wmf's blog

The Uncanny Parallels Between Super Bowl 51 and Lead Generation

wmf — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 21:16:28 +0000

The Uncanny Parallels Between Super Bowl 51 and Lead Generation

Super Bowl 51 was no doubt one of the greatest comebacks in professional sports history. Rallying from a 28-3 deficit, the New England Patriots were able to break several records during their overtime victory. Here are a few takeaways from the Super Bowl that aptly support successful lead generation practices for law firms.

Wait for the Final Score

Heading into halftime of the Super Bowl the New England Patriots found themselves in a 21-3 hole. Tom Brady had thrown a pick-six and had a passer rating of 66.8, which is abysmal. By the end of the game, Brady had thrown two touchdowns, had a 95.2 passer rating, and led the Patriots to arguably the greatest comeback in sports history. As we know, the halftime score was not reflective of Brady’s ability as a quarterback. It’s easy to draw a similar comparison with lead generation. It’s possible that you could receive 25 leads in your first month and none of them lead to a potential case. You have to keep in mind that lead generation is a long-term play and 25 leads is a small sample. A 100 or 150 lead sample is ideal in judging the viability of the leads. Not every lead will turn into a case, similarly not every pass will be a completion. At the end of the day it’s all about the final score.

Don’t Count on Hail Mary Plays

Down 28-3, you would think it was time for Brady to throw some Hail Mary passes. He’s a veteran and knows that short intermediate throws yield the best return for his offense. The longest pass he made in the entire game was for 27 yards and yet the Patriots still pulled out a win.

When purchasing personal injury case leads, it is important not to sit on your laurels and wait for that $250,000 plus case to fall in your lap. Taking smaller cases is a great way to consistently have cases in your pipeline. Even if they yield a modest return, it is still profitable in the long run. If you’re not willing to take smaller, but still profitable cases, you won’t be successful with lead generation. As Brady proved, those five and seven yard passes add up over the course of a drive.

Diversify Your Point of Attack

Tom Brady completed passes to seven different receivers in route to their overtime victory. Brady made big plays to James White, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Malcolm Mitchell, and Martellus Bennett. Relying on different targets and diversifying his point of attack was essential to the New England comeback. Similar tactics should be undertaken when trying to contact leads. Calling a claimant a couple of times and then giving up is rarely successful. Vary up your medium with emails and multiple calls to your leads, and use case management software like eLuminate to send mass emails and streamline your firm’s efficiency. You never know what will yield a response from a claimant. Tailor your outreach to the type of lead you receive: Some Social Security disability leads may be completely unresponsive via email due to their age and lack of familiarity with technology. Persistent and diverse methods of contact give you the best chance of success with lead generation services.

The Final Score & Your Firm

Super Bowl 51 provided great points of reference in how you should approach lead generation. Sample size, smaller profits, and diversifying your outreach are all critical to success when working with a lead generation company. Feel free to contact us today at 617.800.0089 if you’d like to learn more about how to be successful with legal case leads!

wmf Thu, 02/16/2017 - 16:16

Six Tips to Leaving an Effective Voicemail

wmf — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 20:05:29 +0000

Six Tips to Leaving an Effective Voicemail

As an attorney it can be difficult to reach claimants, many times leaving a voicemail is the best option. It is important to leave a high quality message. Here are a few tips that you should keep in mind when leaving a voicemail!

Tip #1: Plan Beforehand

There is nothing worse than freezing up at the beginning of a voicemail recording. It is important to know the order in which you plan on providing information to your claimant within the voicemail. By no means do you need to memorize a script; however, it would help the flow of the message if you have a mental outline. Keep in mind not only how you wish to deliver the message, but also how the recipient will perceive it. A fluid well-thought-out message will go a long way. As an attorney, making a strong impression in a voicemail will assure your potential client that you can smoothly defend his or her claim.

Tip #2: Speak Slowly and Clearly

Individuals who don’t typically leave voicemails tend to rush through them. It is important to enunciate and project your voice clearly. Try to speak slightly slower than you would in a normal conversation, especially if you’re a Social Security disability attorney. Your claimant may be hard of hearing or have an intellectual disability. The recipient shouldn’t have to replay the message for comprehension or clarity. Keep in mind that some people have 10-15 voicemails to listen to. If your client can’t immediately understand your voicemail, it’s doubtful that he or she will spend much time trying to decipher it.

Tip #3: Appropriate Timing

Timing is a critical aspect of leaving a voicemail, and you’ll want to consider the duration and hour of day when leaving messages for claimants. Try to keep your voicemail under 30 seconds. The recipient will only retain so much of what you communicate; a two-minute message containing detailed case information can easily become overwhelming for any claimant. Another consideration is the time of day you decide to leave the message. Many people check their voicemails at night. If this is the case for your client, calling later in the day is optimal for the probability of them taking the time to listen to your message. If you are calling claimants cell phones or know that they check their voicemail more frequently, then the time of day that you call is not as imperative.

Tip #4: Repeating Yourself

This falls in line with optimal delivery. You don’t want the recipient to have to replay the voicemail; key information should be repeated twice. Your phone number, the date of an upcoming hearing, and other critical information that a claimant may need to write down should always be stated twice. On the other hand, repeating yourself too much can hinder your delivery. Make sure to only repeat the most essential information. Chances are, the information you key in on will be retained by the recipient.

Tip #5: Keep Your Goals In Mind

When planning your delivery, it is important to keep one question in mind: what are you trying to accomplish?
Do you want the applicant to call you back to discuss his or her case? Do you need the claimant to perform a task after he or she has heard your message, such as signing and returning your retainer? Are you following up with an email?
Letting the person know your expectations is important. It will go a long way in reaching your end goal.

Tip #6: Be as Polite as Possible

Always try to present yourself in the best light. If you have never met the individual in person, this will be the sole lens through which they judge you. Being polite and respectful over the phone can help build trust between you and your claimant, which can be invaluable in the months to come as you work on his or her case. Following all of these tips will help you achieve your goal of leaving a successful and professional voicemail.

If your firm is leaving more voicemails than speaking over the phone when trying to contact your leads from eGenerationMarketing, consider using our live-transfer feature. This feature allows claimants to automatically connect with your firm’s intake staff.

Even with the most streamlined intake system, attorneys will still find themselves playing phone tag with their clients. Following these tips, you and your staff can leave high quality messages that clearly communicate what your claimant needs to know and what you need from him or her. With practice, these voicemail techniques will become second nature, facilitating a more direct and productive line of communication between legal staff and your clients.

wmf Thu, 12/22/2016 - 15:05

The Elements of Expanding Your Practice

wmf — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 20:54:44 +0000

The Elements of Expanding Your Practice

Social Security attorneys face a difficult decision: how best to invest their time and resources in cases that often don’t offer an immediate return. Not knowing when a case will be settled, or the outcome of a case, can make it difficult to forecast cash flows and budget properly. There is always a degree of risk involved in expanding any business to create potential revenue growth and hopefully a fruitful return in the future.

As an attorney, you must weigh the pros and cons of any decision that could affect current or future business. A decision that many attorneys debate is whether or not to expand a practice to additional geographic areas. Expanding your firm comes with numerous favorable aspects and potential pitfalls.

Potential Benefits of Expanding Your Firm

The main value in expanding where you take Social Security disability cases is the increased cash inflow generated by these cases. The inflated caseload will allow you to create a more continuous flow of expected returns, as cases will be maturing at different rates.

As you reinvest the capital in new cases, you will find it easier to grow, as you will eventually have a steady flow of cases in your pipeline. Lawyers and advocates should evaluate their practices like entrepreneurs do their business ventures. The eventual goal when growing your firm is of course to expand your business to the point where you are oversee attorneys who work for you instead of doing all of the legwork yourself.

Another great aspect of expanding is the opportunity to target more favorable ODARs. Your return on investment from an area with an approval rating over 60% should be very high. Utilizing a favorable ODAR will also allow you to be less selective with the cases you take. With a higher chance of approval, you can be more liberal with the cases you decide to pursue.

Risks Involved in Expanding Your Practice

There are some potential issues with expanding your practice, which, if not handled correctly, can lead to problems. The number one issue associated with geographic expansion is improper time management. As an attorney, time is money, and the opportunity cost of travelling over handling local cases at hand could cost you clients. Your success rate with cases could also drop. Therefore, effective time management and weighing the cost-benefit of every potential case is essential.

Obviously, adding another attorney or advocate would create an added expense, in both salary and travel cost. Thus, it’s imperative that your firm has enough cases in its pipeline to ensure that adding another attorney is not simply cannibalizing it’s own potential cases. There is also the added expense of launching a farther-reaching marketing campaign. Establishing your name in a new area can be tough. There are already attorneys who are well known to the claimants who reside there. One of the most effective ways to expand into new areas is by purchasing quality Social Security disability leads. Buying leads is a great way to get in contact with claimants and focus in on certain ODARs as well.

The Takeaway

As with any business decision the pros and cons must be weighed according to your firm’s circumstances and your proclivity to take risk. When strategically planned and performed correctly, expanding your business can offer a great return on investment and the opportunity to leverage the time and effort of a team of attorneys and advocates for your benefit.

wmf Tue, 09/13/2016 - 16:54