Grow Your Practice, the Easy Way: Automate Your Marketing with a CRM

Article Contributed by Alexis Neely

When you generate a lead or interact with a potential client, what systems do you have in place to maintain your connection with someone who expressed interest, but wasn’t quite ready to make a hiring decision? What about your existing clients? How are you building those relationships to turn them into lifelong raving fans?

You may be surprised to learn that only 20% of sales are made within the first 4 times you make contact with a lead. Only 20%! This means a whopping 80% of your prospects need to hear from you upwards of 5-6 (or MORE) times to invest in your services! How on earth are you going to reach people that many times, when you already have five plans to draft, two signings, and a home visit in the next week?!?

You aren’t, unless you are using a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to automate your communications with prospects and clients so you can regularly connect with lots of people and have each one of them feel as if you are making personal contact. If you are not reaching out to your prospects, clients and referral sources regularly, you are losing thousands of dollars per month in revenue.

You must communicate with your house list (clients, prospects and referral sources) on a regular basis.   And here’s the kicker that most lawyers will either never get or not be willing to do  …

… you must get personal with the people on your list.

I don’t mean email or call each person individually.  What I mean is share your personal stories, photos, insights and experiences with the people on your list.

Make sure that your CRM personalizes each email you send with the first name of the person you are talking to and when you write, write as if you are writing to one single person.  That’s how the best copywriters do it.

And the best part? With the right CRM, you can not only automate your entire communication campaign, but each client and prospect will feel as if you are talking just to them.

What Is a CRM? 

A CRM system is a software program that manages your clients’ contact information AND automates your marketing, increasing the lifetime value of your client relationships.

Implementing a CRM allows you to input potential and existing clients into a system where they receive a customized, automated sequence of communications unique to their needs and level of interest.

Leverage technology to free yourself up so you can get back to doing the kind of work that inspired you to go to law school in the first place.

And take some of that time to get out of the office, and enjoy yourself! After all, that’s why you wanted to be an entrepreneur, isn’t it? To have control over your life and your business? Automating your communications is a giant leap in that direction!

I’m curious: what kind of communications do you currently send to your contact list? What ways are you staying in touch with leads right now that could be automated with a CRM? How many of you already use a CRM? Let us hear your thoughts and ideas!

About the Author

Alexis Neely started her own law practice in 2003 after only three years in practice at the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson. Despite knowing nothing about business, she built that law practice into a million dollar a year revenue generator by creating a new law business model that her clients (and her family) absolutely loved.  Alexis wrote the bestselling book on legal planning for parents and has appeared on all the top television shows – from the Today Show to Good Morning America – teaching the American public about proactive family and business legal planning and new paradigm conflict resolution.  Today, Alexis is a Law Business Mentor and guides lawyers to reclaim their role as trusted advisors for their clients while building sustainable, fulfilling, money-making practices so you can love being a lawyer again.  For more information about Alexis, visit www.lawbusinessmentors.com