A recently published study looked at competitive intelligence (CI) - that is “knowledge and foreknowledge of the competitive environment refined to the point that is can be used in making a business decision” - to determine just how often law firms use CI in making decisions. The study was primarily focused on large firms with a mean size of 255 lawyers and a median of 115.

Competitive intelligence goes back to Michael Porter’s strategy models and looks at things like what clients want, what competitors are doing, trends in the legal industry, government regulations, opportunities and threats in the market place, and possible substitutes for your services - basically anything that might have some influence over how well your firm does.

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Categories: Market Research |

Everyone wants more referrals. You get a ready to buy prospect who already knows who you are and what you do. And someone else has already evangelized how wonderful you are and how you can do a great job, so your work in closing the deal is minimal.

Many law firms thrive on referrals - they are the life blood of the firm and one of the main ways the firm picks up new business. So, how do you get more?

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Categories: Referrals |

Marketing the Legal Mind
by Henry Dahut
Publisher: LMG Press; (March 2004)
ISBN: 0974512605

Henry Dahut Esq. conducted over 100 interviews with lawyers to develop the foundations for his new book, Marketing the Legal Mind: Turning New Perspectives Into Powerful Opportunities. The book, itself, is a bit pricy at $62 for less than 200 pages, but is a good read for lawyers trying to understand client relationship management, strategic planning, and firm leadership.

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Categories: Book Reviews |

Some lawyers seem to shy away from publishing a regular newsletter because they fear they won’t know what to say or they’ll run out of content soon after they start publishing. If you fall into this category, keep in mind, you know far more than you think you do. Most people have little understanding of the law and how it impacts their business, so any tidbits of information you can offer in plain English will be welcomed.

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Categories: Email Marketing |

With the current trend towards cutting costs, FSTE 100 firms are looking to reduce their legal costs. A recent Legal Week article cites some good tips on how law firms can combat the price crunch to add value.

The most important out of 12 criteria? “Understanding the client’s legal requirements in a commercial context.” Unfortunately, when clients grade their firms, this ranks 7th, emphasizing the need for law firms to understand their client’s business.

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Categories: Client Service |

Apparently, the Florida Bar Association, known for its strict advertising rules has gone after some lawyers for their advertising. According to ReedSmith’s Adlaw newsletter:

The Bar is set to try a case in court against a Ft. Lauderdale personal injury firm, Pape & Chandler, P.A., for its use of a pit bull wearing a spiked collar and the number 1-800-PIT-BULL in television and print ads. The Bar determined the ads violate Supreme Court rules because the image of a pit bull is not informational and therefore not objectively relevant, but it is manipulative because it appeals to the emotions of consumers, the lawyer prosecuting the case told the Miami Daily Business Review.

Pape & Chandler, a personal injury firm that has developed a focus on representing clients injured in motorcycle accidents, continues to use the pit bull image in ads, firm marketing materials, and merchandise such as t-shirts and baseball caps, which it sells to the public.

Name partner John Pape wrote in a letter to the Bar that the firm selected the pit bull terrier because it represents strength, tenacity and loyalty - characteristics that he’d like the public to associate with his firm.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. While I haven’t seen the ads & therefore can’t comment on their use of the pit bull, it is interesting to note that much of “branding” revolves around emotional appeal. It seems that if the Florida bar decision stands, marketing a firm in Florida will become quite difficult.

» Read Article: Florida Bar Cracks Down On Lawyer Advertising

Categories: Advertising, Regulations |

An article in today’s law.com newsletter talks of how easy it is for spammers to lift logos and contact information off a website. The Florida Bar reports that it was actually fax spam, rather than email, but the principle remains the same. Create some fake letterhead and send your bogus offers and you can tarnish someone’s good name - and it’s virtually impossible to track down the culprits, especially if they are based offshore.

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Categories: Email Marketing |

An article in this month’s Direct Magazine discusses how B2B service firms can approach determining customer value. The example included is a print/mailing house, but the model can be applied pretty well to B2B law firms.

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Categories: Client Service |

Creating a marketing plan requires taking a critical look at your firm’s current status and evaluating it in light of your strengths and weaknesses, your clients’ needs, your competitors, and the market you practice in. Many people tend to skip this initial planning because they don’t see any tangible outcomes from the process - you end up with strategy, but that by itself doesn’t bring clients knocking. However, this initial planning defines the very foundations for how you should market your firm.

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Categories: Marketing Plan |

In a rather bizarre (imho) case in New York, it appears that a young lawyer from one law firm pretended to be a partner in another law firm and intercepted calls from prospects. He then got them to sign retainer agreements with his law firm…

» Price of stolen law clients: $1.4 million

Categories: Client Service |