The National Creditors Bar Association Law Practice Management Blog

Remember  that scene from the ‘Wizard of Oz’, where the guard at the gates of  the  Emerald City is very reticent to let Dorothy and her friends in, until he realizes who they are, and changes his tune ?  Well, consider yourself the green- moustachioed  guard, and your law firm clients  Dorothy Gale .  The only problem is, by the time you figure out who’s at your gates, and when you’re ready to help them, they’re already long gone.   The point is that most law firms unconsciously set up barriers between themselves and their clients.  Lawyers don’t like to pick up the phone, and talk to existing clients, let alone potential clients, thereby driving a wedge between them and their business.  Clunky contact forms at law firm websites   don’t always work.  Well, that’s another barrier.  Believe it or not, voicemail is a barrier.  Anything that stands between you and engagement with a potential client is a barrier.  And, more than anything else, the modern practice of law is ab

Marketing is often more subtle than people think.  It’s usually more about creating and maintain ing  subtle methods for extending brand awareness than anything else.  If you can stay ‘top of mind’, by figuring out ways to regularly disseminate information to potentially interested parties, then it becomes more likely that potential clients will find  you , and existing clients and referral sources will send new clients your way.   Most businesspeople, including most lawyers ,  already know that this is kind of a subliminal game;  the challenge is putting yourself in a position to be recognized  as an appropriate solution  when a potential law firm client or referral source is seeking a legal service provider to use or recommend.   Here are three ways, then, to stay top of mind:   Publish an eNewsletter.   If you produce any kind of content for  your  law firm, this is a great place to highlight it.  Being top of mind is more about getting your brand in front of people,