Monday, February 16, 2009

How To Make Time For Legal Marketing And Business Development

One of the chief complaints I receive from the attorneys that I meet and work with is that they just don't have time for legal marketing. While billable hours, day-to-day emergencies and time outside the office all add up, there are definite ways to go about making time for legal marketing and business development. The key is to think of it as an ongoing habit, not something to "make time for." Rather than seeing marketing and business development as a burden, think of it as an integral part of your day-to-day life. The interesting thing about creating this kind of habit is that once you find the right system for your individual lifestyle it should simply become second nature.
The benefits to making time are numerous. Aside from building relationships with potential clients and referral sources, taking advantage of marketing and business development opportunities can help increase your visibility AND credibility in the legal arena and beyond. Writing articles and participating in social media help you create and build a personal brand'”something that every lawyer should have. True dedication and time commitment can even bring you recognition as an expert in your chosen practice area or within a specific industry.
Below are a few suggestions and lessons from attorneys I've worked with, as well as my own observations and experience. Choose the path that make sense for you or adapt the suggestions to work within your own day, but give it a chance. Do something! The rewards you will reap are far greater than a 5-minute time commitment.
• Multi-task.
No one I know comes into the office and immediately gets to work. One solution to the time crunch is to fold your marketing and business development efforts into your morning routine. As you sit down to your desk with your morning coffee or tea (or breakfast') browse through your contacts or referral lists and send a few emails; read a legal marketing blog; update your social media or even spend 10 minutes working on a potential article or speech. By 9 am you'll have accomplished something solid and can focus the rest of your day on other endeavors. Alternately, you can do the same thing during a quick lunch at your desk or coffee break. You'd be surprised how far 10 minutes can go.
• Save it up.
One attorney I know has created a special folder in her email Inbox specifically for legal marketing emails. As the weekly or daily updates from the blogs and social media groups she subscribes to come in she simply directs them to the folder. Then, once a week she takes an hour out of her day to read through the week's emails and respond to them accordingly. She's able to keep up to date on legal marketing news and colleague updates, post articles and communicate about possible speaking engagements without disrupting the flow of her day.
• End your day.
A colleague of mine channels his efforts into work all day but integrates marketing into his nighttime routine. With the stresses of the day (and impending deadlines, phone calls and emails) over, he sets aside 15-20 minutes a night before bed to investigate marketing leads, send emails to potential referral sources and work on articles and social media.
• Schedule it in' for the first month.
If all else fails, treat legal marketing as a literal client. Put it on your schedule and make no excuses for not paying attention to it, just as you would a client. Whether it's once a week or biweekly, set aside specific time for uninterrupted focus. After the first month I can guarantee that finding time for business development will feel effortless.
Simple in theory but never easy in practice, without a true commitment you can never reap the rewards of a solid marketing habit. Filling your pipeline with work, receiving recognition as an expert and gaining credibility and visibility won't happen all at once, but you can be sure they will happen. Just as with any other endeavor, it takes focus and time to see results.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

What To Consider When Seeking Out Car Insurance For Teens

Whether you like it or not, very soon your little toddler is going to become a teen and you will find yourself knee deep in all kinds of expenses. One of the expenses you will come up against will be car insurance when your child comes of the legal age to drive. As you will soon find out, car insurance for teens is very much more expensive than the car insurance you have for yourself and you will have to look hard for ways to cut costs and save money.
In accordance with existing laws in the United States, car insurance for teens must be acquired before your child is legally permitted to take to the road. However, the problem you will come up against is that many car insurance companies charge outrageous fees for young driver insurance. This means you could end up spending a substantial amount of money to provide your teen with the insurance coverage that that they need in order to legally take to the road.
When it comes to car insurance for teens, most people will immediately call up their current car insurance company and will simply add their child to their preexisting insurance plan. The problem is that this is not always the smart or most cost effective step that you can take. You could ultimately save yourself hundreds of dollars each and every year by simply seeking out another cheap car insurance plan for your teen. The truth is that car insurance for teens does not have to cost you an arm and a leg if you know where to shop.
When it comes to finding car insurance for teens, many people balk at the thought of calling up multiple cheap car insurance companies and filling up multiple applications in order to receive and compare rates on insurance coverage for your teen. However, while this may have been the norm before, you do not have to go through that anguish anymore. There is a way that you can get around completing these timely applications. Applications that may ultimately provide you with rates that are much higher than your current insurance provider.
Cheap Car Insurance is an effective online resource that you can turn to in order to find cheap car insurance for your teen. Cheap car insurance rates can easily be acquired from Cheap Car Insurance in a matter of minutes with very little time and effort. The idea behind Cheap Car Insurance is that you can complete a single application that is then submitted to multiple car insurance companies all at once. This basic application generally takes less than 15 minutes to complete and you will generally receive instant quotes for car insurance for teens.
Car insurance for teens does not have to cost you hundreds of dollars a month. Moreover, it does not have to cost you a substantial amount of time and effort to find. With Cheap Car Insurance you can obtain the car insurance you need and want in a matter of minutes.