Recently I had breakfast with a guy who held himself out as a “trial lawyer.”

Let’s call him Mr. Wells.

At breakfast, Mr. Wells went to great lengths to talk about the type of litigation matters he wanted to work on.    He spent fifteen minutes telling me how great he was and how successful he had been in his law practice.

Later that day I logged into a discussion forum for attorneys.  One of the posts in this forum had Mr. Wells’ name next to it.  Having just met with him, I was interested in what he had to say, so I clicked on the post.  I was shocked when I saw him asking this discussion group, with over 1,000 members, for help with basic trial procedure.

This made me wonder how he expected to get referrals from the group of lawyers if he was asking for help with the basics of something in his area of supposed expertise.

It turns out Mr. Wells just became a trial lawyer.  Previously he had been practicing in another area of the law.

Last week I took my car to a mechanic because some fluid was leaking from the undercarriage.  The mechanic and another man put my car up on the lift and proceeded to examine every inch of the chassis.  At the completion of the examination, the mechanic and his associate met me in the garage.  Just as the diagnosis was about to be delivered, someone pulled the mechanic away.

“So” I said to the other man who was clad in overalls and had a flashlight in hand, “what’s wrong with my car?”

He said:

“I’m an apprentice, sir.  I only have six months of training on this type of vehicle.  I am not qualified to answer.  Let’s wait for the mechanic to return.  It will only be a moment.”

Which story inspires more confidence?

It is amazing how many professionals believe they have to fake it until they make it.

They believe marketing is the art of deception.

They know they can be anything on the Internet and they trick themselves into believing they can be anything in real life just through the process of self-appointment.

There is nothing wrong with trying something new.

There is nothing wrong with changing careers (or practice areas).

But there is something wrong with being deceptive.

I do not want my lawyer, my heart surgeon or my parachute manufacturer to try and “figure things out as they go along.”

I want you to study under an expert.  I want you to practice while being observed by someone who has talent and experience.

If there are risks, I want to know about them ahead of time and I want to know how you have handled those risks in the past.

If you lie or exaggerate about your experience, you rob me of my ability to assess that risk.

If I trust your advice, thinking you are an expert, when really you are a novice – who should be apprenticing before going out on your own – you are perpetrating a fraud.

It only takes one mistake to ruin your reputation.  It takes one mistake to devastate your client and potentially end your career.

That mistake can be prevented by following one simple rule in your marketing:

Tell the truth.

Give it a try.  You’ll sleep better and attract more clients.

Right now there is a decision maker in a large company lying awake, staring at the ceiling, wondering how he is going to handle a serious issue.   He wants help.  He wants to call someone who can ease his anxiety.

This is a smart guy.  He’s well educated.  He has a couple of decades of experience.  He is politically savvy and financially adept.   Yet this particular issue has him vexed and perplexed.

Throughout his entire career this executive has confronted issues head-on, identified his options, and made the best decision for his business.   But this time his options appear to have narrowed and the “good” solution is not easy to identify.  The choices he faces appear to be degrees of “bad.”

As light begins to peer through the curtain in his bedroom, he makes a decision to pick up the telephone and call a person whose counsel he has sought on similar issues.   He knows he will receive solid, objective guidance, from this person.  Based, in part, on this guidance, he will bet the future of his company.

As he reaches for the telephone he confidently has one person in mind.

————————————————————————————–

You may not have given that exact scenario any thought.   After all, you are working hard, being a good lawyer, being a good medical professional, or being a good business leader.

Why would you spend any time thinking about the problems faced by the owner of a huge business?

You think about those problems because helping this guy make good decisions is important to your relationship with him.

Relationships lead to business for you.

Make no mistake; there is no Request for Proposal published when a business leader is looking for a trusted advisor.   There is no committee formed when a CEO needs someone to bounce ideas off.   There is only the trust you have developed.

How do you get to this point?  How do you develop a relationship with a guy like this?

There are four aspects of a deep relationship.

Visibility

This relationship with the senior decision maker begins when he first recognizes you and your talent.  This can be through reading a book or an article you have written, it can be through seeing you speak at an event, it can be through the introduction by a mutual friend, or in a dozen other ways.

At some point, you appear on this guy’s radar screen because of something you said or something you did.

Credibility

Just knowing you is not enough.  The decision maker must get a glimpse of your brilliance.  He must know what you know.

Most often this comes from personal, direct conversations.   It comes from being yourself.  It comes from telling the truth, even when it is difficult.  It comes from offering your unvarnished opinion even when it may get you thrown out of the room.

The executive needs to know you are going to give him your best thinking even when it exposes you to ridicule.

Differentiation

There are lots of people out there who do what you do.  There are hundreds of top notch trial lawyers.  There are dozens of outstanding physicians in every area of practice.  There are tens of thousands of business consultants who are qualified to help executives.

Why should the CEO call you?  Why is it important the General Counsel seek your guidance?

You need to be able to articulate a clear differentiating factor.  Something that matters.  Something that cannot be easily replicated.

Trust

It’s lonely at the top.  The people who enter the CEO’s office, the people who enter the General Counsel’s office, are almost always angling for something.  If you provide guidance and support without any motive other than acting in the best interest of your friend/client, you will develop trust.

The four aspects of this kind of relationship are easy to comprehend but difficult to develop.

Why?

Because they require emotional investment – on your part.

You must invest in this person.  You must invest in a relationship with him.  You must invest in helping him succeed.

That’s tough.

It’s tough because we live in a NOW world.  You want that big trial TODAY.  You want the huge order IMMEDIATELY.  You want to be the GO TO person post haste.

These relationships are built brick by brick.  They are built by giving good guidance on lots of small issues.  They are built by people sharing your reputation in boardrooms and at cocktail parties.

It starts with the relationships you have right now.  It starts with the guidance you provide today.  It starts with your activity, your personality, and your focus, right now.

————————————————————————————–

The executive’s legs swing around to the side of his bed.  His feet hit the floor and he pulls back the curtain.  He reaches down and picks up his phone.  As he scrolls through the contacts, he stops on a name and pushes the green button.

Somewhere across the country, a telephone is ringing on a nightstand.

The sound startles you out of a peaceful slumber.  As you reach for the phone you don’t realize it but answering that call may very well change the trajectory of a career…for both of you.

The number one question I receive from clients (lawyers, medical professionals, business owners) is:

“How do I get more clients?”

Set aside, just for a moment, the fact that this is the wrong question to ask…let’s take a moment and address the issue that is keeping most professionals up at night.

Common Myth:  You must be a great salesperson to be good at client attraction.

You are not out looking for “targets” to approach to draft into service as your clients.

You are trying to establish relationships.

Relationships develop when two people believe there is mutual benefit in getting together.

Think about this in terms of personal relationships.

If you were seeking the company of someone with whom you could potentially spend the rest of your life, you would not wade into a sea of prospective suitors, grab one, and say:

“You are beautiful. I am fantastic.  Would you spend the rest of your life with me?”

Yet each day people hit the airwaves, Internet and hundreds of other forms of media saying something similar in a business context.  Think about it:

“If you’ve been arrested for a DUI, call so-and-so law firm.”

“Need cash fast?  Call XYZ bank.”

“Want clean floors? Buy my mop.”

A better approach:

Educate people.  Teach them about your industry, your business, and the criteria for selecting an expert to help them.

Offering guidance and education is a great way to get people interested in what you have to say.

Then, when people come to you seeking the knowledge you provide, give it to them.

Finally:

Follow up often to deepen the relationship.

Let’s go back to the dating analogy.

If you were interested in a potential spouse, would you stop by and see him/her only once each month?  Or occasionally?  Or when you got around to it?

Of course not.

Engage people and keep deepening your relationship with them over time.

Eventually, the people with whom you have developed enough trust, will walk down the aisle and give you some cash.

Want more specifics?

I lay out the details in this 23 minute podcast.  Listen now:

Do This Get Clients

In case you are wondering, I am demonstrating the exact principle I just outlined.

You and I have a relationship.  I share great information with you every week.  You have the opportunity to reach out to me, at any time, and deepen our relationship.

You may not be ready now.

You may not be ready six months from now.

But when you are ready, I’ll be here.

For now, let’s spend 23 more minutes together.  Listen to this podcast today:

Do This Get Clients

Here’s hoping you make a great living and live a great life®.

There’s a lot of hocus pocus out there about marketing.

Everyone wants the magic pill or secret formula to use in order to get more clients, immediately.

Those things don’t exist.

Know what works?

Good, old fashioned persistence aligned with the right actions.

Here are five things you can do today to help grow your business.

Make a telephone call to one of your current clients.

Ask how things are going.  Ask what his goals are for the year.  Offer to help him achieve his goals.

When you approach the conversation in this way, you are viewed as a trusted advisor.  That results in new business.

Ask each of your employees and your vendors to make a list of people they know who are successful and influential in the community.

Have them select the five most successful and influential people on each of their lists.  Invite those folks to an open house in your office.  Serve food and beverages.  Introduce people to each other.   Thank them for coming.

You will be amazed at the business that comes from this event.  If you have five employees and five vendors you will have 25 -50 influential and successful people in your office learning about the value you provide.

Write one hand written note to someone you admire.

This note should go to a person you would like to do business with.   Be genuine in your note.  If he recently won an award, or was mentioned in the paper, congratulate him.

About 20% of the people who receive your note will reach out to you.  60% of people who receive your note will take your call if you reach out to them.

Go to an event where you are the only person from your profession.

There’s a line in a Seinfeld episode when Kramer says: “Have you ever been at a cocktail party with a proctologist? If you meet a proctologist at a party stay close to him.  Those guys are a laugh a minute.”

Be the proctologist at the party.

I tell lawyers to go to meetings of accountants.  I tell doctors to go to conventions of gym owners.   I tell business owners to find the industry, profession or demographic group that purchases their product en mass and attend their conventions and hang out where they congregate.

Why?

Well, for research purposes for one thing.   In order to sell to these people you must understand the way they think and the way they speak.

The second reason you should go is because you will most likely stumble into several potential clients.

Learn something new about your industry or your clients every day. 

Do a little research each day.  Read a trade journal.  Call someone who does what you in another part of the country and brainstorm with him for ten minutes.

You may bristle at these five tips because they require a little work.  I understand.   But if you invest your time in these five strategies, you will be regularly rewarded with new clients and new revenue.  You just need to make the effort.

Now here’s something else you may enjoy.  Below is a link to a podcast I recorded on how to create a marketing plan that will deliver clients to your doorstep.  Click the link below to spend fifteen minutes with me as I give you a step-by-step guide to creating a great plan to bring business in the door.

How to Create a Diverse Marketing Plan

A new year is approaching.

What will make next year better than this year?

What will you do to make things better?

If you are completely happy with your income, with your life and with your social status, do nothing.

If you want more, if you deserve more, if you feel you should make a great living and live a great life®, read the suggestions below…

…and take action.

Five things to focus on in 2013:

Value Based Billing

My clients continue to build new relationships based upon the value based billing philosophy I teach them.  This is not just “flat fee” billing.  It’s not just “success fee pricing”.  It is a revolutionary concept that helps attorneys, CPAs, professionals and business owners offer clients a price they feel is fair and rational.

If you have not yet embraced value based fees, call me.   888.444.5150

Depth of Relationships

Most attorneys and business owners do not develop deep relationships with their clients.  They simply handle the matter in front of them and move on.   This is a big mistake.

Current clients know you, like you and trust you.  You must work at deepening your relationship with each of them by helping them solve their biggest challenges even if they are outside the spectrum of your current offerings.

Think you cannot do this in your business/law firm?  Need help figuring this out?

Call me.  888.444.5150

Eliminate Free

Can a client meet with you, pick your brain and create a roadmap to solve his problem – without paying a cent?

If so, people are taking advantage of you.

And no, I do not care what your competitors do.  Your competitors may be giving away money and positioning themselves as low-fee, low quality service providers.

You are smart but you still cannot figure out how to eliminate the f-r-e-e consultation.

Call me and we will figure it out together.  888.444.5150

Guard Your Time

Each day we give away something even more valuable than our advice.  We give away our time.

Budget your time wisely.  Only invest your time when you see a positive return on investment.

If you are ready to take control of your life, give me a call 888.444.5150

Friends Matter

Look around.

You are defined by your closest relationships.  These people are reflective of your values, your intelligence and your potential for success.

We have an expression in the consulting industry.  We say: “Talent knows talent.”  That means successful people hang out with other successful people.

You need to change the crowd with whom you associate if you want to grow your business and improve your life.

I’m not saying you must ditch everyone in your life.  But I am saying you need to add more valuable relationships to your circle of trusted advisors.

Isn’t it time you made the decision to step up to the big leagues?  Even if you don’t want to rule the world, you deserve a great living and a great life.

This is your moment of truth.  You can do nothing and unsubscribe from my email list or you can make a decision to take action.

My telephone number is 888.444.5150.

Best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Summary

Think about these three questions for a moment:

• Do you want to improve the value of your business?
• Do you want to sell more products and services to existing clients?
• Would you like more referrals?

If you answered “YES” to any of these questions, you must become a database marketing expert.

This video is a good place to start.

Subscribe

Have these videos delivered directly to your inbox each week on Friday morning. Fill in the form below to subscribe now.

Transcript

This is Dave Lorenzo, Chairman and Founder of Valtimax Consulting and today we’re going to talk about database equity.

You may be wondering what database equity is. Well, everyone who comes into your business or who meets with you and is a potential client for your services should go into some sort of database and you should be communicating with those folks regularly. You may have heard me talk about newsletters or greeting cards, birthday cards, thank you gifts, those sorts of things.

We have all sorts of programs and systems designed to keep in touch with people and that’s one of the things we provide for our clients.

Well, the folks who we’re keeping in touch with, those are people in our database and your past clients are phenomenally valuable. When we talk about database equity, we talk about your ability to go to your database of past clients or referral sources and extract additional business from them in exchange for the value you can provide.

We’re making the assumption that all money you receive is the by-product of value creation. So you’re exchanging value for their money.

So it’s OK as long as you have something of value to go back to these folks and say, “Hey, I can solve this problem for you,” or “I can provide you with this service that’s going to give you great pleasure and I want to do that.”

Database equity is your ability to go back to the folks on your list and either sell them something new or work with them in a new way.

Everyone needs to build that database and here are the reasons why.

Number one: You can sell more products and services to those folks. So if you’ve done their will, you can do a Durable Power of Attorney later on or you can update the will later on.

If you’re a doctor and you’ve solved an issue for them in a specific area, they had pain in their knee and you’re an orthopedic surgeon. Now when they have pain in their shoulder, they can come back to you and you can continue to educate them on things that they can do to keep healthy as they get older.

Number two: It’s a phenomenal way to keep in touch with people and to sell them additional products, additional services. Also your database can provide you with referrals. As long as you keep in touch with them on a regular basis, they should be referring people to you because you provided them with a great experience.

Number three: The folks in your database should be promoting your products and services to others. Now that’s different from referrals because these people can be evangelists out there talking about you, providing you with fantastic brand recognition, fantastic word-of-mouth in the community.

Finally: Your database can be used to help you influence other people in the community toward causes. So if you have a cause that’s near and dear to your heart, you can go to your database and make the case as to why that cause should receive their time, their money or their attention.

Now the other thing you can do – and I think I touched on it but I want to make sure I’m clear – is you can introduce people in your database to other folks who have goods or services that may be valuable to them.

So if you’re a car dealer and you have a great database, you can introduce your database, the folks in your database, to a fantastic detailer; if you don’t have a service department, a fantastic mechanic. If you are a women’s clothier, you can introduce your clients to a great dry cleaner. These are services they need and your endorsement will not only help that person but you’re providing your clients, who you care about, with a great experience for another service.

Database equity is phenomenal and if you’re not keeping track of the clients or customers that come in and out through your business each and every single day, you’re missing out on an opportunity.

When you go to sell your business, those relationships will have value and they will enable you to get a higher price when your business actually comes to an end and you want to sell it.

My name is Dave Lorenzo. If you would like more great information just like this, you can visit me at Valtimax.com. I look forward to seeing you there.