Over the past several decades, personal injury lawyers have been encountering significant difficulties in marketing themselves and their practices. The unethical actions of ambulance-chasing personal injury lawyers have damaged the industry’s reputation, sowing suspicion among the public. Thus, it’s a challenge for legitimate practitioners to restore the profession’s good image and restore the public’s trust, and many of them are failing in this department.
According to Kenneth Hardison, a lawyer with more than 30 years of experience and founder of the Personal Injury Lawyers Marketing and Management Association (PILMMA), many personal injury law firms are not able to broadcast the right messages through their marketing. Most of the time, they copycat what other lawyers say, such as being tough/tenacious or offering free consultations.
“When someone gets hurt, they have only two questions in their mind. The first is, ‘Do I need a lawyer?’ and the second is, ‘If I do need a lawyer, why should I choose you?’ This is where lawyers have a hard time because they think all lawyers do the same things. But there are so many different ways to stand out and differentiate yourself. For example, when I was still practicing, I had a 30-day client service satisfaction guarantee. If you hired us and you weren't happy for the first 30 days, you can terminate your file with no fees and costs involved. That set me apart from my competition. If only 5% of lawyers in your state are board-certified, and you’re one of them, that’s a powerful differentiator. That’s your purple cow.”
Here, Hardison is referencing the book Purple Cow by Seth Godin, where the purple cow is something that’s new, unique, and remarkable, making it stand out from the herd, which is the business’ competitors as well as the huge volume of advertising clutter today.
Another problem that Hardison identified is the tendency of lawyers to invest much money in marketing yet neglect spending on intake and conversion, leading to not enough leads becoming actual clients and cases. According to Hardison, one firm, which belongs to a member of PILMMA’s mastermind groups, went from signing 165 cases to 450 cases despite no additional marketing spend. Instead, the firm spent money on hiring and training capable people to handle their intake, causing conversion to grow from 65% to 95% and tripling their caseload in one year.
Furthermore, Hardison says that while taking care of prospective and current clients is common knowledge, many law firms forget to take care of past clients, who hold tremendous value in the form of referrals.
“I used to spend $2 million a year on advertising, but more than 40% of my clients came from referrals by past clients,” Hardison says. “We made sure to keep in touch with past clients through newsletters/email blasts, client advisory boards, and even sending them birthday, Valentine’s, or Thanksgiving cards. We also hosted a client appreciation day with free food, entertainment, and swag for guests. Everyone in our firm had ‘We welcome referrals’ as part of our email signatures. What you need to do is stay on top of their mind so, in the event that their family or friends get into an accident and need a lawyer, you’ll be the first one they think about. Most lawyers think that everybody they’ve worked with will remember them, but that’s not the case. You have to build and cultivate a relationship.”
As a believer in the power of word-of-mouth marketing, Hardison says that client service is crucial in securing repeat business and referrals. In every organization he’s headed, whether the two law firms or PILMMA, excellent client service is paramount.
“I had a client service manual, and applicants had to take a client service test before being hired,” he says. “I made sure every employee always thought about grandma – if they can’t say something in front of their grandmother, then they shouldn’t say it to the clients, either. It is structured on what Jay Abraham calls the strategy of preeminence. Everything we do is for the betterment of our clients, and that is one of my core values. We’re not in it solely for the money, and our primary goal is to help the client. I soon realized that the more I put the client first, the more money I made. That's how I was able to grow PILMMA from a post-retirement hobby to a multi-million dollar business.”
Media contact:
Name: Sherry Myers
Email: sherrymyers@pilmma.org
Published by: Pathos Communications Ltd