Legal Marketing & PR

Too Busy For Marketing? Or Just Unfocused?

By Tom Kane

Often one hears from lawyers “I’m just to busy to be marketing.” Maybe they are just focusing on the wrong stuff?  Reasons might include they're too busy with:

• Administrative tasks best left to others, or
• Working on files they wish they didn’t have, or
• Representing clients they don’t like working for.

Marketing is not only healthy for one’s law practice (as in keeping the family fed), but can also lead to doing the kind of work one enjoys doing for clients the lawyer enjoys working for. Granted it takes focus, planning and perseverance to ensure that business development efforts get the results that will bring enjoyment to one’s legal practice.  

My friend Trey Ryder has a great article in his current newsletter (sign up for free) that endorses the points raised above.  He states:

“When I ask busy lawyers what they're busy doing, they often grumble about handling cases they don't want, dealing with the hassles of running an office, and so on."

Trey goes on to tell the story about a client, who almost hired him a couple of years earlier. When he asked why he was hiring him now, the lawyer said that he never got a marketing program going and "is no further ahead than he was then."

I have the same questions that Trey asked in his article:

"Are you bringing in the cases you want?

"Are you spending time in ways you find enjoyable?

"Are you investing your time in the most profitable ways?

"Are you delegating or referring out cases you don't want?"

Most lawyers have the best intentions when it comes to undertaking a marketing and business development program. But many lawyers are too busy doing things that keep them from undertaking those activities that will produce desirable results.

So, don't let two years pass before you realize that although you're busy, you may be too "busy" on the wrong stuff.

Full post as published by Legal Marketing Blog on September 04, 2008 (boomark / email).