Integrity Marketing

Prepare Your Law Firm Holiday Greetings Now

If you're thinking of a way to send Holiday Greetings or Christmas Wishes to your clients, friends and family consider using your December issue print newsletter to convey your message. Now is the time to begin preparing your December message so you'll have it ready next week for updating to your December newsletter (deadline of Nov. 5).

OR, how about a custom graphic for page four? Starting at $50.00* we can create a custom graphic using a stock image from Microsoft Office and a brief message of your choice. Place your order by October 26.

To order:
1.    Select your image from Microsoft
2.    E-mail your image to april@estateplanningpartners.com by October 26
3.    Include a brief message and approval for billing
4.    Wait for your proof and reply with your approval (all approvals must be received by November 2)

Not scheduled for a December print newsletter? No worries. Plan instead on submitting your personal message for inclusion with your December email newsletter. You'll have a bit of an extension on the date for that. Mark your calendar for November 15 to begin thinking about your message and then submit it by November 20.

Need assistance? Give me a call for help or to schedule a training session. You may contact me at 877-352-2021 x82 (dial the extension when you hear the greeting.)

* Fifty dollar fee includes design, one proof and uploading to your December print newsletter. Additional edits and proofs will increase the fee.

By April Leabo, Production Manager
Customer Service

Effective Relationship Management

Posted by Roslyn Drotar, Personal Account Manager / Strategic Planning
INTEGRITY MARKETING SOLUTIONS

Your referral sources are important to your practice.  You know that.  What are you doing to build your referral sources and solidify those relationships?  You have to be doing something.  You know that too.  But are you?  How much time do you contribute each week to your referring relationships?  How much time per month?  If you're consistent, great!  But if not, aren’t the people who refer business to you the most important people to your business?  So you have to stay connected to them.

First, reach out.  Go through your database and pick out your top ten existing referral sources.  Pick up the phone and invite them to a face-to-face coffee or lunch.  Meet with one per month and share with them how you’re doing.  Check in and see how they’re doing and talk a little business and a little pleasure. 

As for new relationships, have you done a Google search for professionals in your area lately?  Pick up the phone and call any new professionals you’d like to work with and invite them to coffee and get to know them and their business.  Then follow up and connect with them through Linked In, Twitter and Facebook.  Always add new referral sources to your newsletter and e-newsletter list.

Always try to bring in conversations about more than just business.  Ask questions about them.  Where they went to college?  Their favorite team?  Recent travels?  Set yourself out from the others they network with and find out who they are.  Connect on both a personal and professional level.  You won’t set yourself out from others if you're not different and have the usual conversation and talk shop.  Do something to make them remember you.

Then follow up like a fanatic.  Be present in their daily business by sending newsletters and e-newsletters.  Connect with them through their social media and make it through their newsfeed for the day!  Always build your numbers and make sure they increase in both your relationship management database and your online connections, as well as with your newsletter lists. You've got to stay connected consistently.

Of course if we can help in any way, please pick up the phone and give us a call.  We want to help you make 2012 your best year ever!

Making Your Marketing A Success!

Roslyn Drotar, Personal Account Manager / Strategic Marketing
INTEGRITY MARKETING SOLUTIONS

Are you taking time away from the daily demands of your practice and marketing?  And when you do, are you energized and excited about it?  Excited to start working on the goals and begin your action plan?  If not, here are a few fun things to do to help inspire you and keep you focused:

• Make sure you're in a place where you are comfortable and feel free to open up.  Be that your office, the local coffee shop, a day in your home office, or next to the fire with your iPad or laptop.  There is truly something psychological about your environment that does wonders for your creativity and inspiration.  So, if you're having a hard time, surround yourself with a place that inspires you.
• Give yourself permission to make adjustments, but stay focused.  It's okay to make changes as you plug along with your goals and actions.  In fact there are times when roadblocks come up and you take a difference course.  But remember to keep your vision.  Focus on the end results, and make sure you get there.  You may need to take another route, but make sure that you end up with the results you want.  It's okay to take a different course, but don't let that be an excuse for not making it to your destination.
• Share your plans with your team.  Make them public and open for others to hold you accountable.  There's also something very empowering about voicing your intentions and goals.  Build a foundation of trust in your practice, then hold each other accountable.   
• Make it simple.  Don't clutter up your plan with difficult time lines and elaborate delegation tracking plans, financial calculations, etc.  Just keep to the basics.  What (you will do), Who (will do it) and When (will it be done).  That's it.  Figure out the top five goals, assign the task at hand, who will do it and when it will get done.  Revisit and hold people accountable. 

If course, we are always here for you.  We want to help make your marketing a success.  We want to hear from you when you need us for web design, SEO, newsletters and e-newsletters, blog content and video services.  We can help you in several ways so please don't hesitate to pick up the phone and call anytime 877-352-2021.  We look forward to hearing from you!  Together let's make 2012 your most successful year yet!

Thankfulness

Posted by Roslyn Drotar, Strategic Planning
INTEGRITY MARKETING SOLUTIONS

I absolutely love this time of year.  Family and fun with fabulous food!  I love the kids running around and getting to spend time with their cousins home from college.  The most important people in your life,  all gathered around the table.   Finishing the meal with a slice of pumpkin pie, a glass of cabernet and the black Friday ads (mapping out the shopping plans for the next day).  As we head into this short week, I want to share what I’m thankful for. 

• My husband.  I’m blessed to have an amazing husband and best friend for the past 14 years.  I couldn’t ask for a better father for my children.  What a fun journey this has been as our family grows and we build a home with the boys playing around us (sometimes breaking things along the way).  I’m also thankful for his job that helps put food on our table and provide for our children.  In these trying times, I don’t take that for granted.
• My boys.  When I think of them, and how much they mean to me, I get choked up.  They give purpose to my life.   I’m a better person because of them.  I never knew I could love so much.  Each one touches my heart in a unique and powerful way.  Since having them I am also thankful for coffee.  I didn’t drink it before I had children, but now it’s part of my regular routine in the morning.  I knew it was bad when my three year old pointed to Starbucks and said “You want your coffee mommy?”  That’s branding!
• The rest of my fabulous family.  I’m grateful for my mother, my sister and my brother, and my nieces and nephews.  My sister is my best friend and biggest support.  This is a beautiful friendship that I’ve been blessed with my whole life and I’m pretty sure there isn’t a better sister on this plant.  I’m thankful for my in-laws in Colorado too.  I know if I called any one of them, they would drop what they were doing and travel to California.  They are so full of love I can feel it from over 1,000 miles away!
• My friends.  Every girl needs them.  We shop till we drop, do coffee, mani-pedis, day spa, book club (code for wine club) and GNO (code word for Girls Night Out).  But the best times are when we just sit and talk.  In the everyday challenges of raising children, working, football practice, homework, laundry, travel, etc, it gets tough juggling it all and keeping it together.  They are my support system, and without them I would break.
• My life experiences.  This may sound corny but I’m thankful for them, good or bad.  If they’re good, I relish in them.  If not, I see them as an opportunity to learn and grow. 
• My career.  Working with the team at Integrity Marketing Solutions is hands down, one of the best I’ve had the privilege to work with.  This group is committed and kind.  They “get it” and work hard for the very best possible outcome in every situation.  They are 100% in all that they do.  The years prior to joining their team, I worked in the law firm, travelling around the nation getting to know some of the most successful estate planning attorneys and their staff.  The coaching and collaboration along the way has been priceless.  And I’ve become friends with people along the way that are very dear to me.  I’m thankful for the opportunities I’ve been given.

I recently saw a quote “Change your Life with an Attitude of Gratitude.” I’m going to make an effort to do that, and I challenge you to do the same.   Learning to appreciate the things in your life each and every day is bound to make life more fulfilling.  I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends.  

 

A Tale of Two Companies

Posted by Jennifer Campbell Goddard, CEO
INTEGRITY MARKETING SOLUTIONS

If you own a business, chances are October 2008 is a month you will not soon forget. It didn't matter if you were a good business person or not, October 2008 hit everyone like a ton of bricks. When we are all old and gray and sitting in our rocking chairs, we'll be telling our grandchildren (or great grandchildren) about those difficult times and the days that followed.

I think the real results, however, are just now starting to surface. By "real results," I mean the test results -- who passed the test of their business mettle, and who failed? It wasn't a question of whether The Great Recession hit your business or not, but rather, how did you respond? Because it's your response to challenge that determines your success, more than any single other factor.

Let's look at two of the companies I've been following since 2008, and see how their responses determined their outcome. We will call company one Digital Technology and company two Steel Fabrication.

Digital Technology would appear to have the competitive edge over Steel Fabrication, wouldn't you agree? Steel Fabrication is stuck in a capital-intensive, labor-intensive, mature market. Digital Technology ought to have the advantage of ... well ... technology! They ought to be nimble, efficient and profitable. But -- Digital Technology is a big corporation with bureaucratic bloat and Steel Fabrication is a third-generation family business. Hmmm ... let's see what happened!

Digital Technology responded to the economic downturn of 2008 by implementing the following cost-cutting measures in 2009:

1. Eliminate the entire marketing department
2. Eliminate attendance at all trade-association conferences
3. Eliminate all association memberships
4. Reduce human sales force (and focus on Google)
5. Slash all travel budgets, keeping sales force "on the phone" and reducing "windshield time"

At the same time, they chose to renew leases on high-rent office space in New York City, Washington, DC and London, because these prestigious addresses were seen as assets rather than liabilities.

Here is how Steel Fabrication responded:

1. Resolved to keep every person employed if at all possible
2. Slash owner's salary to bare minimum
3. Reorganize debt to maintain positive cash flow
4. Keep the CEO in the air -- via the corporation's twin-engine self-piloted plane -- touching base with key customers, bidding new jobs and closing deals
5. Leverage three generations of engineering prowess to provide solutions others simply could not envision

In addition to the failing economy, Steel Fabrication suffered yet another body-blow  -- the sudden illness and death of their elder owner within a span of eight weeks. The company lost decades of wisdom, experience and relationships. Facing an economic crisis, his son also had to cope with deep personal grief at the loss of his beloved father, and added responsibility of caring for his suddenly-widowed mother.

One would think the deck was stacked against Steel Fabrication. And maybe it was.

But today -- Digital Technology's sales are down. In fact, they have slipped so far that the company is considering selling out. They may have waited too long, though. You see, they cut the very things that could have made their company strong. What did they THINK would happen when they eliminated their marketing department, dropped out of trade associations, and stopped meeting with people face-to-face? I'll tell you what they thought. They thought GOOGLE would save them! They thought they could sit in their expensive offices on Park Avenue and sell their wares online. They were wrong. They destroyed their own company, and are now hoping someone else will take it off their hands before it loses any more money.

Steel Fabrication? They kept all of their employees. They sadly buried their elder owner. His son is still flying about the midwest, still closing deals and solving problems that leave others scratching their heads, still caring for his firecracker-of-a-mother! He says they are starting to come out of it -- starting to come out of two of the worst years he has ever seen in his 30-some years of business. He is glad he stuck with his older twin-engine airplane ... it gets the job done, gets him out to meet and greet and wheel and deal and still make it home for dinner (which, by the way, is one of his top priorities!). He wishes he had something bigger, faster, newer ... but overall, he says, it's a good life.

And a job well done, I might add.

Steel Fabrication's story could have had a much different ending. There were plenty of reasons for this company to fail, for the owners and employees to all become victims. And who would blame them?

If you are an estate planning attorney in your own practice, you are a business owner. You can choose to adopt a victim mentality -- say the economy is bad, Congress has so confused the issue of estate taxes that no one is planning any more, that marketing is a burdensome expense. And who would blame you? You have every perfect excuse to fail.

Or you can rise to the challenges you face. Be smart. Be efficient. Invest wisely. Make personal sacrifices if necessary. Leverage technology, leverage your knowledge and experience. And above all, keep marketing. Keep building relationships, keep meeting people face-to-face. You will find that, overall, it's a good life!

Your Brand, Your Solution to Their Problem

Think of your brand, not only as a visual marketing tool, but also as a way for your potential clients and referral sources to see you as the solution to their problems.  As marketplace grows increasingly more competitive, a properly developed brand will give you a competitive advantage.

In today’s world of technology, your brand is more important than ever!  I want to share about an article I recently read in Harvard Business Review: Aligning With the Consumer Decision Journey.  It brings a voice to the fact that in the digital world, the famous “funnel metaphor” no longer applies to branding.  We can no longer think of as consumers on the large end of the funnel, and target our branding for specific touch points to our prospects until they narrow down their choice and decide. 

In the digital world, there is a constant shift.  

“Traditional marketing strategies fall short in this new world. Marketers need to drop the funnel metaphor to describe consumer touch points and instead study the evolving and increasingly digital consumer decision journey(CDJ). The CDJ illustrates how consumers add and subtract brands from a group under consideration during an extended evaluation phase. And purchase is no longer the end of the relationship. Now consumers often enter into an ongoing relationship with the brand during which they enjoy, advocate for and bond with it. (emphasis added)

Here are some ideas offered from the article with ways you can begin mapping out your commitment to branding your services:

1. Interview your customers.  Do this during your initial consult.  Find out what brought them to the table and what it was they were looking for when they found you.
2. Gather publicly available data on search activity and traffic patterns.    Once you find out what your prospects are looking for, use the resources available to you (your Performance Marketing Report provided by Integrity Marketing Solutions is a good start) to pinpoint search activity and traffic patterns.
3. Examine Your Own Site Data. If you are an Essentials® client, we have done this for you and report it to you as part of your monthly Performance Marketing Report. Make sure that you are committed to the implementation of your marketing and if not, take the recommendations we offer, and hit the ground running.  Don’t just examine the data, let it speak to you and show you where you can improve.  Make some changes and strategize!
4. Identify and Analyze Trends.   Once you have committed to your marketing plan, you can begin the transition.  But don’t lose sight of the progress you are making.  Track it and act on the things that are working, bury the things that aren’t! 

Nurture relationships with your clients, prospects and referral sources.  In the end, this is the perfect plan of attack to make an impact with your branding. Inspire though your website; Share regularly though your blog and social media and Specify the options for the services you can offer to assist their family. 

Dumping the "No Problem" Attitude

Today is my first day back from a much-needed vacation. My husband, David, and I spent 10 wonderful days in the cool Colorado Rockies -- fly fishing, biking, hiking and just relaxing.

While traveling, we stayed at five different lodging establishments, including one bed & breakfast, one condominium, one lodge and two upscale hotels. Our accommodations at all five establishments were outstanding. I would rank each one high on my satisfaction scale. But two of the five stand out as places I truly hated to leave, for whom I will make strong recommendations to my friends, and plan to return to again and again.

Why? Among all five all-star players, what made these two stand out?

Their people were more than accommodating. They went beyond simply meeting our needs. With friendly smiles and cheerful attitudes -- from the check-in staff to housekeeping -- everyone seemed intent on making sure we were delighted.

Here is what I noticed at the three also-ran establishments: a casual attitude about service and etiquette. For example, we ate in the lovely hotel restaurant of one of the also-rans. Our server repeatedly came by our table and said, "Everything okay here?"

At the stellar establishment, the server kept our water glasses filled and frequently asked, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

At the stellar establishment, when we thanked someone for their service, they replied, "My Pleasure."

At the also-rans, when we thanked someone for their service, we got a friendly, "No Problem!"

Really? No problem? I am so pleased to be informed that my presence in your establishment is, thankfully, not a problem for you!

The stellar establishments made an impression on us with a delight-the-customer attitude that was pervasive throughout the staff, not just the official "greeters."

I challenge you this week to listen to the conversations between your staff members -- as they relate to each other, to you, and to your customers. While you're at it, perform the same listening check on yourself.

Has the "No Problem" language -- and attitude -- cropped up in your firm? If you hear that phrase, "No Problem," I challenge you to call it out. Ban it from your office, and replace it with "My Pleasure."

Satisfied customers are just that -- customers. They probably won't complain, and they may come back if they need more services.

Delighted customers become clients, and clients make referrals. Not only do they come back to you again, but they delightedly refer you to their friends, family and acquaintances.

Now, just to prove that I am true to my word, let me make a couple of recommendations. If you are traveling to southern Colorado, treat yourself to a nice long stay at the Wyndham Pagosa in Pagosa Springs. When in Vail, you will get red carpet treatment at The Sebastian.

Who Are You? What Do You Do Again?

I was working the other day and got an e-mail through my Linked In account from one of my contacts who wanted to talk about my new position and what I do.  I remembered meeting him at an event a couple of months ago, but I couldn’t really remember much more?  What is it that he does again?  I called him and we talked (for no more than 20 minutes) about what it is that I do, and he told me more about what he does.  Come to find out, and we can definitely work together.  And more importantly, we can help each other’s clients out!  And isn’t that really what building these relationships is all about?  Building your relationships builds your business.

We all have people on our list that we know, and we work with them consistently, and we refer people to them knowing they will get the job done.  But what about all the other requests?  Your client asks a question you don’t know the answer to, it’s outside your practice area, but you may know someone who you can refer them to.  You look through your Linked In, Facebook and Twitter connections and you’re not sure which one to pick. 

If you really want to build your business relationships, go through your list and pick one person each week that you’re going to call and reconnect with.  You can schedule a “Virtual Coffee Date” and talk to each other about what you do, and how you can help each other.  Take your relationship one step further and really come up with a referral network you, your clients and your business can depend on.  Interact with your social media relationships and have a daily presence.  According to Linked In they now have 120 Million + professional users.  Facebook claims 750 Million users.  As for YouTube, they are now the second largest search engine next to Google! 

If you aren’t present and interacting with your connections, they won't remember you.  And even worse, they will probably find someone else. I know there will be a time when someone I come across in a conversation will need the services for my reconnection last week, and when they do, he’ll stick out more than the others, and more than likely get the referral.

I'm Excited To Be Part of The Integrity Marketing Solutions Team!

  
What an honor it is to be working with such a wonderful group of people.  From picking me up at the airport, dinner with warm conversation, staying the night on the farm and beginning the morning feeding the horses, I pretty much knew I was in the right place! 

Then there was the icing on the cake!  My first day on the job, we sat down for a strategic planning session and I was immediately “wowed” by their knowledge of the industry, their commitment to do the “right” thing for their client, their business and were willing to do whatever it took to help them reach their marketing goals.   I mean, that’s what I was there for; they had invested in the success of their clients, which pretty much says it all.

Now that I’ve learned about them and all the wonderful things they do, and have had an opportunity to speak with some of you, I’m fired up to start helping to make difference in your success!  With 20 years of experience in marketing and practice development for estate planning and elder law attorneys, I will bring everything I can to the table to contribute.  I have worked with attorneys through the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys and Wealth Counsel, and have been privileged to be a part of a national business coaching program focused solely on the growth of the estate planning practice.  I have been a guest speaker for the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys on team training and their role in supporting you.

My goal is to help you focus on building your revenue and increasing profit.  I know the value of relationship building and how it contributes to your success.  I’d like to talk to each one of you about your legal marketing and practice needs; and how I can support you on your path to success.  I know there are challenges along the way, but together we can meet those challenges head on!  One of my favorite quotes is “I don’t need easy, I just need possible” ~ Bethany Hamilton.

I look forward to talking with each of you in the near future.  If there is anything that I can do in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and call anytime.  You’ll be hearing from me soon to talk about your strategic marketing plan, how it relates to the overall success of your practice, making sure it’s in line with your personal life, and how I can support you! Think of me as part of the IMS team, and yours!

Get Personal!

My name is James Campbell, I am the VP of Practice Development for Integrity Marketing Solutions. Working with attorneys on a daily basis I have developed a real feel for whats going on "in the trenches", what's working ... what isn't. I will be posting here to inform you of what I'm hearing and seeing in the realm of marketing for the Estate Planning and Elder Law attorney.

I just received an email from one of my clients that really intrigued me. I could tell this was an email that was sent to her "email list" but it had a very personal feel to it. In her email she invited me to think about my personal financial situation and challenged me to take steps toward securing my financial future. She got me thinking, not just about estate planning, but about my life and how I handle my money. This email was not "salesy" and nowhere did it mention a "free consultation" but what it did do was make me appreciate the fact that I knew this attorney. I can imagine the impact it would have had on me had I actually been a client! I could tell that she actually wrote this email and that she put a lot of thought into what she was saying.

As a trusted advisor people expect you to know the law and be able to help them with their estate plan. What can set you apart from the rest of the pack is establishing a relationship with your clients. Get personal. Let your clients and referral sources know who you are and what you and your practice represent. Don't be afraid to let them see the human side of you. During these economic times people need to TRUST you more than ever, what better way to do that than to let them know who you really are.