I didn’t blog about Randy Wells’ departure from LegalMatch (covered here by Kevin O’Keefe), but Randy called me this afternoon and told me he is taking the CEO position at Casepost.  Frequent readers of this blog know my original opinion of LegalMatch, but Randy extended the olive branch to me, and because of him, I have gotten to know a lot of the fine people at LegalMatch.

Now that Randy has gone to LegalMatch’s chief competitor, it is going to be a very interesting time in the lawyer-client matching industry.  I don’t know enough about Casepost to offer an opinion, but I like Randy and wish him the best.  He asked me to share the full press release so here it is:

Download immediate_release_7.29.05.pdf

We’re hitting the home stretch here in Week One of the Five by Five. Up next for your consideration are the suggestions of Yvonne DiVita, a business and technology writer, president of Windsor Media Enterprises, LLC, and author of “Dickless Marketing: Smart Marketing to Women Online.” Yvonne also writes the Lip-Sticking weblog.

Yvonne’s responses:

The 5 Worst Mistakes a lawyer can make when marketing to potential female clients:

1. Assuming a condescending attitude. We know you went to law school, we accept that you know more about the law than we do—that’s why we’re there–but don’t pat us on the hand with, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything,” blather or write your sales copy as if you’re God.

2. Passing out flyers that have only men’s pictures on them or heavily promote the executives in your firm–who all happen to be male! Or, looking around us for the ‘man’ in our lives.

3. Going overboard with pink. Guess what: Pink used to be the dominant color for boys. It was considered a watered down red and too ferocious for girls. Girls were dressed in blue. This is pretty much a ‘christian’ concept, notice that the Virgin Mary is always in blue. Today, women have adopted pink wholeheartedly, but that does not mean you should have a pink flowery background on your website or throughout your offices. Trying too hard to appeal to us using the color pink will backfire every time. We know frivolity when we see it!

4. Immediately calling us by our first name. Not many women openly admit this, but we are selective about getting personal with people. Getting to a first name basis is our choice, not yours. It’s Ms. or Mrs. or Miss, and only Jane, Jill, or Sally if we offer that option. Business etiquette dictates a formal introduction. If you rush right into using our first name, we may not show it, but we’re bristling inside.

5. Talking over us. Two ways this can happen: on your website or in your sales literature, using too much legalese…find a way to simplify your information without making us feel stupid. (hire a writer, if need be.) If we’re visiting you in your office for the first time, don’t interrupt before we’re finished explaining why we’re there. You may instinctively know what we mean after only a sentence or two, but let us finish anyway.

6. Oops…you only asked for 5. Okay…never mind.

Now, the 5 best things a lawyer can do to secure a female’s business:

1. Make eye contact. In your literature, put women’s faces in prominent places and use women’s names—either clients who have given you permission to use their names, or made-up clients that represent smart, savvy women…yet, ones who may be overlooking critical needs you can provide.

2. Offer free consulting. I’m not saying you should “give away the store” but if you want our business, show us how knowledgable you are about what we need (there’s that listening thing from #5 above), and that you not only can meet our needs but that you want to partner with us to solve whatever issue it is we came to you with.

3. Follow the lead of banks and offer specific programs aimed at women. Develop workshops for women entrepreneurs, for widows, for women entering into business partnerships, for single Moms, etc.

4. Expand your marketing focus to women in all walks of life. Approach women executives differently than you would approach stay at home Moms…do this by having separate marketing materials that speak to the individual’s needs. Notice how financial firms have separate marketing materials for each service they offer, and they portray men and women together and separately.

5. ASK questions…and expect answers. Once in awhile, bring the stay at home Moms together with the business executives and entrepreneurs and listen to what they talk about. Build a community of women networking to solve family and business issues; they will ultimately see you as one of them and bring you more business.

6. Market ‘couple’ seminars or workshops to women not men. Show women and men together. Real life consists of real people, both male and female.Use the word partner…partnerships exist between couples, married, engaged, or merely cohabitating, and partnerships also exist between you and the clients you serve, making this word a powerful introduction to a long-term relationship.

7. Oops…there I go again…overkill.

Up next is Michele Miller, author of the great WonderBranding: Marketing to Women weblog. She is now a partner in the Wizard of Ads, Inc. marketing firm, serving clients across North America. Michele is also the author of “The Natural Advantages of Women” (Wizard Academy Press), the audiobook that has been hailed for its concepts, principles, and new scientific information that explains how the female brain is “hardwired” for personal greatness. To watch a video of Michele, click here.

Michele’s five ideas on the topic of the day:

R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
When marketing to a woman, never forget that her greatest strength lies in her individuality. You are not expected to treat a woman as being someone “special;” you are only expected to acknowledge and deal with her as an equal. Always assume that your potential client is smart and saavy. If you address a woman from that perspective, it will shine through your presentation and open many doors that are normally closed tight against the “typical” lawyer.

Give her the 4-1-1.
With four times as many connections between the left and right sides of the brain, women process information at very high rates of speed. They are not only masters of multi-tasking, they are expert gatherers of information and thrive on the word “share.” Approach your marketing from the “educational” angle and you will have clients for life – blogs, newsletters, free seminars, etc. are all excellent tools for positioning yourself as the lawyer who “cares and shares.”

Make it memorable.
Have something in your marketing toolbox that might not normally be associated with an attorney – something that shows you’ve connected with your potential client. Listening is key – what if you followed up an initial consult with a note or small gift that is related to a topic she discussed? It could be anything from the stock market to knitting. You have to go the extra mile here, but it creates clients for life.

How is the world inside your door?
Too often, business people forget that marketing is everything you do each day. Consistency of message is not just restricted to your marketing materials, website, ads, etc., but must extend to your office, and staff. Is your office conveniently located – is the parking lot safe? How is your office decorated – does it have a built-in comfort factor, or is it sterile and uninviting? What kind of magazines do you have in your waiting area…. is there reading material for both genders? How is the phone answered? The personal experience factor of a potential client is one of the biggest factors in your marketing campaign – the better the experience, the better you are at branding!

Who rates first?
As Howard Schulz, CEO of Starbucks says, “The customer comes second… employees come first.” He knows that if you focus on the happiness and stability of your employees, it naturally rubs off on to customers and clients. Are your employees given a “psychological contract” to try, succeed, and even sometimes fail if it’s for the betterment of your business? If they have your trust and training, they provide a confidence that often resonates more clearly to potential clients than anything you can do on your own.

Just over a year ago,  I asked five seriously cool women bloggers for their five thoughts on the following question(s):

What are the five worst mistakes a lawyer can make when marketing to a female potential client?

Alternatively, what are the five best things a lawyer can do to secure a female’s business?

As I head to the Blogher conference, and after reading the posts again, I’m still amazed at how spot-on these women were.  Ignore their advice at your peril.

Whenever I run into someone who reads my blog, their first comment is almost always, “You’ve got to post more pictures of your daughter.”  Well, here you go.  The first is from a few weeks ago in Santa Barbara.  The second is at Legoland on the Fourth of July.

I was reading this fascinating summary of the SENG Conference over on the Eide Neurolearning Blog.  The post’s author collects some great advice for parents of gifted children, though much of the advice is equally applicable for all parents.  One piece of advice from Dr. Paul Beljan really struck me:

Don’t just say, “don’t do this” – give children a positive alternative – “don’t do this, do this instead…”

Now, replace the word “children” with “clients” and you’ll start to see what struck me.  Lawyers are often thought of by clients as deal breakers.  Next time your client is about to do something unwise, give them an alternative.  Show them you are thinking about making their businesses better.  Tell them, “Don’t do this, do this instead …”

And for parents, the entire post is worth a read.  The other great pieces of advice from Dr. Beljan I know I’ll be trying with Grace are:

[T]he ‘Zen of Bean Sorting’ – Children are given a calming and pleasant sensory task when they lose control or can’t regulate their impulses. Privileges are suspended until the beans are sorted.

For time-outs, don’t use a clock. Use the same words every time. “When you’re quiet, you can come out.”

Be careful how you talk. Be instructive with requests – “Put this in your room”, not “Can you pick this up?”