NotifyWorks

Are You Ready for the Mobile Revolution?

Rush Nigut — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:18:06 +0000

One of my guest posts for Solo Practice University discussed the upcoming mobile revolution. By 2015 it is anticipated that most users will access the Internet via mobile first. Is your site one of those that require people to squint and pinch?

Read the post here.

Referrals are the Life-Blood of any Professional Practice

Rush Nigut — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 21:29:54 +0000

Referrals are the life-blood of any professional practice. A recent article from Entrepreneur discusses how you can put your customers to work for you. One of the best ways to get more referrals is the old-fashioned handwritten thank you note. It’s so rare these days that a simple note can definitely set you apart from the crowd.

What are ways you reward clients who refer you business?

Financial Advisors Use NotifyWorks to Get Back to Basics

Rush Nigut — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:00:34 +0000

We’re really excited to announce that financial advisors are now using the NotifyWorks’ platform along with lawyers. We’ve built out a notification library specific to the finance industry with the help of our advisor clients. These advisor clients have told us that they decided to use NotifyWorks in order to get back to basics. Financial advisors are often bombarded with client calls, portfolio reviews, an ever-changing investment landscape and volatile market conditions. When they leave the office the day often seems like a blur. “It’s really difficult to provide clients with the same level of services while handling hundreds of clients compared to when I started with about 20 households,” said one of our financial advisor clients.

And some have noticed the impact immediately.

“Literally the first day I started using the software I had conversations with clients that I hadn’t spoke with for months. Several of those conversations led to new business and for others it was a client “touch” I wouldn’t have had without the software. I now use the notification library to streamline client notifications regarding account reviews, bond/CD/UIT maturities, stock dividend increases/decreases, contribution deadlines for retirement accounts or college savings accounts, updating paperwork, taxation reviews, etc. I have found that I have more free time to meet with prospective clients, analyze investments and do other proactive business generating activities that I may not have had the time to do without NotifyWorks.”

Years ago one of our advisor clients was told by the president of his former firm that he shouldn’t provide too great of service to clients as he would not be able to keep up the same level of great service once his client base had grown. “I remember thinking that can’t happen to me. A high level of service if why people choose to invest with me.” With the help of NotifyWorks, this financial advisor says he can continue to grow his practice while still providing top notch customer service his clients expect. “It’s a win-win for my clients AND me.”

To experience Notifyworks yourself, please sign up for our free trial.

Connecting Through Social Media is Relationship Building

Rush Nigut — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:24:31 +0000

I read an interesting article from the ABA’s Litigation News Section entitled Using Social Networking Sites to Connect to Clients, Lawyers and Others. What struck me about the article was about how online marketing really isn’t any different than other forms of marketing. As the article says, you get what you put into it. There some great observations from Kevin Quinley and Dan Kohane in the article.

Quinley likens marketing to planting seeds; some will fail, but some will grow, and persistence and dedication are vital to success. Kohane describes some lawyer marketing attempts as shooting off a flare that is bright, but fades and is forgotten. Both see online social networking as a valuable tool to increase visibility, but only if the litigator takes the time to use it and keep up with it. Quinley recommends at least five minutes a week to keep the content and tools timely and sharp. Kohane says he spends some time each day checking to keep his online effort current. Both said independently of the other that those who make a consistent effort project to others that they are the type of professional with whom others want to associate.

In my experience, many lawyers and other professionals set up Web sites, blogs, LinkedIn profiles, Twitter profiles and Facebook accounts without long-term game plan. In today’s crowded social media marketplace, business will not come just because you have have the technology. Consistency is more important than quantity when it comes to posts. You also must get engaged and interact with individuals in your target market. Spitting out information isn’t likely to get you far.

Whether it’s social media or using tools such as NotifyWorks, it’s critical to be patient, consistent and to consider your marketing and networking efforts a marathon rather than a sprint.

Say goodbye to marketing online : Social networks are for networking (kevin.lexblog.com)

Rush Nigut Now a Guest Columnist at Solo Practice University

Rush Nigut — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:45:49 +0000

I am enjoying the opportunity to write posts as a guest columnist for Solo Practice University. Solo Practice University is the brainchild of Susan Cartier Liebel who built the site to educate solo practitioners and allow them to connect and network with one another. The courses are varied and include instructors that are at the top of their legal practice areas nationally.

My last post: The Art of the Elevator Pitch

For more information on this great resource for solo practitioners click: Solo Practice University

Do Clients Hire Law Firms or Lawyers?

Rush Nigut — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:45:37 +0000

Do clients hire law firms or lawyers? It’s my opinion that clients generally hire lawyers and not law firms. Experience legal marketers like Tom Kane apparently agree. There may be exceptions where law firms have done such a terrific job of marketing the organization, but I’d argue those law firms are few and far between. It’s the individual lawyers who usually bring in the business.

So if it’s true that clients hire lawyers and not law firms, how can you make sure you’re not missing the boat when it comes to your individual marketing efforts? A good first step for any lawyer is to consider your own individual Web site. If you are the member of a law firm, large or small, chances are your personal presence, the means by which potential clients might reach you, is relegated to an “Attorneys” page removed from the home page of the site and populated by the other attorneys in your firm. For example, the Brick Gentry Law Firm site has elaborate bio pages, but to find my bio, and my field of legal practice, you will need to click-through at least two times after landing on the site’s home page. This of course presumes the prospective client knows they are looking for me. If prospects come to the site, the rain may fall within the firm, but not necessarily on my desk.

Conversely, at my legal blog (Rush on Business), there is little confusion as to who to contact for a prospective client’s business law needs. And, if you were to Google “Iowa Business Lawyer”, you would find my blog at or near the very top of the Google organic searches on Page 1. Lawyers without an individual web presence are very unlikely to achieve such results.

Further, I strongly believe lawyers need to have individual client retention plans. This can be achieved through newsletters, seminars, periodic check-ins or through programs such as NotifyWorks. Studies have shown that it costs about five times as much to obtain a new client than it does to get additional work from existing clients. Yet, I’d argue that most lawyers I know spend nearly all their time on trying to acquire new clients rather than enhancing and strengthening the relationships with clients they already have.

So, what do you think? Do clients hire law firms or lawyers? And if your answer is “lawyers”, what are you doing individually to increase the chances that rain will fall on your desk and that you’ll keep those clients for years to come?

Write Poetry for Good Client Service?

Rush Nigut — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:07:38 +0000

I thought this was an interesting post,
even if it’s different than most.
But lawyers aren’t known for their creativity,
even if they have the proclivity.
Usually they just find time to boast!

Client Service is an All the Time Thing

Rush Nigut — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:05:00 +0000

There’s a great blog post on What About Paris? on client service and how litigators can help their clients improve even in the midst of litigation. The posts says there are opportunities for lawyers who are serious about service:

In many business litigations your firm has opportunities to isolate and bring to the client’s attention “areas for improvement” highlighted in litigation. Your trial lawyers make mental notes about how lawsuits either arise or are made complicated and expensive by conditions, procedures or documents which need corrective action at the client’s shop.

These defects usually lurk unnoticed in day-to-day business practices, often obvious to the client’s rank and file employees. It could be: a confusing employee handbook, a potentially faulty environmental storage practice, ambiguous language in a surety or insurance document, and even a culture or specific office location of the client which which seems ripe for workplace discrimination claims.

Fixing client problems in the middle of litigation is good business. It’s a terrific opportunity for litigators to cross-sell the business, employment and other lawyers in the firm to new clients. It may be a little dangerous though if the client is long-standing and the other lawyers in the firm have not caught the systemic problems that caused the litigation. In that instance, if the litigation lawyer is not the responsible lawyer for the client, I’d suggest the litigation lawyer talk with the responsible lawyer first before suggesting fixes on the systemic issues. You don’t want a partner surprised by a client who says, “Why didn’t you tell me …”

Overall, the post emphasizes that service isn’t a part-time thing, it’s an all the time thing. Look beyond the task at hand to see if you can deliver more for the client and let them know you are truly in their corner.

NotifyWorks a Top Story on Law.com Today

Rush Nigut — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:18:47 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

We were really pleased to see NotifyWorks as a top story on the Law.Com Law Technology News today! Thanks again to Robert Ambrogi for the nice article.

Read “NotifyWorks, a virtual elephant to help law firms never forget.”

NotifyWorks to Exhibit at the First Iowa Startup Fair

Rush Nigut — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:48:59 +0000