Integrity Marketing

Making Digital your #1 Source of New Business - Jennifer Goddard Speaking at WealthCounsel

Written by Kelly Myers, Marketing Director

If you haven’t heard already, Integrity Marketing Solutions will be attending this week’s WealthCounsel Symposium, the annual education gathering for estate planning and elder law professionals. Be sure to stop by booth #213 for great conversation and a few give-a-ways! Most importantly, join CEO, Jennifer Goddard, for her Lunch and Learn presentation “Making Digital Your #1 Source of New Business!”

Where does most of your business come from? If you can’t say “the internet,” you’re missing out on huge growth opportunities for your firm.

Jennifer’s Lunch and Learn presentation is not one to miss as she’ll be diving into the world of how digital marketing can and should be your greatest ally in the search for new business. The digital marketing industry is growing at a rapid pace, and done right, digital marketing really works. If you claim to be up to date on the latest digital fads but aren’t getting the results you want, you could be the victim of one (or many!) common mistakes.

The key to digital marketing isn’t to work harder, but work smarter. That’s exactly what you can plan to take away from this Lunch and Learn presentation – the strategies to smarter marketing. With first-hand knowledge of how the industry’s most successful firms use digital marketing, Jennifer will prove how your firm can also reap the benefits of digital marketing done right.

There’s a lot more to learn on this important topic. Join us at 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, October 4^th and don’t forget to stop by the IMS booth to say hello to the team! We hope to see you there!

What will you take away from The Summit?

Written by Kelly Myers, Marketing Director

There are a lot of legal events happening all over the country throughout the year. How do you choose which ones to attend? There is a buffet of options to choose from depending on topics, location, activities and content.

At the end of the day, choosing the events to attend need reflect largely on what you can take away from that event and bring back for the benefit of your practice.

Some programs might offer a social media calendar, canned strategy or even a financial plan. At Integrity Marketing Solutions, we believe anything worth your while will take more than a single 60-minute session. A unique marketing strategy with an action plan takes careful preparation. Sure, you might leave that conference with a worksheet and a few notes jotted down. But is that really what you want? A single piece of printer paper you’ll revisit once before finding its home in the office trashcan?

At The Summit, you’ll take away more than a few loose papers and a view of the mountain (although, we won’t deny the scenery is breathtaking!). The work you’ll accomplish at The Summit involves learning more about yourself, getting in touch with your bigger dreams, and mastering the strategies to make those dreams reality. We challenge you to do something remarkable. Sure, it may sound cheesy, but were you really that anxious to learn one more way to keep the ho-hum humming along?

Here’s what you can expect to take away from The Summit: an experience designed to be retained and applied through authentic learning. Learning by doing provides the opportunity to see what in the experience was successful and what areas need improvement. The following reflection time is where action plans are made based on judgement, feeling and skill. This type of learning isn’t available in a lecture format conference due to what educational psychologists call the Forgetting Curve. You can learn more about the Forgetting Curve here.

So, you can sign up for another typical conference that will teach you the same marketing tactics from the 90’s, in a cold auditorium under florescent lights. Or, you can come to The Summit, a fresh, innovative and different legal event you won’t forget.

 

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

Download the full agenda

Should you bring a team member to The Summit?

The short answer is yes! If you’ve already signed up for The Summit, we know you’re ready to build your break out practice! (If you haven’t registered yet, what are you waiting for?!) But how do you expect to break out without help from your team? Here are the top reasons to bring at least one member of your team to The Summit:

Education – The Summit was created to help your firm understand what challenges stand in the way of success and the best practices for moving forward. Change will be inspired, but your entire team may not be on board right away. If you’re serious about change, consider bringing a key team member to The Summit. The more team members that understand why changes are being made, the smoother your transition will be.

Execute – Great plans and ideas are destined to develop at The Summit, but oftentimes we see these plans fall flat upon attorneys returning to their office. Distractions are bound to steal your attention and chaos ensues before any change can take place. It’s best to bring a team member you trust to help implement strategies in the firm after attending The Summit.

Experience – We’ve got a lot of great activities, discussions and speakers lined up for The Summit. Share the wealth with a team member and allow space for a better understanding of your firm’s needs. Of course, there is plenty of opportunities to network and meet new people, but nothing can beat an adventure alongside those you work with everyday.

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

Download the full agenda

Why Your Marketing Isn't Working

Digital marketing is key in running a successful law practice. But, are you getting the results you desire? Here are some common reasons why your marketing isn’t working.

You’re not doing it! – In order to see results, you have to put in effort. There will be no return if there is no investment. Making a commitment to your firm’s marketing is the first step.

You’re not doing enough. – While having an effective and appealing website is a marketing staple, it simply is not enough. What good is that website if no one is visiting it? It’s essential to promote your brand using other marketing tools such as social media, blogging or search engine optimization. Marketing your firm means more than just maintaining a website.

You have limiting beliefs. – “I don’t have time to market my practice.” This thought is holding you back. Marketing is essential to the success of your practice, so it is essential to find time for your marketing efforts. But how? Set priorities. Delegate tasks. Know the difference between tasks that must be done immediately and the things that can wait. Can your marketing wait?

You’re not reaching your target audience. – Put yourself in your ideal client’s shoes. Where does this person get their information? Do they consult Google before making their decisions? Employ search engine optimization tactics to make sure your name pops up. Do they need the affirmation of positive reviews from their peers? Solicit online reviews from your satisfied clients. Make sure you can be found when your services are sought out!

Join us for The Summit to take your practice to new heights!

The early registration discount ends TODAY -- Register now!

 

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

Why Should You Attend The Summit 2017?

I know your inbox is overflowing with exciting invitations to conferences, workshops and boot camps … all promising to teach or show you the next greatest thing that will “transform your practice.” So why should you spend precious time and money at The Summit?

If you’re satisfied with the way things are now, then you don’t need to attend. Keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll keep getting what you’ve got.

But if you want to do something more – something remarkable – then you’re going to have to do something different.

The Summit is a unique experience event unlike any other in the industry. Here you will be challenged to dream bigger, to do something remarkable with your practice. And, you'll gain the insights and skills to make those dreams reality.

Day One: Legacy Ranch

On our first day together, you will have the opportunity to work with horses in a unique experiential learning session designed to break down barriers in the way you think about yourself, your law firm, your staff and your potential. We're going to trample limiting beliefs and expand your vision of what's possible!

Days Two and Three: Cheyenne Mountain Resort

Two full days of sessions that will prepare you to Take the Summit with a Break-Out law practice! From digital marketing, brand storytelling, client intake automation, and CRM marketing to developing your strategic sales strategy and implementing a client maintenance program – you will see how Break-Out Law Firms use the latest tools and techniques to fulfill their mission and achieve the extraordinary.

NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

Dinner & Reception at Legacy Ranch

Enjoy fun and fellowship at the beautiful Legacy Ranch, 40 acres of paradise along Colorado's Front Range. Starting with a brief tour of the Ranch, we'll retire to the courtyard for wine and hors d'oeuvres as we watch the sun set over Pike's Peak. Dinner will be served inside on the main floor of the Ranch house.

Meals at the Mountain View Restaurant

Join your colleagues for breakfast and lunch inside or on the terrace with some of the best mountain views in Colorado. Breakfast and lunch is included with your registration!

To learn more, visit our website: https://www.TheSummit2017.com

Early registrations save $200.

A limited block of rooms at Cheyenne Mountain Resort are available at a steep discount on a first-come-first-served basis.

I hope you’ll commit to your dreams now. Let’s make this happen!

Focus Your Initial Consultation on NEEDS – Not Data

I recently spoke with new clients who have a very successful, busy practice with multiple attorneys and an engaged, well-qualified support team.

Their biggest headache? Data handling, specifically having to handle the same client intake data over and over.

Here was their process, I wonder if yours may be similar:

1. Client calls to request an appointment.
2. The Director of First Impressions does a great job of screening, scheduling and collecting data. She has a terrific checklist and a paper form to collect essential data by hand.
3. This form is scanned and emailed to the attorney in advance of their meeting.
4. The data is then keyed into the appointment calendar, the contact manager, and the case manager.
5. A New Client Packet is assembled, with nearly 20 pages of paper forms. All of this slips into a manila envelope, gets weighed for postage, and mailed out the next day.
6. Two days later, the client receives the package (three days after their initial phone call) with instructions to complete and either fax, scan and email, or physically mail back to the office before their meeting.
7. About half the time, clients arrive in the office with their completed paper work in hand. Other times, they return it by mail (and sometimes it arrives a few days after the meeting), sometimes they bring the blank, or only partially completed, forms back in with them.
8. At any rate, the attorney seldom gets this information more than a few minutes prior to the meeting. So the first 30 minutes of the initial consultation is spent either reviewing the packet information with the client, or helping them complete the form.
9. After the meeting, the hand-written forms are scanned and saved to the case manager, and client data is re-keyed into the document interview.

What if you dreamed bigger?

What if you automated this process, with digital data that never has to be re-keyed? What if clients could give you their essential data and tell you about their most pressing concerns, immediately, when they are most ready and interested?

What if your initial consultation were focused, not on their data, but on their needs? What if you walked into the conference room already knowing your client well enough to predict their budget, their decision-making style, and their best planning approach?

What if all of this data were already digitized, replicated and categorized across your data management systems, even pre-scheduling your follow-up marketing and client maintenance to run on auto pilot?

What might you accomplish with that extra time? How might you delight clients?

Here is what one of our clients did:

• In one month, more than 1,000 unique prospects visit his website.
• In one month, an average of 20 new clients complete his client intake process online.
• Over the past year, more than 200 new clients have completed his online intake process, start to finish.

He has a Break-Out Practice.

He grew from sole practitioner to a firm of four attorneys and a five-member support team. And he is not slowing down!

Learn how he did it – and how you can, too – when you attend The Summit 2017. On Day Two, we show you a client intake process that works, and why getting this right is the difference between success and failure.

In fact, here’s what he had to say about the process:

Wow! Wow! Wow! This looks fantastic. The ability to navigate to the different pages before completing each page is great. Clients can click through and see what they need to collect. The save feature is perfect. It works beautifully. Very professional and pleasing to the eye.

FULL SPEED AHEAD!

Ready to get YOUR Break-Out Practice?

Save $200 off your Early-Bird Registration before Sept. 15.

The Summit 2017

October 18-20 | Cheyenne Mountain Resort | Colorado Springs, CO

Register Online: https://www.thesummit2017.com/register.php

Are You Ready to have a Break-Out Practice Now?

Some attorneys are satisfied. They are content with things the way they are. They want to live within the confines of a comfort zone.

But some attorneys want to do more. Some attorneys dream bigger.

If you are one of those, then now is the time to register for The Summit 2017 – our break-out conference Oct. 18-20 at the beautiful Cheyenne Mountain resort in Colorado Springs. Every session of this three-day conference is focused on helping you grasp your vision, and expand it. You’ll be challenged to dream bigger, to ask “What if …”

And we will give you the tools and strategies to make those bigger dreams reality.

One of the most thought-provoking Break-Out discussions takes place on Day Two, when we explore the power of nuance in our Mastering the Shift between Estate Planning and Elder Law Marketing session. This is an issue I don’t see anyone else in the industry addressing. One-size-fits-all does not apply to your law firm marketing. Because we work with attorneys who practice in each discipline, and in both, we have observed and learned the nuances between marketing these two discrete practice areas. And, as you’ll see, the magic is in the nuance.

Mastering the Shift between Estate Planning and Elder Law Marketing

In business, nuance is that “something” or “pixie dust” that creates the unique differentiation of a business, a product, or a brand. Consider a symphonic score played by two different orchestras — both performed to technical perfection but one coming across, somehow, as tonally different, more soulful, more connected. – Harvard Business Review

Estate planning and elder law are two discrete practice areas with many shared, or overlapping, challenges. The same is true about marketing both practice areas. Despite their similarities and areas of overlap, they are not the same and marketing each successfully involves nuanced differences. Mastering the shift between them is about mastering those nuances of tone, message and media. While the heavy-handed, broad-brush approach will gain some traction, it’s the nuance that creates real connection. During this session on Day Two we’ll share what we have learned about the similarities – and the subtle differences – in marketing estate planning and elder law. From color, layout and website design to storytelling, imaging and interaction you will begin to see where small shifts make big differences.

Register now and save $200 with Early Bird discounts.
Also, we have a limited block of rooms reserved at Cheyenne Mountain resort for a phenomenal discount. Get all the details online: https://www.TheSummit2017.com

#TheSummit2017

Educated Estate Planning Clients: Why They’re Your Best Clients

Client education is one of several key performance metrics of estate planning law firm websites. Tasked with giving prospective clients an opportunity to learn about you and estate planning and/or Elder Law, IMS websites are designed to do a lot of the heavy lifting of successful law firm marketing. Client education is one task, so is generating high visibility for Search Engine Optimization, providing a great User Experience and presenting a visual identity for the firm. How does the education part work?

How much is enough, how much is too much? Striking the right balance of educating a client without giving actual legal advice for a specific question, whether the dialogue takes place on the phone, in person, on a website or through social media, is important to protect both the client and the attorney. Without knowing all of the facts, which occurs only after attorneys really dig into the substance of the client’s situation (i.e., are retained and start gathering information and documents), you can’t give appropriate advice. That’s why all information used in marketing is of a general nature and we incorporate qualifying language on your website that advises clients of that fact.

Steer clear of the legalese, please. Lawyers aren’t the only ones guilty of using jargon, but we sure do have a reputation. Legal services clients today are not interested in wherefore’s and party of the first parts. There was a time when that was considered impressive to non-lawyers, but those days are long gone. Website language needs plain English. There are exceptions; if you have published an article in a legal journal, or share a presentation that you have done for other attorneys. Otherwise, plain English is best.

Educating on options and outcomes. You can call this “managing expectations,” but we prefer to consider it an educational process. As an experienced estate planning attorney, you likely have handled enough matters where you are able to accurately assess the process and outcome for most of your clients. Your prospective clients may have never met an estate planning attorney before. They may not know how the process works, what the critical documents are or what to expect. Part of your responsibility as a professional is to make sure that they gain a reasonable understanding—for the layperson—of what will happen next and what the final outcome may be. You need to qualify these expectations, as there are always surprises, but draw on your experiences to share this information.

What we hear from law firm clients that you need to know. The biggest complaints concerns communication, and more specifically, phone calls and emails that are not responded to in a timely manner and fees. While it’s not always easy, making responses to client inquiries a priority can forestall complaints and negative interactions. The impact that this has on client satisfaction makes it worth the time. Even if the attorney cannot get to a phone call, a paralegal or a receptionist can call the client so they know that the attorney is aware of the call or email and will be responding within a certain amount of time.

The elephant in the room: fees. Have this discussion as early in the process as possible, once you know the scope of work for the client. Share specific information with regard to the amount of work involved; don’t hide it behind a cloak of mystery. Educate your clients about the complexities and considerations, so they understand you are not simply pulling out a template and putting their names into a form. The more they know about what you are doing, the more they will understand the value of your work. And understand that they are going to have questions, likely based on going to online legal services and reviewing sample documents. Don’t be defensive or annoyed, even if their information is wrong; this is an opportunity for education.