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----Original Message-----
From: produ******@gmail.com
Sent: Monday, May 21, 2007 9:28 AM
To: How To Make It Rain
Subject: benefit statement
I had sent this email from another account, and I thoughtI'd send from the account that was registered for your coaching program. :)
RJon-
My partner and I have crafted a benefit statementattached below. Could you please have aquick look and give me your feedback?
Note, the additional answers are to questions we areanticipating as follow-ups. Also, we'retrying to avoid the "stigma" of being a new firm and of being solos,so even though we're not fully joined as an LLC yet, we're trying to anticipatehow to answer those. Again, any adviceis greatly appreciated. Thanks again.
-A****
_________________________________________________
What area of law does practice focus on?
I solve legal and business problems for small to mid-sizebusiness owners and real estate professionals.
How do you do that? What do you mean?
* Businessentity creation
* Lease /purchase review for business assets and locations
* Employment lawissues and processes
* Collectionsaccounts receivables
* Businessdissolution
* Partnershipdispute resolution
* Vendordisputes
* Creditornegotiations
* Debtor andCreditor bankruptcy representation
* Protection offamily business assets through and outside probate
* StrategicPlanning Consultation
* Negotiate withIRS to resolve tax disputes
Who are you working with?
I'm with a boutique firm specializing in small tomid-size businesses.
What's the name of the firm?
We're in the process of establishing M******* & H******, LLC
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REPLY:
Mr. H******,
In my experience, no-one ever lays-up the question quitethat easily/formally. Most of the time theyjust ask "What do you do?" or if you're speaking with another lawyer,they might ask "What type/area of law do you do?" In other words, the question is usually a lotmore sloppy, which requires a more general answer that captures thequestioner's attention by painting a vivid imagine in their mind while at thesame time trying demonstrate your confidence/focus and screen-out people youreally don't want to be working with in the first place.
So, based on what you share with me below, if someonewere to ask "what do you do?" like at your kid's soccer game or in anetworking setting, perhaps you could offer something like this:
"My law firm protects mid-sized business owners sothey can focus on making money"
This response covers all of the services you listed belowand is provocative enough, I think, so that if the person you are speaking withhas even the slightest idea that they might ever need your services, they'relikely to ask some follow-up questions. If you'll then try to avoid the temptation to bask in the spotlight andinstead try to focus it back on them, I think you'll find yourself in a goodposition to begin ferreting-out informationabout their business that helps you figure out which of your services might bemost appropriate for them and then you can ask questions that head in thatdirection.
Notice that I left-out small businesses and also realestate professionals. It's important tounderstand that you can have alternative answers for different audiences. If you know the person you're speaking withis a real estate professional simply use real estate professionals in place ofmid-size business owners. Just adapt theanswer to the audience. It's not likeanyone is going to say "hey, you just told that other guy your law firmprotects real estate professionals!" Afterall, aren't real estate professionals owners of"businesses" too? And smallvs. mid-sized is largely a matter ofopinion but most small business owners, I think will feel comfortable hiring alaw firm that focuses on mid-sized, but not necessarily the other way around.
Many people make the mistake of thinking they have togive a laundry list of all the services they offer. That's a mistake because unless someone needsall of those services, the list will be boring to them. And it's a mistake because - and this is alittle counter-intuitive - because it doesn't really give the other person aneasy way to keep the conversation going. So you end up with a kind of awkward silence, they ask for your businesscard because they don't know what else to say and immediately forget the listof services that didn't seem relevant to them anyway.
On the other hand, even if there's no time for follow-up,they're going to remember that you have a law firm and that it protectsbusiness owners so they can focus on making money.
I suggest you practice it aloud a few times andunderstand how powerful an answer like that will be for the intended audience. Don't be discouraged if it falls flat withthe wrong audience because what they think doesn't really matter all that much anyway, does it?
And a word about being a solo or in a small firm. . .don't waste time or energy trying to hide from it. You'll end up wasting a bunch of your timegetting people excited who aren't going to be happy when they find out you're"only" a solo. And you'llscare people off who are looking for a small firm where they will be able toenjoy easy access to their lawyer instead of having to get passed-off to abunch of assistants and associates.
Hope this helps & thanks for your participation in the Bronze Attorney Coaching Program!
RJON
Helping Lawyers In Small Firms Make Alot More Money
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