To say 2020 was a challenging year is an understatement, but what 2020 did teach us is that flying by the seat of your pants is no way to manage a law firm. You need to have a plan, you need to have systems in place to enact that plan, and you need to have key people to manage your systems. If you don’t, you are at the mercy of Coronavirus, murder hornets, brain-eating amoebas, and anything else life wants to throw at you.
Every week on my Crushing Chaos with Law Firm Mentor podcast, I address how law firm owners can improve in the areas of sales, marketing, systems, people, and mindset to crush chaos and increase efficiency so that you can make more money, enjoy more success, and have more free time.
I went through my over thirty episodes from 2020 to find the top ten that I felt represented key strategies in these five areas. I wanted to present them here to help you get started on the path to crushing chaos, growing your revenue and enjoy success despite the fact that 2020 is the year that everyone wants to forget.
#1 Create a Plan or Plan to Be Broke
They say that people who fail to plan are ones who plan to fail but I say if you don’t have a plan for your law firm then you plan to be broke. Yet this failure to plan starts with the wrong mindset. The avoidance of creating a plan stems from our instinct to avoid exposing our failure to master money in our business.
My podcast episode “Cold Hard Truths about Owning a Law Firm” talks about this mind set and how you can stop planning to fail. Click here to listen now.
#2 Generate Leads Like a Boss Even When the Economy Tanks
How do you generate leads, even in a climate when the economy is in flux, people are stuck in their homes watching episodes of “The Good Place”, and everyone says they don’t have any money?
My episode “Boss Moves: Quintupling Leads During COVID with Bridget Bennett” talks about the mindset you need to have to improve your sales process so that you can generate leads no matter what the economic climate. Click here to start thinking like a Boss.
#3 Design a Business Plan Even if it isn’t Pretty
In Episode #20, I talk about the mindset you need when it comes to business planning. In Episode 23, “The Quick & Dirty Business Plan for Law Firms”, my guest Kathy D’Agostino and I get more into the nitty gritty of the key things you need to consider when creating a business plan. It may not always be pretty, but the work needs to be done. Click here to learn the questions you need to ask yourself to get started.
#4 Leverage Referrals the Right Way to Get More Business
We all love referrals but if we don’t have the right process in place to obtain referrals then we are missing out on great opportunities to generate more leads. In Episode 27 , “Become Your Law Firm’s Referral Ninja”, my guest Stacey Brown Randall talks about key strategies to use to leverage referrals to generate revenue.
#5 Hire the Right People to Make Your Business Thrive
2020 has made many law firm owners look at a business model where some, if not all of their staff need to work remotely, and to consider hiring virtual assistants for their firms. My guest Molly McGrath and I talk about how to hire the best team for your business, whether it includes VA’s, having staff on site, or somewhere in between. Listen to “Hiring Rock Stars: How to Get the Right People Doing the Right Things” to learn more.
#6 You Need to Get Comfortable Collecting Money
In a perfect world clients would pay you without you needing to ask. But, COVID or no COVID, the world isn’t perfect and there are going to be times when you are going to need to ask your clients for money. “Collect More Money in Your Law Firm” discusses the mindset you need to have in order to discuss your fees with prospects, have more clients pay you, and be more comfortable collecting money from your clients.
#7 You Need to Delegate to Grow
If you are at the point where you are juggling so many clients that you are doing the bare minimum to keep from getting sued, then congratulations, you are ready to hire your first attorney! “Solo success Strategies: The First Attorney Hire” can help you understand how to do this the right way.
#8 Create More Videos
If you want to get the word out about your business you have to be more social. And I’m not talking about chatting up people at the local bar or passing out your business card to everyone you see. I am talking about promoting your law firm on social media. And one of the best ways to get more people to pay attention to your message on social media is to create more videos. Listen to “Video Marketing: The Dawn of Lead Generation” to learn video marketing strategies from my guest speaker Mark Bullock.
#9 Don’t Try to be the Best Price, Just Be the Best
Too many law firm owners fall into the trap of promoting their firms based on price. But when you try to be the price leader, you are always going to have to fight to stay on top. My guest speaker Jan Roos and I discuss how to do this in Episode #9 “Booking More Clients: Break the Price Shopper Paradigm.” Listen now by clicking here.
#10 You Have to Have a Website
You can’t avoid it, you have to have a website. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but you need a place for people to find you on the Internet. If you want to learn more about how to design a website for your law firm, listen to my conversation with guest speaker Steve Ryan in Episode 13 “Your Online Business Card: Designing Your Firm’s Website.”
This is just a taste of what we talk about on Crushing Chaos with Law Firm Mentor. Tune in every Tuesday to learn more. You can listen every Tuesday on Apple Podcast, iTunes or by visiting our website. Want to learn more about how I can help you crush chaos in your law firm? Contact us today!