Direct Mail Do's

Direct Mail is one of the most cost-effective ways to market and brand your practice within your community. Whether you are a new practice trying to build your database, or an established practice that is hoping to grow, direct mail can be a great asset in your marketing campaign. Because direct mail is very targeted to the households in your community, your leads coming in the door will be good ones that will be more likely to schedule an appointment and become a lasting client. Even with a 1-2 percent return rate, which is the US average for direct mail, your price per lead is very minimal compared to other forms of advertising.

Here are my top 10 do's to ensure a successful campaign:

1.) Research your direct mail company and ask a lot of questions. Some examples of good questions are "Where does your list information come from", "How often is your database updated", "How many filters can I use for my list". Also, use a company that has worked in the legal arena before and is aware of the laws associated with legal advertising and marketing. A company that knows your business will also help you have the best creative going to your selected demographic.

2.) Offer, Offer, Offer! Your piece can and will only be successful if you have a great offer. You can't expect people to call in if you're not offering them a good incentive. Your quality and service are great selling points for referral marketing, but for direct mail you need something powerful that will make people call you immediately.


3.) The other vitally important portion of direct mail is the list. If you have an outdated list, or use the wrong search criteria for the demographic you are trying to reach, you better believe your campaign will fail. The list can be narrowed by hundreds of different search tools from household income and occupation to credit card users and children present in the home. Make sure your list encompasses all the attributes your ideal client would have.

4.) Have a snappy looking piece that will grab people's attention. The design needs to reach out to the demographic you are targeting. Make sure you are thinking outside of the box to outsmart your competition.

5.) Mail to the same person more than once with different creative each time. If you are going to mail to each household only once, don't waste your time or money. You need to mail to each household at least three times. This can be spread out over the course of three weeks, three months or six months, but absolutely hit them at least three times.

6.) Keep the direct mail piece's verbiage simple and to the point. If you bog the piece down with words, it will heighten the chances of getting thrown away.

7.) Use the most personalized piece your budget will allow. Mailing out a brochure enclosed in an envelope will increase the chances of getting opened and you receiving a phone call from your prospect. Pieces that are personalized with their name or better yet, a personalize URL that they can visit, are 50% more likely to get a response. Oversized postcards will also stand out a lot more than a standard postcard.

8.) Remember that your direct mail piece is not meant to sell your prospects. The purpose of direct mail is to get people to call your office with questions or to schedule a consultation. It is up to your office staff to sell the prospect either over the phone or during a consultation. Your follow-up packets of information will help this drastically. Your advertising and marketing efforts are only as good as your follow-up and tracking. Make sure prior to your mail piece hitting households to go over the campaign and the results you would like to see with your receptionist and whoever else might be talking to prospects as they call in.

9.) Do analyze your market to find which demographic would be the easiest to target. For instance, statistics show that Hispanic households receive very little targeted direct mail. If you have a bilingual practice, I urge you to market to this demographic. It could definitely pay off for you.

10.) Be patient with your mail campaigns. It might take until the second or third drop to get the kinds of results you are looking for. The more households you mail to, the more responses you will see and your price per piece will also be lower. Consistency is the key. You can't expect to have your phones flooded with response the day your cards go out in the mail. Have realistic expectations of your campaign.

If you haven't tried direct mail for your practice, give it a try! Use the tips above to guide you towards new patients. It's an easy way for you to get a head of your competition and stay in the faces of your community.

Abby Brookover
Network Affiliates
Direct Marketing Guru

Tired of tooting your horn at the same people? Maybe there's an audience your firm has overlooked.

Case load and quality are a direct reflection of how many people you're reaching through advertising and how well you're connecting with your audiences. Sometimes potential clients just need to hear a message that's different from everybody else's. Other times current marketing efforts may be meaningful to a group of people that you've inadvertently disregarded.

From our highly targeted TV ads and mass tort campaigns to Latino-specific marketing designed to reach the fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S., Network Affiliates understands the depth of the legal industry's prospective audiences. And, well, we know how to push their buttons. After all, we pioneered the model of legal advertising 25 years ago.

Just ask one of Network Affiliates' 85 loyal firms about our customized yet cost-efficient campaigns that solicit new phone calls and, ultimately, a steady stream of quality cases. Our full-service agency can help you reach new audiences and a whole new level of marketing with these comprehensive offerings:

Targeted custom TV production
Comprehensive media planning & placement
Client Relationship Marketing (database marketing)
Account management
Syndicated commercial library access
Mass tort campaigns
Latino-specific marketing
Internet strategy & website development
Advertising performance measurements
State-of-the-art, in-house production


Feel free to give me a call at 1-800-525-3332 and I will provide a complimentary evaluation of your current marketing approach and discuss how your firm can fine-tune its advertising strategy. I look forward to speaking with you soon.



Sincerely,


Harlan Schillinger
Vice President/Director of Legal Marketing

What is Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM)?

Customer Relationship Marketing is a practice that encompasses all marketing activities directed toward establishing, developing and maintaining successful customer relationships. As its name implies, CRM is a proactive marketing strategy that solidifies and enhances existing, former or prospective client relationships. CRM is designed to keep you and your firm consistently in front of your clients, in a "top of mind" state, allowing you to cross sell your services.

Why CRM?

Quite simply, your firm will be more likely to garner referral cases when you ask for them and when you keep your name and services in front of them on a consistent basis rather than leaving it to chance. Most firms would agree that referral cases are valuable because of their low acquisition cost and high-end quality. CRM allows your firm to:

Enhance client satisfaction
Proactively solicit and receive more referral cases
Support and enhance your direct marketing efforts
Maximize return on all advertising efforts
Gain a competitive advantage over your competition
Specifically and continually target those individuals who WILL utilize your services
How does CRM work?

To consistently remain "top of mind" with your clients, you must continually provide them with tangible reminders of your firm. Tangible reminders can be in the form of brochures, mail inserts, birthday and thank-you cards, magnets, surveys, newsletters, etc. Without tangible reminders, you essentially leave referrals to chance by making the wrong assumption that every client remembers your name at the opportune time.

CRM & Television

Television advertising is and remains the most effective means of reaching your target audience. Our CRM package is designed to augment your advertising campaign by continually targeting your clients and cases of the future. The package is cost-effective and easy to implement without draining your limited time and personnel resources. Why do we believe in CRM? Because it has worked for us and many other referral based businesses. In order for us to be successful, our clients must first realize success. Let's face the facts; your marketplace is only going to get more competitive. Unless you compliment your television advertising efforts with CRM, retaining or gaining market share will become increasingly difficult.

Is CRM Measurable?

The most pressing questions, "Is CRM measurable?" or "Will it work?" The answer to both is yes. However, it is not a form of direct response marketing like television. It is a supplement and enhancement to your direct marketing efforts that will produce additional calls and cases over time. Allowing the program TIME to mature and grow is essential to the success of this program. You can expect to see your referral based business increase over time with a concerted CRM program. One thing is for certain, if you don't implement a targeted program to increase your referral-based business, you won't increase your referral-based business!

Put us to the test right now.
Stop what you're doing right now and take 10 minutes to call me at 1-800-525-3332. I'll give you two new ideas on how you can strengthen your CRM strategy today. You've got absolutely nothing to lose and a powerful practice marketing tool to gain.

On behalf of our entire legal division, thank you for taking the time to read this issue of Inside the Network. We'll be back next month with another topic of vital importance to your practice.

Sincerely,


Harlan Schillinger
Vice President
Legal Marketing Division

Bar Finds 'Ask Gary' Lawyers Broke Rule
Skip directly to the full story.

By MICHAEL SASSO
Republished from The Tampa Tribune

Originally published: Jun 22, 2007

TAMPA - The Florida Bar is cracking down on scores of personal injury lawyers who have benefited from the 1-800-ASK-GARY referral service, including more than a dozen from the Bay area.

In most cases, lawyers found to have violated Bar advertising rules are either sent a warning letter or ordered to attend a four-hour seminar on advertising rules.

However, the investigation appears to be an indictment of the Ask Gary advertising style, which is heavy on personal testimonials from accident victims who call the toll-free hot line for help.

The Bar, which is the statewide regulatory organization for lawyers, prohibits such testimonials and dramatizations in ads by lawyers and legal referral services. Even receiving a client from such an ad is a violation, said Ken Marvin, an official in the Bar's Tallahassee office. The Bar started its nearly yearlong investigation after dozens of lawyers complained that the Ask Gary ads didn't seem to play by the same rules that they did.

The ads are produced by Physicians Group LLC, which is a chain of accident clinics based in Sarasota. Although the Bar can target the lawyers who benefit from its commercials, it has no authority to go after a health care company. Still, Marvin noted that it's hard to tell who's behind the Ask Gary commercials from watching them on TV.

"I've seen some [Ask Gary ads] that don't even suggest he's a medical provider," Marvin said.

(Each commercial closes with a disclaimer in white letters naming Physicians Group.)

Late last year, the Bar sent out more than 100 letters to personal injury lawyers across Florida who it thought got client referrals from Ask Gary operators. The association closed its investigation into many of the lawyers quickly, because it found they hadn't gotten any referrals.

However, the Bar has taken action against at least 34 lawyers across Florida that it found accepted referrals from Ask Gary, in violation of Bar rules. By late Thursday, the Tribune had received a partial list of lawyers targeted by the association. The Bar still has open investigations into some Florida lawyers and declined to disclose their names.
Lawyers Must Pay $750, Attend Class

Some Tampa-area lawyers received a recommendation for "diversion," which typically requires that lawyers pay a $750 fee and sit through a four-hour advertising course. They are: Alejandro Fiol, Zareh Zackary Melkonian, Jack Marc Perez and William Driscoll III of Tampa; Howard Merricks, Harry Hale Jr. and Scott Swope of Clearwater; and Robert Thornhill III and Patrick Stoia of Palm Harbor.

Other area lawyers received a "letter of advice," which essentially is a warning and is considered a lesser action than diversion. They are: Jose Toledo, Steven Loewenthal, Dominic Fariello and Eric Tyrone Taylor of Tampa; Robert Thornhill Jr. of Palm Harbor; Frank Butler of Pinellas Park; John Paul Joseph, Marc Nussbaum and Andrew Reeder of St. Petersburg.

The Tribune attempted to contact the lawyers, but either was unsuccessful at reaching them, or they declined comment. Marvin noted that the actions taken against each lawyer didn't rise to the level of disciplinary action, which could include a harsher penalty called an admonishment or a filing of complaint with the Florida Supreme Court.

Kathy Bible, an advertising counsel in the Florida Bar's Tallahassee office, said a lawyer who works for the Morgan & Morgan firm - known for its "For the People" slogan - received a diversion, but she didn't name him. John Morgan, the head of the firm, didn't return a call from the Tribune this week.

Ads' Emotional Appeals Faulted

The Bar is targeting the Ask Gary ads because their personal testimonies are emotional appeals, Marvin said. The lawyers association wants people to choose a lawyer based on facts, not emotion, so it prohibits lawyers from creating such ads and prohibits them from getting referrals from services that use them.

A spokesman or actual client in a commercial might give a lawyer a glowing endorsement, but behind the scenes other clients who don't appear on TV might be critical of him, Marvin explained.

For its part, Physicians Group never considered itself an legal referral service, said Greg Zitani, a counsel for Physicians Group. It is a medical provider that refers some Ask Gary callers to its own clinics, and it strikes referral relationships with some lawyers. It sends some callers to the lawyers, and those attorneys often refer their clients back to Physicians Group's clinics for medical treatment, Zitani said.

The clinic chain has struck a deal with the Bar in recent weeks that would let the lawyers association review its future commercials. Lawyers then should be able to receive clients from Ask Gary without fear of offending any rules, Zitani said.

Asked whether Ask Gary ads will continue featuring patient testimonials, he said, "I would think not."

Behind the scenes, some lawyers have grown to resent the Ask Gary campaign because of the way it and other legal ads have come to dominate personal injury law.

From its base in Sarasota, Physicians Group has grown into a chain of 42 accident treatment facilities and offices that stretch from Naples to Jacksonville and include several offices in the Tampa Bay area. The company is controlled by Gary Kompothecras, a Sarasota chiropractor who is a close friend and campaign supporter of Gov. Charlie Crist. During his campaign for governor, Crist paid Kompothecras for use of his personal jet.

Physicians Group has become a huge advertiser on local television. According to TNS Media Intelligence, which tracks advertising in local markets, the company spent just less than $2.1 million last year on advertising in the Bay area market. That figure does not include additional money that it spends in other Florida markets, including Jacksonville and Southwest Florida. By comparison, Morgan & Morgan, the area's top legal advertiser, spent about $5 million last year in the Bay area, according to TNS figures.
Bar's Action Criticized

Jeffrey Luhrsen, a Sarasota-based personal injury lawyer, suggested the investigation into lawyers who use Ask Gary was spawned by competing lawyers upset at missing out on clients.

Luhrsen said he respects Physicians Group's medical care and has used it himself. Luhrsen estimates he has recommended that his personal injury clients use its medical services 1,200 times. In turn, Ask Gary's operators have sent him about 400 potential clients. Luhrsen said he thought the Bar had authorized the Ask Gary commercials in the past, and he was surprised to learn of the probe months ago.

Bar records didn't indicate whether it had taken action against Luhrsen, and he said he didn't know where his case stands Thursday.

"The Bar exists to protect the public from poor quality legal representation," Luhrsen said. "The Bar does not exist to referee turf battles between attorneys and medical providers."

A manager isn't necessarily a leader
Sept. 14, 2007 05:30 PM
Microchip Technology Inc. Chief Executive Officer Steve Sanghi offers practical help for your real-life business challenges.

Question: I'm a middle manager for a medium-size company. I'm trying to continuously improve my managerial skills to grow in the company. I continuously come across the words "Manager" and "Leader" used interchangeably. How would you describe the difference between a manager and a leader?

-Charles, Chandler Answer: Congratulations for committing yourself to continuous improvement, and thank you for asking this very thoughtful question. There are very significant differences between a manager and a leader.

A manager can be assigned or appointed to head up a department or an organization. But a leader has to be chosen by the followers. A leader is not a leader without followers. A manager can follow a cookie-cutter process to manage a department or a franchised store. But a leader is a lot more than just the person in charge.

A leader provides long-term vision for the organization. He/she sets priorities, grabs hold of tough problems, sets standards of excellence, imparts a sense of urgency, has exuberant commitment, keeps the big picture in view, provides the ability to deal with failures and is tough while being fair with people. He/she is someone the followers look toward for guidance, problem resolution, comfort, support and help.

Both managers and leaders have some power over their subordinates. (I wrote about the powers of a manager in this column on Aug 19, 2007.) Leaders tend to make use of "referent power" a lot more than managers do.

Leadership is a dynamic relationship between leaders and followers, and it is based on mutual influence and common purpose. In a successful relationship, both leaders and followers benefit in achieving a higher level of motivation and moral development as they affect real and intended change.

Management can be turned into a science by developing methods, processes and rules to manage. But leadership is more art than science and can change significantly with the culture of the organization and the task-relevant maturity of the followers.

So, as you can see, while a manager can be appointed just to head up a group, it takes vision, hard work, courage and skills to become an effective leader. And, leadership can be fragile and easily lost if you let down your followers. A leader must occasionally look behind to see that someone is following.

Retired Gen. and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell sums this up the best: "Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible."