You know what's fascinating to me?

Star Wars...my child's sense of wonder...the fact that more people don't fall off the Grand Canyon considering how they take photos of the edge...

But also - WHAT we talk about (super meta alert) not just in the context of this newsletter, but in all of life

Literally we could talk about ANYTHING, but yet we find topics in conversation.  And let's be honest, we repeat a lot of the same things with different people.

So WHY do we do this?  (I SWEAR this will make sense for you and your firm eventually...)

We do it to make us seem cool!  That's basically it.  We want people to like us (or hate us, but REALLY feel something about us).  Hopefully in a way where we don't get Chris "Rocked" (it might technically be Will Smith'd, but the pun was too good to pass up).

So then the question really becomes what makes us seem cool?

The latest details on something - This is why it's called the NEWS!

Things that are remarkable - can you believe I got my wordle in 2 guesses?

• A secret we can share - that crazy bar where you need to knock three times on a pizza places bathroom door and then recite the President's speech from Independence Day
• Being in the know about relevant topics - hello all those random facebook topic experts as things become important
• Stupid Trivia (example: Bonobos are called bonobos only because someone made a spelling error on a shipping crate)
• Etc

And of course - sharing subtle ways in which you're better than everyone else.

Hey guys, just chilling in the fancy Delta lounge available only to double secret platinum advantage preferred members

or

Got to attend the invite only super secret menu launch and this crazy restaurant - it's called SPT and the wait staff chews everything for you and then just drops it into your mouth like a baby bird

And other not so humble brags from jerks

(Yes, we can pause for a minute and acknowledge the asshole driving across the country with his wife and kid is commenting about other people bragging about the cool shit they get to do.  If I'm your jerk then I accept that, but I hope I'm doing it more as proof of concept for you to take your own special jump.  If a goofball like me can do this, you can too)

Okay, so now finally...

WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ME AND MY LAW FIRM?!?!?!?!?!

Because word of mouth matters.  It's targeted, it's believable, it convinces you.

• You don't chat about your new favorite restaurant with your friend who doesn't eat out.
• You don't brag about your new car to your buddy who is committed to riding a bicycle everywhere.
• And when it's a bad experience (which sucks) it's even more impactful because no one runs an ad that talks shit about themselves (although that would be hilarious).

At the end of the day, even if you refuse to try and get referrals, you want people to talk about you and your firm. (Positively I hope)

Whether it's reviews from clients, positive messages on your social media posts, speaking opportunities for you as the lawyer...good word of mouth is powerful.

And let's be honest, referrals are great, they are usually the BEST leads.  They (should) convert at a higher rate.  They're warm.  Someone talked you up.  

Even if your office doesn't smell of rich mahogany and leather bound books....You're a big deal now to the person who was referred to you.

So while they aren't as scalable as ads, or social media, or sending direct mail...they're still important.

So where do you go from here?

1) You have to do GREAT work - that's the table stakes - skip that step and you're Sisyphus pushing a rock up a hill every day only for it to fall down the next day

2) Make sure you give your clients something to talk about - PI lawyers, a fat check might be enough, criminal lawyers, them not going to jail might not be a story they want to share (unless you represent FLORIDA MAN!)

How do you bring the WOW factor?

3) Make it easy for them to talk about you - if you want reviews (which you should, watch this video for the way to make it easiest on the client to leave one)

4) The end of the case can't be the end of the relationship - top of mind, tip of tongue, so what makes sense as a way/ways to stay in touch with former clients?

• Check in with them - give a shit calls
• Have a newsletter
• Host client appreciation events
• Let them know when they buy more services (estate plan updates, child support modifications, probation terminations.)

5) Follow the golden rule - you want referrals, hire their business and/or refer them work; you want connections, connect them with helpful people

Then, just maybe, your favorite client will be talking to your future second favorite client about you and BAM!  More leads.

(LAWYER DISCLOSURE) Do follow your state's ethics rules on this when it comes to thanking your referral sources and prior clients, and also...realize most people are NEVER going to be referral sources, it's just not in their blood.  But by prioritizing this process you'll get more and more referrals and better and better referrals.

It shouldn't even be a win-win...it should be a win-win-win.

You win, the referral source wins, and the client wins.

Now let's help each other - what's the best thing/event/way you stay top of mind with people?  Or what's the best thing/event/way someone else has stayed top of mind with you?  And I'll share them in a future newsletter with some shout outs.

Until then, have an excellent weekend and I will be back next week with more free tips, insight and advice to help you run your firm even better.

And also, maybe more bonus stupid trivia - Did you know?  You're 3 times more likely to get a computer virus from a religious website than a porn website! 

You're welcome or I'm sorry.

How you SHOULD be running your firm Hint: It doesn't JUST include collecting data

Hey |first-name|,

And there's everything you need to know about reporting and how NOT to be a boss

But seriously, let's talk numbers. (Hopefully not in the boring engineer way).

When it comes to metrics/kpis/reports/data/whatever the heck you want to call it, you need to balance your ability to capture data, your ability to make decisions from that data AND the time it takes to do those.

Hot take - some of you are collecting TOO MUCH DATA.  But that's not what we are focused on here, because 90% of lawyers don't even track their LEADS, let alone having other data.

If there's ONE thing I did right when I started firm (and seriously, it might be the ONLY thing) I tracked where EVERY SINGLE LEAD CAME FROM!  If you aren't doing that, please use this sheet!

For us personally, we now use Lawmatics and AgencyAnalytics to capture different metrics for both Jordan Law and LegalEase Marketing.

WHAT'S THE BENEFIT OF TRACKING STUFF

I love my gut...well maybe not in that way...but it's usually right.  Except here's the problem - sometimes it's wrong.  And without cold hard numbers, I don't know which decision is which.

And while there's nothing better than the number's supporting my gut reaction, there's nothing worse than never checking and making mistakes over and over again.

In theory, if you track the right things, and make changes as the numbers support - you can't lose in the long run.  And it's not even enough monkey's with enough typewriters...it's more like, if you take the typewriters away from the monkeys that aren't going to write Shakespeare and save the time and energy.  So let's get that last one off of your back (terrible pun, I know)

If you're pressed for time, don't even worry about numbers in the past, just start tracking stuff today.

SO WHAT DO YOU TRACK?

There are two different things to look at: leading indicators and lagging indicators

Leading is what you do; lagging is what you get.

For example: if I make a tv show and slap the word Marvel on it, even if it's about an obscure character who may or may not be an Egyptian God (leading indicator), I will make a CRAP TON OF MONEY (lagging indicator)

1. Real leading indicators:

• Impressions on ad spend
• # of networking lunches
• Pieces of direct mail sent
• Cold calls (ABC...coffee is for closers...hustle porn!  Thankfully not for us)

2. These can lead to lagging indicators:

• # of calls
• Cases closed
• $$$ paid
• % of cases from prior clients

And honestly, you want a mix of both.  Your leading indicators will be easy to tweak to change your lagging indicators (e.g. it's easier for you to host another webinar, than it is to make 4 more clients hire you).

And honestly, once you get these down, combined with a consistent sales process...you can see the funnel in real time.  

In essence, you can dial it in so $1000 in ad spend gets you a certain number of impressions, which leads to a consistent amount of clicks, which become fewer consults, which lead to hired clients, who average a certain amount of $$$ to you to solve their need.  Then you can see how more $$$ at the front leads to more $$$ at back (hopefully).

And again, this works for ads, referral sources, social media, etc  WHEN YOU TRACK THE RIGHT THINGS AND HAVE CONSISTENT SYSTEMS!

YOU'RE CONVINCED, BUT HOW DO I TRACK?

This is a GREAT question that I am glad you asked.

Ultimate lawyer answer - it depends.

But seriously, social media is the toughest to track to cases, but you can see impressions, clicks, likes, shares, etc across the platform.

Digital ads you can see the clicks, impressions, etc.

In the broader picture (or MACRO as Greg calls it)

Look for ways to use different landing pages, maybe you have a QR code on your mailers that tracks a specific website page

If you run click to call ads, think about using call rail to have a different number for each ad to track

And seriously, also go WAY low tech - ask EVERY lead how they found you

You would be shocked how often a lead LOOKS like it came from google, but then when you ask, their best friend told them about you, so they searched for you on google to find your website.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Now just give all your efforts sometime to bear fruit.  It will not happen overnight, but setup the tracking, build the systems, then put time, money, energy into the marketing and see what happens.

When stuff doesn't work, cut it, tweak it, or give it more time (this is the HARDEST PART TO DO...we all struggle with knowing which is right to do once you hit a snag).

And, if you STILL don't know where to start, we can help you out.  For anyone using the Lawmatics, we are running a deal JUST to newsletter reader (seriously, don't share it with non-readers please) for $500 we are going to setup a bunch of reports for you, including:

• Leads
• Retainers
• Invoices
• Hired

And bonus, when you mention this newsletter to get the deal - guess what I get to do?  TRACK IT!!!!!

Hooray (and meta)!

Until then, don't beat yourself over it, if you haven't been tracking.  Nothing will EVER be perfect, we just want progress, and starting to get this data is the FIRST step towards consistent progress.

Because with the right numbers, and the right system, you will see all the numbers go up and up towards your BHAGs.  And isn't that what we want?  Growth towards what we want?

Have a great weekend!  And please let me know if you're going to Max Law Con!

For those who don't know, Max Law Con brings innovative law firm industry leaders and influencers together for a two-day journey designed to help you learn how you can take your firm to the next level. 

Let's meet up if you are planning on attending, you can register here!