Most lawyers went to law school to one day make a positive impact on the lives of others. Sure, the media has historically glorified the legal profession as one of money, power and prestige but my experience is that most attorneys really want to help people solve difficult problems and fight the good fight. As a professional, the extent to which you are able to realize that objective is based on two primary factors:
1. Your skill and effectiveness as an attorney.
2. The total number of clients you are able to serve through the application of your practice.
This post focuses on factor #2:
In the process of helping others it is possible to become very successful financially and create a wonderful lifestyle for yourself along the way. Yes, it is a lot more competitive now and new forces are at play in the legal space, but it is possible. Sometimes you might feel an inner struggle between helping people and making money or that somehow the pursuit of wealth is an unattractive goal by itself. But money and success are the means—the fuel—that allows you to best help others. In fact, these objectives are entirely complimentary.
Many business people, including attorneys, fail to recognize the important ethical role that marketing plays in their business. In doing so, they develop a mindset that is self-defeating to themselves, and their clients. As an attorney you are in business, period. Embrace that fact and learn to enjoy the challenge. How effectively you operate your business is entirely contingent on you. There are enormously successful lawyers in terms of client numbers and large incomes and some that are barely able to scrape out a living. The difference between these extremes is not just competency, but rather mindset. You may be an incredibly skillful legal practitioner but unless you have people willing to use your services, your skills are of no value.
It takes a Marketing Mindset to be successful.
We regularly hear from lawyers that feel as though marketing is somehow distasteful or even unethical. Why? Would you not want to be informed of the the existence of competent professionals whose services you may require? Many feel as though it’s too ‘sales-y’ and just not comfortable with it. Give people the benefit of the doubt and trust in their intelligence. They are not sheep being led to slaughter! They are smart, proactive consumers who want your services. Let them know you are available.
As a valued legal adviser it’s critical that you put yourself in the Marketing Mindset. Only then will you be able to ethically fulfill your objective of providing maximum value to the largest audience possible and simultaneously fulfill your complementary goal of building a successful business. Actively promote your services through compelling inbound marketing that clearly describes what you can offer potential clients.
Once you fully embrace a Marketing Mindset (one that is free of much of the negative baggage of historical legal decorum) you’ll realize that you are now in control of your ability to fulfill your primary objectives – to assist your clients, and to build a successful business. These objectives become complimentary and you create a truly win-win situation between the desires of your clients and your own desires. Their success grows your business and growing your business allows you to help more people.
It sometimes requires radical thinking to break free of limitations. It’s worth every bit of the effort.
Make 2014 your breakout year, contact JurisLead and find out how high quality attorney leads can supercharge your practice.