Integrity Marketing

What if Your Marketing Supported Your Vision – 100 Percent?

When was the last time you sat down with your marketing team to talk about strategy? How long has it been since you talked about the big things like vision, brand story, changing markets and media?

After a long day of strategic planning, we enjoyed a fun evening with the team from the Family Estate Planning Law Group at The K in Kansas City, watching the Royals play the Yankees!

Maybe you have never done this. Maybe you’re thinking, “What marketing team?”

One benefit of attending The Summit is the opportunity to create great marketing by spending face-time with your team. (Errr … ahem … that would be US!)

Even if you have a marketing director on staff, much of your marketing is executed by your team here at IMS. The better our communication – the more you share your goals and vision with us – the better job we can do for you!

The Summit offers an opportunity for us to work together, learn together and even relax and reflect together. You will have the chance to explore and articulate your vision … and we get the chance to really buy-in to your dreams. We also have an opportunity to give some feedback in a relaxed setting, maybe explain some of the challenges we face in translating your vision into tangible marketing messages on your website, in your newsletter, your blog or on social media.

When we work together like this and build a strong team … that’s when the magic happens.

IMS is a full-service, comprehensive marketing firm with literally decades of success helping estate and elder lawyers grow their firms. In this arena, there is nothing we can’t do, from search engine optimization to video production, brand storytelling and strategic planning!

Wait. I take that back. There is one big thing that we cannot do.

We cannot read your mind!

As some of you know, I just moved 600 miles away from my team. During this transition year, they will be in Kansas City while I am in Colorado. Talk about Separation Anxiety!

Yesterday, my staff gave me some work I’d asked for that was Just. Not. Quite. Right. I had to send it back, with what I hope is more clear direction. This rarely happened when I was right down the hall and could just meander down, coffee cup in hand, and visit about a project. We haven’t had a visit like that in about three weeks. So, I wasn’t surprised that some of what I had in mind failed to make it through the translation of email.

I’m flying back next week and will spend a couple of days in the office. That will probably be enough – we just need a few relaxed conversations over coffee to get back in sync.

If we can get just not quite right in three weeks, imagine how challenging it is for your marketing team to stay in sync with you, to do our best work for you when it’s been months, years (or maybe it’s never happened!) since we had a chance to visit face-to-face, to talk about vision and goals and bigger dreams.

I’ve noticed through the years that the clients who include us as part of their team, who spend time visioning with us, who break bread with us – are the ones who achieve the greatest success.

Before you say you just don’t have time right now – ask yourself this question:

What if? What if the few days you spend with your marketing team got them to buy-in to your goals, to truly understand your vision.
What if it sparks great, creative ideas about how to make it happen? What might the next 12 months look like for you, your firm, and your bottom line?

The sky’s the limit. Let’s do something remarkable!

The Summit 2017

October 18-20 | Colorado Springs

Early registrations save $200 before Sept. 15

Related articles

Beating The Forgetting Curve at The Summit 2017

Integrity Marketing: Why Colorado Springs? It's More Than Just a Pretty Place

Integrity Marketing: Who Wants to Change the World?

Beating The Forgetting Curve at The Summit 2017

The Summit 2017 is an experience event for estate and elder law attorneys, hosted October 18-20 in Colorado Springs at Cheyenne Mountain Resort and Legacy Ranch. We caught up today with IMS CEO Jennifer Goddard to find out more.

IMS:  There are so many legal conferences planned this time of year. As an attorney, if I had to choose, why should I choose to attend The Summit over other legal conferences?

The Summit is unlike any other legal conference. In fact, I wouldn’t even call it a conference. The Summit is a true retreat.  We attend many conferences throughout the year, and we have hosted workshops and boot camps ourselves. The one thing I notice about all of these events is that by the second or third day, everyone is exhausted. I question how much learning is really taking place in those kinds of environments, how much is retained, and how much really makes a difference for positive change.

At The Summit, we are committed to helping you make authentic, lasting change. We want to help our clients meet the challenges of a changing legal market, changing cultural values, and disruptive technology. And I don’t think you do that by cramming 20 hours of CLE lectures into three days at a hotel. We have a full agenda, but we’ve built in time to reflect, to network with your colleagues, and to enjoy the beautiful Rocky Mountains. You will even have the opportunity to come out to the Ranch and work with horses.

IMS:  Wow! That sounds really different! Tell me more about the learning approach at The Summit.

Educational psychologists refer to something called the Forgetting Curve. In a nutshell, the Forgetting Curve shows that during a lecture, if your absorption rate is at 100 percent on day one, there is a 50 to 80 percent loss of learning from the second day onward, which is reduced to a retention rate of just two to three percent after thirty days. This is why we retain so little of what we learn in these intense, lecture-format conferences.  

IMS:  So how can we combat the Forgetting Curve?

As it turns out, retention depends how well we connect new information to things we already know. This is the foundation of Experiential Learning, which is the approach we take at The Summit.

It’s more than just hands-on, or learning by doing. We all have experiences every day, but we seldom learn anything meaningful from them. Experiential learning is not just learning through experience, but learning through reflection on our experience. And that is what is unique about The Summit – we have designed our program with unique experiences and time to reflect – or process – those into authentic learning that you can retain, apply and act on.

IMS:   I notice the agenda includes both Course Work and Horse Work. What do you mean “Horse Work,” and why work with  horses? Is that just for fun?

Ha! Well, of course we hope everyone has fun, but no, the Horse Work is not just about having fun. We specifically set the Horse Work for Day One so we could sort of wipe the slate clean and be mindfully ready for the Course Work on Days Two and Three.

IMS:  But, why horses?

Some programs utilize ropes courses or other challenging experiences to help participants achieve break-through insight. But we choose to work with horses because they are not easily controlled. They have minds of their own and working with them challenges your communication skills and your ability to establish trust and influence others – both horse and human. They really are perfect learning partners because they are curious by nature, they like being with people, they have no “agenda,” and they are completely honest with their feedback. Your horse partner does not care where you went to school, he has no regard for your title, paycheck or your fashion sense. He will always tell you the truth, straight up.

By the way, the Horse Work is not required. I know some people may be afraid of horses, and none of us can learn when we’re scared. But I think everyone will enjoy being at the Ranch, and even those who choose to participate from a safe distance outside the arena can have profound learning experiences.

IMS:  What can attorneys expect to get out of The Summit?

We have lots of great sessions on topics from strategic planning and digital marketing to brand storytelling, client intake and sales process development. We even have some special guest speakers lined up with programs you won’t find anywhere else.

But at the end of the day, we hope every single person finds what they need right now to push past whatever is holding them back from achieving bigger goals. Wherever you are in your career – whether you are a new attorney or you already have that million-dollar practice – there is always another summit to conquer. We hope you will spend some time in reflection, identify and trample your limiting beliefs, and return home with renewed energy and commitment to do something remarkable.

IMS:   Are there any special discounts available?

Yes! Essential Solution clients get a preferred-client discount, and early registrations save $200 through Sept. 15^th.

Also, and this is a big one, we’ve reserved a limited block of rooms at Cheyenne Mountain Resort for a ridiculously low price of just $169/night – which is about half their regular rate. These rooms will be booked on a first-come-first-served basis, so the sooner you register the better.

The Summit 2017
October 18-20 | Colorado Springs
Early Registration discounts apply through Sept. 15

What If A Little Company Dreamed Big?

November 1995.

Integrity Marketing Solutions is founded by two friends who believed in each other, and the power of What If?

Kyle and I were just a couple of kids at the time. He was an estate attorney, I was the marketing officer for a bank holding company. Together, we introduced trust services to banks in three markets. We wrote the policies and procedures manuals, trained staff and hosted workshops. Our efforts brought in literally millions of dollars of assets under management for the holding company.

Then one day we looked at each other and asked the big question:

What if we did this on our own? What if we took what we have learned here and used it to help other attorneys? 

It's been 22 years now, and we're not done yet! We still ask What if? And we're still amazed at the answers!

This is the story of Integrity Marketing, and the power of dreaming bigger ... of asking What if?

 

We Are Integrity Marketing Solutions from Integrity Marketing Solutions on Vimeo.

 

Why Do We Cling to Limiting Beliefs?

Change happens in a moment.
It happens in that moment when something clicks in your head and your beliefs shift from limitation to possibility: only then can we use the power of consistent action to translate our belief into our everyday life.  – Matt Sandrini

One of my dearest friends is a bit of a kook, and somewhat of the anti-me, though exactly like me in a polar-opposite sort of way. I wear blue jeans and white shirts and pay a fortune at the salon to remain a brunette. She wears shorts year-round, sports tattoos from knee to ankle, and honestly, you never know what color her hair is going to be tomorrow – I believe fuchsia is the couleur de jour.

Terri-Lynne is an author, a fiction-writing machine whose latest release is being published in both the US and Europe. But like every overnight sensation, Terri struggled along with her writing for years, collecting little more than encouraging rejection slips. Notes that said things like, “Really love this, it just doesn’t meet our needs right now.” In her never-ending quest for learning, she joined writing groups and attended writing workshops and retreats (which is where we met).

Writers are not so very different from attorneys, in a polar-opposite sort of way. Great writers master the rules of language in the way that attorneys master the law. But of course, mastering the language does not make a great writer any more than mastering the law makes a great attorney.

While Terri was weaving incredible stories, her fellow workshop writers were not always encouraging. Some felt compelled to disparage her brilliance because it did not fit into their tiny literary boxes.

Of course, as it turns out, the joke is on them. Terri’s upcoming release from Harper-Collins, A Thousand Different Ways, will be her seventh published novel and she just inked the contract for the publishing rights in Europe.

If you consider the “odds” of a fiction-writer getting published, the whole endeavor looks pretty dismal. You hear it all the time:

“The publishing industry is a closed shop, a private club. The publishers and the magazines aren’t open to new writers. It’s all a Catch-22 situation: your odds of getting published are miniscule because the only way to get published is to have been published.”

These are the limiting beliefs that many writers cling to, especially when they are racking up the rejection slips. Why?

Why Do We Cling to Our Limiting Beliefs?

We all have a tendency to blame an outside force when we fail. Or worse, if we believe the game is rigged, it’s easy to walk away without even trying …  and risking failure.

Success is Not a Lottery

Author and creative writing instructor Stephen Leigh says it so well, “the publishing business is not a lottery and there are no odds.”

Why did Terri succeed when so many – nearly all – fail? Is she really that much more talented than all of the unpublished (or self-published) authors out there? Are her stories that much more captivating, her characters that much more believable?

How did this Jersey-girl, this self-described mother, cat-wrangler and occasional laundress break into the supposedly closed publishing industry?

Never doubt that she is one talented, hard-working, and persistent lady. But the secret to Terri’s success is this: She does not abide limiting beliefs.

Her motto is “Modesty is for Suckers.” On her blog of the same name, she recently wrote:

I’m not going to ever preemptively doubt myself, because I know there is nothing I can’t do when I set my mind to it. Successfully? Maybe not, but doubt is never going to be the reason I fail.

I accept my faults, my failures, my less-than-stellar moments–whether personally or professionally–with an open heart and open eyes. I accept my confidence and all-around brilliance the same way.

Wow. What if?

What if you could accept your own confidence and all-around brilliance? What if you let go of every limiting belief, every doubt you ever had about what you could achieve?

What remarkable things might you do?

Remember, “Change happens in a moment. It happens in that moment when something clicks in your head and your beliefs shift from limitation to possibility.”

This is The Summit

This is our hope for you – that whatever you have already accomplished, you’re not done yet. There is another height, there is something more. We hope your time here at Legacy Ranch will be that moment when change happens … when something clicks and your beliefs shift from limitation to possibility.

If you’re ready, if you have the courage to do something remarkable – please join us.

The Summit 2017 | October 18-20 | Colorado Springs

Learn more online. Early registrations save $200 before Sept. 15^th

Who Wants to Change the World?

“If a business is not reinventing itself to changing market conditions then it is highly likely it will go into decline or be taken over by those that are better adapted to the new environment. This statement is no less true for law firms than for any business” -- The Law Society of England and Wales – Future’s Panel

Are you thinking about skipping The Summit this year? Maybe you’re going to another event where you will get a few more CLE credits, or brush up on changes in Medicaid regulations. Or maybe you think like an attorney I spoke with recently who said, “Oh, I get what you guys are saying. It’s all about digital. And you’re right. I know I need to redesign my website.”

Hard. Stop.

The Summit is not about redesigning your website.

The Summit is about reinventing your practice.

Digital marketing is not an isolated disruptive technology. It’s just one piece of a rapidly evolving market landscape – including cultural changes in the way we perceive wealth and wealth distribution, artificial intelligence, and information-on-demand.

If you don’t reinvent your practice, it’s “highly likely it will go into decline or be taken over by those that are better adapted.”

How Do You Re-Invent A Law Firm?

Every successful change is driven by a big vision. Anyone who studies change leadership eventually discovers best-selling author and Harvard professor, Dr. John Kotter – the recognized authority on leadership and change.

According to Kotter, most change efforts fail. And most fail because of lack of vision.

A few months ago, before we made the decision to re-brand our company and move to Colorado Springs, I had a long conversation with my lifelong friend and business partner, Kyle Krull. As we often do, we talked about our shared past and envisioned future.

Then Kyle asked a crucial question: “What do you think is our biggest weakness, the one thing that could hold us back from achieving our goals?”

I answered without hesitation.

“It’s vision. The one thing that will halt our growth is failure to dream big enough.”

I could see the surprise on his face. After all, there I was weaving this great big vision about our brand and our move.

“When I look around at people and companies that are wildly successful, who Break Out, the one difference I see between them and the also-rans is Vision.”

Too often we perceive incremental change as radical. We believe we have changed course, when in fact, we have only re-arranged the deck chairs.

Redesigning your website is not a reinvention.

Your new logo is not a reinvention.

Moving across the street, or even across the country, is not a reinvention.

Rethink everything. Especially your limiting beliefs.

We are so often limited by beliefs we don’t even know we have. These beliefs about how and who we are, about the way the world is and how we are supposed to interact with it. We create these little boxes that prevent us from doing something remarkable.

Legacy Ranch

As you may know, I just bought a ranch in Colorado. It’s a beautiful place, and there were other buyers who wanted it – some of them with a lot more money. The seller was in a quandary. Would she go for a bigger check, or a bigger vision?

Throughout the journey, I nearly lost faith at least a dozen times.

I shared our Vision with the seller, and these are the words that won the day:

We hope to bring attorneys (yes, attorneys) to the property to retreat,
to work with horses, and get back in touch with their true selves …
We want to start changing hearts because a lawyer with a changed heart can change the world.

What Will You Take Away from The Summit?

Will you redesign your website? Maybe. Will you revamp your sales process? Probably. Will you see how a client care program could impact your bottom line? Definitely.

But the most important work you will do at The Summit involves discovering yourself. That’s why it’s a retreat.

Break Away to Break Out.

Stare down anything that holds you back. Trample limiting beliefs.  Get in touch with your bigger dream. Find your story and your voice. Then go do something remarkable. Change your world!

Won’t you join us?

Visit The Summit 2017 to learn more and register online.

October 18-20 | Cheyenne Mountain Resort & Legacy Ranch | Colorado Springs

Get Paid for Work You're Already Doing with a Client Care Program

Your mission is clear: you and your team take care of families. But you're also running a business. The two don't have to be mutually exclusive!

On day three of The Summit, you will learn how a client care program isn't just the best option for your clients, it's the best way to grow your business. With your client care program, you'll have more goodwill from clients, receive referrals from the professionals they work with and generate regular recurring revenue. These make up just a few of the additional revenue streams from your new program. We will look at ways to capture these new revenues and watch your business flourish.

Learn from the Expert

We have invited our client, attorney Vinnie Bonazzoli, a pioneer and recognized expert on client maintenance programs, to teach this special session. Vinnie created a unique client maintenance program out of his passion to take care of families when it really matters. He recalls the first time one of his client families came back to him after a death, only to learn their plan was outdated.

“It was a real empty feeling,” he says. “I remember talking to some of the attorneys about it and they said, ‘Well, it’s their problem, not yours. They need to come in.’ And that just didn’t sit right for me.”

So when he started his own firm, he was determined to find a way to “actually take care of families in the estate planning context; not the way a lawyer wants them to be taken care of, but the way a client needs to be – the way the family needs to be taken care of.”

Vinnie’s passion drove him to create this unique program after struggling for a decade, trying to get families to come back to review and update their plans.

“In January 2001, after hearing other attorneys talk about it, we decided to have a maintenance program where, instead of just hiring the attorney to draft documents, you would actually hire the attorney to create a plan for a family and actually maintain it afterwards. No hourly billing, a flat price, so you can have an actual relationship with the family.”

He is now bringing this program to other firms through his Client Care Academy. To date, the Academy has trained nearly 50 firms nationally on the creation, communication and delegation of client care programs. Firms have gone on to grow and produce successful programs of their own, each with their own unique flavor.

Hear Vinnie’s powerful story and learn more about finding your own passion and how to implement a client care program in your own firm.

Vinnie’s story may challenge some of your limiting beliefs:

• My clients will not pay for a maintenance plan.
• There really is no room for passion in a law firm.
• I cannot implement my own ideas, I should do what everyone else does.

To ensure your space, register online at www.TheSummit2017.com

Early registrations save $200 before Sept. 15

"Sales" is Not a Four-Letter Word

I admit that I hate sales. I hate being sold and I hate selling. Further, I am not very good at it. I talk too much, explain too much, never get around to closing, and end up giving away free advice by the non-billable-hour-bucketfuls.

Fortunately, we have two sales experts here at IMS: our president, Kyle Krull and our sales director, James Campbell. These are talented, educated and practiced sales professionals … which might make you think that it all comes easy to them and they just naturally know how to initiate a conversation, move it along and close it all up with a nice, neat check.

You would be wrong.

Years ago, when I was the practice manager in Kyle’s law firm, I noticed that his closing ratio for initial consultations was creeping downward. Of course, you know how frustrating that is. So, we looked closely at the cases that were not closing to see if we could spot a trend. What we found was that Kyle’s closing ratio for simpler, straightforward cases was nearly 100 percent. When the cases were more complex and the fees higher, though, the closing ratio went down.

Kyle wanted those bigger cases and those higher fees.

So we examined the sales process – from initial contact through the intake process to the office greeting, proposal, fee presentation and closing.

It was the first time I had ever seen the sales process dissected, analyzed, criticized, revamped, restructured and relaunched. Little did I know I had been watching a master at work!

The changes we implemented put Kyle’s sales back on track and boosting the closing ratio for higher-fee cases made a tremendous impact on the firm’s bottom line. Within weeks, the firm’s monthly revenue more than doubled!

Years later, here at IMS, James hit a similar roadblock in his sales career. He drew upon his own sales education and, working with a coach, totally revamped his process. The results were equally impressive. In the first month after changing his process, he closed more revenue than he had in the previous three months.

The moral of the story is that a sales process that works today may not work tomorrow. As your practice develops and the market evolves, so must your sales process. Particularly now when so much new business comes from the internet. Digital prospects usually are not thoroughly prepped by one of your trusted referral sources.

My observation is that the number one reason attorneys fail to close their digital leads is an outdated sales process. The same process that works well for workshop or referral leads, fails miserably with the website caller.

Sales process is the single most important factor in growing your law firm’s revenue and profitability, boosting closing ratios and supporting higher fees-per-case.

And the beauty of a well-defined process is that even those of us who hate sales, whom we might describe as “sales-challenged,” can succeed by following a process. In fact, those of us who are perhaps a bit more analytical and rely less on our natural talents, can quickly learn to rely on data and adjust our processes to achieve even greater success.

How important is sales process?

The RAIN Group Center for Sales Research recently undertook a major study to determine how sales process affected sales performance. Not surprisingly, the more developed and adaptive the sales process, the higher proposal win rates, greater likelihood to grow revenue, greater likelihood to hit the organization’s sales targets, and greater likelihood to sell with strong prices.

One Day Three of The Summit, Kyle and James will show how to develop your own sales process to build trust, set up a mutually beneficial arrangement between you and your prospect, qualify prospects as ideal clients and demonstrate unique value.

The goal is to create a sales process that’s truly in the best interest of both parties. It’s about getting to the truth from the very first meeting, before wasting unnecessary time, energy and resources on a process that will eventually go nowhere. The beauty is that when done correctly, both you and your prospect understand the personal impact of dealing with – or not dealing with – the needs at hand. And getting to this point is critical to ensure that both parties are willing to take the next steps.

To get the most from this session, check these limiting beliefs at the door:

• I am a lawyer, I do not do sales.
• Sales is all about education. I must educate my prospects before they can buy.
• My closing ratio is almost 100 percent if I just get a chance to meet with people.

Don’t miss this opportunity to push your firm revenue past process-driven roadblocks to new heights.

Register before Sept. 15 to save $200.

The Summit 2017
October 18-20
Cheyenne Mountain Resort | Colorado Springs

Whatever Happened to Your Remarkable Dreams?

I have had the privilege of helping attorneys grow their law practices for more than two decades. Along the way, it’s been exciting to see how some clients grow and achieve their goals; and disappointing to watch others plateau early and never manage to Break-Out. They struggle along, they do “okay,” but they just never do anything remarkable.

Clients like Frank inspire me daily. Frank came to us several years ago for a strategic planning retreat. He was a solo practitioner with a big vision. I remember how impressed I was as he shared his dreams of buying property for his law office, serving a larger market, expanding his reach and delegating certain types of cases to his (at the time, non-existent) associates. Together, we crafted his brand story and told it with compelling video and captivating design. He was one of the first to jump onboard with CRM marketing.

When he came back last year for a second retreat, it was to update his marketing. He had that new office building, several associate attorneys, a larger staff, and an overflowing schedule. He needed to automate some of his systems for efficiency and quality control and wanted to rework his branding to reflect an even bigger, more expansive vision.

What is the difference between the firm that achieves Break-Out results like this and the firm caught in perpetual struggles with cash flow issues, staff overturn, fee pressure, and so on?

IMS President Kyle Krull likes to share this quotation, “The people who know how will always be working for the people who know why.”

Time after time, I watch extremely capable attorneys, with prestigious academic credentials, struggle with the business of law. They are imminently gifted at knowing how … but so often they just never took time to explore the important why.  

Why are you doing this?

Is it really about drafting better, more complex documents? Was it ever about cranking out more transactions, or building a social network of referral sources? I doubt it. There was a reason you went to law school. Somewhere back there, before you started worrying about payroll and cash flow and the latest Medicaid regulations … somewhere there was a passion.

What if you rediscovered that passion? What if you gave into it and let it lead you to something remarkable?

I’ve found that the difference between Break-Out firms and struggling ones comes down to Vision. We can implement the exact same marketing strategies for two different firms and see completely different results. It’s not because one attorney is better than the other. It’s not that one market is better than another, because I’ve seen Break-Out firms arise from small markets as well as large.

Break-Out Firms Have Break-Out Vision

What is Break-Out Vision? It’s Vision that is fueled by passion, supported by strategy and articulated with compelling marketing. Firms with Break-Out Vision are simply unstoppable. Though they learn from others, they are never content to follow someone else’s path. They blaze their own.

Break Away to Break Out

Before you can Break-Out, you may have to Break Away. It’s tough to see with inspired vision when you’re dealing with a client phone call, a staff question, or a troublesome copy machine.

Break away with us on the first day of The Summit when we take you to beautiful Fawnwood Ranch in the Black Forest of Colorado Springs. Here you will meet our Legacy Ranch horses in an experience that will reveal the key insights most important to your journey – get in touch with your passion, explore your vision, face limiting beliefs that may be holding you back, and realize how you show up to others in ways that may inspire or inhibit trusting relationships.

Though the horses are your real teachers, I’ll be there to facilitate your learning experience. I have been doing this work with horses since 2013 and am a certified practitioner in experiential learning with the Equine Experiential Education Association (where I will be keynoting at their international conference in September). Account manager Dana Alley recently completed her certification as well and will be joining me to facilitate our debriefing discussions.

Even if you’re not sure you are ready to step into an arena and work hands-on with horses, you’ll find this an empowering experience to witness and participate in the debrief.  The horse work is all done from the ground, with no riding involved. While I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone on this first day, participation is not required.

Most conferences kick off with an inspiring message from a motivational speaker. But The Summit is not like most conferences. We will kick off with inspiration and motivation from master teachers. The Legacy Ranch horses have no agenda, they are not selling any books at the back of the room (though carrots are always appreciated). They are here to help you find your own inspiration, your own motivation. Because YOU are the key to your success!

Join us October 18-20 for The  Summit 2017 at Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs. Take the first step toward something remarkable.

Early registrations save $200 before Sept. 15^th.

Why You Need an Automated 365/24/7 Client Intake Process

By Kyle E. Krull, ESQ.

Did you just rub your eyes in disbelief?

Perhaps your reaction went something like this:

What? There is no such thing as an always available, on-demand Client Intake Process. And, even if there were, why would I want one? Besides ...

• Our clients would never use an automated process;
• Automation will only commoditize our services; and
• I already have perfected my intake process and it is as good as it can be.

If this sounds familiar, I would have felt the same way once upon a time.

However, if you are willing to suspend your disbelief, here are some reasons why you may want to consider implementing an Automated Client Intake Process for your own practice.

Your Clients are Already Using Automated Intake Processes

Look, this is the digital age. People are not only comfortable transacting business online, but they expect it. In fact, they expect service providers to have 365/24/7 availability online. With everyone busier than ever these days, folks want to be able to do what they need to do when they have time to do it. Your clients are no different.

Case in Point

I am having a little medical “procedure” done next week. Okay, it is a colonoscopy. While it is not my first time at this rodeo and I know the drill, still it is not in the top 100 of my favorite things list.

That noted, the Patient Intake Process has changed since my last examination five years ago. Gone is the voluminous paper questionnaire. Mid America Surgery Institute has implemented a secure online questionnaire that is truly on-demand. I was able to start the process and stop it at any time.

Consequently, when I needed to break from the rather extensive questionnaire for my own client meetings or to gather medical history information requested, I was able to come right back to where I left off in the questionnaire. As a patient, I appreciated being able to work the Patient Intake Process into my schedule, not being forced to adjust my schedule to accommodate the process.

Automation Will Not Commoditize Your Services

I believe many attorneys believe their compensation should be tied to the actual “work” expended. In other words, harnessing the microchip to automate repetitive, routine aspects of their law practice reduces the actual “work” and time expended in providing legal services and, therefore, attorney compensation should be reduced to reflect such economies of scale and efficiencies.

Having come from the large-firm-billable-hour world myself, this notion is very 20^th Century. If you ascribe to this mentality, you already are a dead attorney walking. Your clients want an estate planning or elder law attorney who is high-tech and high touch. Coincidentally, the more high-tech you are with automation, the more time you have to be high-touch when it comes to client problem-solving. After all, that is what your clients pay you to do, right? By the way, in the end clients will compensate you for the peace of mind you provide them, not for how long it takes you to produce the pile of legal documents implementing that peace of mind.

Automating Your Current Intake Process will Save You Time and Money

With an Automated 365/24/7 Client Intake Process, you can say goodbye to all of the time spent on sending, tracking and receiving client questionnaires before an initial consultation. In addition, if you add an online interactive educational component to the process, then you will boost the success of your engagements by surveying clients on the outcomes they are seeking so you can focus the initial consultation accordingly.

How do I know this works?

Since 1995, my estate planning practice has been the laboratory for all of the products and services developed by Integrity Marketing Solutions, to include the automated Client Intake Process.

On Day Two of The Summit 2017, Jennifer and I will show you how the process works as we define some of the key characteristics of an ideal client intake process that improves efficiency, boosts engagement, and provides a great client experience.

The Top Three Reasons You Need to Attend The Summit

Written by Kelly Myers, Marketing Director

If you attend any legal conference, you’ll understand where your practice is and what you need to do to move it forward. You’ll learn the tools, systems and best practices that you can put into place when you return. But The Summit is no run-of-the-mill legal conference. When you attend The Summit, you’ll get more.

So what makes The Summit different?

Experienced leaders – Company President Kyle Krull brings over 30 years of legal experience to the IMS team. CEO Jennifer Goddard started her career with almost 10 years of Journalism experience before moving to the marketing industry. Together they’ve been at the head of IMS for the entirety of its 22 year history, building a national marketing agency that focuses solely on Elder Law and Estate Planning firms. Needless to say, Kyle and Jennifer’s credentials go far beyond what is listed and they are excited to share their wealth of knowledge with the attendees of The Summit.

Close-knit team – Integrity Marketing Solutions prides itself in being a family business. With this tight group, everyone wants to see each other do their best and grow. We extend this feeling to our clients, forming personal ties. During The Summit, you’ll get up close and personal with your IMS marketing team. The better we know our clients, the better we can help you.

Experiential learning – You are coming here to learn after all! At The Summit, you’ll participate in experiential learning (the process of learning through experience, of course!). Learning is more powerful when you’re being taught through authentic, real-world experiences. Here’s what it looks like:

1. Experience – DO IT! A hands-on learning exercise.
2. Reflections – Make sense of what happened and compare the experience to previous perceptions.
3. Conceptualize – Reflection leads to the development of new ideas.
4. Test – No, you won’t be graded; you’ll apply these skills to the real world.

Are you ready to get more out of attending a legal conference? Register today and save $200.

The Summit 2017
October 18-20^th | Cheyenne Mountain Resort | Colorado Springs