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		<title>Legal Business Development:  Where do you stop yourself from getting results?</title>
		<link>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/06/19/legal-business-development-where-do-you-stop-yourself-from-getting-results/</link>
		<comments>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/06/19/legal-business-development-where-do-you-stop-yourself-from-getting-results/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:14:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Julie Fleming</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Coaching for lawyers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.lexinnovablog.com/?p=2218</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p>A few days ago, a colleague and I were swapping stories about our business missteps:  the things that just didn&#8217;t work, and the things that were colossal, flaming failures.  To listen to us, you might think that neither of us had a viable business, must less a successful one&#8211;but fortunately, that isn&#8217;t at all the... <a class="more" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/06/19/legal-business-development-where-do-you-stop-yourself-from-getting-results/">Continue Reading</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p><strong><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2219" style="margin-left: 10px;margin-right: 10px" src="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/files/2013/06/Fotolia_32744675_XS-300x283.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="283" />A few days ago, a colleague and I were swapping stories about our business missteps:  the things that just didn&#8217;t work, and the things that were colossal, flaming failures.</strong>  To listen to us, you might think that neither of us had a viable business, must less a successful one&#8211;but fortunately, that isn&#8217;t at all the case.</p>
<p>Although the failure stories are fun to tell (with sufficient hindsight and success in the time since), <strong>the real story is in how we respond to the failures and, more importantly, how we turn failures into success.</strong>  Stella and I shared experiences in which we&#8217;d had to undertake massive action to change course and shift our results.  Sometimes graceful, usually not, we&#8217;d refused to quit until we had succeeded.</p>
<p><strong>Toward the end of our conversation, Stella said, &#8220;That&#8217;s the difference between success and failure:  <span id="more-2218"></span>knowing when to quit, and when to dig in and do what it takes to succeed.&#8221;</strong></p>
<p><strong>Are you stopping yourself when instead you should shift strategy and keep going?</strong>  Here are some indicators:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Have you put in enough effort?</strong>  I attended a Christian high school, and every classroom included a poster that read, &#8220;Bless me, Lord, according to my preparation.&#8221;  Religion aside, if your preparation has been half-hearted, you can&#8217;t expect good results.  Be honest:  have you put in the necessary time and energy to get the results you want?</li>
<li><strong>Are you picking apart opportunities unfairly?</strong>  Lawyers are highly skilled at finding problems, and that skill sometimes undermines business development.  For example, are you waiting until you find the perfect opportunity to get active in a relevant industry organization?  Are you searching for the perfect speaking opportunity?  If no action seems to have a sufficient likelihood of success, you may stop yourself from taking any action at all &#8212; and that&#8217;s a certain route to failure.</li>
<li><strong>Are you unconsciously looking for proof that you can&#8217;t land business?</strong>  If you believe that business development is a talent that you may lack, you may unintentionally expect and then highlight any evidence to support that proposition.  Do you expect to succeed?</li>
<li><strong>Do you feel disheartened?</strong> It&#8217;s ok to feel discouraged for a time, but recognize that feeling as an impotent emotion.  When you&#8217;re disheartened, you&#8217;ve given up and your activity will grind to a halt.A client once consulted me on an upcoming pitch and described some of the challenges that might prevent him from getting the matter.  Rick&#8217;s tone was downcast, though he put a good face on it by asking how he could address the problems in the future, so he might succeed next time. <strong> He had already given up on the pitch, which ensured that he would not be successful.</strong>
<p>I pointed out that he had declared failure prematurely and challenged him to buckle down and shoot for success or to bow out of the pitch contest altogether.  Rick chose to strategize how to meet the challenges that had consumed him.  <strong>He was irritated (first with me, then with the challenges themselves) and he used that energy to create and deliver a powerful pitch, and a few days later he received the good news that he&#8217;d been retained.</strong></p>
<p><strong>When things aren&#8217;t working out, take a bit of time to be disappointed, but then get your energy flowing.</strong>  Do whatever you do to pump yourself up (work out, listen to powerful music, review a list of your successful engagements) and then get active.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>Do you have a partner who can push you forward?</strong>  I pushed Rick forward, and many times my mentors have urged me to continue when I really wanted to give up.  Be sure that you have a mentor who can offer objective insight into whether you should keep going and who will give you a swift kick if you stop yourself.  You may find this a difficult determination at times, and outside help and support makes all the difference.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>A successful business development plan will require you to give up unsuccessful activities, but before you stop, be sure that you&#8217;re stopping for the right reasons.</strong>  Don&#8217;t allow the discomfort or discouragement to stop you short.</p>
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		<title>Rainmaker’s Book Review:  Network Like A Fox</title>
		<link>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/06/12/rainmakers-book-review-network-like-a-fox/</link>
		<comments>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/06/12/rainmakers-book-review-network-like-a-fox/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:00:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Julie Fleming</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Coaching for lawyers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.lexinnovablog.com/?p=2215</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p>I recently read Network Like A Fox:  A Targeted Approach to Building Successful Business Relationships in Person and Online, by Nancy Fox, networker extraordinaire and one of the speakers for the Legal Rainmakers Virtual Symposium. Networking has a negative reputation among so many lawyers.  It&#8217;s often time-intensive and, if not done well, can be a... <a class="more" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/06/12/rainmakers-book-review-network-like-a-fox/">Continue Reading</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p><strong>I recently read <em>Network Like A Fox:  A Targeted Approach to Building Successful Business Relationships in Person and Online</em>, by Nancy Fox,</strong> networker extraordinaire and one of the speakers for the <a href="http://www.legalrainmakersymposium.com/" target="_blank"><em>Legal Rainmakers Virtual Symposium</em></a>.</p>
<p><strong>Networking has a negative reputation among so many lawyers.</strong>  It&#8217;s often time-intensive and, if not done well, can be a waste of time.  Lots of us (especially us introverts) dread the thought of walking into a crowd of strangers, so we spend time with people we already know, hang out on the fringes of the room and escape as soon as it seems feasible, or find great and completely reasonable excuses not to go in the first place.</p>
<p><strong>Even if you get over those bars and meet new contacts, the challenges continue.</strong>  How often have you come back to your office with a stack of business cards and good intentions that get buried under a pile of work?  Even after the initial follow-up, continuing contact can be difficult to maintain, so relationships fizzle before they get off the ground.</p>
<p><strong>And yet, we all know that networking is critical to rainmaking.</strong>  Although you&#8217;re <a href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2009/07/20/what-are-your-rainmaking-priorities/" target="_blank">most likely to get business from or through people who already know you</a>, you need to be sure that you&#8217;re growing your network by adding new people on a regular basis.  After all, personal contacts are the <a href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/06/05/personal-contacts-the-foundation-of-every-successful-legal-business-development-plan/" target="_blank">foundation of every successful business development plan</a>.</p>
<p><strong>What&#8217;s a reluctant networker to do?  Read <em>Network Like A Fox</em>.</strong>  Here&#8217;s why:</p>
<p><strong><em>Network Like A Fox</em> offers clear, step-by-step, outcome-driven suggestions for networking.</strong>  This isn&#8217;t the same old, same, old, as becomes apparent immediately from Fox&#8217;s opening five Tenets:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>All Networking Is Not Created Equal:</strong>  You must network with the right people and engage in effective follow-up activity, or networking will be a waste.</li>
<li><strong>Your Attitude Is Your Aptitude:</strong>  Networking is a process, and it won&#8217;t work for you without bringing curiosity, interest in others, and a willingness to discover ways you can help one another.</li>
<li><strong>Who You Are Is Who You Hang Around With:</strong>  Spend time with successful people, not those who are mediocre or negative.  Fox expands this tenet into the unusual but highly effective strategy of &#8220;networking up&#8221; with decision-makers and influential members of your target community.</li>
<li><strong>The Right Relationships = Real Business:</strong>  Build relationships with people with like-minded interest and connections and those who are of the same caliber of professionalism.</li>
<li><strong>Networking Does Not Equal New Business.  It Is Only the Plus Sign:</strong>  Networking substantially increases the possibilities for new business, but you can&#8217;t expect that new business automatically networking.</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Fox begins by offering an appealing and nonthreatening definition of networking:  </strong>&#8220;Networking is just an extension of your interest and curiosity about people, what they are up to in business, and how you can help each other.&#8221;  This definition explains why those who go for conversation on topics of mutual interest often do well with networking, while those who are simply on the prowl for business and seek to talk primarily about themselves tend to fall flat.</p>
<p><strong>Fox urges networkers to eschew comfortable and easy networking in favor of building relationships with decision makers and influential business people.</strong>  This recommendation illustrates Fox&#8217;s absolute dedication to effective networking and underlines what I find so valuable about <em>Network Like A Fox</em>.  The book doesn&#8217;t spend time on the warm, fuzzy, &#8220;rah-rah&#8221; inspiration that&#8217;s so common in networking books, though it is full of encouragement.  Instead, it&#8217;s focused on how to make networking pay off, with case studies and advice on what it takes to make that happen.</p>
<p><strong>One of Fox&#8217;s central organizing approaches is to break down the ideal network into four Connection Archetypes:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Ideal Prospects</li>
<li>Ideal Introducers (Connectors)</li>
<li>Ideal Referrers</li>
<li>Ideal &#8220;sweet spot&#8221; Clients (end users)</li>
</ul>
<p>According to Fox, the &#8220;sweet spot&#8221; network (which she calls your &#8220;Grow Zone&#8221;) exists when all four of these ideal archetypes are present.</p>
<p><strong>Understanding the archetypes will help you to create a productive networking strategy,</strong> how to reach the kinds of people you need in your network, and to determine which contacts merit more time and attention.</p>
<p><strong>While <em>Network Like A Fox</em> is inarguably results-focused, it&#8217;s important to note that Fox doesn&#8217;t support or promote <em>quid pro quo</em> networking.</strong>  For instance, she recommends introducing the right people to one another as a way to enhance your value as a networker, but she cautions that expecting anything in return is a recipe for disappointment and frustration.  Instead, Fox writes:</p>
<blockquote><p>[T]he solution to this is completely letting go of expectations.  It is the way to set yourself free.  If people don&#8217;t return the favors you provide, don&#8217;t get mad or disappointed.  Get moving, meet more good people, sow more seeds.  You will meet the right people who will definitely introduce you to good people.  Your stress and frustration level will plummet.</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>Why should you read <em>Network Like A Fox</em>?</strong>  Simple:  networking is one of the few non-optional business development tasks.  There&#8217;s no way around networking, whether you choose face-to-face or online, and you must have networking skills if you&#8217;re going to build a book of business.  Fox offers realistic, simple, insightful methods to become a valued networker with a valuable circle of connections.</p>
<p><strong><em>Network Like A Fox</em> is one of the best books I&#8217;ve ever read on networking, and I recommend it without reservation.</strong>  As I told Nancy when we last spoke, networking isn&#8217;t my favorite activity, but talking with her and reading her book always makes me eager to go out and build some new connections.  I hope you&#8217;ll feel the same.</p>
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		<title>Personal Contacts:  The Foundation of Every Successful Legal Business Development Plan</title>
		<link>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/06/05/personal-contacts-the-foundation-of-every-successful-legal-business-development-plan/</link>
		<comments>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/06/05/personal-contacts-the-foundation-of-every-successful-legal-business-development-plan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:34:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Julie Fleming</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Coaching for lawyers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.lexinnovablog.com/?p=2212</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p>I clerked for a Federal judge in my first job after law school.  Among the many lessons Judge Forrester taught me was to look for the existence of a &#8220;Q&#8221; case, the source from which the rest of the precedents would flow.  In practice, I learned that some questions require the thorough search that would... <a class="more" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/06/05/personal-contacts-the-foundation-of-every-successful-legal-business-development-plan/">Continue Reading</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p><strong><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2213" style="margin-left: 10px;margin-right: 10px" src="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/files/2013/06/Fotolia_37982710_XS-300x185.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="185" />I clerked for a Federal judge in my first job after law school.</strong>  Among the many lessons Judge Forrester taught me was to look for the existence of a <a href="http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Q_document.html" target="_blank">&#8220;Q&#8221; case</a>, the source from which the rest of the precedents would flow.  In practice, I learned that some questions require the thorough search that would to the Q case, while other simply needed &#8220;quick and dirty&#8221; research to get to the right answer.</p>
<p><strong>When it comes to business development, there&#8217;s one &#8220;Q&#8221; activity:  making personal contacts.</strong>  Although not every activity truly flows from making personal contacts, contacts make every other activity much more effective.<span id="more-2212"></span></p>
<p>As Bob Burg, author of <em>Endless Referrals</em>, wrote, &#8220;All things being equal, people will do business with and refer business to those people they know, like, and trust.&#8221;  In other words, <strong>the more people who know you and think well of you, the more likely you are to receive business and referrals.</strong></p>
<p>While you might argue about whether all things are ever equal, think about how you select any service professional you hire.  <strong>Whether you&#8217;re looking for a dentist, a house painter, a baby sitter, or a lawyer, chances are that you check with a least one or two of your contacts to get a referral, and a significant number of clients who seek your services will do the same.</strong>  Knowing more people increases the chance that someone in need of your services will find out about you.</p>
<p>Likewise, your current and former clients know and (let&#8217;s hope) like and trust you.  They also have had the experience of working with you, so they know how you serve clients and may be able to evaluate, to some extent, your legal ability.  As a result, <strong>current and former clients may be even more likely to refer business to you and, where your practice is amenable, bring you additional work themselves.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Even discounting the possibility of landing new business, knowing more people increases the chance that you&#8217;ll be invited to speak, to join a relevant Board of Directors, to attend events that your ideal clients might attend, and so on.</strong>  The more people you know, the more you&#8217;ll be in the flow of information that may benefit you&#8211;and the more you&#8217;ll be in contact with people whom you might be able to serve or help in some other way.</p>
<p>So, <strong>the bottom line is that the more people you know, the more likely you are to bring in new business.</strong>  And it follows naturally that, without knowing any information about your specific practice or your strengths, the &#8220;Q&#8221; activity for growing your law practice is to work on consistently and strategically increasing your network contacts.</p>
<p>Consider these questions to kick-start your networking:</p>
<ul>
<li>Are most of your clients referrals, or do clients contact your directly?  (Should you look to increase your network of potential clients or potential referral sources&#8211;or, more likely, both?)</li>
<li>Where do your ideal clients congregate?</li>
<li>Where do your ideal referral sources congregate?</li>
<li>What organizations offer a natural fit for your practice, by virtue of subject area or membership, and how can you get involved?</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>No matter what your business development plan might be, personal contacts are a foundational activity for any rainmaker.</strong></p>
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		<title>Make the Most of Your Summer with These Productivity and Efficiency Tips</title>
		<link>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/29/make-the-most-of-your-summer-with-these-productivity-and-efficiency-tips/</link>
		<comments>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/29/make-the-most-of-your-summer-with-these-productivity-and-efficiency-tips/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 29 May 2013 16:45:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Julie Fleming</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Coaching for lawyers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time management/productivity]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.lexinnovablog.com/?p=2209</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p>Over the years, I&#8217;ve put together a lot of tips about how to accomplish more, how to get energized, and how to make the most of time away from the office.  In honor of the unofficial start of summer in the U.S. (and vacations everywhere!), I&#8217;m sharing a potpourri of greatest hits here.  Click on... <a class="more" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/29/make-the-most-of-your-summer-with-these-productivity-and-efficiency-tips/">Continue Reading</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p><strong><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2210" style="margin-left: 10px;margin-right: 10px" src="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/files/2013/05/Fotolia_52161230_XS-300x189.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="189" />Over the years, I&#8217;ve put together a lot of tips about how to accomplish more, how to get energized, and how to make the most of time away from the office.</strong>  In honor of the unofficial start of summer in the U.S. (and vacations everywhere!), I&#8217;m sharing a potpourri of greatest hits here.  Click on each link to visit the full article.<span id="more-2209"></span></p>
<ol>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2006/07/07/increase-your-efficiency-by-cutting-the-time-you-spend-in-the-office/" target="_blank">Increase your efficiency by cutting the time you spend in the office</a>:</strong>  This post shares three tips about how you can shift your approach to work so you can get more done and get out the door.</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2007/07/24/the-reset-button/" target="_blank">The Reset Button</a>:</strong>  Two tips to help you feel less pressured, which in turn will increase your efficiency and effectiveness.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2012/12/13/addressing-burnout-your-productivity-depends-on-it-2/" target="_blank"><strong>Addressing Burnout:</strong>  </a><strong><a href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2012/12/13/addressing-burnout-your-productivity-depends-on-it-2/" target="_blank">Your Productivity Depends on It</a>:</strong>  How can disconnecting from your work improve your productivity?</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2012/08/03/get-out-of-the-office/" target="_blank">Get Out of the Office</a>:</strong>  Your best thoughts about work probably won&#8217;t happen at work.</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2009/08/10/the-productive-value-of-vacation/" target="_blank">The Productive Value of Vacation</a>:</strong>  How short bursts of recreation can refresh and reinvigorate you.</li>
</ol>
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		<title>Legal Rainmaking:  To Sell Is…</title>
		<link>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/24/legal-rainmaking-to-sell-is/</link>
		<comments>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/24/legal-rainmaking-to-sell-is/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 24 May 2013 13:33:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Julie Fleming</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Client development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coaching for lawyers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.lexinnovablog.com/?p=2205</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p>This week, I met with a lawyer who&#8217;s been in practice for 50 years, who will be using The Reluctant Rainmaker to teach a law school class on business development.  We touched on how the practice has changed over the years and why he encouraged his sons to become lawyers, but the bulk of our... <a class="more" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/24/legal-rainmaking-to-sell-is/">Continue Reading</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p><strong>This week, I met with a lawyer who&#8217;s been in practice for 50 years, who will be using <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reluctant-Rainmaker-Guide-Lawyers-Selling/dp/0977401863/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1369092554&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=reluctant+rainmaker" target="_blank"><em>The Reluctant Rainmaker</em></a> to teach a law school class on business development.</strong>  We touched on how the practice has changed over the years and why he encouraged his sons to become lawyers, but the bulk of our conversation centered on how he has marketed his practice over the years.  Perhaps you&#8217;ll be interested in these three takeaways from our talk:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Business development starts with personal development and must be grounded in integrity, authenticity, and truth.</strong>  Turns out that we&#8217;re both fans of Stephen Covey&#8217;s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and I recommended The Speed of Trust by Covey&#8217;s son, Stephen M. R. Covey.</li>
<li><strong>Small, consistent touches are memorable and build relationships.</strong>  For instance, this lawyer sends a book that meant a great deal to him when his mother died whenever he learns of a death in a client&#8217;s immediate family.  His firm also uses a client satisfaction form at the close of every representation, and he&#8217;s created cards to send whenever he sees a client mentioned in the news.</li>
<li><strong>Meeting new people is critical to the success of any practice.</strong>  This lawyer serves on several boards, speaks regularly to associations relevant to his practice, and is active in a wide variety of community activities.  As we discussed, the small, consistent touches won&#8217;t accomplish anything if you don&#8217;t have people to receive them.</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>We also agreed that too many lawyers have bought into the myth that sales is inapplicable to professionals.</strong>  If you&#8217;re not sure what I mean by that, be sure to register for this week&#8217;s complimentary webinar <em><strong>Rainmaking Demystified and DeMYTHified.</strong></em>  (Check <a href="http://www2.onlinemeetingnow.com/register/?id=08cad887e9" target="_blank">this page</a> to learn more and to register.)  Every lawyer must understand how to sell, and that&#8217;s why I&#8217;ve reviewed Daniel Pink&#8217;s recent book <em>To Sell Is Human</em> recently.  <a href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/22/legal-marketin…-sell-is-human/" target="_blank">Read about that here.</a></p>
<p><strong>Out of curiosity, how would you complete the sentence stem, To sell is&#8230;?</strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Legal Marketing:  To Sell Is Human</title>
		<link>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/22/legal-marketing-to-sell-is-human/</link>
		<comments>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/22/legal-marketing-to-sell-is-human/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 May 2013 17:00:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Julie Fleming</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Client development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coaching for lawyers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.lexinnovablog.com/?p=2201</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p>The subtitle of Daniel Pink&#8217;s recent book To Sell Is Human is The Surprising Truth About Moving Others.  I&#8217;m not entirely sure that the truths shared in the book are altogether surprising, but the book puts a human, approachable face on a necessary skill that suffers from a bad reputation. Pink starts by proving that... <a class="more" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/22/legal-marketing-to-sell-is-human/">Continue Reading</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p><strong><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-2203" src="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/files/2013/05/ToSellisHuman.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" />The subtitle of Daniel Pink&#8217;s recent book <em>To Sell Is Human</em> is <em>The Surprising Truth About Moving Others</em>.</strong>  I&#8217;m not entirely sure that the truths shared in the book are altogether surprising, but the book puts a human, approachable face on a necessary skill that suffers from a bad reputation.</p>
<p><strong>Pink starts by proving that we&#8217;re all in sales now.</strong>  He defines sales as the business of persuading, convincing, and influencing, which he calls &#8220;moving&#8221; others.  With a definition that broad, it&#8217;s almost impossible to find someone who isn&#8217;t in what Pink calls &#8220;non-sales selling.&#8221;  Pitching an idea (to a boss, a team, or a jury), convincing a hyped-up kid to go to bed, or teaching resistent students all qualify as sales activity.<span id="more-2201"></span></p>
<p><strong>Nonetheless, the majority of people view selling with distaste, largely because of the deceptive tactics that salespeople are known to pull.</strong>  Pink cites record-breaking car salesman Joe Girard, known for establishing relationships with buyers by fabricating connections.  (&#8220;You&#8217;re from Yonkers?  Me too!  Your aunt has a beach house on Long Island?  Me too!  Your middle name is Thaddeus The Great?  Me too!&#8221;  UGH, right?)  Although Girard was quite successful in the past, Pink suggests that he wouldn&#8217;t do as well in today&#8217;s world.  Why?</p>
<p><strong>We have shifted, writes Pink, from <em>caveat emptor</em> to <em>caveat venditor</em>.</strong>  Today&#8217;s purchasers come into sales conversations armed with information, reviews, and ratings of products and services.  As a result, sales now consists of curating information to assist the purchaser, finding answers together, and making sales both personal and purposeful.</p>
<p><strong>In contrast to the old &#8220;ABC&#8221; = &#8220;Always Be Closing&#8221; model of sales, Pink defines the ABCs as Attunement, Buoyancy, and Clarity.</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Attunement</strong> refers to approaching the sales exchange from the buyer&#8217;s perspective.  Pink notes that in contrast to the stereotype that extroverts are the best personality type for sales, ambiverts (meaning those in the middle of the extrovert/introvert range) are actually more successful because of superior skill in attunement.</li>
<li><strong>Buoyancy</strong> is the combination of &#8220;a gritty spirit and a sunny outlook.&#8221;  Pink urges sellers to be optimistic and reason-focused (asking, for instance, &#8220;Can I succeed?&#8221; before a sales encounter, to prompt reasons to expect success rather than just ungrounded motivation), with just enough negativity to stay pragmatic.</li>
<li><strong>Clarity</strong> calls on a successful seller&#8217;s ability to define the problem to be solved through the sale and why the purchaser might not want to buy your solution.  Pink offers several tactics to use her, including emphasizing experience over material objects and including a small negative attribute to the solution being sold to make the positives more believable.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>When it comes to the &#8220;how to&#8221; of selling, To Sell Is Human is not comprehensive, and if you&#8217;re looking to become an expert in sales, you&#8217;ll want to add other resources.</strong>  However, he offers three points that provide significant insight into the process of selling.  One of the most useful is Pink&#8217;s list of six new ways to pitch a solution:  the one-word pitch, the question pitch, the rhyming pitch, the 140-character Twitter-style pitch, the subject line pitch, and the <em>Pixar</em> pitch.  These won&#8217;t translate directly to selling legal services, but the exercise is helpful in crystallizing what a buyer needs to know and what will pique her interest.</p>
<p><strong>Pink also recommends the use of improvisation techniques, which allow the seller to accept whatever a buyer says and to add a suggestion that supports the sale.</strong>  I couldn&#8217;t agree more about the value of improv for sales and any other business discussion.  See my review of <a href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2011/03/17/book-review-3/" target="_blank"><em>Improv Wisdom</em></a> for additional suggestions.</p>
<p><strong>Pink finally urges sellers to come from service, focusing on the value that the solution will bring to the buyer.</strong>  This point feels like the most &#8220;human&#8221; of the suite:  instead of just looking from the buyer&#8217;s perspective, service requires an independent determination that the buyer will benefit.  Sales, in other words, is not done <em>to</em> someone, it&#8217;s done <em>for</em> them.</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><strong>What&#8217;s in it for lawyers?</strong></p>
<p><strong>So many lawyers have told me that they can&#8217;t possibly excel in rainmaking because they aren&#8217;t extroverts.</strong>  <a href="http://www.goodlifeproject.com/dan-pink-sell-human/" target="_blank">This interview</a> in which Pink explained why ambiverts (which includes most of us) perform the best in sales is what prompted me to pick up the book.  If you&#8217;ve ever worried that your introversion will block your ability to land business, read the book.  That section alone makes it worthwhile.</p>
<p><strong>More generally, the book&#8217;s premise and examples will help to mitigate distaste for selling and the idea is something you do to someone, not for them.  </strong>That shift in perspective alone can transform the way you approach business development.</p>
<p><strong>Finally, the examples and exercises will focus your attention and will help you to improve in sales.</strong>  As I said, learning sales techniques will require additional training (I recommend <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Complex-Sale-Compete-Stakes/dp/0470533110" target="_blank"><em>Mastering the Complex Sale:  How to Compete and Win When the Stakes are High!</em> </a> By Jeff Thull), but <em>To Sell Is Human</em> will help to erase discomfort around sales and provide an authentic way of approaching a necessary task.</p>
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		<title>Rainmaking Demystified — REGISTER NOW</title>
		<link>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/21/rainmaking-demystified-register-now/</link>
		<comments>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/21/rainmaking-demystified-register-now/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2013 15:39:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Julie Fleming</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Client development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coaching for lawyers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.lexinnovablog.com/?p=2198</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p>MARK YOUR CALENDAR:  Complimentary Webinar Do you believe any of these rainmaking myths? I&#8217;m a great lawyer, so clients will seek me out.  I don&#8217;t need to do anything special to bring in business. I&#8217;m in my first few years of practice.  I don&#8217;t need to worry about business development yet. I don&#8217;t want to... <a class="more" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/21/rainmaking-demystified-register-now/">Continue Reading</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p><strong><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2199" style="margin-left: 10px;margin-right: 10px" src="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/files/2013/05/Fotolia_51084569_XS-300x208.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="208" />MARK YOUR CALENDAR:  Complimentary Webinar</strong></p>
<p>Do you believe any of these rainmaking myths?</p>
<ul>
<li>I&#8217;m a great lawyer, so clients will seek me out.  I don&#8217;t need to do anything special to bring in business.</li>
<li>I&#8217;m in my first few years of practice.  I don&#8217;t need to worry about business development yet.</li>
<li>I don&#8217;t want to seem pushy or obnoxious.  If ____ wants to work with me, she&#8217;ll let me know.</li>
<li>I can have the career I want as a service partner.</li>
<li>New business means new clients.  I need to convert strangers into clients.</li>
<li>Rainmakers are born, not made.</li>
</ul>
<p>If so, you&#8217;re not alone.<span id="more-2198"></span></p>
<p><strong>Many would-be rainmakers fall victim to myths about when, whether, and how they should engage in business development activity.</strong>  Starting in law school (and sometimes even earlier), we&#8217;re exposed to these myths.  <strong>If you believe even one of these myths, especially unconsciously, you&#8217;re dooming your rainmaking efforts.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Join me for the complimentary webinar <em>Rainmaking Demystified (and De-mythified):  What You <span style="text-decoration: underline">Think</span> You Know About Business Development Can Kill Your Practice</em>.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://www2.onlinemeetingnow.com/register/?id=08cad887e9" target="_blank">REGISTER NOW</a></p>
<p>In this 45-minute webinar, I&#8217;ll introduce the four categories of myths that trap lawyers beginning as early as law school, and I&#8217;ll debunk some examples, giving you tips along the way to help you harness the truth about business development.  It isn&#8217;t enough to recognize what&#8217;s false, so I&#8217;ll share tips and strategies for the actions you must take to build a thriving practice.</p>
<p><strong>You&#8217;ll leave knowing how to spot myths that you may have accepted as truth and what to do instead.</strong></p>
<p>There&#8217;s <span style="text-decoration: underline">nothing for sale on this webinar</span>&#8211;just free information designed to help you build a client pipeline to support your profitable and satisfying practice.</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://www2.onlinemeetingnow.com/register/?id=08cad887e9" target="_blank">REGISTER NOW</a></p>
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		<title>Why You MUST Track Your Rainmaking Results</title>
		<link>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/16/why-you-must-track-your-rainmaking-results/</link>
		<comments>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/16/why-you-must-track-your-rainmaking-results/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2013 12:28:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Julie Fleming</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Client development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coaching for lawyers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.lexinnovablog.com/?p=2195</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p>How do you track the results you get from your business development efforts?  I recently spoke with a potential client and asked that question.  Her response?  &#8221;I don&#8217;t need to track my results.  I know what&#8217;s working.&#8221;  She had a $25,000 book of business, and based on our conversation, I suspect she could triple that... <a class="more" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/16/why-you-must-track-your-rainmaking-results/">Continue Reading</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p><strong><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2196" style="margin-left: 10px;margin-right: 10px" src="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/files/2013/05/Fotolia_52059645_XS-300x186.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="186" />How do you track the results you get from your business development efforts?</strong>  I recently spoke with a potential client and asked that question.  Her response?  &#8221;I don&#8217;t need to track my results.  I know what&#8217;s working.&#8221;  She had a $25,000 book of business, and based on our conversation, I suspect she could triple that relatively quickly just by getting clear on what was and wasn&#8217;t working in her rainmaking.</p>
<p><strong>When you&#8217;re working on legal business development, having some sense of which activities are profitable is extremely important as you determine whether to discontinue or to increase your involvement with that activity.</strong>  Unfortunately, an informal, memory-based, qualitative system for tracking results is not sufficient.  Memories fade and may be inaccurate.  Just as mental tracking is unreliable for balancing a checkbook, it is insufficient for making decisions about business development activity.</p>
<p><strong>Every lawyer should have a client intake routine that includes determining how that client became aware of you and your practice.</strong>  Consider incorporating into your client intake form a question that asks, &#8220;How did you find out about me/this firm?&#8221;</p>
<p><strong><span id="more-2195"></span>If you work in a larger firm that does not use intake forms, consider creating your own form</strong> that requests the information and gathers information about how and when a client wants to be contacted, who else should be kept apprised of the matter&#8217;s progress, and other information that will help you deliver better client service.  And if you&#8217;d prefer to avoid forms altogether, create an intake checklist so you make certain to ask these questions.</p>
<p><strong>This insight from business performance improvement expert Dr. H. James Harrington applies directly to business development for lawyers:</strong></p>
<blockquote><p>Measurement is the first step that leads to control and eventually to improvement.  If you can&#8217;t measure something, you can&#8217;t understand it.  If you can&#8217;t understand it, you can&#8217;t control it.  If you can&#8217;t control it, you can&#8217;t improve it.</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>How important is it to track your results?</strong>  According to one consultant, two out of <a href="http://www.larrybodine.com/articles.asp?Action=GetOneArticle&amp;ArticleID=70" target="_blank">The Ten Most Effective Law Marketing Techniques</a> deal with tracking (numbers 3 and 10).  While I might word my top 10 list differently, there&#8217;s no doubt that knowing what is and is not working is critical if you want to grow your practice.</p>
<p><strong>Extra tip for law firm marketing:  if you&#8217;re hoping to increase your firm&#8217;s or team&#8217;s business development results, one of the first steps you should put into place is tracking what each team member is doing and what results those activities are generating.</strong>  Not only will you have better information about which activities work, but you&#8217;ll also get much-needed information about which team members are putting in the appropriate effort, where their strengths lie, and how you can help them to be more successful.</p>
<p><strong>How do you track your results?</strong>  If you&#8217;d like to get a baseline of your business development effectiveness plus tips for your next steps, take the 20-question <a href="http://www.lawpracticeprofitabilityaudit.com" target="_blank">Law Practice Profitability Audit</a>.  There&#8217;s no charge, and you&#8217;ll get insight into what you&#8217;re doing well plus where you can improve and how to do so.  Completing the assessment will take about 5 minutes, and you&#8217;ll get a personalized report delivered by email as soon as you submit your responses.  Visit <a href="http://www.lawpracticeprofitabilityaudit.com" target="_blank">this page</a> to get started.</p>
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		<title>Legal Business Development:  Do this &amp; never compete on price again</title>
		<link>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/08/legal-business-development-do-this-never-compete-on-price-again/</link>
		<comments>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/08/legal-business-development-do-this-never-compete-on-price-again/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 May 2013 19:15:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Julie Fleming</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Coaching for lawyers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.lexinnovablog.com/?p=2192</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p>Warning:  Being a fungible billing unit is bad for growing your law practice! I&#8217;ve written previously on finding your Unique Service Proposition, which distinguishes you from other lawyers (and non-lawyers) serving your ideal clients&#8217; legal needs.  In that article, I noted that if you are one of a pool of fungible practitioners, you&#8217;ll be forced... <a class="more" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/08/legal-business-development-do-this-never-compete-on-price-again/">Continue Reading</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p><strong><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2193" style="margin-left: 10px;margin-right: 10px" src="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/files/2013/05/Fotolia_38459401_XS-300x208.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="208" />Warning:  Being a fungible billing unit is bad for growing your law practice!</strong></p>
<p><strong>I&#8217;ve <a href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/02/07/identify-your-unique-service-proposition/" target="_blank">written previously</a> on finding your Unique Service Proposition, which distinguishes you from other lawyers (and non-lawyers) serving your ideal clients&#8217; legal needs.</strong>  In that article, I noted that if you are one of a pool of fungible practitioners, you&#8217;ll be forced to rely on other ways of distinguishing your practice&#8211;including, perhaps, competing on price.</p>
<p><strong>In today&#8217;s cost-conscious environment, many lawyers feel that they must compete on price.</strong>  (Note that this issue applies to all lawyers, regardless of the size of firm or sophistication of practice.)  No savvy client will pay an undeserved premium, and clients seem to hold the advantage in hiring lawyers these days.  But competing on price is not the only option. <span id="more-2192"></span></p>
<p><strong>Other lawyers struggle to find a reason why a potential client should choose them over someone else.</strong>  Personal connections make a difference, and many lawyers feel most skilled in landing business after a face-to-face consultation.  But getting to that point may seem daunting.</p>
<p><strong>When it comes to marketing, if you feel like you&#8217;re just one of a large number of fungible billing units, you&#8217;ll have trouble standing out from your competitors in a way that will be appealing to potential clients.</strong></p>
<p>The common thread?  The belief, <em><strong>All of the lawyers in my practice area are the same.</strong></em></p>
<p><strong>At first blush, this may be true.</strong>  You most likely have the same education and similar experience (though the depth of that experience may differ), and most lawyers would say that they are strategic, good listeners, responsive, and smart.  Fair enough.</p>
<p><strong>Your task is to dig deeper and find what sets you apart from others in your practice</strong> so that your potential clients and referral sources know what makes you the best lawyer for their specific needs.  Without a clear point of differentiation, you are simply one of many fungible lawyers, which makes your business development job more difficult.</p>
<p><strong>When searching for what makes you different, consider these examples:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Does (or should) your practice focus on some subset of clients or issues?</strong>  For example, you might be an employment attorney who focuses on the food service industry.</li>
<li><strong>Do you have previous experience or education that is particularly relevant to your practice?</strong>  For example, if you do white collar defense and you previously prosecuted such cases with the Department of Justice, that insight will distinguish you from other defense attorneys.</li>
<li><strong>Do you approach your cases in an unusual way?</strong>  For example, you might offer a collaborative approach.  In some practice areas, flat fee billing or a retainer engagement would be a distinctive form of practice.</li>
<li><strong>What skills or resources do you have that benefit your clients?</strong>  Consider fluency in a foreign language, a wide network of advisors and service providers you can refer to your clients, or a familiarity with a foreign legal system that&#8217;s relevant to your practice.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>When you determine what sets you apart from others who practice in the area of law that you do, you lay the groundwork for business development activity that is both distinctive and appealing.</strong>  But remember:  the touchstone of these points of distinction must be usefulness to your clients.  You should not market based on your skill in rock-climbing, because it will not benefit clients&#8211;unless you have a niche practice in representing individuals who suffered injury on rock climbs and now seek to sue an expedition leader.</p>
<p><strong>Questions for you to consider today:</strong>  What sets you apart in a way that your clients value?  How can you capitalize on that attribute or experience in your marketing?</p>
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		<title>Tips to Simplify Legal Newsletters</title>
		<link>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/01/tips-to-simplify-legal-newsletters-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/01/tips-to-simplify-legal-newsletters-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2013 18:54:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Julie Fleming</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Coaching for lawyers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.lexinnovablog.com/?p=2189</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p>Newsletters offer a way to stay in contact with a large number of contacts easily, consistently, and productively.  Newsletters focus on substantive information, and assuming you&#8217;ve defined your areas of practice carefully enough, your content will be valuable to recipients and therefore welcome.  Better yet, if your topics are timely and if you include an... <a class="more" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/2013/05/01/tips-to-simplify-legal-newsletters-2/">Continue Reading</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><p><em>By <a rel="author" href="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/author/jfleming/">Julie Fleming</a></em></p></p><p><strong><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2190" style="margin-left: 15px;margin-right: 15px" src="http://www.lexinnovablog.com/files/2013/04/Fotolia_40756646_XS-300x223.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="223" />Newsletters offer a way to stay in contact with a large number of contacts easily, consistently, and productively.</strong>  Newsletters focus on substantive information, and assuming you&#8217;ve defined your areas of practice carefully enough, your content will be valuable to recipients and therefore welcome.  Better yet, if your topics are timely and if you include an appropriate call to action, you may even receive requests for assistance on matters related to your writing.</p>
<p><strong>Most firms have multiple newsletters tailored to their various areas of practice, often with multiple contributors.</strong>  Whether you&#8217;re responsible for coordinating the content for your firm&#8217;s (or team&#8217;s) newsletter or you&#8217;re a sole practitioner with soup-to-nuts responsibility for the newsletter, you&#8217;ve probably had more than a few hair-raising moments wondering how you can possibly get it all done.  (And if your firm doesn&#8217;t have a newsletter, I can virtually guarantee that fear is the top reason why not.)</p>
<p><strong>So, let&#8217;s make newsletters simple.</strong>  These five tips and resources will reduce the time and angst required to produce a newsletter that delivers results.<span id="more-2189"></span><!--more--></p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Repurpose presentations and articles</strong> you have written for publication elsewhere into newsletter content.  Shorter articles tend to be more useful, especially in electronic newsletters, so you can often get several issues of content from a single article.</li>
<li><strong>Keep a list of generic questions your clients ask and turn the responses into newsletter articles.</strong>  You must make certain that no one interprets your article as legal advice for them (check your local ethics rules to be sure you&#8217;re in compliance) but with appropriate language, you can easily create useful information based on frequently asked questions.</li>
<li><strong>Use social media to &#8220;listen&#8221; for topics you should cover.</strong>  You may find news or op-ed pieces you&#8217;d like to address, and by catching hot topics, you&#8217;re increasing the chance that your readers will be interested.</li>
<li><strong>Include the &#8220;so what&#8221; for news.</strong>  It&#8217;s hard to offer unique breaking news that isn&#8217;t being covered by journalists, bloggers, and other newsletters, but you can one-up many other reports by including some analysis and commentary of the news.  In other words, let others handle the details of <em>who</em>, <em>what</em>, <em>when</em>, <em>where</em>, and <em>how</em>.  You focus on the <em>why</em> and <em>so what</em>.</li>
<li><strong>Source your content from a good outside vendor.</strong>  In the past, I would not have recommended using pre-written articles because they&#8217;re generally easy to identify a mile away.  Generic and often not written for the audience to whom they&#8217;re sent, bad pre-written articles that are simply dropped into a template will <em>not</em> help your marketing efforts and may indeed inflict terminal damage.</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>But I recently learned about a content provider that offers well-written articles</strong> that can (and really should) be edited so that they offer good information with your unique voice and perspective.</p>
<p><strong>Insight in Motion, an offering from Amicus Media, offers articles written by lawyers on topics currently including estate planning, family law, bankruptcy, immigration, and personal injury.</strong>  (I&#8217;ve urged them to include intellectual property soon&#8211;we&#8217;ll see!)  I&#8217;ve reviewed the articles and I&#8217;m impressed with the information presented and the way the content is presented.</p>
<p>Offering two levels of subscriptions based on the number of legal articles you need each month and number of practice areas,<strong> Insight in Motion provides a &#8220;keep it simple&#8221; approach at a reasonable price.</strong>  Even better, the company will create a customized newsletter template and send your newsletters if you&#8217;d like.  The content can even be published on your firm&#8217;s website or blog.</p>
<p>I took a thorough tour of the system and asked the same questions you likely would, and I&#8217;m impressed.  <strong>If your practice falls within the areas that Insight in Motion covers and you&#8217;ve been holding off on creating a newsletter, this may be your golden opportunity.</strong></p>
<p><strong>For more information on Insight in Motion, <a href="http://insightinmotion.com/lawyer/Email-marketing/Newsletters_for_Law_Firms_pa7684.htm" target="_blank">visit this page</a>.</strong></p>
<p>And in case you&#8217;re wondering:  no, I will not receive any affiliate fees or other incentive if you enroll in Insight in Motion.</p>
<p><strong>Which of these tips can you use to make your newsletter strategy simpler?</strong></p>
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