Setting some short term (marketing) goals....

Solo life can be up and down. Some days you will have a billion things to do, and barely have any time to eat. Some days the phone will never ring and you take the dog out for a walk every other hour. So, to keep myself on track, and not lose focus or motivation on those off-days, I decided to set myself mini goals. I learned this from when I was working at a real estate office while I was waiting for my bar results. Realtors are really on top of marketing, and believe in the importance of marketing even when you are busy. The realtor I worked for sent out thank you cards to her former clients, even though her business was booming, and she was already working around the clock. She believed that in the short run it wouldn't matter if she didn't do any continuous marketing, but in the long run, her business will suffer. So now I always devote a portion of my time doing marketing. Marketing doesn't have to be the traditional sending out flyers kind of marketing. When you go to your local bar association happy hour and network with other attorneys, that is still marketing (at least I consider it to be). So alongside my calendar of project/cases, I have a separate section on my calendar with some of my short term marketing goals. Here are some goals I decided on. Some of these I give myself a goal to do once a week, or once a month, etc.

1. Reach out to another attorney for advice.
I will always need other attorneys for advice. There is just too much info out there for one attorney to possibly know. Different attorneys will always have different styles of doing things. I have always learned something from another attorney, regardless if I agree with them or not on the subject.

So, I set myself a goal of reaching out to an attorney for advice- either for an opinion on what I plan to do with my case, or for advice about marketing. I try to reach out to an attorney who is practicing in a different field, just so I can learn from a totally different angle. I do this by cold-calling, or cold-emailing even. I always respond when another attorney asks me about my appearance work (which I write alot about), so I hope other attorneys will respond to me if I seek their advice.

2. Reach out to a non-attorney.
Many attorneys rely on other attorneys for referrals and business. I also wanted to focus on reaching out to the potential clients, and letting them know about my services. I set myself a goal going to networking events that are NOT attorney-based. I go to the local chamber of commerce events to meet local business owners. One attorney told me to just put myself out there, and I took that advice to heart. Another attorney says to keep networking the old-fashioned way, and that it may be slow at first, but it will be good in the long run. I am an introvert and excruciatingly shy (even though I have a blog!), so going to networking event is really hard for me too. To combat this, I lock in one event on my calendar per week and commit myself to that event. This way I feel the pressure as if it was an actual job.

3. Write one blog (per week) to document my journey.
When I started out, I did a search all over the internet to find info and advice from other new solo attorneys. I didn't find much online. I was lucky in that I met other young attorneys whom I continuously call or email for advise all the time, for every little thing imaginable that they don't teach you in law school or in the books. I also found there was little to none advise (nor practice guide!) about doing special appearances. So I started blogging. And with the inquiries from other attorneys about my blog, I got the encouragement to keep going. Thank you!

4. Read one area of law that I am interested in. Or read up on an area of law that I had a few people inquire about, but I didn't know the answer at that time. Chances are, those are the kinds of problems that are out there and will come up again.

As an entrepreneur at heart, I read Inc. and Entrepreneur magazine like a junkie. One article stresses the need for small business to keep learning, and expand/shift as the market needs. I believe this applies to a law business as well. This is why I keep reading and studying on new and exiting laws or practice areas- either because I want to expand in that area, or I just want to keep afresh on the latest development. One trick I have learned from another attorneys is to set google alert for the topic I am focusing on, for example "red light camera ticket", and set aside 15-20 minutes each morning reading the trends and changes in law. This is important because I need to keep up with the latest developments in order to better advise my client. I also go to the law library and pick up a practice guide on a subject I am interested in. These books are huge (Matthew Benders, CEBs, etc.). I found a really good alternative is actually the Nolo guides--- yes, attorneys read them too. I find they have the best short-to-the-point summary (though it is really written for how a layperson would proceed with the matter, so it wouldn't advise an attorney how to proceed with the matter). Sometimes I read the book and decide to "pass" on a certain area I am just not interested in. Sometimes I read the book and decide this is really an interesting and fun subject, and devote more time becoming an expert in that area.

While I am on the subject of marketing...
Keep up with online marketing. If you are trying out online marketing, like doing google ads, don't give up just yet. I have been told it takes anywhere from a month to 6 months for the effect of online marketing to pay off. I actually believe this. I have done marketing on the internet and have almost gave up after a few months. Right when I was about to give up, something follows through.