Speakeasy Marketing October 2019

GROW YOUR LAW FIRM IN 2019

73-03 BELL BLVD. #10, OAKLAND GARDENS, NY 11364 | (888) 225-8594 | WWW.SPEAKEASYMARKETINGINC.COM | OCTOBER 2019 THIS IS WHAT SOLID ATTORNEY POSITIONING LOOKS LIKE

A while back, I was at an event, and one of the guys I was talking to was a kind of “new breed” railroad entrepreneur — instead of making his fortune building railroads, he made it selling an app to railroads that saves them a LOT of money. I’ll spare you the technical details, but, in a nutshell, it combines AI analysis and sending shockwaves through tracks to predict when a component of a train or a part of the track is going to break. His app lets them see the future. Now, this all sounds advanced. However, everyone is working on some AI-powered, blockchain-enabled, super app that does almost anything you could ever want. It’s a crowded space, and most would-be entrepreneurs have to give away their product for free. They make money selling the data. Yet, this guy was charging railroad companies millions even though there was a line of software developers who’d sell their grandmother’s wedding ring for the chance to give away their own app. How does he do it? Well, he told me his USP after a few beers. When he’s pitching a new client, here’s what he tells them: “All those other app developers who are standing in line to help you for free are software engineers who ‘get’ your industry. I’m sure they’ll be able to create value for you. We’re not software developers who get the railroad industry. We are railroad engineers who get software. That’s why we’re different.” This may sound like some kind of word game. But right there — THAT is the secret to solid positioning, and it’s something that applies also to almost every practice area of law.

Do you remember Attorney Paul Samakow? He’s an attorney whom I interviewed for my “Secrets of Attorney Marketing” podcast a while back. His practice area is personal injury, and hordes of competitors would gladly represent his clients for no upfront fee. Yet, Paul’s clients pay a STEEP premium (upfront) to retain him. Why? Because he is using the same kind of positioning as that railroad entrepreneur. Listen to this podcast, and you’ll understand what I mean: Speakeasy.Marketing/Positioning