Network Affiliates

In today's very difficult times, there are few who truly understand the secrets of Marketing Your Practice.

I've just added Cole Silver's Legal Marketing Secrets to my list of Links. Once you understand that he has been both lawyer and client, you'll see that the wisdom on his blog is borne of broad experience. Cole also has launched a unique audio program designed to help lawyers make more money, get more clients and enjoy their practice more. He has interviewed hundreds of world renowned experts who share their insights.

The program contains thousands of ideas and insights. I am honored to have been included in audio series along with a great number of extraordinary people whom I greatly admire--Gerry Riskin, Harry Beckwith, Larry Bodine, Jim Hassett, Bruce Marcus, Dan Hull, Ed Poll, Kevin O'Keefe, Monica Goebel and so many more. You really need to check it out at www.FindCareerCuccess.com.

Harlan Schillinger
Network Affiliates

The Hispanic population in the U.S. has grown at a rate much faster than any other ethnic group and now sits at 44 million. Hispanics are a fast-growing, diverse ethnicity in the United States. With growth surging nearly 58% from 1990 to 2000 (more than four times the growth rate of the U.S. population) and almost another 13% from 2000 to 2003, Hispanics now comprise 14.7% of the total population. More significantly, the community is expected to keep growing at a strong and steady pace. By 2010 it is estimated that there will be 56 million Hispanics; by 2050, 30% of the entire U.S. population will be Hispanic. This is demographic growth that would be foolish to ignore!

The simple basics of marketing teach us that business growth is directly related to increased market share. In today's competitive legal arena, that isn't easy to do. Each year more firms enter the advertising arena and strive to take away your share of market to grow theirs! Businesses look to accomplish growth by either introducing a new product or by introducing their product to a new market.

The emerging Hispanic market represents potential for significant growth in your practice. Members of the Hispanic community are among the most loyal and strongly convicted referral based demographic groups in this country. Assuming you provide them a good service, extend to them a warm welcome, embrace their families and respect their cultural differences, you can reap the benefits of a client (which translates to community) for life. They will tell everyone they know in their close-knit, strongly connected community about you and your services if you treat them well and connect with them.

There are many sub-markets within the comprehensive Hispanic market out there and a "one size fits all" approach will probably fail. In today's competitive market, it is not good enough just to say: "we are going to target the Hispanic market". A more analytical approach is needed.

Whether it's television or radio, grass root events or interview style talk shows, crafting the messages to appeal to the specific heterogeneous, multicultural-multiethnic Hispanic communities within your market is of paramount importance. A Mexican doesn't dance Tango and an Argentinean doesn't sing Rancheras. An effective Hispanic marketing strategy is so much more than translation. It's interpreting and transcreating messages and concepts and branding elements that are relevant and impactful and meaningful to the specific Hispanic audience you want to target.

In addition, don't just rely on an ad campaign. You will have to make a commitment to implement specific Hispanic marketing strategies to help your practice establish the internal infrastructure to address the needs of your new Hispanic clientele.

The Hispanic community, if targeted appropriately through carefully considered marketing messages and cultural competency, is one that can provide your practice with significant growth potential.

Since we are always talking about internet and yellow pages, I thought I would share a personal story. I thought this was interesting seeing this through the eyes of a consumer. I need to get my dishwasher repaired in my home, so I first went to Google and searched "repair dishwasher Sellersburg Indiana". I looked through the listings on the first two pages and the PPC listings and did not find anyone for appliance repair in my geographic area. I even clicked on a referral service listing by entering my zip code but they did not have anyone for my area.

So, I went to the yellow pages under appliance repair. I didn't want to waste a lot of time shopping, so I went to the first and largest ad, which was a 1/4 page and called them. It is fascinating to me that even though I know all their advertising tricks I still went right to them. For example, they are listed as "AABLE Appliance Service" to be at the front of the listing. They had different telephone numbers for each city listed and my city was listed in their ad. Although, I know they are all RCF numbers that ring to the same location I still called the number for my town. They were polite on the phone and scheduled an appointment for Monday afternoon. They obviously track their calls because he asked me where I found their name, I said the yellow pages, then he asked me if I had the book, which I was looking at the ad when I called, and asked me what page I was looking at and asked me which phone number I called.

This company got my business from the yellow pages, but if they had a web site with good Google placement they would have gotten me there first.

Karl Truman
Karl Truman Law Office, LLC
Board Certified Civil Trial Advocate by NBTA
offices in Jeffersonville, IN and Louisville, KY
karltruman@trumanlaw.com
www.trumanlaw.com

If I were to ask you where the best cases come from in your law firm, what would you say?

Most lawyers would say the best cases come from referrals. They come from satisfied, happy, current and past clients.

So, if you honestly agree that your best cases come from referrals, what steps are you currently taking to increase your referrals?

Most lawyers say, "Not enough."

I just spent two days with lawyers from about 30 law firms. This meeting was open only to Network Affiliates clients. Most of our clients agree that our networking meetings are among the best services we offer to our clients. The firms openly share their ideas as well as their successes and challenges with each other. We covered a wide range of topics including how to increase client referrals. There were a number of good ideas from several successful law firms.

Call me and I will tell you exactly what to do. No strings attached. No cost to you other than your time.

Harlan Schillinger
303-232-2707