Keep it simple!

by Harmony Thiessen

Often in our efforts to assemble a dynamic marketing campaign we complicate the core issues and the effect can be counter-productive. When a layperson enters a relationship with a lawyer, three basic components must exist:

• A sense of trust. She needs to believe you are the one person she can rely on to get her through this situation. Remember - in marketing, perception is reality.
• A sense of competency. You can and will do the job!
• A sense of value. He will still have a few good shirts left in the closet when all is done.

A successful marketing strategy addresses these underlying elements and responds with clarity, integrity of the message, and a good dose of reality.

Clarity begins with some key questions. To increase your effectiveness with this exercise, become the client in your mind. Why would they choose your firm when there are four other law offices in the building? What is the one outstanding trait about your practice? Make a list but be prepared to choose only one focus. Possibly your year of call was in 1968 and you have valuable experience to offer. On the other hand, you may have been called to the Bar recently and have energy and time to build a good reputation. You may specialize in criminal law. Whatever your focus, it needs to be central to your marketing strategy.

Some firms choose to use a mission statement as their point of clarity. Here again, only one core issue can be addressed successfully. We all know a certain restaurant that serves breakfast muffins, but the signs say "7 billion served," and we know it's not muffins. Once your core point of difference is well established you can build on it, but the main point remains the cornerstone of your strategy.

Your next step involves your senses. You have already determined with clarity what you want to say. Is there an integral connection with that message in all your mediums of communication? Many well-intentioned marketing dollars are invested in phone books, newsletters and brochures, while the message at the office itself may undermine that investment. Take a walk around your office, or ask a friend to take the tour. When you walk in the door, what do you feel? Does the atmosphere complement your message? Have you placed strategic magazines and articles that relate to your message in the waiting room? Your ad states that you care about what your client is suffering through. What characteristics in your office staff communicate that message? Is there a courtesy phone? Maybe your brochure states that your firm is the best choice because not only are you experienced, but also you are approachable and friendly. Do you have a direct phone line to each legal practitioner in your firm? Can someone leave you a voice mail with the details of their questions? Are they called back with a response right away? The message you are printing must be "felt" when the client walks through the door. Everything about you and your office environment markets, or communicates a message.

This also extends outside the office. If you practice environmental law and serve as the Chairperson on your community's recycling committee, the perception is integrity in your message. If you help clean up the streets with your own two hands, that's even better!

When your family doctor refers you to a specialist, saying she cannot diagnose your symptoms because they are beyond her area of expertise, you are grateful for her honesty. No one person - no matter how experienced - can handle all legal issues. A reality check on what you promise to deliver is one of the best marketing tools available to you. Your clients are happy, satisfied customers who return. Their "word of mouth" can be your greatest advertising.

Harmony Thiessen, Canadian Legal Marketing, Inc

This article was published in the December 2000 issue of BarTalk. © 2000 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.