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
–Richard Jacobs
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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND YOUR BUSINESS How to Effectively Protect Your Intellectual Property
TRADEMARKS The name of your business, product, or service — anything a customer uses to identify a product — generally requires a trademark. This may include your company’s name, product name, etc. Think of the distinctive Nike “Swoosh” and the familiar ending sound of Dell’s commercials. To properly protect your trademark, file a trademark application to have it registered. COPYRIGHTS Most people seek protection under copyright law for a variety of things related to their product or business, like images, specific words on packaging, labeling, the actual product, and the business webpage. The best thing about copyright registration is that it’s inexpensive. Plus, the law allows you to demand attorney fees from those who infringe on your copyright. PATENTS Patents are a fantastic way to protect your designs, and companies have
utilized patents to maintain their competitive advantage. A great example of this strategy is when Sony Pictures patented their animation style for “Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse” which grossed over $375,502,565. There are two types of patents: one for utility (function) and one for design (aesthetic). To apply for a patent, register with the United States Patent Office. Regardless of the type of intellectual property you have, it’s important you identify what type it is and which type of protection is most appropriate. Even a small amount of intellectual property is worth protecting, so start the process now to safeguard it.
Intellectual property is defined by Merriam-Webster as “property (such as an idea, invention, or process) that derives from the work of the mind or intellect.” As you can no doubt glean from this definition, intellectual property can be a lot of things, so it’s important to identify and protect you and your business’s intellectual property. Here are the main categories and protections for your company’s creations. TRADE SECRETS A trade secret is any useful piece of information that the public doesn’t know about and the owner has taken steps to protect. If you have taken the steps necessary to protect your own trade practices, you may have a case if you ever discover your trade secret has been leaked. Having your employees sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) is a great way to initially establish your unique business practices as trade secrets.
... continued from Page 4 HOW TO ESCAPE THE ‘MCLAWYER DOLLAR MENU’ No problem. Because, in their mind, they can get the same service from the other attorney three blocks away, who’s dumb enough to do it for $100 less. There’s only one way to avoid or escape the “McLawyer Dollar Menu”. Authority positioning. You need to create the perception that, for a certain type of client with a certain type of case, you are the authority. Not just “an” authority, but “the” authority, the attorney whom the richest person in town would call if they needed to hire the best and money wasn’t an object.
This kind of positioning is nowhere near as difficult or expensive to create as you might think. It’s a question of creating the right “authority assets.” And this is something Richard Jacobs explains how to do in one of his books, “The Attorney Authority Reboot.” (We don’t talk about this book nearly as often as we mention his “Secrets of Attorney Marketing” book. However, it’s just as valuable.) This book sells on Amazon.com for $9.99. And, if you need to attract more of the cases you want, without having to compromise on your fees or chase clients for business, it’s worth every dime. However, we would be happy to send you a copy on the house. Just click the link below, confirm a few details, and we’ll ship it to your office. No charge. This is a gift from us, 100% complimentary. Speakeasy.Marketing/Authority
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Running a small business means wearing many hats. More often than not, CEOs find themselves moonlighting as marketers, customer service specialists, human resources representatives, project managers, and just about any other job that needs doing. That’s why more and more entrepreneurs are exploring automation to free up their time and focus on growing their business rather than just keeping it afloat. AUTOMATION ON YOUR LEVEL In the past, automated systems were solely within the purview of big businesses. Applications for organization were either too expensive or too wide in scope to fit the needs of smaller companies, but those days are over. Plenty of tools have been developed to help you and your team reduce workloads and run more efficiently, no matter your company’s size. REDUCING THE CHAOS Unless your business is large enough for several project managers, chances are that every employee is responsible for their own organization. This quickly leads to miscommunication, conflicting schedules, and roadblocked projects. Thankfully, many basic functions of a project manager have been automated thanks to applications like Apptivo. With features to track tasks and submit timesheets, this scalable tool allows everyone to stay up to date on the logistics of business and make coordination a breeze. RESPONSE TIME IS EVERYTHING Many small businesses hesitate to bring “bots” into customer-facing operations because they don’t want to lose their human touch. But humans are busy, and an unanswered request for a quote or a delayed response to a question will quickly give current and potential customers a bad impression. That’s why software like Keap exists. Automation Has Come to Small Business LET THE ROBOTS DO IT
GOOGLE ADWORDS — RIP-OFF, OR UNTAPPED OPPORTUNITY?
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notes before you spend a single dime. It will save you a lot of frustration. Here’s the link: Speakeasy.Marketing/ Adwords
Make no mistake — while Google AdWords can indeed be an effective and profitable way to attract more of the cases you want into your law firm, most attorneys who try their hand at it end up getting burned.
For this reason, Richard Jacobs recorded a short podcast a while back to take you through all the things you need to know to make AdWords work for you. If you’re thinking of running ads, STOP. Listen to this podcast and take some careful
REAL SECRETS OF ATTORNEY MARKETING LAW SCHOOL DARES NOT TEACH
Keap allows you to send automated email responses at the first point of contact. This message can be as simple as an acknowledgment that their message was received and will be answered soon. The important part is that your customers are reassured that they are being heard. Far from making your business more robotic, automated tools allow
3rd Edition
• Five new chapters, live chat, the 2019 marketing changes for personal injury attorneys, and more • Completely revised and updated for 2019 • Complimentary copy mailed or emailed upon request
your team to focus on what they do best. That means more time for thoughtful customer service emails, personalized interactions with customers, and well-executed
projects. That’s something you and your clients will appreciate.
Available on Amazon Kindle or by emailing rj@speakeasymarketinginc.com.
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THIS IS WHAT SOLID ATTORNEY POSITIONING LOOKS LIKE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND YOUR BUSINESS
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AUTOMATION HAS COME TO SMALL BUSINESS HOW TO ESCAPE THE ‘MCLAWYER DOLLAR MENU’
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GOOGLE ADWORDS — RIP-OFF OR UNTAPPED OPPORTUNITY?
“Does Google AdWords work for attorneys?” “Can it provide me with new potentials for a price that still allows me to earn a reasonable profit from my fees or at least earn a living?” “Why are so many attorneys being burned?” These are just a few of the questions clients ask when we suggest they start running a few ads on Google AdWords. And, do you know what? They are SMART questions. Because, make no mistake, while Google AdWords can indeed be an effective and profitable way to attract more of the cases you want into your law firm, most attorneys who try their hand at it end up getting burned. GOOGLE ADWORDS— RIP-OFF OR UNTAPPED OPPORTUNITY?
Are you familiar with the “McLawyer Dollar Menu?” It’s a phenomenon that shouldn’t exist. But, alas, it does, and it’s the bane of many solid attorneys who, just a few short years ago, were raking it in. First of all, it’s a perception. It’s something that exists inside the minds of potential clients; it’s not necessarily objective reality. (Although, that is a moot point — because, in the age of smartphones and anti-social media, perception is the new reality.) It’s the perception that what you offer — your services as an attorney — are, more or less, exactly the same as what other attorneys on Avvo, Google, or any other legal directory or platform offer. In other words, a commodity. If he or she doesn’t like your price? Doesn’t like the way your receptionist answered the phone? Or, the color of the paint in your office? HOW TO ESCAPE THE ‘MCLAWYER DOLLAR MENU’
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