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Commentary: Helpful reminders of Marketing 101 basics

By: ED POLL//October 12, 2009//

Commentary: Helpful reminders of Marketing 101 basics

By: ED POLL//October 12, 2009//

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I recently spoke at a conference and got two reminders about some Marketing 101 basics.

The first reminder came when someone spoke to me after my presentation. “I need everything that you talked about,” he said, “and once I get back to my office I’m going to be sure to call you.”

My response was immediate. First, I handed him my business card (it always amazes me how many professionals don’t carry one with them) and urged him to call me on the specific day I gave him. Then came my follow-up: I asked for his business card and said, “If you’re unable to call me that day, I’ll be sure to call you the next day.”

He was more than receptive to that, because my reaching out affirmatively to him showed that I was interested in establishing a business relationship.

In lesson number two, a second person, who I did not know, introduced himself and addressed me by name.

I asked how he knew who I was and he replied, “I get your weekly electronic newsletter, and the email has your picture at the top — and it actually looks just like you!”

What a blinding glimpse of the obvious. Nothing makes a more immediate impression than a personal photo on a Web page or a blog post, and that impression can cut both ways. If the photo is engaging and current, it can create a strong connection with the viewer. But a photo with a smug or hostile expression, or one that is woefully out of date, can do more harm than good.

One sees this latter phenomenon on law firm Web sites regularly, as both male and female lawyers think a decades-old photo conveys a young impression — when in fact it merely shows the lawyer is out of date, and potentially out of touch.

These incidents are reminders that all of us “sell” all the time. Marketing/selling is both conscious and unconscious. When we make it conscious, as a means of creating an unconscious connection with potential clients we have yet to meet, we have a better chance of succeeding. That’s a powerful message in today’s economy, when so many lawyers seem to wait, and even to long, for “things to come back.” Such lawyers are likely to find themselves quite hungry for some time. There’s no question that the economy will improve, may in fact already be improving. But the world of passively waiting for business to come to us will never return.

Consider one major West Coast law firm that is now requiring its lawyers to have profiles on the social networking site LinkedIn. Unorthodox, yes. But it means going where the prospects are.

So, what kind of Marketing 101 are you doing? Do you read your clients’ key industry publications and Web sites to know what concerns them? If your clients or referral sources are having a tough time business-wise, are you calling them to ask what you can do to help? If not, there’s no time like the present to begin. You need to be, and stay, top-of-mind with your clients, your contacts and your prospects. Wait, and it may be too late.

Ed Poll J.D., M.B.A., CMC is the principal of LawBiz® Management, a national law firm practice management consultancy based in Venice, California. For more information, visit his Web site www.LawBiz.com or email him at [email protected].

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