Integrity Marketing

Beyond Google Rank: Is Your Website Working?

Google Rank is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to evaluating website performance.

One of the most challenging aspects of my job is helping clients make good decisions about their websites. The typical challenging conversation starts something like this:

I had a friend who knows a lot about SEO take a look at my site and they said you guys have got it all messed up! I want you to give them access to the back end so they can fix it for me!

If our conversation starts like this, just know that I have put my phone on temporary mute, banged my head against the desk, rolled my eyes and heaved an exasperated sigh. I want to hang up, but I won’t. I’ll un-mute my phone and ask, in the most pleasant voice I can muster:

What makes you think your SEO is “messed up?”

The story usually starts at a cocktail party where some self-proclaimed expert who once built a website on WordPress was trying to show off. Unfortunately, the details of the criticism have been lost in translation. And no, I am not going to give this total stranger, who lacks any sort of credentials or qualifications, access to destroy all of the hard work we have put in to get your website ranking well on Google search.

Let’s Not Jump the Shark Here

If you’re having questions about how well your website is performing, or whether it needs a facelift, a refresh, or an SEO upgrade, please just give us a call. After all, we are the experts you are actually paying every month to do this work for you.

Before you call, or even during your call, take a look at the FACTS about your website. In this digital age, we no longer have to rely on gut feelings, intuition or even the personal opinion of our friends at cocktail parties. We have these wonderful things called ANALYTICS that tell us a very truthful, accurate and informative story about how well your website is performing.

You Don’t Have to Be Certified in Google Analytics

Your personal account manager here at Integrity Marketing is already certified, so you don’t have to be. But honestly, it does not take a certified analyst to understand the most important metrics about your website. In fact, you can learn a lot from a single, monthly email.

Your E2 CRM and The One Minute Manager

Every month your E2 CRM automatically delivers a performance report directly to your inbox. You don’t even have to log in (or remember passwords, etc.) to read it. And you sure don’t have to get certified in Google Analytics!The email gives you an at-a-glance summary of your website, blog, email marketing and automation activity for the current day, the past week and the past month.

Here are the sections you’ll want to quickly review:

Number of Contacts in Your Marketing Database

Does this number look “right” to you? It should include all of your clients as well as your leads, prospects, and referral sources to whom you market, including everyone who subscribes to your e-newsletter and blog digest.

This number should steadily increase month-over-month. Keep track of it. If it’s not growing, this means you are not adding any new clients or subscribers to your database. It should grow.

Warning Flags. Call Your Account Manager Immediately if:  

• This is a very small number, say only 10 or 15. There may be something seriously wrong with your database.
• This is an extraordinarily large number, something you don’t recognize as legitimate. You may be the victim of a hacker or a SPAM attack.

Website Page Views

While this number is not the same as website visits, it’s an important number to know. Not only would you like to know how many website pages were viewed, but this report will tell you which pages get the most views. This shows you which sections of your website and blog are most popular and the typical customer path through your site.

You’ll also know if your website is averaging 50, 100 or more page views per day. This is a good gauge of how well your website is performing in terms of traffic and engagement.

Conversions and Website Signup Forms Submitted

Here is where the rubber meets the road. How many people submitted website forms (requesting a consultation, a personal contact, a download offer, etc.) or completed one of the other conversion goals established for your website? If you’re getting a steady number of website conversions, then you should be seeing the results in your appointment book. (Remember that this particular summary does not include phone calls generated directly from your website, these conversions are tracked separately.)

If You Have Workflow Automation Set Up

This email also summarizes your automation activity – showing how many times each of your workflows were activated. This gives you an idea of how well your marketing activities are integrated into your practice, how well you follow up on web leads, and the true impact of your online marketing.

Email Marketing Performance

These are your at-a-glance performance statistics for all your email marketing efforts. You’ll see how many emails were sent, how many were read, the click-through rate, exactly what links were clicked on, and how many times.

Who’s Working for You?

The email is also a very nice management tool. It shows which of your staff members logged into your CRM, when, and how often. You can see if all scheduled workflows were successfully completed … or not. Sometimes the primary reason a CRM is not working is … well … no one is using it! You’ll want to know if your staff are making an honest effort to make this work, or just hoping you will forget about it.

But What About Google Rank?

I knew you were going to go there. Google Rank – or how Google ranks your website on the results pages for various searches – is a moving target. Search results are increasingly personalized and influenced by your own online activity. In other words, if you search for yourself on Google, your results will be very different than mine, or your cocktail-party friend’s.

And here’s another hint: Results depend on the search.

That’s right. If your friend searches for estate attorney in upper New York State, and you search for estate attorney in Buffalo NY … you are likely to get somewhat different search results.

And finally: Results depend on location.

If you search for estate attorney from your office in Buffalo, and I search for estate attorney from my office in Colorado Springs we will get very different results, even though we’re both using the same search terms.

So … we send you a monthly average web ranking report, generated by a third-party (not us) that specializes in aggregating your search results on Google and giving you a general idea of how the search engines display your website. We pay for this service on your behalf to ensure you get the most accurate, objective reporting available.

There’s More to That Iceberg than You Can See on Google

Above all, remember this: Your goal is to grow your practice.

Our goal is build a digital marketing engine to do that.

Getting SEO right is one of our specialties – we have a staff full of folks who are certified specialists working hard every day to get your website front-and-center for the searches that matter most to your practice.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We also work hard to make sure people click-through on your listings and actually visit your website … and to keep them engaged when they arrive. We build the path to conversion with nurturing points all along the way – from your social media to your blog and content marketing to email marketing and even automation to ensure your firm has the best possible chance of converting website visitors into delighted new clients.

So the next time one of your friends gives advice about your website, please – thank them nicely, refresh their drink, and give us a call the next day. We actually would love to hear what they had to say. Sometimes friends give great advice and you never know who will have the next great idea! (And if they are really good, let them know we're always open to hiring great minds!)

Automated Client Intake: Creating a Great Customer Experience

I thought last week might turn out badly.

Recovering from pneumonia, Thursday was my first day out of the house in more than a week. I went to Denver (about a 90-minute drive from the Ranch) to serve as a guest lecturer at Colorado Christian University. Little did I realize that the campus would be nearly deserted by the time I arrived. I was slated to teach a 300-level marketing class at 1:40 p.m. on the last day before Thanksgiving break!

Trudging across the vacant campus, I thought about all of the other things I might have enjoyed doing on this beautiful fall day, instead of driving to speak to an empty classroom. I was surprised to find a full classroom! Every single student showed up! We had lively interaction and several students stayed long afterward to ask questions in a discussion that ranged from the ethics of marketing to their fears about the job market. You can read more about their insights on Digital Marketing for Professionals here.

I won’t lie, though. Pneumonia will kick your butt and by the time I was ready to drive home, I was completely and thoroughly exhausted. Knowing I had to catch a 6 a.m. flight the next morning out to Newport Beach, CA to speak at the NAELA Summit … well … I thought it might all go badly.

NAELA Summit 2017

I arrived at the conference hotel around 10 a.m., feeling surprisingly well. It was great fun meeting up with old friends like Lisa Briley (InterActive Legal), John Shickich (ElderCounsel), and Tom Caffrey (Premium Software).

I was scheduled to speak at 4:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon – the last session before the weekend! As the day wore on and the crowd thinned out, that same feeling of dread I’d experienced the day before at CCU started to take over. I thought about all of the things I might have been doing instead of flying to California to speak to my own sales staff and a few of my closest friends!

And then a funny thing happened.

As I approached the podium, the room started to fill up. At first, just the front seats. And oh boy, was I relieved to see those early-arrivals! Before I knew it, the room was full. Then it was standing-room-only, and then people were filling up the doorway and spilling out into the hall.

Where did all these people come from, and why were they crowding in to hear me?

After a brief introduction, I asked two questions that would solve the mystery.

1. “How many of you have a client intake process?”
   Every hand in the audience went up.
   
   
2. “How many of you love your process and think it delivers a great customer experience?”
   Not a single hand in the air.

For the next hour, I shared what we have learned are the essential elements of success when implementing an automated, online client intake process. Then, from 5:30 until almost 8 p.m., we visited with attendees anxious to learn more.

Sure, I was exhausted. But what a great day!

Key Takeaways About Client Intake for Estate Planning and Elder Law

My takeaways from the experience?

• Client intake is a vital, but challenging issue for estate and elder law attorneys
• Most intake processes are broken and woefully outdated
• Improving the intake process for both the client and the law firm is a high priority

For those who were not able to attend the NAELA Summit, I have agreed to host a webinar on the same topic.  I  hope you will join us!

Automated Client Intake: Creating a Great Client Experience
12 noon (Central Time), Nov 28, 2017 

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/969357325705561858

In the digital age, client intake is key to new client engagement as well as practice efficiency. Sadly, most intake processes are broken, and automating a broken process just means you can fail faster than ever! In this session, Jennifer will show a process that works, define some of the key characteristics of an ideal client intake process, and address issues of concern for elder law attorneys, such as data security issues, intake automation, process efficiency and case management integrations. 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Related articles

Elder Law Client Intake in the Digital Age: Special Presentation at the NAELA Summit 2017

The One Thing to Know About Client Intake in the Digital Age

College Students Bring Clarity to Digital Marketing Issues

"Why do you think so many professionals just don't believe in digital marketing?"

The question came from a bright young woman yesterday who will graduate next month with a bachelor's degree in business and marketing.  She was one of my students in the 300-level marketing class where I was a guest lecturer at Colorado Christian University in Denver.

"My parents are both accountants," she continued. "And they just won't do any online marketing, even though I talk to them about it all the time. How can I convince them?"

Part of me wanted to say something like, "Tell me when you get that figured out, I'd love to know!"

But, of course, I didn't. She was looking to me for guidance, something real that would help her understand the reticence we see every day among professionals about using this incredible power we all know as the internet.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

So, I said, "This could take awhile," as I settled into a comfortable chair.

I think there are three primary reasons that professionals are reluctant to, as my student said, "believe" in the internet.

1. It's Outside of Their Comfort Zone
   Most professionals are highly intelligent people who always did well in school and get paid to give advice. The internet, and specifically digital marketing, remains mostly a mystery to them. They don't really understand it, and that's a feeling they're not used to. Also, they are much more comfortable answering questions than asking them. Trusting someone else's expertise is just not part of their self-image. Digital marketing takes them out of their comfort zone, and they really do not like it out there!
   
   
2. Their Digital Marketing Efforts Have Failed
   By 2017, most professionals  have made some effort to market online -- whether it was to create a WordPress blog, a Weebly website or a Facebook page. Whatever it is they tried, it didn't work very well. They dipped a toe into the digital marketing waters and were not happy with the temperature! While I will be the first to agree that really bad digital marketing does not work, it's hard for  the professional to recognize that their failed efforts were ... really bad!
   
   
3. Their Clients Are Not on the Internet
   My student's eyes grew wide when I said this, because she is keenly aware that literally almost everyone is on the internet. But the professional will tell you right to your face that his or her clients are NOT on the internet. To a degree, they are right. But, it's a bit of a circular reference. If you do not market yourself on the internet, you will not find new clients there. You will, instead, find them the "old fashioned" way -- through workshops, referrals, personal networking and word of mouth. If those are the only ways you market your services, those are the only places you will find new clients. However, what the professional fails to see is that his clients ARE on the internet, like most of the rest of the planet. They are buying products and services online every day, they are sharing on social media and connecting with other service providers ... including other professionals ... every day. Just not with him. 

"Yep," my student said. "That's my parents! So -- what can I say to them? How do I convince them?"

Rule #1 of Marketing to Professionals: Respect

The first thing my bright young student needs to remember is that her parents are NOT dumb! They are very smart people who have built very successful careers without the assistance of the internet, by the way, thank you very much! So, it's important to respect that. 

Rule #2 of Marketing to Professionals: Understand the Why

Why are you even having this discussion ... whether it's with your parents or a prospective client? Most likely it's because the professional is bright enough to recognize this internet stuff is something, even if they don't know quite what. They want to know, even if they won't admit it, how everyone else seems to be making the internet work for their business. So, respect that, too. Even if they seem to not believe, they certainly are interested.

"So," I advised, "approach your parents with respect and understanding. Share stories of other, similar professionals who are having success with digital marketing. Let them ask questions. Give honest answers. And if you can get them to commit to the kind of digital marketing that actually will work, hold yourself accountable for results. Be sure you have defined goals, established tracking, and can report results."

Even professionals will be impressed at the ease with which digital marketing brings them new business, of exactly the type they most enjoy.

It's really hard to argue with success.

 

Getting Digital Right ... Are You Wearing Your FitBit?

Let's get something straight right now: Digital marketing works.

That just is no longer up for debate. Research shows that professional services firms that generate leads online are two to four times more profitable than firms that do not, or do not do it very well. They grow faster, spend less per client in acquisition costs, and make more money.

If digital is not your #1 source of new business in your elder law or estate planning law firm, you are leaving money on the table, working too hard and sending business that is rightfully yours on to your competitor.

So, why do so many think that digital is either a waste of time or a necessary evil? I even read one self-proclaimed marketing guru this week list digital marketing as one of the Top Five Mistakes you could make to grow your law practice. And, I got the usual barrage of spam emails proclaiming that Seminars are Still the Best Way to Get New Clients.

Sheesh. The 1980s called, and they want their marketing strategy back!

So How Do You Succeed in Digital Marketing?

The best analogy I can think of is physical fitness. There are so many things you need to get right to optimize your body's health. Eat a balanced diet (and what does that even mean?), get plenty of rest, manage your stress, and get proper, consistent exercise.

Every day you hear a different message about what does or does not work for physical fitness. You need 10,000 steps a day, oh wait, no you need 15,000. Exercise is useless, you cannot outrun a bad diet. Go KETO! No carbs! Carb-load! Eat everything you want, but drink this special elixir. You should lift weights. No, you need to do cardio. Running will cause a heart attack. Cross-fit is the way to go! Hot yoga!!!

At the end of the day, digital marketing is a lot like physical fitness. It's about doing a lot of things right, a few things very well, and not making any huge mistakes.

And there are a lot of charlatans out there just trying to sell you their secret sauce.

Are You Wearing Your FitBit?

I saw a funny episode of Modern Family last night, where Cam and Gloria were trying to get 100,000 steps on their FitBit by taking lots and lots of tiny baby steps. It was pretty hilarious, but sadly not far from the truth. I have known people who became obsessed with FitBit steps ... but I did not see any of them getting particularly fit.

I think the FitBit is a good thing, and if it reminds you to park a little farther away from the storefront on your next trip, that's probably good, too. But tracking your steps alone will not make you a fit and trim athlete. 

It's the same with digital marketing. People can become obsessed on one aspect, such as click-through-rate or website visits, to the exclusion of everything else. I got another SPAM email yesterday touting THE ONE THING that's missing from your website. Apparently, if you add a reviews tab to your website, THIS is going to be the magic elixir that turns your otherwise ho-hum website into a New-Client-Generating Machine!

Stop the Madness!

Digital marketing works. If you do it right. And, like physical fitness, it's not very glamorous. It's about doing all the little things properly, consistently and not making any of the big mistakes. Or at least not persisting in them!

If you're ready to get digital working for you, give us a call. The Essential Solution® gives you a solid foundation across digital assets, ensures you are doing the right things right, and opens up opportunities for you to Do Something Remarkable. 

We can even get that Reviews tab on there for you, too. (And help you manage the entire customer feedback system to not only get more, better reviews, but also improve your entire customer experience!)

We make sure you're covered with great website design on a secure platform, a well-designed sales funnel, a conversion and search optimized site, social media integration, email marketing and consistent on-topic blogging. If you're at the NAELA Summit this week, stop by our booth and visit with James and Mike. If not, just give us a call. We'll be happy to review your current marketing and give you honest answers about whether we can help you do better.

You're not going to lose 10 lbs a week on our plan. But you can start a journey toward better, more effective marketing that will boost your profits and grow your firm.

You can reach James at 1-877-352-2021. He's a busy guy, so I promise he won't talk your ear off or hound you to sign up. Plan on about 10 minutes for your first call, and see where it goes from there.

Oh, and good luck with that FitBit!

 

The One Thing to Know About Client Intake in the Digital Age

Technology has handed customers unprecedented power to dictate the rules in purchasing goods and services. Three-quarters of them, research finds, expect “now” service within five minutes of making contact online. – McKinsey Quarterly CEO Report

I’m excited to be speaking by invitation on Friday to the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) at their Summit in Newport Beach, CA. I’ve been asked to speak on the topic of Elder Law Client Intake in the Digital Age.

In the digital age, client intake is key to new client engagement as well as practice efficiency. Sadly, most intake processes are broken, and automating a broken process just means you can fail faster than ever. During my session, I’ll show a process that works, define some of the key characteristics of an ideal client intake process, and address issues of concern for elder law attorneys, such as data security issues, intake automation, process efficiency and case management integrations.

The One Thing

While there are lots of details that go into creating an online client intake process, there is one thing that you must get right from the outset. Change your mind. Success in online client intake may require a paradigm shift – for you and your staff.

Here it is – get this right and you’re online intake will succeed; fail at this and you fail:

This is about creating a great customer experience.

That’s it. If you remain committed to creating a great customer experience, you can succeed. Stray off course, put operational efficiency or staff convenience as a higher priority? You’re destined to fail.

Understand the Interaction through Your Customer’s Eyes

Technology has handed customers unprecedented power to dictate the rules in purchasing goods and services. Three-quarters of them, research finds, expect “now” service within five minutes of making contact online. A similar share want a simple experience, use comparison apps when they shop, and put as much trust in online reviews as in personal recommendations. Increasingly, customers expect from all players the same kind of immediacy, personalization, and convenience that they receive from leading practitioners such as Google and Amazon. – McKinsey Quarterly CEO Report

Consumer behavior online has changed dramatically over the past few years. Whereas internet searches once were dominated by “information shoppers,” today’s website visitor is much closer to making a buying decision. They likely have already read your online reviews, verified your social “proof,” watched your video and checked out your story.

Now is not the time to make them wait.

The Clock is Ticking

Research shows that the overwhelming majority expect “now” service within five minutes of making contact online! Our own research shows that most inquiries come during off-hours: in the evenings and on the weekends.

How you respond, and how quickly you get your online prospect engaged with your process will have a dramatic impact on your conversion rates, or how many of your website visitors actually become new clients.

Client Needs Come First

Neither is this the moment to ask your prospective client to run a gauntlet of interrogation. My general rule for success is to ask only the information you need, at the moment you need it. If you hold yourself to that standard, and never ask your client for information that technology should be providing (such as, How did you find us? – a robust CRM will have already told you this!), you can make the intake process fast, easy and convenient for your clients.

Begin with the End in Sight

If your goal is to create a great client experience, remember that its also your responsibility to lead clients to good decisions that solve their problems. Information gathered during the online intake can inform both you and your process to ensure more meaningful conversations during the initial consult. By understanding your clients’ stories and their most urgent needs, you become a better and more effective leader.

If you will be at NAELA on Friday, I hope you will join me at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Or stop by our booth any time on Thursday or Friday and visit with James and Mike.  If you won’t be at NAELA this year, go ahead and give James a call to learn more about how we can help you create a great customer experience, convert more website visitors into new clients, and enjoy more focused and satisfying relationships with all of your clients.

How to Choose a Great Law Firm Marketing Agency

What if your law firm were supported by a great marketing agency? Imagine what it would be like if you could trust your agency to handle the heavy-lifting of creating, deploying and managing all of your digital assets … to keep track of things like SEO, Google Analytics, click-through and conversion rates, social media and e-mail marketing. What if you could trust them to give you honest answers about how to improve your online performance, whether to invest in a pay-per-click campaign, or if your website is optimized for conversions?

What if they gave you answers you didn’t always like?

Oh – and how about this – What if they got on board with helping achieve your goals, building the practice you want, and solving your problems? What if they took the time to truly understand you, to tell your story and make a real difference in your practice, even your life?

Would you appreciate and value that kind of a relationship with your marketing agency?

Or, and answer honestly, would you really rather work with someone who just does what you tell them, builds a website according to your specifications, and keeps it all on the cheap?

Let’s Talk About the Law of Attraction

Simply put, the Law of Attraction is that like attracts like. Whether we realize it or not, we are responsible for bringing both positive and negative influences into our lives.

Before you choose the type of marketing agency to support your law firm, ask yourself what type of lawyer you want to be, what type of law firm you want to build.

Your career as a lawyer and your law practice will be influenced by the agency you choose to support it. Remember, we are responsible for bringing both positive and negative influences into our lives. If you don’t want a law firm that just does the minimal and keeps it all on the cheap, then do not hire a marketing agency like that.

If you want a law firm with a reputation for excellence, integrity and delivering on promises, then hire a marketing agency with that reputation. If you are the type of lawyer who is dedicated to helping your clients achieve their goals, who gives honest answers and is not afraid to make unpopular decisions – then hire an agency like that to support you.

Shifting Your Focus Will Change Your Experience

We attract the things we spend the most time thinking and talking about. If we shift our focus, we will change our experience. If you are always looking for the cheapest price from your agency, you will attract clients who are looking for the cheapest price from you. If you don’t value the expertise your agency can bring to your marketing, you will find yourself complaining that no one values your expertise.

On the other hand, if you want to have a great law firm, then hire a great marketing agency. Focus on finding the qualities in your agency that you would most like to have in your law firm, or in your legal career. When you find those qualities, hire them.

If honesty, integrity, expertise, vision and passion are the qualities you want in your law firm, then please give us a call. Like you, we are not perfect and we can’t promise we will never make a mistake or drop the ball. But we are committed to those values and work toward achieving them in everything we do.

And here’s a secret: we look for those values in our clients, too, because the Law of Attraction works both ways!

This year is almost over. Before another one passes you by, give us a call. Shift your focus to attract what you most want, and watch yourself Do Something Remarkable!

The Importance of Place

One of the natural loves that humans possess is a love of place…the love of place shapes humans, conforming them to the topography of the landscapes they inhabit. – Dale M. Coulter

Sunset over Pikes Peak from the view at Legacy Ranch.

I spent my weekend working here at Legacy Ranch, getting ready to bring our horses home from the Black Forest in Colorado Springs, where they have been living since about mid-August.  We had planned for them to stay at the boarding barn until spring, giving us plenty of time to prepare a place for them. But Cooper, our retired race horse, is not doing well. He needs to come home, to his own place where he can relax, knowing he is safe and loved where he belongs.

Driving the tractor, fixing fence and building stalls on a brisk fall weekend while the sun sank deep behind the mountain gave me plenty of time to think about this place, this Legacy Ranch.

What does it really mean to hold a place for someone … whether for an old horse, beloved friends or clients?

Legacy Ranch: The Gift of Place

We started offering private law firm retreats several years ago, when we first opened our Learning Center in the Olathe offices. Through the years, we came to realize that place did not fit the work. Oh, it was a fine place to learn about SEO, social media, click-through rates and sales funnels.

But it was not a place to Do Something Remarkable.

It was sterile, uninspiring, even confining. Your story, your vision is much more personal, creative and powerful.

We Created Legacy Ranch for You

Legacy Ranch is dedicated to lawyers who are committed to their clients, who work daily to protect individuals and families and help preserve legacies.

This is the Place to do the work we do. We intentionally created a place for growth, transformation, and vision. For you.

But, really, what is so special about a place?

I recently read Dale Coulter’s article, On The Importance of Place. In this short article, Coulter writes about our natural human love of place, and how places shape us.

“One comes to love life by loving the place of one’s sojourn through life and then one finds the reasons for this love in the tales one tells and the vision that emerges from those tales.”

Legacy Ranch is a place for you to rediscover your passion, find your voice and tell your story.

Because marketing is about more than clicks and views. It’s about connecting with people so deeply that they trust you to lead them to make the decisions – sometimes the very hard decisions – they need to make for themselves, their loved ones and future generations.

Without trust and leadership, even the most brilliant legal minds help no one.

Do Something Remarkable

My old horse just wants to come home. Cooper’s race is run.

But your story is different. Your story is just starting.

Book Now

We are booked for private retreats at the Ranch through mid-January, but we can still get you in during the first quarter of 2018. Call James at 1-877-352-2021 to discuss your dreams, and find a place to Do Something Remarkable.

Retreats Pay Unexpected Dividends

My team blew me away this week. 

Please don't misunderstand -- they are always awesome and impressive, filled with great ideas. But what they did this week was so extraordinary, they took awesome to a whole new level!

We Want to Pitch You Some Ideas

They came to me Wednesday morning and said they wanted to pitch some ideas.

"We have been working on something, totally on the side," Nate said. "I mean, we've been keeping up with our regular work, not letting anything slide. But we've all collaborated on some things -- totally on the side -- that we want to show you."

(I loved that he knew I'd ask about client work!)

I'd heard some scurrying-about in the conference room and walked in to find Kari, Kelly, Mike, James and Nate huddled around a laptop and a large screen monitor.  Then they started their pitch -- for a new IMS website. One that shows how phenomenally awesome these guys are: their creativity, ingenuity and vision.

What I saw was like nothing else I have ever seen on the web. I am not shy about saying it is positively kick-ass! 

They Did It!

And in that moment, on that morning, they did it! They did everything I had ever hoped this talented group would do. They exceeded us.

They worked on their own -- totally on the side as Nathan said -- to create something so far beyond anything I could even imagine. And they did it together. Not only were their ideas fresh and exciting, but they had used an almost perfect team process. They drew on each other's best talents, they propped up each other's weaknesses, blew through their own limiting beliefs. They pulled in outside sources for guidance, consulted with experts. They refused to let code constrain their ideas.

And they knocked it out of the park!

What Happened?

We have been working on the IMS re-brand for months. Some great ideas have come up, some have been implemented, some are on the back burner, and a few are languishing on the scrap heap of not-quite-right. 

But this? This is more than Vision. It is Inspired Vision.

And I saw The Summit written all over it.

You see, last month, we brought the entire team out from Kansas City to spend the week here in Colorado Springs as active participants in The Summit. It was a big investment -- taking the whole team out of production for almost a week, flying everyone out, hiring vans to shuttle them around, rooms and meals at Cheyenne Mountain.

 

IMS Team Reaches The Summit

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The Payoff!

You take a great team and you can talk and talk and talk about Vision, but when they see it, live it and breathe it -- it comes to life! And that great team can do something remarkable.

Stay tuned for the new website launch in January. Yeah, these guys can do great in a week, but it takes a little longer to execute the remarkable!

The Challenge

If you have a great vision for law firm, if you want to do something remarkable, I challenge you to invest in a team retreat here at Legacy Ranch. 

And prepare to be blown away. You'll never know what your team can truly accomplish until you bring them wholly into your vision and set them loose.

Even if they don't do it all totally on the side.

Book Now

We are booked for private retreats at the Ranch through mid-January, but we can still get you in during the first quarter of 2018. Call James at 1-877-352-2021 to discuss your dreams, and book your firm for something Remarkable now.

Elder Law Client Intake in the Digital Age: Special Presentation at the NAELA Summit 2017

You probably have some sort of client intake form on your website. Chances are it's a digitized copy, in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. It may or may not be "fillable."  Your prospects probably have to download your form, print it out, fill it in by hand, scan the completed form and email it back to you -- or bring it with them to the initial consultation.

It Doesn't Have to Be This Way

Technology can streamline this process, making it much easier for your clients and much less burdensome for you (and your staff!).

IMS CEO Jennifer Goddard will be speaking on Client Intake in the Digital Age next week at the NAELA Summit. CLE is available for this session.

I will be speaking on this topic by invitation for NAELA at 2017 Summit next week. It’s a hot topic for lawyers because this is a mission-critical part of the client experience and your practice profitability!

My session will be from 4:30 to 5:30 on Friday, November 17. Learn more on the NAELA Summit website. (CLE is available for this session.)

Learn From Experience

IMS is a pioneer in automated, online client intake. We started helping law firms automate the intake process years ago and, trust me, we’ve seen it all: the good, the bad and the extraordinary! When done well, everyone benefits. Clients love it, your staff love it, and you profit by eliminating unnecessary redundancies that cost you money without adding value for your clients.

Because we track all of the statistics surrounding these processes – including how people found your website, what pages they visit before they start the process, how many start but don't finish, when most forms are completed, and how frequently those who complete the process online ultimately become clients – we know what works, what doesn’t and what you can expect.

Here are the top five things you need to know about automating your client intake process:

• Your prospects are web-savvy.

They found you on the web, right? If they got to your website, they know how to submit an online form. Sure, you will still have some clients who insist on paper forms. But your website visitors are more than ready for this. In fact, they are seeking out your competitors who are already offering it!

• Your online intake process is a sales and marketing tool.

This is not your chance to get your clients to do your work. This is your chance to better serve clients and make it easier for them to do business with you. Designing the process for ease of use and simplicity – for the CLIENT – is your first step to success.

• Less is more.

See #2 above. My advice: only ask for the information you need, at the moment you need it. If you do not need it, or do not need it YET, then leave it off. Simplify, simplify, simplify. Here is one example: online technology allows you to ONLY ask relevant questions. Your intake forms can contract or expand based on the individual situation.

• Most will complete the process during off-hours.

In fact, about 85 percent of your online intake forms will be completed after 5 pm during the week and on weekends – when there is no one in your office to answer a question or return a phone call. Your process needs to be very clear, as simple as possible, and automated so clients get the appropriate follow up (which could include the opportunity to schedule their appointment) immediately.

• IMS has been-there-and-done-that.

This is a mission-critical process and mistakes are costly. You really do not have to reinvent the wheel here, or suffer the costs of trial-and-error mistakes. We know where the land mines are, let us help.

If you’re attending the NAELA Summit, I hope you will join me to see a process that works. We have developed a streamlined, online process specifically for elder law attorneys. This is a process that will delight your prospects and set you up for a meaningful, and successful, initial meeting.

Partnering for Transformational Change Through Marketing

"The website designed by Integrity Marketing Solutions has changed the way we do business. The blogs, the client intake, and social media have increased our business significantly. Our investment with IMS was the best decision I could have made!"

-- Nicholas Lambros

www.lambroslawllc.com

It is our joy to partner with you along your journey to the Summit!

Results like this are the reason we are in this business.

We had fun yesterday chatting with Nicholas on the phone. His enthusiasm was palpable as he talked about how his practice has grown, that revenue is up more than 25 percent and the sky is the limit. We'll be hosting Nicholas and his team soon at Legacy Ranch, to work together on a strategic plan for continued growth. 

This is our mission at Integrity Marketing: to make a transformational difference. It's why we made the commitment, more than a decade ago, to stop offering piecemeal marketing. We decided that we would never offer any marketing solution that simply had a limited chance for success. Sure, we could sell website design, we could sell direct-mail marketing for seminars, we could even keep selling newsletters -- both print and digital. But there is no joy in simply making a sale. The joy of our work comes from making a difference for the clients we choose to represent. It comes from making friends and partnering with them to achieve success -- oftentimes, even beyond their own vision.

So, when you call to talk to James about whether IMS might be a good fit for your law firm marketing, I hope you bring your wildest hopes and dreams to the conversation. I hope you check your limiting beliefs at the door. I hope you realize that marketing is about more than a website or a workshop postcard. I hope you'll consider making us a true partner in your journey, a trusted advisor along the way to achieving more than you imagined. 

Because if you're just looking for someone to paint your name on the internet, we're not interested. We're focused on the Summit, and won't settle for less!