This is a Guest Blog Post, compliments of Dr. Drew Stevens – a friend, colleague, consultant, speaker, expert media source, author of seven books including “Split Second Selling“, and President of Drew Stevens Consulting, offering free advice and guidance on Business Development & Sales on his blog.  By the way, if you’re not closing 50% – 70% of calls from potential clients, you might want to have a chat with Drew – that’s one of his specialties.

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There is a cliché that states for those that follow horoscopes that your moon is in….

Marketing your business works similarly. You need to create a gravitational pull – to you – so that you spend less time calling and handing out brochures. You need to invent magnetism so that clients gravitate to you.

One of the best methods for people to find out who you are is to announce your expertise to the world. Yes, let people find you. Think about this, when was the last time you ordered something from someone cold calling you? Meet any very wealthy cold calling stockbrokers or mortgage brokers recently?

My program in Split Second Marketing™ Building a Message that Clients Hear contains over 25 different marketing attraction techniques. Listed here is the top 7.

1. Speaking. One of the best methods to introduce your expertise is to tell others about what you do. Rotary’s, Kiwanis, Chambers of Commerce are constantly in need of experts. Contact these organizations or others to discuss content to enlighten their members. Participants are attracted by new and interesting content.
2. Writing Articles. There are more newspapers in circulation today then ever before. There is a multitude of newsletters, web sites, regional business magazines, and local newspapers starving for decent material. Articles need not be more than 500 to 1000 words. With good content and a solid byline your message can be in the hands of hundreds or thousands.
3. Website. The proliferation of the Internet allows others to discover your content and determine your value. Fees are inconsequential and the business world requires a website to denote your sincerity to clients.
4. Blogs. Similar to articles having a Blog serves two purposes 1) remaining in constant contact with current subscribers 2) enabling you to reach new clients at relatively no cost. The difference from articles is immediacy of availability and frequency of your content.
5. Lunch and Learns. These concise information sessions last no longer than 30 minutes during a corporate luncheon and feature your content. Benefits are a live audience, interested attendees and low cost of acquisition. The intent is not only delivery but possible business from attendees.
6. Booklets. Typically focused on one topic, these small content rich pieces feature your advice on one particular topic i.e. sales skills. Booklets can be used for potential clients as handouts or products to be sold at special events.
7. Products. When clients become enamored with your content your style and most importantly your results, they want you!!! Products such as CD’s, DVD’s, books, booklets, hooded sweatshirts, etc. make great passive income.

Refrain from the bromide tactics others use and begin to conduct yourself with poise, power and differentiation. The world today requires new methods of selling, new methods of marketing and more importantly, methods that are memorable. If you truly want to sell more, stop unearthing decision makers, let them search for you.

In a prior post (Potential Clients Fear The Phone?), I discussed the fear or mistrust potential clients have in contacting you and the simple way you can address that – and make your phone ring and your inbox fill-up by just adding a few words to your website or marketing material.

It’s only 93 words – but it can make all the difference in the world.

I featured a Personal Injury firm based in New Orleans in a recent case study (see Personal Injury Internet Marketing) and although I just finished the initial project, and owe you a final installment on that project, I want to show you how much of a difference 93 words makes.

I wanted to add these words early on in the process but the firms partners were a little hesitant.  After my initial work brought an average of a call a day, they agreed to add the 93 words.

Here is what I added:

Need Professional Help With Your Injury or Accident Legal Matter?

Then contact Gertler, Gertler, Vincent & Plotkin for your FREE Consultation at 504-581-6411.

• We really do welcome your call.
• We will gladly talk with you over the phone or in person, without charge.
• During the day, we’ll return your call promptly if we are not available when you call.
• We will not pressure you in any way.
• And if for some reason we can’t help you, we will put you in touch with another law firm in town… that’s our promise to you.

I added the 93 words on Friday evening, 6/11/10. On Monday, of 6/14/10, the firm had 6 calls in one day. One of which was from a family who had a relative slip and fall in a retail establishment and was rushed to the hospital for surgery to treat a traumatic brain injury.

That’s a 600% increase in calls – and one case that’s probably going to be extremely lucrative – the first full business day it was live.

Take a look at the home page of Gertler, Gertler, Vincent & Plotkin -  take a look at how I set it up.

It might be an idea for you to copy….no matter what your practice area is.

I want to share a quick story about a recent experience with Sprint, my cell phone provider.  I’ve been a customer of theirs for more than a decade.  The pricing is reasonable and the service is good.

I’ve been very happy with them and have sung their praises to friends and family for years.  And I know that because of that, Sprint got at least 12 new accounts – most with multiple lines attached to them.  And that’s just the ones I know about.

You’d think Sprint, which probably spends $500m a year on marketing and advertising in chasing new customers….would do something for it’s long-time customers, right?

Wrong.

The marketing wizards at Sprint (the ones with alphabet soup after their names) have determined that new customers are the priority and key to growth – and existing customers are an afterthought.

I am an “afterthought” – and it aggravates me.  Here’s how I found out.

I wanted a new phone and a new plan so I hop online and find out that I have “Premier” status – and that status comes with a boatload of bennies.  Good for me, I thought.

I pick the phone I want – and check my “Premier” rebate to see what my cost will be.  My faithful assistant Jasmine (my black Labrador) scooted out of my office as my profanity laced tirade echoed off the walls.

My “Premier” status price for the phone I wanted…..is the same price a new customer gets.

Premier status?  You’ve got to be kidding me!

Not taking care of existing clients is flawed and will eventually lead to flat sales and a decline in revenue….and the bean counters at Sprint are not going to be able to hide it.

The bright-eyed, bushy-tailed Marketing MBA’s at Sprint must not have learned a key marketing strategy while paying a fortune for their “education”- and it’s the golden rule of business survival.

It’s called the lifetime value of a customer.

Simply put, take care of your existing customers and they will take care of you.

Since I am an afterthought in the eyes of Sprint, do you think I will have one good thing to say about Sprint.  Not a chance.  And I know I’m not alone.

And because of that, Sprint will forever be just like the rest of the wireless carriers….chasing new customers that hop from one carrier to the next when their contracts are up.  It’s a vicious cycle with no winners – only losers.

The moral of the story is this.  If you are not in regular contact with your past clients – and passing along information they might find helpful – or making sure they know that you’re there for them should they, a family member, friend or co-worker need legal help….your practice will wither and die.

They are your sales force….treat them like they matter, and they will sell for you.

The end result is this….one day you’ll wake up and realize that you don’t have to spend a dime on marketing your law firm.  Your sales force is doing it for you.

Want more info on leveraging your sale force or creating new ones?  See these law firm referral tips and this sad story.

A week or so ago, I received a call from the attorney that is managing the work I’m doing on the Gertler, Gertler, Vincent and Plotkin website ( His name is Josh – great guy).

Besides a couple of content reviews we were working on, the first order of business, at least from his perspective, was to tell me the partners and the office staff were in a panic.

Why?

The phone was ringing.

They weren’t used to that because almost all new clients over the past several years had come from referrals – either from former clients or other law firms.

I laughed myself silly.

I’ll post a video update shortly – the websites progress is amazing.

It’s day 30 of my work on the website of Gertler, Gertler, Vincent and Plotkin.  I’m still plugging away and just wanted to show a quick video of how Google Local is proceeding.

I’m a little surprised at the speed of the progress and I would suspect that the remainder of work I have left with their business listings will bring even greater results.

I have a client that opened his own practice in 2001.  He has focused on DUI and Criminal defense since he opened his doors and averaged just over $150,000 in revenue per year since he started.

In early 2009, we started working together with a focus on his Internet presence and setting up a referral system (that’s still a weakness in his marketing plan due to the time commitment – but he’s just hired additional staff to help).

In the 12 months I’ve been helping him, his revenue has increased from just over $150,000 to….

$539,900.

And that’s just from DUI defense – that number doesn’t include criminal defense.

And when he implements a complete referral system, the numbers will be even more ridiculous.

This is not a client in New York City or some other huge metro area.  He practices in a sleepy, Midwestern town that is considered a mid-major city.

And he has not increased his revenue because local law enforcement has tripled DUI stops.

He is simply taking the business his competitors used to get.  Several have even complained that their business is down 30% – 50%.

If you want to make more money – dominate your practice area on the Internet and implement a solid referral system.

Interested in hearing a little more?

Although my client asked that I not use his name, he will answer your questions if you’d like. E-mail me at tom (at) the-attorneys-atm.com and I’ll give you his contact info.

I’ve talked to hundreds of attorneys over the last several years about how to grow their business.

Many listen – some don’t.

But the other day, I had a prospective client ask me, “How do I make more money with my online presence?”

I’d never been asked that question before.   Prospective clients always ask how they can get their website on the first page of Google.  Many think that by just having your website reach the first page for lucrative search terms, riches will follow.

And I’m partly to blame for that thought process – I even guarantee it as part of my business model.

Truth be told, it’s a little more involved that that.  So, I’m going to answer the question, “How do you make more money with your online presence?”

They’re are four parts to Internet Domination for your law firm. They are:

1. Show up in Google Local (or Yahoo and Bing Local) almost every time a prospective client does a search related to your practice area.
2. Show up in normal search results (right below Local or map results) every time a prospective client does a search related to your practice area.
3. Set up a Pay Per Click campaign so you show up at the top of the search results page (above Google Local) or on the right side of the page, almost every time a prospective client does a search related to your practice area.
4. Have great content that builds trust and connects with prospective client when they get to your website or blog – as a result of the effort in part 1, 2 and 3.

When you dominate perhaps the most valuable real estate in existence – AND – build trust with your website visitors….

You cannot NOT make significantly more money.

How much money?

How about tripling your revenue within 12 months. For consumer related practices, I’ve seen it over-and-over again (I’ll be introducing a case study on this shortly).

Add a systematic referral system to your practice, and the numbers get exponentially higher…but that is story for another day.

Just 13 days after beginning work on the website of Gertler, Gertler, Vincent and Plotkin, Google has picked up on the minor change I made to the title tags for the home page.

Prior to modifying the title tags, the website could not be found anywhere in the first 15 pages of Google for the primary search terms that relate to their practice.

Take a look at the video to see what happens.

To see a larger video, click here.

Next, I’ll show an update on early results from initial work on the firms Google Local Business Listings.

I thought it would be interesting to conduct a case study on a very competitive practice area in a mid-size market – and post about it regularly so you could follow along if you’d like.

On 2/22/10, I signed an agreement to conduct search engine optimization on the website owned by Gertler, Gertler, Vincent & Plotkin – a Personal Injury firm in New Orleans.

This firm is one of the most successful plaintiffs firms in Louisiana and is recognized as one of the most successful firms in the Southeast, if not the U.S., for mesothelioma cases.

They’ve been successful because of their reputation – but have done little in regards to marketing their law firm – and almost nothing online.  They do have a website but it’s an older design and the hosting company they use is poor – the site takes forever to download.

Let’s take a peek at what I have to work with.

For a larger video, click here.

I’ll continue to work on the site and keep you updated on what I’m doing – and what happens as a result.

Late in 2008, I wrote a three-part series titled How To Get On The First Page Of Google in 2009….For Free.

This guide focused on what Google’s Local Business Listings were – and how any law firm could get on the first page of Google for lucrative search phrases using this tool.

In fact, it was relatively easy. All it took was a little time and effort and you could be shown regularly in the business listings – and your efforts could be seen in as little as one hour – even in hyper-competitive markets.

Well, that all changed in late October – early November of 2009 because Google changed the algorithm for this product. The local business listing not only showed different results but trying to figure out what they wanted to rank well was a bear.

Well, after countless hours, I’ve figured it out.  So it’s time to update the guide.

For those new to search engine marketing, take a quick look at the video that gives you an overview of Google Local Business Listings.  Everyone else, please continue on.

This product is still far-and-away the best way to make your phone ring quickly – and best of all, it’s free.

If you’re in a mid-major city or rural area, you can certainly put the time and effort into this yourself and do very well.

If you are in a hyper-competitive market, be prepared to spend a ridiculous amount of time on building-up your Google Local Business Listing…and even then, you might have to get help.

At the end of the day, it’s worth two – three clients a month.

Okay, on to Part I – Setting up you law firms Google Local Business Listing.