A marketing plan for lawyers–a lot simpler than you think
Do you have a marketing plot for your law practice? I'll bet you don't. Most attorneys tell me they haven't had the time to write one and they don't know where to commence.
The excellent news is it's a lot simpler than you reckon and you can get the most vital part done in about an hour.
Most people reckon a marketing plot is a meticulous, step-by-step blueprint for building their business or practice. Yes, plans like this are written every day, but a complex plot is neither necessary nor effective.
You can't accurately predict what will happen six months or a year from now. There are too many variables. Effective marketing plans are written on the battle field, in real time. As circumstances change, the plot changes, and the plot you start with is nearly never the plot that you end with.
Don't get me incorrect, a well plotted life is a successful life, but most of the plotting is done on a shorter time line–month to month and week to week. The plotting process has the following elements:
- Long term vision
- Once a year goals
- Monthly plans (and weekly reviews)
- Daily actions
You can do the first two in about an hour.
Start by writing a vision statement for the next five years (or ten). Where do you want to be? What do you want for your practice and personal life?
With respect to your practice, how much do you want to be earning? What do you want to be doing, in terms of practice areas, niche markets, and types of clients? Do you want a huge, busy practice or something smaller but equally remunerative (e.g., fewer clients, less overhead)? Do you want partners or do you want to work for a firm? Maybe you'd like to be retired from practicing and doing something else. Or practicing part time so you have more time for travel and for your family or whatever business else. What do you want?
Reckon huge! Turn on your dream machine and don't limit yourself in any way. In five years, you can accomplish just about whatever business, so don't hold back. You are the architect of your life, so make it a excellent one.
Take about thirty to forty-five minutes and start writing. A few paragraphs to one page is all you need. Write in the present tense, as though you are already living your vision. Some people like to describe their birthday, five years in the future: what they are doing that day, who they are with, what they have accomplished, what they are looking forward to.
Remember, there are no restrictions. Small of defying the laws of physics or being completely unrealistic, you can be, do, or have whatever you want. Don't be logical about this. No, "yeah, buts. . .", this is your dream for the future and you should make it as exciting and tasty as you want.
Once you have your vision statement, you know where you want to go. Everything you do hereafter will be designed to go you forward towards that vision.
The next step is once a year goals. You can have goals for uncommon aspects of your life–professional, spiritual, physical, and so forth, but within each category, one goal is usually best (and no more than three).
Read your vision statement and choose an once a year goal that will go you forward towards that vision in a meaningful way. Write down that goal.
In about an hour, you will accomplished something that perhaps you have never done before. The most vital part of any plot is to know the destination, and now you know!
Get out your calendar and find another hour some time before the end of this month. With your vision statement and once a year goal(s) in hand, you'll be able to effectively plot next month. I usually do this on a Sunday morning when it's silent.
I'll talk about the monthly plans and daily actions in another post, but I want to leave you with a key to effective plotting. If you do nothing else but embrace this concept, you will be incredibly effective in your progression and levels of achievement. What is the key? It's this: "Always plot tomorrow before tomorrow starts. And always plot next month before next month starts."