, you have a list. It’s messy and long and unorganized but it’s a list. 

What’s next? 

Next, read through your list and put a star or symbol or tag next to anything that stands out to you as urgent. 

If there is an upcoming event you need to prepare for, an inquiry to respond to, an email or phone call you need to do,  a bill to pay, a problem with your website, anything that shouldn’t wait, take care of them. Do it or delegate it. You’ll feel better.

But this is marketing, not legal work, so there’s probably not a lot that’s urgent.

What about everything else?

You might think I’m going to suggest prioritizing your remaining list in terms of importance, Eisenhower Matrix or Priority Matrix style. If you can, have at it. If it’s still overwhelming, you don’t know what’s truly important, or you just don’t feel like going through this process, there’s something else you can do. I think you’ll like it.

Read through your list, quickly, and choose five to ten things you would like to do this week. 

Not twenty, five or ten. Not things you think you should do, things you’d like to do.

Later, you’ll zero in on what’s important. For now, pick five to ten things you’d like to do–because they seem fun or easy or quick wins. Theis will help you get started, and getting started on something you resist doing (e.g., marketing) is key. 

Let’s recap. 

You’ve made a master list, taken care of urgent matters, and made a list of five to ten things you’d like to do this week. 

You’ve sorted out your week. The next step is to sort out your day. 

Go through your list for the week and choose one task for today. Just one. Okay, two if you must, but one is great. 

Do that one task today. Look at you, you’re marketing. 

If you finish that task, you can go back to your week’s list, or, if that’s complete, your master list, or your “inbox” and choose something else. 

I follow this process for all of my tasks, not just marketing. Each week, I choose six tasks I want to do for the week, one or two I want to do today. (These are my most important tasks. I have separate lists for routines, etc.)

This system works for me. I get a lot of important tasks done. Try it and see for yourself.

Overwhelm, marketing or otherwise, will be a thing of the past.

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No, not that kind of trial. Trial as in the way many apps are sold in the App store: “Download our app and try it before you buy it”. Customers try the app, see how it works, decide they like it and buy it. For many developers, a free trial results in more sales and higher profits. That’s why so many companies offer them. 

And then there’s the legal world. Most lawyers don’t let anyone try before they buy. Clients either hire them or they don’t. 

The risk is on the client and if a competitor offers any kind of free trial, many clients will hire them instead. 

But that doesn’t mean lawyers should always offer a free trial, or even free consultations. They work for some practices and niches but may not work for yours. Or they might work but you might not be comfortable offering them. 

Fortunately, there are other ways to get clients to try you before they hire you. And you may already use some of them. 

Trial can be accomplished through free seminars, a newsletter, writing articles, blogs, and books. You might offer free downloads (forms, checklists, case studies, or other resources) on your website. You might do podcasts or videos or get interviewed by experts or influencers on their podcast or channel.

Prospective clients read or hear you speak about their legal situation or their industry, learn about solutions and opportunities that are available to them, and get a sense for what it would be like hiring or working with you. 

They get a sample of what you offer, even though they haven’t actually hired you.

If they like what you say, and how you present it, they are more inclined to hire you than they might be if you required them to pay you first.

Free content, free consultations, free seminars, or even just a brief conversation with you could help let clients (and referral sources) try you before they buy you. 

If it does, you might have a great way to bring in a lot of new business, and you don’t need an app to do it.

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So much to do, so little time to do it. You may not like it, or be good at it, but you realize that marketing is critical for attorneys and you need to do it. 

And you need a plan

You can delegate or outsource many marketing activities, including a lot of the planning, but the important bits need to be done by you. 

Even if that means using otherwise billable time to do it. 

Much of the relationship building inherent in marketing professional services cannot be delegated. Clients hire and want to work with you, not a secretary or assistant. Or your partner. 

You can hire people to do things like following-up on your behalf, but you need to talk to the clients and prospects, at least at some point in the process. The same goes for referral sources and other business contacts. 

You can’t simply write a check and expect others to do everything for you. You need to be involved in the planning and execution. You’ll get better results when you do. 

If you don’t have any plan, where do you start? You start with where you are and what you know. 

It may sound daunting and it would be if you tried to do it all at once. You won’t. You’ll do it incrementally–one step at a time. 

Start by making an outline of the steps for each part of the process you use. What do you do that could be called marketing, lead generation, follow-up, or client relations? What do you tell prospective clients about your services, when and how often? What do you send to leads or inquiries and to existing clients? 

Write it all down. Write down what you do and identify things you don’t do but think you could or should.

If you advertise or do seminars, you might start there because you’ll have some quantifiable data to look at. What do you spend, what publications or keywords, how much business does that bring in? 

You might want to start with existing and former clients. What you do between engagements, during holidays, to remember birthdays, or to otherwise stay in touch and keep your name in front of people who have already hired you?

You could start with your newsletter subscribers or social media followers. What do you send them and how often? How many subscribers do you have and how has that changed in the last six months or a year? What subjects do you typically write or talk about and how much engagement does that create? 

You might start by identifying the steps you take to respond to inquiries or leads. What do you send them or say to them? What do you offer or tell them to do? 

It doesn’t matter where you start. What matters is that you start, because that will help you identify what you need to change or add or stop doing, even if you’re not sure what that could be.

Keep at it. Eventually, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s working for you and what needs to be improved. 

At that point, if you haven’t done so already, you might want to talk to marketing experts and see what they tell you to consider, or use an ai to give you additional ideas.

You’ll realize there are many options and variables and you’ll start making some decisions, some of which will be a waste of time but some of which could make a huge difference.

It’s messy and might take a long time. And, once you’ve done it, you’ll need to continue doing it because it’s a process, not a one-and-done event. 

The hard part is starting. It’s also the most important part so if you don’t have a plan right now, or know you need to update your existing plan, I encourage you to start immediately. 

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Would you follow the advice of a medical doctor who smokes cigarettes? Years ago, maybe. Today, you’d hesitate to listen to someone who should know better. I know I would. 

I thought about that yesterday when I went to a gym to get information about signing up for strength training, something I’ve been thinking about doing recently. I met with a trainer who evaluated me and told me my options. In addition to her experience as a trainer and coach, she said she was a certified dietition and could advise me accordingly. 

I didn’t sign up with her. 

Unfortunately, she was not in good physical shape. She was more than moderately obese and, to my eye, clearly enflamed, ostensibly from a poor diet. 

I don’t want to hire someone who is a walking incongruity, any more than I would hire a physician with a raspy cough. 

What does that have to do with attorneys? 

Everything. 

No matter how much knowledge and experience you have, no matter how good you are at your work, if you don’t look the part, you can’t be surprised if clients don’t hire you. 

You’re advising them about buying a business, getting a good settlement, or protecting their assets. You have to look like you know what you’re doing or you’ll scare them off.

It reminds me of when I first started practicing and didn’t have a lot of money. I made sure clients didn’t see the beat up old car that got me through law school. I had one or two decent suits and made sure clients saw those, not the old stuff in my closet. 

When I met with a client, I didn’t let them see the tiny office I could barely afford, I always met them in the conference room. 

I looked successful and eventually I was. 

Which leads me to ask, are you doing anything that might cause clients and prospects to hesitate to hire you because you don’t fit the image they expect and want? 

If you do, you probably need to do something about that. 

Clients want a lawyer who knows what they’re doing and is successful doing it. Make sure you give them what they expect. 

You have to look the part. When you speak to them, or write to them, you have to sound like the expert they need to solve their problem or achieve their obective. 

And have lots of clients to prove it. 

If you don’t, am I telling you to fake it until you make it?

Damn right I am. 

“Stop talking about yourself”. That’s the advice we’re often told about marketing, but I don’t agree with it. Most lawyers need to talk about themself more, not less. 

But there is a limit. 

If you added a new article to your website or recorded a new video, if you’re writing a book or speaking at an upcoming event, if you were just hired by a well-known client, tell your subscribers and followers about it. 

And tell them why they should care. 

If they read your article or come to your event, what will they learn? How will they be better off? If you hired a new adminstrative assistant, how will this help you do a better job for your clients?

If there’s a benefit to your reader or follower, talk about it. That’s something they will definitely want to hear. 

Why should they care that you were just hired by a well-known client? You may be proud or excited but what’s in it for your other clients?

Sometimes, the benefit is implied. If a well-known company in their niche hired you, it suggests to your other clients that they are in good company. Clients want to hire attorneys that are in demand by other clients, especially when they are well-regarded in their market or industry. 

Okay, but what about sharing personal stuff? Nobody cares about what you ate for breakfast or where you went on vacation. 

Maybe they do. 

Clients and prospects and colleagues–the people who read our newsletter or blog or follow us on social, the people who hire us or refer others to us–want to know that we have a life outside of our work. 

But again, there’s a limit. 

If you did something or saw something on your vacation you believe will interest readers or followers, tell them about it. But make sure it’s interesting. 

Maybe it’s a lesson you learned about how things are done in a different country or culture, something you’ve never experienced or thought about before, and maybe your readers will be interested to hear about that difference. 

Why would anyone be interested in what you ate for breakfast? 

Well, maybe you tried a high-protein, low-carb meal on the recommendation of a friend who has lost a lot of weight or improved a medical issue by doing that and you’re encouraged. Maybe some of your readers will be interested in trying that because they have a similar challenge, or they simply care about you and want to know that you’re doing well. 

Sharing personal stories is fine. But make them interesting. Relevant. Or fun. 

And don’t go on an on about it.

People want to know things about you beyond your resume. Tell them something. Just don’t tell them everything.

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Content marketing is a simple and effective way to market legal services. It helps prospects and the people who can refer them to find you, through search and sharing, shows them what you do and how you can help them, and shows them why they should choose you instead of other lawyers or firms who list their practice areas and services but provide little or no evidence of their knowledge and abilities.

It’s “education-based marketing” and has a long history of success in marketing professional services and other service businesses in a multitude of niches and markets.

But is it right for you?

Many attorneys say it won’t work for them because they don’t have enough time to do it, or they don’t have enough to write or talk about.

If that’s you, I urge you to try it, or, if you have tried it, try it again. Find a way to make it work because not only is it a simple way to bring in new clients, repeat business and referrals, it’s a great way to build your reputation as a leader in your practice area or market.

Even if you already have an effective marketing program in place and don’t “need” anything else, find a way to write or record something.

It doesn’t have to be brilliant. You don’t have to write journal-quality content, just a few words or thoughts or ideas relevant to the people in your target market or niche. A short message that lets you connect or re-connect with people you know and people you want to know is more powerful than you can imagine and takes less effort than you might fear.

Sending an email to 50 people is a lot easier than meeting with them in person, and nearly as effective.

You can write about subjects you’ve written about before (as I am doing right now); if it’s worth saying once, it’s worth saying again. And it doesn’t have to be original to you. Write about what other lawyers, experts, business leaders, authors, and others write or speak about. Tell why you agree with them or where you differ. What you liked about what they said and what you didn’t. Give your opinion, share your stories or thoughts, or just summarize theirs.

Or “steal” their ideas and write your own piece. Yes, you can. I do it all the time.

How often do you need to create or publish something? Once a week, or once a month, or even once in a while. Anything is better than “never”.

Hold on. Enough with all the questions. Instead of trying to figure it all out before you start, just start. Write something and send it to someone. Send it to one person. Someone you know or someone you want to know.

Can’t think of anyone? Send it to me.

Do it today. You’ll be glad you did.