Integrity Marketing

The Art of Growing a Law Firm

Yes… We’re doing it! Integrity Marketing Solutions is creating a FREE Facebook group dedicated to helping lawyers earn as much as they want in their law firms.

Join our Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/GrowYourLawFirm/

This group is completely EXCLUSIVE to attorneys and lawyers who are committed to their law firms growth.

If you want to know what it REALLY takes to work less, attract the exact clients you want, when you want, at premium fees and finally earn as much as you want from your law firm without stress, frustration and burnout...join our group!

I have put my phenomenal staff in charge of managing this group. They will not let anyone into the group who should not be there. This will be a place for attorneys who are growing their law firms to interact, share what works, what hasn’t, so that others can listen, learn, and apply real solutions to their practice.

This is a great way to extend YOUR impact on the world!

Why are we starting this?

We’ve watched too many lawyers spend too much time and money on marketing and growth strategies that simply do not work, are outdated, or attract the wrong types of clients. This means they work too hard, are frustrated with their practice, cheat their families out of quality time, and never achieve the significance, impact and financial security they deserve.

We want to change that story. This is where we start.

This group has just 2 rules:

1. No promotional posting whatsoever.

2. No bashing - please be cool and keep discussions positive.

One more thing.

We are going to have a very valuable conversation about earning more throughout your legal career. You will learn more just by hanging out in here than you have in the last $2000 program you bought.

Second, we believe our strategy is the BEST in the world.

Every once in awhile, we will be sharing info about our strategy. If this turns you off, you are definitely in the wrong place.

It only takes a second… Join today!

P.S. This is literally a free, no strings attached, readily available resource for you to reference whenever you’ve got a question, concern, or a success story to share! Also, my team and I are experts in digital marketing… We know the secrets. We know the tricks. We will be sharing them with you. Join now.

Closing Your Best Clients More Quickly and Easily

What's it like to retreat at Legacy Ranch ... and what is the outcome? Can you make real change and get real results from a three-day retreat?

Short answer: YES!

Last week I interviewed Celia King, who came to the Ranch in March. Her story is about getting clarity around her values, mission and vision -- after 25 years in practice! and how these new insights have helped her close more of the right types of clients, quickly and easily.

We are booking strategic retreats now. Our fall schedule is almost sold out. To be sure you get in this year, book a call with an enrollment coach today: https://meetme.so/BreakthroughStrategyCall

 

 

Empowering Women in Law Leadership

I have a confession to make… I watched “The Family Man” in the middle of summer. HAHA! If you haven’t seen it, it’s a Christmas movie about a man who simply makes the wrong decision and unknowingly misses the biggest opportunity of his life. It’s on Netflix and I highly recommend it! (But maybe wait until Christmas time haha)

By the end of the movie, Jack Campbell (Nicholas Cage) realizes the significance ONE decision had on his entire life and he sets out on a mission to make up for lost time.

It’s not that he didn’t get what he wanted that made him rethink his BIG decision. It was what he missed out on. He missed out on a beautiful life with a woman -- Dang RIGHT -- who could have made him happier than everything else in his current world.

This got me thinking about the inevitable regret he is going to feel in the years to come about the time he missed… (That would be an interesting movie)

The thought of that is like a knife through chest because… I have regret. I’ve made the wrong decision multiple times. I’ve spent years trying to make up for lost time. I’ve spent hours laying awake in bed thinking about the opportunities I missed out on simply because I didn’t want to make the time for them when they came.

I have to be honest though… I do not regret the things that I’ve done, although some of them could have been done better.

I regret the things I haven’t done.

That’s what keeps me awake at night… The moments I missed on, the knowledge I didn’t acquire, the lessons I didn’t learn, the truth I didn’t discover… The list goes on.

If you are anything like me, you might feel this way too?

As all of you know, we have put together a ONCE IN A LIFETIME Empowerment Retreat to change the lives of women practicing law.

I know this retreat WILL positively change your life. Your practice. Your relationships. Your career.

Don’t let the ANYTHING get in the way of that.

I say this because I know what you are going to miss out on… the Empowerment Retreat is the beginning of something so much bigger and it is going to create so much good, but that also means it will simultaneously create a whole lot of regret for those who weren’t there.

We all have things we're doing.

I get it.

But throughout history, when people need to come together to create change, the only time it happens is when they set aside the small things, even the things that seem important, to move toward something bigger.

If any of you have thought about coming, but are thinking… “Oh I’ll just come next year…” or “I don’t have time because I have to …” or “I don’t have the money to attend…” or “I already committed to…”

I know you are going to experience the same regret I have in my life already…

I can’t guarantee this will happen again next year. I just can’t.

If there is anything I know about myself, and maybe you are this way too, I make time for the things I want. If you want a better practice, if you want a better career, if you want to make a greater impact on the world, you’ll make the time to be here.

If you don’t have the money, call me. I can help you find it. It too important for you to be here to miss out on it because of a $ sign.

I want you here because we’re making REAL and LASTING change.

As of right now, we are 46 days out. That’s a good amount of time, but it’s coming fast. Register as soon as you can!

If you can act now, do it! Acting now will make your life so much easier than acting 10 days before. Trust me!

From one woman to another, don’t miss this.

Because in the end, we only regret the decisions we didn’t make.

Let’s makes this decision together.

Let’s do this together.

REGISTER HERE

 

Are You Contributing to Toxic Culture in Your Law Firm?

I just spent a long evening with a friend who works in a law firm. No, she’s not a lawyer. She was defeated, discouraged and emotionally spent … her boss had created yet another personnel crisis in the firm. One good employee quit, another threatened to, and the entire firm was in uproar.

The trigger?

It doesn’t really matter. It was a trivial incident, a minor infraction.

Intolerable.

I had to wonder if the attorney creating this misery was enjoying it, oblivious to it, or even slightly aware of how much her explosion and resulting fall-out would cost her and her firm … how many opportunities lost, how many good people leaving, how much time spent repairing the damage instead of growing the firm.

Toxic culture is rampant in law firms and everyone can see it but the lawyers who create it.

People watching their backs, afraid they will become the next target.

Authoritarian demands delivered without explanation or feedback.

Micro-managing to the point of exhaustion, for all involved.

Are you contributing to toxic culture in your own firm? Have you heard yourself issuing some of these statements (or close variations)?

“I’m exhausted. I spend all day meeting with clients and all evening cleaning up messes.”

“No, I don’t need to bring my team to this (meeting, conference, training). They will do what I tell them.”

“No, I can’t come to that (meeting, conference, training) because I can’t afford the time away from the office.”

“Can you please train our new marketing coordinator? The last one left and no one here knows what she did.”

If you sometimes slip into authoritarian, manipulative or controlling leadership and management styles, you’re contributing to toxic culture in your firm.

The good news is you can change it. You can start recognizing toxic habits and learn new ones.

This is what you’ll learn on Day One of our EMPOWERMENT Retreat. Discover how you show up as a leader. Get honest feedback. Practice real change. Learn new skills and cultivate new habits.

The truth is, you can have more fun, make a bigger impact and earn more money when you learn the skills of positive leadership.

And by the way, great leadership is a tremendous competitive advantage in the marketplace. Why? Because most law firms truly suck at it. It’s a weakness that most lawyers deny and refuse to address.

In fact, turnover in law firms is at its highest level ever and the damage to firms is almost unfathomable. Turnover costs the top 400 law firms roughly $9.1 billion every year, according to a recent report by JD Match and Right Profile. High turnover rates compromise morale, damage the firm’s reputation, forfeit hundreds of hours of training and disrupt and challenge firm culture. And that’s all before accounting for the effects on client service.

When you master positive leadership skills, you’ll find it easy to hire and keep the best talent, keep your team focused on growing the firm and serving clients, and make more money.

You and your firm will be a magnet for the best talent, the best cases and the best clients … even at premium fees.

But it’s almost impossible to do it alone. Why? Because you simply cannot get honest feedback within your firm – colleagues and team members may fear reprisal or have their own agendas.

Rearrange your schedule now (I know you’re busy, but if you want this, you’ll make it happen!). Register and commit.

Don’t let toxic habits you probably learned in law school or at the feet of other “mentors” rob your joy and steal your financial freedom.

PS – If you WORK for someone who is creating a toxic culture, we can help you, too! No one deserves to be intimidated, manipulated or frightened at work! Discover your personal power and make positive change!

Join us at the WealthCounsel / ElderCounsel SYMPOSIUM 2018

If you will be attending the WealthCounsel / ElderCounsel SYMPOSIUM next week, I want to personally invite you to attend my session at 12 noon on Tuesday because I believe with all my heart that what I am talking about is going to be life changing.

I’ve titled my presentation: Five Steps to Restoring Trust and Launching Your Breakout Year.

Without trust, you cannot build a successful business. We all know this. We also know there has been a serious problem plaguing attorneys and their practices across the country.

CONSUMERS DON'T TRUST YOU!

A simple Google search is enough to prove that. In fact, a recent Princeton University study proved it, too (I'll share the results in my talk). So many of the attorneys I talk to everyday feel immobilized and hopeless trying to convince consumers that:

1. I’m not going to lie.

2. I’m not going to run up a large hourly bill for every bit of communication.

3. I don’t just copy and paste your estate plan.

4. I’m not working an angle for my personal benefit.

5. I really do care about my clients.

Because so many attorneys fail to restore trust among consumers, they miss out on so much opportunity to grow their practice and reputation.

They don’t realize that if they can re-establish trust and rapport, their breakout year will be right around the corner.

I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

In my talk, I will be giving five steps I’ve seen ACTUALLY restore trust with consumers.

To give you a little sneak peak, I want to pose a question…

Why are 70% of lawyers not on Facebook when 85% of consumers are?

If you want to establish trust with someone, start by meeting them where they are and where they feel comfortable…

And that’s just the beginning.

I don’t want YOU to miss out on this. You won’t regret it.

I look forward to seeing you there.

UNIQUE CONFERENCE USES EQUINE SESSIONS FOR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Empowering  Women in Law Leadership

Starting a law practice after encountering frustration as a partner or an associate in a traditional law firm is not uncommon for women attorneys. But growing a law practice from a solo or partnership practice into a mid or large sized firm takes a variety of skill sets –leadership among them.

“The difference between those who succeed and those who don’t often hinges directly upon the ability to lead a team,” says conference organizer Jennifer C. Goddard, CEO of Integrity Marketing Solutions, a law firm consulting firm. “The equine experiential learning process is immediate and direct. What you learn in the arena, working with a certified facilitator and horses, can be applied right away in the law firm.”

The conference takes place from September 12 – 14, 2018 at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs and at nearby Legacy Ranch, where a full roster of speakers will complement the structured horse work with sessions on leadership and empowering women in law. The faculty includes Ginny Telego, President and Founder of The Collaboration Partners.  Ms. Telego is a Certified Advanced Facilitator and Master Trainer with the Equine Experiential Education Association (E3A) who coaches clients to be more effective leaders in their organizations and communities.

Additional confirmed speakers are:

• Victoria Collier, JD, The Estate and Asset Protection Law Firm
• Wendy Witt, JD,Founder and President, Attorney Alchemy
• Jennifer Goddard, M.S.,Founder and CEO of Integrity Marketing Solutions
• Jena Sawyer, M.Ed., Founder, Jena Sawyer Coaching and Development
• Molly Hall, Co-Founder, Hiring and Empowering Solutions
• Laney Lyons , Co-Founder, Hiring and Empowering Solutions
• Patricia McLelland,President, Pro-Soft Associates

Central to the conference are the Legacy Ranch horses, selected for their abilities as teachers and partners. Their innate sense of human behavior, combined with guidance from the professional equine learning facilitator team, creates a unique experience that has consistently revealed leadership abilities—as well as challenges – in attorneys attending programs at Legacy Ranch.

“We have been hosting law firm retreats at Legacy Ranch for the past year,” says Goddard. “The horse work, which we usually incorporate into the first day, has proven to be invaluable in setting the stage for breakthrough thinking and transformation.”

Goddard explains that it can be difficult for attorneys to get accurate feedback from the people around them. “Remember, whether working with staff, colleagues or supervisors, everyone we relate with has their own agenda and filter.”

One recent client visited Legacy Ranch for help pushing her law firm past its current limits. In discussions about her mission and values, Goddard says she described herself as “a smart and compassionate lawyer who cares deeply about people.”

But when she arrived at the Ranch, Goddard and her staff got a completely different vibe. “She was cutting, demanding and dismissive. She really came across as a bit of a dragon lady to us.”

Day One at the Ranch started with some simple activities in the arena with one of the Ranch’s most laid-back, easy-going horses. Goddard says her client was so aggressive in every interaction that the horse became quite agitated. When asked to assess what was happening, the client responded that the horse was “not listening” to her and became even more aggressive toward him.

A few moments later, Goddard says the horse yanked the lead rope out of her hands and took off, putting as much space between him and his aggressor as he possibly could.

“You know what? I don’t think ANYONE within her circle had the courage to stand up to her when she was acting like that. No one had spoken to her like that … at least not in a very long time, if ever! But my horse absolutely did not care how many letters she had after her name, whether she was successful, said she was caring and compassionate, or admitted to being a dragon lady.”

The next morning when her client rejoined the team in the conference room, Goddard says she came in quietly and said she had been thinking about her experience with the horse.

“I don’t want to show up like that,” she said. “I care deeply about people. I want to serve. But I see that I am not showing up like that in my interactions. Let’s re-boot, please. I want to change my image.”

Her story is not unique. Authenticity in leadership is hard for everyone, but it’s particularly tough for lawyers. That strong need to maintain a professional image can be the number one obstacle to authenticity.

Working on a professional leadership image is not about projecting anything fake or false. It’s about surfacing and polishing behaviors and skills that allow your authentic self to be most effective.

Registration is now open for the Empowering Women in Law Leadership 2018 conference at https://integritymarketing.lpages.co/empowerment-retreat/. Early Bird discounts are available through the end of July.