Marketing Accelerator 2021

Locking down your story

Today’s lesson is up and it’s the last assignment for the Marketing Accelerator portion of this program. Don’t worry, we’re picking up in #marketing_tactics_lab_2022 to shift our focus to actually implementing these stories in the specific marketing tactics you’re using to build your practice. This Slack group will stay open so you can post your story and get feedback on it if you haven’t yet and to facilitate continuing discussion specifically about the two stories you’ve written.

Now that the stories are locked down, we’re ready to put them to use and start getting more of the kind of clients you want. Come join #marketing_tactics_lab_2022 here in Slack. We’re getting started in a few days. When you join the channel, you’ll automatically be signed up to get the assignments in your podcast feed just like you did for this program.

Don't be perfect

I hope you’re making progress on your story. Today’s lesson is about why you want to resist the urge to only tell people about your victories. Interesting stories aren’t about perfection, and being perfect doesn’t build trust nearly as well as being relatable. Keep writing, and post your story here as a PDF when you’re ready for us to take a look.

Finding your story

Good morning. Hopefully you’ve started working on your story. If you’re struggling or need some help, I have advice on discovering your story, and more importantly how to identify events in your life that share the emotional overlap you’re looking to create with your clients in today’s lesson. Given it a listen, keep writing, and be sure to post your story here as a PDF when you’re ready.

As a reminder, I’ll be doing another Q and A call this Thursday, January 27th at 8pm Eastern time. I’ll post the Zoom link in Slack the day of the call.

It's time to write your story

Good morning. It’s time to write your story. Keep in mind what we’ve discussed so far – it should be interesting and it should cover the emotional overlap with your client. It’s not going to be your life story, it’s likely not going to be the story of how you became a lawyer, and frankly, it probably shouldn’t be a particularly flattering story. Vulnerability is going to serve you well here.

Today’s message is up in your feed and I have some ideas on how to start.

Building authenticity

Welcome back. We’re not ready to write your story just yet, but we’re getting there, so if you haven’t yet posted your client’s story, be sure to do that now, because we’re moving on shortly. Today’s lesson is about building authenticity and how to make that happen. A lot of it boils down to the emotional overlap we’ve discussed a little bit already, but I have more thoughts on that in today’s message.

Telling your story

We’re moving on today. If you haven’t posted your client’s story yet, do it today. It won’t be perfect, but it will be progress. Thanks for all of the submissions. My usual practice is to limit reviews of draft stories to twice. If you need an extra review please don’t hesitate to ask but please plan on limiting it to two so that we have time to go through them all. Thanks.

Today’s lesson is up in your feed, and it’s about you and your story. Your story is the second key part of this process and there’s a lot to cover regarding what it should entail and what it will look like.

Where should you tell the story?

I hope you’ve submitted a draft of your client story, or are close to it. The question that a lot of you have been asking is “Now what? Where do I tell the client’s story?”

The answer is basically “everywhere”. Today’s lesson is up in your feed and its about why this story is going to be the key to building trust. How you present the story will vary a little bit depending on where you’re telling it, but it’s going to be the same story, over and over. You’re going to find yourself bored of the story and feeling like you’re repeating yourself. Today’s lesson is about why it needs to happen.

What is your role in the client's story?

Welcome back.

I’ve encouraged you not to focus much on your role in the client’s story. But sometimes, it’s necessary to touch on your role, and in today’s lesson, I have some thoughts of how you can position yourself as more of a guide or a helper than the star of the show.

I also have a few quick tips for you if you’re having trouble writing the client’s story.

Structuring the client story

Welcome back. Hopefully you’re getting close to being able to post your first draft if you haven’t already. Just drop it in here as a PDF and I’ll take a look. Today’s lesson has some more ideas about story structure if you need help with a framework for writing not just your client’s story, but your own story when we work on that shortly. I also have some thoughts for those of you who are feeling “stuck” writing this story of your ideal client.

How to tell your client's story

Good morning. Hopefully you’ve had a chance to start writing your client’s story. When you’re ready to have me take a look and get feedback from the group, drop a PDF of what you’ve written here in Slack. I have some guidance and suggestions in today’s lesson on how you’ll want to approach this exercise and thought on how to structure the story you’re working on.

It's time to start writing

You’re ready to use what you’ve been working on so far to write your client’s story. It’s not going to be perfect right now, and it doesn’t need to be. What we want to do is get your first iteration created so we can start the work of refining and revising it together. What we’re shooting for right now is in the zone of 300-1000 words. It shouldn’t be a life story – the best approach is to write something more like a scene out of a novel or a movie. We don’t need a resolution or objective right now, you just need to be defining the problem better than your client can.

I have quite a few thoughts in today’s lesson about how to go about starting with this project and what kinds of things you want to make sure you cover, and what things you need to avoid.

You have one more assignment that requires reporting back here in Slack – letting us know the dominant emotion – just one or two words – that your client is feeling in this vignette you’re working on. If you need help with the right term, there’s a good list here

Some bad news

Good morning. A bit of bad news today – we’re not as important to our clients as we think we are. I’ll give you a minute to compose yourself. Yesterday, we talked about goals and obstacles and why they’re the foundation of any story. The legal problems we solve on a daily basis – the issues to which we devote our energy and brain power, the things we think are life and death matters for our clients are just a handful of a long line of obstacles they will face in their lives. In the story of our clients, they’re the heroes, and the issues we’re helping them with are obstacles. The stories we’re working on are about them and it’s important to remember who the star of this show is.

The importance of obstacles

Welcome back. We’re continuing to work on your client’s story today, and I have a lesson for you about the goals your client has and the obstacles that are in the way. Overcoming obstacles is what makes a story intriguing. It’s what gives us investment in the characters. I have several more questions about your ideal client as well, and there will be a few more tomorrow. I’ve created a list of all the questions at https://roseninstitute.com/idealquestions to make fleshing out your client easier.

Picking your clients

Good morning.

One of the most powerful outcomes of doing what we’re doing in identifying and marketing to the specific type of person we want is that we’re effectively able to pick our clients. We’ve all been in positions where we feel like we’ve had to take business we didn’t want or represent people we didn’t like because anything was better than nothing.

That’s no way to build the kind of business you want to run.

Today’s lesson is up in your podcast feed and we’re talking about why being able to pick your clients is so much better than the alternative, but also, why it means we need to be very careful about the ideal client we’re constructing and who we’re planning to attract.

I also have a lot more questions for you today to get you thinking about your ideal client – specifically about the work and employment situation. Be sure you’re making notes as you work through these.

The key to your client's story

Welcome back.

Remember, I’m doing a live Q + A call today at 8pm Eastern time. Here’s the link to join:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9197876667?pwd=K2ZuYmlQdWtNSHhZN3dUSjU1NXRPZz09

Today’s lesson is a deep dive into your client’s story. I know quite a few of you have joined because you know that this part is important, but you feel like you don’t know the first thing about your ideal client’s life. Luckily, you do – or you should.

You’ve been dealing with clients day in and day out. But sometimes what happens is that our attorney brains zero in on only what’s legally pertinent because that’s what we’re concerned with. But in doing that, we’re missing out on a goldmine of information about the emotional triggers that matter to our prospective clients.

I have a bunch of questions for you today to start fleshing out your ideal client. You don’t need to answer every single one if you don’t want to, but use them to stimulate your thinking about who it is you want to hire you, and be sure you’re making notes somewhere as you work through these.

Identifying your ideal client

Good morning.

We’re taking our first look at your ideal client today. Today’s session is up in your private podcast feed – go give it a listen.

I’m covering a lot of ground today – who you’re targeting, what to expect out of a ideal client when you have multiple practice areas and why these stories matter for both business to consumer and business to business legal practices.

I also have your first assignment about your ideal client. Remember, share your answers here in Slack, but also be sure you’re writing them down and saving them somewhere you control. A Google doc, a notepad file, whatever. You’re going to want to have a central spot for this information that you can refer to as we move along in this program.

Why empathy matters

Welcome back.

Yesterday, we took a look at the basics of trust, and today, I want to talk about why empathy is the most effective way to build that trust in your marketing. Today’s lesson is up in your podcast feed. If you’re having any issues with your feed, be sure to let Ned know so he can help.

We’re going to build that empathy, and thereby trust, in the two stories you’re going to create. When you’ve developed the trust in your marketing, the client arrives ready to hire you. You’re not stuck in the position of arguing your case in the initial consult. You’re not forced to brag about yourself or belittle your competition or answer questions about why the guy down the street is cheaper. The sales pressure for you and your associates is lifted to an incredible degree.

Today’s recording has your first real assignment as well. Be sure as we work through these that you’re making notes somewhere with your work on these exercises. They’re going to build on one another and being able to refer back to what you’ve worked on will be important as we go along.

Welcome to Marketing Accelerator

Happy New Year !!! 🎉

And we’re off – Marketing Accelerator is underway. Welcome and Thank You for being here.

If you haven’t had a a call with Ned to talk about your practice and goals for the program, please let him know and he will get you squared away.

We’re hitting the ground running today – we’re going to be covering a lot of ground in a short amount of time with this program. Today’s session is about what I call the “triangle of trust”. We’re going to focus on identifying what’s motivating your ideal client and creating two marketing stories that will speak to those motivations. If this sounds complex, don’t worry – it boils down to creating trust, so today, we’re looking at the fundamentals.

Please don’t hesitate to send a direct message to Ned or to me if you’re having any issues accessing anything. We’re here to help. Be aware that Ned and I may take a little while to respond due to time zone issues.

Also, I’m doing a live Q and A call in the Marketing Accelerator Slack channel on Thursday, January 6th at 8pm Eastern Time, so be sure to join me if you’re around.