Crafting Your Personal Marketing Plan For 2008 February 14th, 2008 Web Seminar

1. Crafting Your Personal Marketing Plan For 2008 February 14th, 2008 Web Seminar With Larry Bodine, Esq. Michael C. Cummings SAGE Professional Development Institute

2. Instructors 630.942.0977 Lbodine@LawMarketing.com 630.572.4798 MikeSage@sbcglobal.net

3. Larry Bodine, Esq. • Strategic Marketing Consultant who has advised more than 50 firms on getting more business • Business development speaker at partner retreats • Personal marketing coach • Web site redesign planner • 2004 Technolawyer Consultant of the Year, and 2003 ABA Edge Award winner 630.942.0977 Lbodine@LawMarketing.com

4. Michael G. Cummings • Trainer For Partners and Associates: • Sales • Networking • Client Account Teams • Practice Groups • Business development speaker at partner retreats • Personal marketing coach • Author: Best Practices OfPersonal Marketing ForAttorneys (www.sagelawmarketing.com) 630.572.4798 mcummings@sageprofessional.com

5. Objectives For You • Clear Personal Marketing Plan • Think and Act Like Rainmakers Do • Put Your Success Under Your Own Control

6. 8 Steps to Develop Your Marketing Plan • Focus on Your Ideal Prospective Clients • Define Your Personal Value Proposition for These Ideal Target Clients • Market to Your Best Existing Clients • Turn Your Clients into Your Sales Force • Market Yourself Inside Your Own Firm • Co-Market with High Power Professional Allies • Build Your Network with a Purpose • Build Your Professional Reputation

7. Step 1: Focus On Your Ideal Clients Niche 2 Niche 3 Niche 1 “Clone Your Client Relationships” Target Target Target Clients Clients Clients Your Value To Them Your Best Clients

8. Defining Ideal Client Focus

9. Step 2: Define Your Value Proposition The Business Problem That You Solve Your Ideal Clients • “Pain” the problem causes the company & executives • Business result that clients desire • Industry/type of business • Nature of the company • Executives/people • Functions • “Clones” of the best clients in your practice group

10. The Secret to Marketing Get the focus off the the firm, the practice group, yourself and what you have to sell…

11. Defining Your Value Proposition

12. Step 3: Marketing to Existing Clients Personal Counselor(Chemistry) Trusted Business Advisor (Business Outcome) Craftsman (Interpersonal/Project Manager) Technical Specialist (Expert)

13. Best Practices Of Client Marketing • Stay in touch with all people you know and have worked with at the client • Know all the relationships/connections • Conduct “how’s business” dialogues • Turn your client into your sales consultant • Meet regularly with other professionals serving this client

14. Personal Counselor Business Advisor Craftsman Technical Specialist How To Market To Clients • Matter follow up review • Bring to association meetings • Market to their personal interests • Send personal, handwritten notes

15. Steps to Develop Your Marketing Strategy • Market to Your Best Existing Clients • Focus on Your Ideal Prospective Clients • Define Your Personal Value Proposition for These Ideal Target Clients • Turn Your Clients into Your Sales Force • Market Yourself Inside Your Own Firm • Co-Market with High Power Professional Allies • Build Your Network with a Purpose • Build Your Professional Reputation

16. Turn Your Clients Into Your Sales Force Why Don’t Clients Refer You? • You don’t ask • They don’t know who to introduce you to • You ask the “wrong” clients • They don’t know when to refer you • You always say that you’re “so busy”

17. Introductions vs. Referrals • Warm Hand Off • Comfortable Process • Think about a Picnic Introduction • Impersonal • May or may not be real lead with right target market • Can be uncom-fortable for all parties Referral

18. Steps 5 and 6: Co-Marketing With Professional Allies Your Own Personal Marketing & Sales Force Source of Your Professional Reputation Mastermind Group in Growing Your Practice Eyes and Ears In The Market

19. Case Example • Target Women Entrepreneurs • Partner with Women atFinancial Planning Firm • 6 Programs • 10-25 Attendees • Personal Invitations • 700 Local Targets

20. Set an upfront contract Introductions To do’s Conduct monthly meetings Share marketing materials (i.e. carry each other’s business cards) Share contact lists Establish roundtables and briefings together Double-team associations Joint case studies Joint mailings Common account plans All Star Marketing Ideas with Allies

21. Worksheet 6.1: External Allies

22. Inside Marketing • Recruit the “right” mentor • Pick your niche • Join a team • Propose your own marketing plan: a way to get funding/reimbursement • Focus on “new” clients, leads and contacts • Be the technologist: blog, podcast, Webinar

23. Steps to Develop Your Marketing Strategy • Market to Your Best Existing Clients • Focus on Your Ideal Prospective Clients • Define Your Personal Value Proposition for These Ideal Target Clients • Turn Your Clients into Your Sales Force • Market Yourself Inside Your Own Firm • Co-Market with High Power Professional Allies • Build Your Network with a Purpose • Build Your Professional Reputation

24. Step 7: Network Building With A Purpose It’s Who You Know, Not What You Know • References/endorsements by people who know you “pre-sells” to your prospective clients • You want to build a network of strong business relationships with people who also know your ideal clients Your Ideal Client’s Network Your Network

25. Inventory of Current Relationships

26. Getting the Most from Organizations Focus Become Prominent • Pick 1-2 & commit • Involve your mentor, allies & clients • Commit to all meetings • Build into your calendar • Meet active members • Be a leader • President • Program/Membership • Join special interest groups/ listservs • Showcase your capabilities • Facilitate • Speak • Write

27. Organizational Action Plan

28. Step 8 Building Your Personal Reputation Use Multiplication Marketing DirectMail E-Mail Newsletter Make A Speech Publish Article Client Solution 1 March April May/Sept. Client Solution 2 April August Client Solution 3 April Oct.

29. Example: Dennis Crouch http://patentlaw.typepad.com/patent

30. Employee Benefit Law • Developed Core Speech onAttention-Grabbing Topic • Spoke to Multiple Audiences • Insurance consulting firm clientupdates • Human Resource associations • Small Businesses • Developed Checklist • Registered for Newsletter

31. Rules Stories sell Case studies are “paper based” introductions and endorsements Shows brief, practical solution Makes you the hero Structure Situation Trauma Here is what we did Benefits for client Your credentials Close for next step Developing a Case Study

32. Act Like a Rainmaker Today • Just do it • Do something everyday (1-2 to-do’s) • Prune away other activities • Treat business development just likebillable work

33. Questions Michael Cummings 630.572.4798 MikeSage@sbcglobal.net Larry Bodine 630.942.0977 Lbodine@LawMarketing.com

34. NEW monthly newsletter for lawyers who are serious about business development • View the January issue Free: www.PBDI.org/Originate

35. Live Conference: March 6-8, Tucson, Arizona Learn practical how-to methods to generate new business, and develop marketing and selling skills Rainmaker Faculty: Stephanie Quincy, Esq., Steptoe & Johnson Lisa Landy, Esq., Akerman Senterfitt Personal coaching: Larry Bodine, Esq. Michael Cummings, Sage Law Marketing Technology expert Darryl Cross, LexisNexis Register at www.PBDI.org

36. Business Development In A Down MarketTo register: www.pbdi.org • SPEAKER(S):Sara Kraeski, Director of Business Development, Davis Graham & Stubbs; Larry Bodine, Esq., and Michael Cummings • DATE:February 26, 2008; 12PM - 1PM Central Time • Here are a few Strategies for Survival: • Hold on to the good talent you have now.  A law firm needs to keep its profitability level high enough so that strategic people don’t jump ship.  Protect against your competitors, who will be wolves at the door. • Expand as much profitable business as possible. Conduct a profitability analysis and get out of money-losing services. • “Bulletproof” your relationships with top clients by creating strategic plans to retain them and forming client teams. • Don't be a commodity legal services provider. • Cross-sell clients in order to keep them.  [According to the R • Consider layoffs of “service partners” who can be replaced with equally skilled and lower-paid lawyers. • Exploit the disadvantages of other law firms. • Lawyers must get business development training.  Rainmakers are not born, they are trained

37. Thank You The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena …because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.