Become a Thought Leader
Who is the best lawyer in your practice area? The answer depends upon education, experience and positioning. I’m sure you accept the importance of education and experience because it helps you put things into proper perspective. You may be perplexed when I suggest that positioning is equally important in determining your career success.
Positioning means creating an identity in the minds of your ideal clients who exist in your target market. It is the most important factor in determining how successful you will be as a lawyer. You can be the best lawyer, but if you are positioned wrong, no one will hear of you and you will not be able to attract quality clients or command reasonable fees. It is up to you to influence the perception your target market has in building as the ideal lawyer for them.
Here are three ways to position yourself as a thought leader in your target markets:
ď ą Focus on a Niche Market To become recognized as an expert, you must become known as an authority in at least one specific niche. The best way to become recognized is to focus on one single area, invest in it deeply and claim it as your own. I’m not talking about practicing law in one specific area. Rather, I am talking about marketing your law firm to a specific group of clients for a specific application of the law.
Here some examples: Focusing on intellectual property law is not enough. Focusing on intellectual property for internet related businesses is better. Focusing on commercial law is not enough. Focusing on succession planning for small businesses is better. You, of course can still accept clients in areas outside of your focus. But your marketing should be exclusively dedicated to a niche at a time.
ď ą Demand Appropriate Compensation Experts get paid better than generalists. Experts command higher fees. Example is the specialist medical practitioner versus the general practitioner. If your clients want to work with the best, they have to pay for that privilege. Your marketing establishes you as an expert. You can then command expert level compensation.
ď ą Educate your Prospective Clients Marketing through education is the most valuable form of promotion. Teaching is a form of leadership and everyone wants to work with a leader. Lawyers Marketing help your clients understand how complex law can be. Give them an insight into what you do and how you can help them. To assist you consider how to stay in contact with your clients and focus on your niche, Attached is a client contact strategy to assist plan your next twelve months activity.
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