Integrity Marketing

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

 

 

Winter Repose: The Quiet Where Dreams Grow

The quiet of winter blanketed the Ranch this morning. I love this time of year, it may be my favorite. The holiday hustle is almost over, there's a new year on the horizon -- full of promise and possibility. 

But for the moment, in this moment, there is a quiet. 

This is the winter repose, the quiet where dreams grow, silently undisturbed, to fruition in the spring.

So it's perfectly fitting to focus this week on what's coming up here at IMS in 2018, because our biggest dreams are to help make yours come true!

On the Homefront: Completing the Relocation

As many of you know, we started our Colorado relocation in August this year, with the purchase of Legacy Ranch. Right now, we are still headquartered in Olathe, KS and managing a major transition. The Olathe office lease expires in June 2018, when we will open our new Colorado Springs office! The move opens up new avenues for growth and opportunities that simply were not available in Kansas. Of course, Legacy Ranch is the first, but there is so much more.

Colorado Christian University

We have started a formal relationship with the marketing department at Colorado Christian University (CCU). Our first project starts January 15th with an independent-study for-credit internship. We will be working with one of CCU's brightest young stars, Amy Edison. Her studies with us will focus on digital marketing research and service delivery. We also are collaborating on an upcoming book release on personal branding. 

Legacy Ranch 

Of course, we continue to offer Strategic Planning Firm Retreats at Legacy Ranch (our first one of the new year kicks off January 3rd!) But there's more to the Ranch that strategy! We're teaming up with leadership experts from across the country to offer law firm leadership and coaching programs. One of my favorite new programs focuses on Women Leading in Law. Our guest trainer for this program shares a true passion for helping women navigate the challenges of leadership positions in business and law firms. 

We also will be hosting a series of immersive training retreats on hot topics like work flow automation, client intake, and CRM for marketing.

Digital Presence Management 

Digital marketing is in a constant state of change. There definitely is never a dull moment when it comes to helping our clients succeed online! Each year, Google changes its search algorithm 500 to 600 times! Staying on top of all these changes, and implementing across client accounts, is an incredible challenge.

One thing to know about SEO in 2018:

Google announced last year that it makes decisions about which businesses to show up on page one of the search engine results based on what other people are saying about them.

Google said the 3 most important factors to local rank are:

1. Relevance of the website to the search query, 
2. Distance of the business address from the searcher, and
3. Prominence, in this case defined as a business's reputation -- which includes review count and rating.

So what Google is saying is that it’s literally ranking your business in local search based on how many reviews you have, and how good those reviews are. If you don’t manage your reviews, you’re risking whether your business will even show up in search.

In 2018, you will see IMS offer world-class tools to manage every aspect of your digital presence -- including client reviews and directory listings (like Avvo), brought together on one easy-to-use platform, fully integrated with your Essential Solution marketing -- with all of your essential marketing tools and none of the confusing bells-and-whistles you never use and don't want to pay for! 

Hot Topic Marketing Drip Campaigns

We have collaborated with another industry leader to develop hot topic content-based drip marketing campaigns, fully integrated with your Essential Solution marketing platform and easily managed through your E2 CRM. Pick-and-choose both your content campaigns and your level of management or support for implementation, from a do-it-yourself guided setup to a completely "done for you" solution.

The Summit 2018!

Save the date! Plan now to join us for The Summit 2018, Sept. 19-20 here in beautiful Colorado Springs!

We have a few other surprises, but I really don't want to spoil the quiet. Stay tuned to learn more. But now, I'm off to feed horses and celebrate my birthday! All the best to you and yours this holiday season and in the New Year!

 

Strategic Planning: Does it Really Make Any Difference?

Sunset at Legacy Ranch. What will you take away from your Strategic Planning Retreat?

Day Three and your Strategic Planning Retreat is winding down. You have taken three days out of your busy schedule to disengage from the workaday treadmill, retreat, relax and recharge. You have explored the why's behind almost everything you do in your practice. You have defined a strategy, set goals and made plans to achieve them. You may have discovered your own story and recorded the foundation shots for your brand story video.

Chances are, you're pretty tired -- mentally, emotionally and physically -- as you cruise into the afternoon. 

That's okay because most of your work is done now. It's time to relax in the sunroom or on the back deck with a cold drink (or two). Reflect on what you've learned, discovered, and planned.

Here at the Ranch you may decide to hop in the ATV and ride the fence line just to clear your head. Or hang out with the horses. We can offer a meditative activity we call the Horse Wisdom Circle if you'd like to participate. It's just a wonderful way to bring your thoughts together and breathe into a comfortable place with all these new plans.

We will present your Strategic Planning Brief, a summary document memorializing your decisions, strategy and action plans developed over the past three days. We will ask you to commit to an accountability plan, with follow up at 30, 60 and 90 days to make sure you either stay on track or are intentional and strategic about any changes.

Does It Really Make a Difference?

When it's all over, will your retreat really make a difference for your law firm? Will these days spent at Legacy Ranch have a lasting impact? What will be our legacy in your life?

You may know Vinnie Bonazzoli, founder of The Client Care Academy and an estate planning attorney in Massachusetts. He and his team have joined us for two retreats. In his video below he says, "I can't thank you guys enough. This is something we have been looking for for years."

Vincent Bonazzoli Testimonial from Integrity Marketing Solutions on Vimeo.

Frank Campbell, who practices in Annapolis, MD, has been a member of our client family since 2010. His strategic planning retreat focused primarily on marketing, including video, and work flow. 

"My practice is a busy one, so if marketing is successful, it will affect work flow. I wanted to make sure that the plan we put together ultimately results in the same quality of work that we're doing for our clients ... and I just didn't feel that I could do that over a phone call or in between all of the other client commitments that I have at the office."

He describes his retreat experience in this short video: 

Strategic Planning Retreat from Integrity Marketing Solutions on Vimeo.

Whether it's your first retreat or time to come back again, call James now to learn more and schedule time to catapult your firm ahead next year. If you want next year to be your break-out year, you will have to make a big change. If you don't, you know 2018 will just be a rerun of 2017, and all the years before. Maybe a little better, maybe a little worse. It's up to you.

If you want to break out, we want to help!

We have limited availability for private retreats, but we do have a few openings left for first quarter planning. Call James at 1-877-352-2021. It's a new year, let's make it the best one yet!

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Brand Story Video: Because Your Story is Your Greatest Legacy

Integrity Marketing: Strategic Planning Retreats at Legacy Ranch: A Very Personal Experience

Brand Story Video: Because Your Story is Your Greatest Legacy

After two full days at your Legacy Ranch strategic planning retreat, what happens on Day Three?
(For more on Days One and Two, see Strategic Planning Retreats at Legacy Ranch: A Very Personal Experience and Strategic Planning at Legacy Ranch: Focus Forward.)

While every retreat is different and every firm has different goals, often our clients will spend the morning of Day Three working on their brand story video. James Campbell and Mike Campbell collaborate on this process, which really started back on Day One.

But Day Three is when the magic happens!

Since James is the master storyteller, I’ll let him describe the process.

James pitches the brand story script and storyboard, working with our client Frank Campbell of Annapolis, MD.

3 Big Brand Story Questions

• What compels a human being to hire you?
• What makes you the better choice?
• What is your unique value?

We have asked these three questions to every estate and elder law attorney that invests in a private firm retreat. In fact, we ask these same questions at various stages of their experience.  We find that their answers are drastically different by the end of Day Two. 

Top 5 Initial Answers:

1. Peace of mind.
   Our firm provides clients with peace of mind.
2. Holistic approach.
   We look at multiple aspects of the clients financial and tax strategies. Very comprehensive planning.
3. Focused on long term relationships.
   We don’t just sell documents. We focus on lasting relationships.
4. Customer service and communication.
   We provide great customer service and clients love our staff.
5. Board certification (expertise etc).
   I also went to law school and I’m a member of a national organization of attorneys.

Literally every client gives these answers on Day One. Would any of these make your list as well? Maybe all of them? Now, I’m not saying there is anything wrong with the Top 5 answers. I hope they are all true. But let’s be clear, if you are marketing yourself with those messages just understand that everybody else is too. 

Let’s evaluate the questions a bit before we go too much further into discussing your unique value.

What Compels a Human Being to Hire You?

Remember your prospective clients are human beings. They have hopes, fears, problems and goals. They have deadlines and responsibilities. Why would an actual person hire you?

What Makes You the Better Choice?

Do not ever forget that your clients, prospective clients and referral sources have choices. AND they are being consistently persuaded to choose someone else. Why would they choose to hire and stay with you?

What is Your Unique Value?

Your answer to this question should help better answer the first two. Your Unique Value lies in your individual experiences as well as your firm’s mission and core values. The reasons why you provide peace of mind.  Why you have a holistic approach. Why you spent the time and energy for a board certification. Your experiences are relatable. Relatability leads to trust. Once people “feel good” about you, your brand and your core values, they “feel good” about hiring you.

Telling your brand story at a private firm retreat is as much about discovery as it is strategic planning.  Once you have discovered your story and told it through emotionally compelling video, your marketing takes on a whole new life. Competition no longer exists because you provide a service and unique experience no one else is able to provide.

What's it Like?

What is it like to work this closely with your team and discover your own story? While for some attorneys this does not seem like a difficult process, for others it can be quite intimidating. Attorneys tend to prefer an unchanging agenda, a neat outline, with no surprises. But when your entire retreat is Focused Forward, you never really know what's going to happen next. We call this being Open to Outcome.

Rest assured, it's a valuable, painless and even enjoyable process. Listen to how one of your colleagues, Mike Mastry of St. Petersburg, Florida described his experience.

 

Integrity Marketing Solutions - A Testimonial with Mike Mastry from Integrity Marketing Solutions on Vimeo.

The Wrap Up and Results

So what's next? Tomorrow I'll write about what you can expect as your retreat winds down, and when you get back to the office. Because, at the end of the day, it's all about the Results, right?

If you'd like to learn more or get your annual retreat on the schedule at Legacy Ranch, call James now: 1-877-352-2021. We would love to accommodate everyone, but we have very limited availability at the Ranch and the calendar is already filling up. If you think this is something of interest to you, please call right away. We only have a few openings left for first quarter planning.

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Strategic Planning at Legacy Ranch: Focus Forward

Strategic Planning at Legacy Ranch: Focus Forward

You may be surprised to learn that your American Bar Association recommends an annual law firm retreat focused on strategic planning. If you have a chance, check out the latest issue of Law Practice magazine and just flip through their articles on strategic planning, leadership and firm retreats.

“Few will question that we are in a time of unprecedented change for the legal profession. However, most law firms struggle to create, much less implement, effective strategic plans that will help them adapt to the evolving world of legal services.”
– Building for the Future with an Effective Strategic Plan, Law Practice magazine, 2017.

As I wrote yesterday, your retreat may begin with guided Horse Work on Day One. Our goals for the Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) are to help you discover new ways of thinking, collaborating and leading. We may uncover some dysfunctions and try out new ways of resolving them. As facilitators, we will debrief the exercises, frequently raising issues that everyone is thinking about but reluctant to say out loud. Working with the horses helps overcome inhibitions and establishes a new framework of honesty and trust.

The Long Game: Strategic Planning

The EAL debrief leads naturally into the first stages of long term strategic planning. Remember that you won’t be focusing on financial reports or short-term matters. You will spend  this time focusing forward on the long-game. You will explore such strategic issues as:

• What are our unique strengths? How are these relevant to our clients, and how can we leverage them?
• What are our weaknesses? How do they impact our ability to grow? What can we do to address them?
• What threats do we need to be prepared to meet? Have we overlooked threats to our business model that may be coming from disruptive technology, changing cultural values, or changing demographics in our market? How are we responding now, and what plans could we make to respond in the future?
• What opportunities exist now – or in the future – for growth, and how do we capitalize on them? Are there opportunities we need to seize, and are they in alignment with our business strategy?
• What is our Why? Why are we doing this work, what brought us to this practice area, to this community? What are our core values, and is our business strategy in perfect alignment with our values?
• What are our goals, for both the near- and long-term? Can we quantify those goals, and set an action plan to achieve them? What are our benchmarks? How will we measure progress?

These are discussions that start on Day One and continue throughout the morning of Day Two. As we facilitate the discussion, we also capture comments, ideas, doubts and conflict.

The McCafferty Law Firm and their Sticky Wall, after analysis, regrouping and editing.

The Green Sticky Wall

We use a very visual method to help you discover themes, trends and gaps. It’s fairly simple, but our clients who have gone through the process swear by it’s effectiveness. It’s called a Sticky Wall, and we use it in every retreat. At first, every brainstorming idea is captured on index cards and affixed to the wall. After the initial brainstorming session, you start analyzing the concepts, looking for strategic alignment, themes, trends and gaps in your thinking. You will regroup, edit and organize your thoughts -- right there on the wall. 

Oftentimes, we’ll leave this Sticky Wall up overnight and revisit it on the morning of Day Two. Clients frequently start re-arranging or even removing some of the cards. You’ll probably shoot a photo of the wall with your cell phone, anxious to capture the creative thinking so you can go back to it time and again gathering fresh insight with each review.

Strategic Listening; Discovering Your Story

Many of our clients begin the strategic planning discussion to discover their unique message that will serve as the foundation and guiding principle for their business and marketing.  

Our process is unique and very personal. As I facilitate the strategic planning discussion, both James Campbell and Michael Campbell sit in and take notes. They may occasionally have questions and push for more when we talk about various issues. I call this strategic listening. James is the script master and Michael is the video artist. They are listening for your common themes and the flash in your eyes that conveys your passion. In other words, they are listening for you to reveal your story.

They take pictures of the Sticky Wall, too, to jog their memories and guide their thoughts. They will usually stay up late into the wee hours of Day Three, story boarding and script writing. They don’t rest until they are satisfied they have captured your Why and have a plan to tell your story in a powerful, compelling way.

When we reconvene on the morning of Day Three, they pitch the script for your brand story video. This can be an emotional moment for you.

One client literally cried and said:

I can’t believe you guys really get me. I’ve been struggling to find these words for years, but I could never say it in a way that didn’t sound sappy. You’ve done it, you have really done it!

We understand, hearing  your own story, told with eloquence and passion, can really get to you. And it’s almost impossible to do this yourself. We are too close to our own stories. We either share too much, making it all about our own experience; or we keep up our defenses and don’t share enough, resulting a stale, impersonal story that does not resonate with clients.

Our goal is help you discover your story, and then help you tell it in a way that connects with clients. When clients hire you, they are buying in to your story. With this type of marketing, clients are anxious to meet with you, feel like they already know you, and are pre-sold on the idea of working with you.

Here is an example of the kind of personal, compelling stories that arise from this process.

Meet our client, Mike Mastry of St. Petersburg, FL. 

Mastry Law - Brand Story from Integrity Marketing Solutions on Vimeo.

So, at the end of the day, how does all this wrap up? I’ll write about that tomorrow.

Call James now to discuss your 2018 strategic planning retreat. Discover whether this is a good fit and a wise investment for you and your firm. Remember, we have very limited availability so call sooner rather than later. Most retreats are scheduled at least two months in advance. You can reach James by email at [email protected], or by calling our toll-free number: 1-877-352-2021.

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Legacy Ranch: Your Strategic Planning Retreat

Strategic Planning Retreats at Legacy Ranch: A Very Personal Experience

What’s it like to attend a Strategic Planning Retreat at Legacy Ranch? Join me for a tour through a typical three-day Retreat.

Before Day One

Your Strategic Planning Retreat is a highly personalized event. Weather permitting, you may even get the chance to experience Ranch life!

A lot of legwork goes into planning YOUR retreat, and we start long before Day One. Before we even send the Welcome Kit and Homework (yes, there’s homework), we’ll have a one-hour intake consultation. During this phone call, you will educate us on your law firm, your team, your biggest challenges, your goals for the coming year, and what you hope to accomplish during your retreat.

We also want to know your food preferences for meals and snacks, and we’ll ask you to choose a room.

Note: There’s no charge for meals or lodging, we’re happy to welcome you to the Ranch as our guests!

After the intake consultation, we create your personalized Welcome Kit and Homework, and email them out to you about two weeks before you arrive. We ask that you complete and submit your homework at least three days before your retreat. This gives us time to review and make final plans – setting the agenda, designing activities, etc. Every retreat is different because every person and every law firm is different. Your retreat is carefully designed to meet your needs and help achieve your goals.

Arrival Day – Tuesday

Most clients fly in on a Tuesday night. If you fly directly to the Colorado Springs airport (via United, Delta, American, Allegiant or Frontier), we will meet you there and bring you to the Ranch. It’s just a short 20 minute drive. If you choose to fly into Denver, you’ll need to rent a car. It’s about 90 minutes, depending on traffic, from the airport to the Ranch.

Don’t worry about dinner, we’ll have plenty of yummy goodies for you here at the Ranch! If you get in very late, we’ll have some snacks waiting for you in your room.

Your Accommodations

We try to match each client with the most appropriate accommodations for their comfort, and to meet any special needs you may have. Every room has its unique attributes, but they all have high-speed wifi internet, a clock, a charging station, luxury bedding and a humidifier (yes, the air is quite dry here year-round!).  Oh, and a fluffy Legacy Ranch robe, bathroom slippers, your usual toiletries, and snacks! The lower level rooms share a bathroom, but also have access to a private lounge area, giant-screen movie theater, game room, and wine bar. We will help you choose which room works best for your needs.

The Meals!

We will provide all of your meals and snacks throughout your stay. Whenever scheduling permits, we’ll have at least one meal prepared by our gourmet chef, Tom Letts of Denver. Chef Tom prepares amazing food right here in our Ranch kitchen – and puts on quite a show at the same time! All meals are served in the sunroom, with gorgeous views.

A New Type of Networking Event for Lawyers from Integrity Marketing Solutions on Vimeo.

Morning, Day One – Wednesday

We start early on Wednesday mornings with breakfast in the sunroom. It’s a casual affair, and a great way for us to all get to know each other better.

Depending on your goals, and weather permitting, Wednesdays may start with Horse Work. We head out to the barn to meet the horses and then on to the round pen for some guided work. Each exercise is designed to help you discover new ways of thinking, collaborating and leading. The horses are our partners in learning, in fact this is called Equine Assisted Learning (EAL).

Here is what some of your colleagues have said about their EAL sessions:

What were your takeaways from the Horse Work activity?

That I may be standing in my own way when it comes to making progress and moving my firm forward.

You can't always lead from in front. Sometimes the "go zone" is behind the organization.

Was the Horse Work valuable? Why or why not?

Yes! I gained insight into ways to move my firm forward toward my goals.

The Horse Work made me think about how I am leading my law firm ... I realize that "conventional" wisdom is not always the right answer and I need to pay attention to what is actually happening and adjust my approach accordingly.

Is Horse Work something you'd do again in the future?

Absolutely!

Here’s what Mike Mastry, of St. Petersburg, FL had to say about his experience with the Legacy Ranch horses:

I want you to know that I had a great time, I learned a lot, and I've already implemented many of the ideas that I brought home.  I came back to the office raving about the work that we did with your horses and I've raised my prices by 10% (and closed 2 sales this morning at the new prices).

Read more about Horse Work experiences at the Ranch at Could a Horse Teach You How to Grow Your Law Firm? and Why Are You Stopping Your Business From Moving Forward?

Later this week, we'll show you what to expect during the rest of your Strategic Planning Retreat.

Below are just a few photos.
(Click on any image for a full-size view.)

You know you want to come! Call James at 1-877-352-2021 to book. Obviously, we have limited availability, so don’t delay and risk disappointment.

 

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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.

A Grown Up Approach to Legal Education

Days Two and Three of The Summit last week were filled with practice-building sessions like Getting Digital Right, Automating the Client Intake Process, and Marketing Elder Law.

Even though we wanted to cover the meat-and-potatoes of legal marketing education, we were committed to taking a fresh approach. Adult learning is a complicated field. You know the saying, You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Well, there is some truth to that. It’s hard to TELL adults anything. We all bring our own experiences, our own filters, and even our own self-defenses to any learning experience. We run new information through our filter of experience, and we’re fairly confident about our ability to discern quality information from … ah … cow pucks. Of course, we’re not always right, but we are usually confident!

Adults learn better when we have the opportunity to experience a discovery on our own, to “anchor” new information to what we already know, and to process the information through our own filters of experience.

So, we tried to structure each session with more time for questions, case study scenarios, processing and reflection. We even created a study guide for our attendees to help them review and apply new information to their own practice challenges.

And – we chose our location carefully. At Cheyenne Mountain Resort, presenters had to compete with awesome scenery. One entire wall of our conference room was solid glass, with amazing views of both the valley and the mountain, in full fall splendor. We had a private exit out onto the terrace where we could retire between sessions, and a never-ending snack and beverage bar just steps away.

We shared our lunches together, out on the Terrace. These were wonderful opportunities to network, share ideas and challenges and tell stories.

And at the end of each day, we took time to bring everything back around to personal take-aways, Aha! Moments, commitments and action plans. I have recorded the Aha! Moments and will be sharing some of those over the next few days.

For now, if you were able to join us last week, here are some photos that will jog fond memories. And if you were not able to join us, here are some photos to show what you missed. Promise yourself now that you will never miss out again!

Presenters at The Summit 2017 had to compete with this gorgeous view from floor-to-ceiling windows in the conference room!

We enjoyed breaks outside on our private terrace. Here, Art Director Michael Campbell is caught trying to get some video shots.

The lake, the pool, the mountains, the resort. Ah, take me back!

 

Could a Horse Teach You How to Grow Your Law Firm?

What can a lawyer learn from working with horses on a Colorado ranch?

That’s what we set out to discover last week at The Summit 2017 as we took our attorney clients out to the Ranch for an afternoon of guided Horse Work.

No, there were no CLEs offered, no Bar Association signed off on the content. There were no pasty-faced old men droning on about the latest twist in proposed IRS regulations.

Our instructor was a big black horse named Cash, who would represent their law firm. Everyone wore jeans and boots, there were even a few plaid flannel shirts. Some were solo practitioners, some were partners in larger firms. Some had teams to support them, others did not.

But for a couple of hours on a sunny afternoon, they left it all at the office. They laughed. Some of them even cried. And they walked away with a better understanding of their own leadership style, where they may be missing the mark, and how they could do better. They were inspired to do something remarkable.

Unexpected Challenge

The day’s biggest challenge came for Team Two, as they struggled to cajole the big horse into a tiny box inside the round pen. This activity is aptly called, “Leadership in a Box.” Our hapless team of lawyers had to perform under a set of highly restrictive rules (not unlike tax law): they were not allowed to touch the horse, bribe him in any way, or use any equipment to force him into the box.

They had the advantage of having witnessed Team One’s attempt, who managed to get the horse into the box in less than three minutes flat!

But Team Two faced a few twists: their box was farther away, they were not allowed to talk to each other, and they had no designated leader.

For a long seven minutes, the big horse did not budge. Despite Team Two’s every effort to lead, push or distract him, Cash stood like a statue. Some feared he might have fallen asleep. The lawyers became increasingly frustrated, their energy levels dropped, and they finally abandoned the horse altogether – putting as much space as possible between them and their unmovable law firm.

Something Remarkable

Suddenly, someone remembered a hint they had been given earlier in the day. It was all about the power of positive energy and unwavering intention. She decided to take the lead. She raised her energy level and encouraged her teammates to follow.

When she approached Cash with renewed energy and her thoughts intent on the goal – something remarkable happened.

The big horse moved.

First, it was just a tiny turn of his head. Excitement soared. Everyone was encouraging Cash. Within seconds, the big horse turned around and walked purposefully across the round pen and right into the box. One foot, two feet, three feet in … but wait! He walked right through the box without stopping!

Another lawyer blocked his exit and effortlessly led him back into the box. The entire team rejoiced.

The Discoveries

Cash was unmovable for seven minutes. During that time, the Team Two attorneys experienced a range of negative thoughts – from questioning the value of the exercise to frustration and discouragement. Some said they experienced a long-forgotten feeling: the helplessness of having no idea what to do next. For the first time in a long time, they were outside of their comfort zones, trying to do something for which they had no training, education or experience.

Some had pangs of empathy for their clients – the confusion, frustration and discouragement they feel facing legal issues for which they are completely unprepared. The attorneys also commented on their elation when a leader emerged and the problem horse finally moved. They talked of how their clients responded to this kind of leadership, and ways they could provide it.

Several remarked later that they need to rethink how even small changes call for renewed commitment to leadership in their law firms, how limited communication can stall a firm’s progress, and how “conventional wisdom,” does not always lead to success.

One lawyer said he has a new appreciation for the value of the struggle.

“Team One finished so fast, I don’t think it meant as much to them as it did to us. After struggling for so long, our success was more meaningful. I think I need to let my clients struggle longer to discover their own answers, without jumping in too quickly to solve all of their problems. If they struggle a bit, the solution will mean more and carry more value.”

But my favorite comment came today when I received this email from our client Mike Mastry of St. Petersburg, FL.

Hi Jennifer, I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye and thank you before I had to leave Colorado Springs on Friday.  I want you to know that I had a great time, I learned a lot, and I've already implemented many of the ideas that I brought home from the Summit.  I came back to the office raving about the work that we did with your horses and I've raised my prices by 10% (and closed 2 sales this morning at the new prices).

Give that horse a cookie, Mike!

The Summit 2017 is over, but we are already making plans for 2018. Meanwhile, we are now offering private firm retreats at Legacy Ranch, here in Colorado Springs. We invite you to come and even bring your team. You will spend some time with the horses, discover your story and plan your strategy. Who knows? You just might do something remarkable, too!

Visit us now at www.IMSLegacyRanch.com