Celebrity Branding You! - Typing Your Way to Fame!

Over the last few years, there is no denying that the online community has started harnessing the power of the Internet for more than just "surfing" the web to look for information.We have now started using it as a networking tool that allows us to connect with others to share ideas, opinions and videos of ourselves looking like fools.Okay, so hopefully we don't have too many of those videos; but having some video online, and at the major video sharing sites, is a great search engine traffic strategy that we should all be employing.

One of the online tools that has been around for the longest, but is often neglected or overlooked, is that of message boards and email-based discussion groups.Yahoo and google offer the two most popular email groups and they are free for anyone to set up.You can host your own group or you can join existing groups.There are groups for everything you can possibly think of; some are private and require the moderator of the group to approve you, and some you can get started with right away.

You can find these groups by going to the following URLs:
Yahoo - groups.
yahoo
Google - groups.
google

(don't forget to add the "dot com" at the end!

)

The way these groups are set up is that you are given an email address to which you can send a message if you want to send a message to an entire group.

When you send a message to that address, everyone in the group gets it, and when they reply their response goes back to the whole group.On a side note, this has gotten more than one person I know into a bit of a trouble; because by habit you might think you are only responding to the person who sent the message, but since it was sent to the group, when you reply it automatically responds to the entire group!BE CAREFUL!It can be mighty embarrassing to send a private message to someone that ends up going to the whole group!

So, how can this help you build your celebrity status?

In most groups, there are many members who join to get information, but do not send messages.Let me give you an example: I am a member of a group for entertainment lawyers in the state of Florida.When I joined, I did what I would recommend that anyone should do when you are first joining an existing group -- I watch how people post and respond for at least a few days to learn the tone of the group.After a month or two, I saw a message asking about a subject I know a lot about, so I responded to it.As time went on, I got involved in the discussion and I sent about 10 to 15 messages over the course of a few months.

As I was following the messages, it seemed like there were about 10 people who posted fairly regularly with about five others who would chime in every now and then.So by my estimation there were probably 20 to 30 people in the group.

Well, after about six months, I went to a convention where these entertainment lawyers gathered for an annual meeting.As usual, I met some new people and learned more about them, but something funny happened.When I introduced myself to people I had never met before, most of them said, "Oh, you're Nick from the message board." I would politely respond yes, but I had no idea how they knew that since I had never seen them send any messages.That's when I asked the question.

I walked up to the person who moderated the group and asked him, "About how many people are in our online group?I keep meeting people who say they know me from the message board, but I have only sent a handful of messages and have never seen these people send anything."

That's when he responded "a little over 500 people.

"

500 PEOPLE!

As you can see, I was drastically wrong in my calculation of 20 to 30 people in the group.There were actually hundreds, but only a few of us actually communicated through the group.And I have come to find out that this is fairly common in many groups.So, even though I had only sent a few messages, I had become a celebrity among the entire group.Everyone knew who I was, and before long I made a lot of new friends and was referred to a bunch of businesses because I was seen by the members of that group as an expert because of my prompt and accurate responses.

You really can find celebrity status in more places than you'd ever imagine; and sometimes, as in this instance, it smacked me in the face when I was completely oblivious!So go browse around online for groups of people that you would like to learn from, and that you think would be a good place for you to display your expertise and possibly even get some new business.Just remember the rules of the road!When you are in any new environment, watch how others behave first, before you start adding in your two cents!

Now, go out and join some groups!

About the Author

Nick Nanton, from TheBusinessGrowthLawyers.

com, publish the business Growth ezine covering topics that every business needs to know.Get FREE business growth tips now at http://www.TheBusinessGrowthLawyers.com

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• E-Book Marketing: Best Information about any Question
• A Guide To Marketing Yourself Online
• 5 Things You Need to Know About Directory Submissions

5 Law Firm Marketing Tips to Turn Prospects into Clients

Attorneys are famous for wasting their time following up on bad leads. These are prospects who are not a good fit or who are not likely to hire your law firm. Another big mistake lawyers make is targeting the wrong market, usually too large of a market. What percentage of the people you follow up with come to your office for an official interview And of those, how many actually sign on as clients

Successful law firm marketing includes determining which people and businesses are not currently interested in your service and which are just not good prospects. Remove these dead ends from your contact lists and dont waste your time trying to win them over.

You probably have a very low percentage of prospects turned clients. And with the limited hours in your day to get everything done, you simply cant afford to waste this kind of time These 5 simple steps will help you turn more prospects into clients. Incorporate these into your law firm marketing strategy and watch your conversion rate grow.

1. Separate Your Contacts from Your Prospects

Learn to identify people who are genuinely interested versus those who simply are not saying "no" out of politeness. Listen for the signals that distinguish a real prospect from someone who is simply price shopping or worse using you to obtain a lower fee from another lawyer.

Create a list of questions to disqualify contacts focusing on the criteria of "need, want, afford." Remove those contacts who dont meet these qualifications, and focus your energy on solid prospects.

2. Interview Your Qualified Prospects Directly.

Are you consistently talking directly to your prospects versus their gatekeepers and time-wasters and pitching them your services Whats your closing ratio What percentage of people come to the interview versus become clients Make sure you are speaking to the real decision-maker.

3. Strengthen Your Presentation Skills

Improving your presentation skills will go a long way toward winning over new clients. Strengthen your phone skills and develop better phone scripts. Learn to recognize "buy questions." Be prepared to ask for the sale at the end of the presentation. Take a presentation skills seminar and focus on benefits and results more than services and features. Work harder at identifying your targets points of pain and using them clearly and consistently to demonstrate the value of your services. Become more fluent at speaking their language. Develop a list of critical questions to ask prospects you present to. Dont talk as much: listen more.

4. Give Prospects a Call to Action

After an interview, do you actually ask your prospect to commit to the sale How soon do you follow up with people after the interview What do you send them to encourage them to buy from you versus the competitor and buy from you now versus waiting

Make sure each prospect receives one clear call to action. Make it easy for them to follow. Ask for their business

5. Follow Up After Your Presentation

Follow up with a thank you letter or e-mail within 24 hours of the interview. Be sure to end every interview with action steps e.g., what each party agrees to do as next steps and when they will do it by. If you agree to do something, be sure to do it before the deadline. This may be a way they are testing you to see if you will respond to their needs. If you are a business lawyer, have a process for writing successful proposals. Immediately set a reminder to yourself to contact the hot prospect in a timely manner.

Add these five simple steps into your law firm marketing plan now. Youll see


About the Author

Stephen Fairley is CEO of The Rainmaker Institute is the nations largest law firm marketing company that specializes in helping small law firms generate more and better referrals and create a 7 figure law practice. Over 6,000 attorneys have benefited from our proven Rainmaker Marketing System. Attorneys: claim your FREE legal marketing CD 7 Keys to a 7 Figure Law Practice at

Relaited Links:

• Why Do Direct Marketing?
• How to Drive Free Traffic to Your Website - Part One
• How to Drive Free Traffic to Your Website - Part One