Lawyers e-Journal
Thursday, Jun. 14, 2012
Law Practice Management Tip
One way to increase your chances of executing your marketing plan
It is important to have a plan if you want to build your law
practice and
having a written marketing plan will greatly increase the
likelihood that you will actually follow through. But for
attorneys, there are many obstacles that get in the way of
marketing. Most lawyers are more comfortable doing actual legal
work than spending time on marketing activities. Then there is
always the lure of the billable hour (how can I spend time on
non-billable work when there is still billable work to be
done).
Probably the biggest challenge that attorneys face is that they
are trying to change their behavior. They are not accustomed to
spending time building their reputation or on business relationship
building and some of these activities do not feel either natural or
comfortable. So even if a written plan is put in place, executing
that plan can be difficult.
One way to increase your odds of success is to focus on one new
thing at a time. If you try to execute on too many new things at
once, you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed (and as a result,
unmotivated to follow through). Instead, start off slow. If meeting
potential referral sources for coffee is on your list, focus just
on that for a month or two. If you prefer to focus first on
building your reputation, get going on that article you have been
meaning to write. Or join a trade association and get active so
that you can start meeting people in the industry you are
targeting.
There are many paths to marketing success and where you start is
not that important. You are investing in your future and some of
today's activities may not bear fruit for years. So the important
thing is to get going on something. You can always add more
activities to the mix once you are comfortable with one new
activity. In contrast, if you try to do it all at once, you may
find yourself doing nothing at all. Instead, you'll have a nice
marketing plan sitting on your computer and nothing to show for
it.
Tip courtesy of Stephen Seckler, president, Seckler Legal
Consulting and Coaching.
Published
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To learn more about the Law Practice Management
Section, which is complimentary for all MBA members,
contact LPM Section Chair Thomas J. Barbar or Vice
Chair Stephen
Seckler.