Asking for your help.
Below is an email I received from Doug Sorocco, fellow legal blogger and great friend. Please take time to read it and help if you can.
Howdy everyone!As many of you know, I have spina bifida and have been a strong advocate on behalf of all those affected with this disability as well as the 65 million U.S. women of child bearing age. As you are probably aware, all women of childbearing age should be taking a multivitamin that contains folic acid in order to increase the odds that a child will not be born with spina bifida. I was honored to be the Chairman of the Spina Bifida Association of America the past number of years and I am now a member of the Board of the International Federation for Hydrocephalus and Spina Bifida in Brussels.
Along with our time and energy, Kristen and I are both financial supporters of the Spina Bifida Association. I have also been fortunate that my firm, Dunlap Codding, has supported my work these past 12 years and given tens of thousands of dollars in financial and in-kind donations. We all believe in the mission of the organization and the work that it does.
I am now asking your financial support as well.
In conjunction with the Association's Roast of Stephen Colbert of the "Colbert Report", we are raising additional funds through donations and car raffle tickets. The car being raffled this year is a Hybrid Lexus RX 400H – the winner will be able to drive in style, comfort and fuel economy.
I promise you – the Spina Bifida Association is an amazing steward of the funds we raise and the impact we are having in the world is at least 10x the actual size of our organization. You have my word that the funds raised will be well used. If you are interested in learning more about what we do - I invite you to go to http://www.sbaa.org
I – and all those affected by spina bifida – need your financial generosity and support at this point in time.
If you can buy a raffle ticket, please fill out the attached form. Buy two tickets and you get a $25 price break! Only 2500 tickets will be sold – so your odds of winning are great.
If you are in the DC area, please purchase tickets to the Roast – it should be the event of the year in Washington, D.C. I can only imagine what members of Congress and The White House, given an open microphone, will say to Stephen Colbert! The tables will be turned. The link to purchase tickets is: http://tr.im/sbacolbertroast
If you cannot attend the Roast, you can still make a donation and support the work of the SBA. I am extremely grateful for any contribution you can make and anything you can give, no matter the amount, will make a difference.
The link for Roast tickets and donations is: http://tr.im/sbacolbertroast
One last request – please forward this email and attachment to at least ten people in your email address book. The last time I requested your assistance in writing to Congress, I was overwhelmed with the number of people who responded. It was astounding, frankly, and I believe that we must have gotten 15-20 more replies than the number of people I emailed. So – forwarding this email will not take a lot of time, but the impact of forwarding the email is immeasurable.
Kristen and I thank you for your financial generosity and time. Most importantly, we thank you for your incredible support of the work I have been doing on behalf of the SBA. Together, we have truly made a difference in the lives of millions of people throughout the United States.
Kristen, Karl and I wish you, and your family, the very best for the holidays,
Douglas
Thanks!
Ten New Rules of Legal Marketing
Legal Marketing has changed. It used to be enough to keep an ad in the yellow pages and belong to the Rotary Club. Not anymore. Times are tough, so I present to you Ten "New" Rules of Legal Marketing. Let me know what you think.
1. "My lawyer can beat up your lawyer" isn't a marketing strategy. "My lawyer will call me back before yours will" is.
2. Google tells me there are 337,000 "Full Service Law Firms” out there. Which one was yours again?
3. Unless the person who founded your firm 100 years ago is still alive and practicing law, he's completely irrelevant to every client who's thinking of hiring you.
4. Market to a "want" not to a "need." By the time your clients realize they "need" you, it's often too late -- for them and for you.
5. Your “keep great clients happy” budget should exceed your “try to get new clients” budget by at least 3:1.
6. Thanksgiving cards say you're thankful for your clients' business. Christmas cards say you're just like everybody else.
7. Having the scales of justice on your business card says you're a lawyer -- an old, stodgy, unimaginative, do-what-everyone-else-has-done-for-fifty-years lawyer. Same is true for your yellow pages ad.
8. Speaking of yellow pages, don’t abdicate your marketing strategy to their salespeople. They don’t know marketing. They only know how to sell you a bigger ad each year.
9. Your future clients have been living their entire lives online and will expect the same from you. If you’re invisible on the web, you won’t exist to them.
10. The single best marketing strategy in the world is to find your best clients and ask them, "How do I get more clients like you?"
Look for ten more rules next month. For hundreds of legal marketing ideas, check out my Marketing Category on this blog. And if you want to get these in real time, follow me on Twitter.
Mediation 2.0 The Wisdom of Crowds?
Mediators and family lawyers out there, check out where your practice area may be headed:
Crowd-sourced dispute resolution (without the resolution part, yet). It is called SideTaker, and promises to "let the world decide who's at fault." Here's how it works (according to the site):
Step One: Add your side and tell lover.
Step Two: Lover adds their side.
Step Three: People vote and comment.
Everything is anonymous. Questions, responses and comments range from funny to sad. If you want to see a way Web 2.0 can impact your practice, check it out.
The Curse of Almost Happy
Though I doubt that many of you noticed I was gone, I've taken almost a month and a half off from blogging. I've been working on the next LexThink event (though not enough -- more on that later), turned 40 and traveled to London (twice) and Paris to facilitate a few sessions for XPLANE.
While I've been working, eating and drinking my way through Europe, a few things hit me. Call it a mid-life crisis, or just a wake-up call, but while I have a good life, an incredible daughter, and the support of great people around me, I realized that I'm not happy.
Just Almost Happy.
I've lead much of my life in this perpetual state of what I'll call "Almost Happiness" that has (until this summer) been more than enough. However, taking my daughter to her first day of kindergarten and meeting a handful of people here and abroad who possess an incredible passion for their work and a single-minded belief that they're going to change the world has persuaded me to step back, take a look at my priorities and decide that Almost Happy isn't enough.
I'm rejecting Almost Happy. I'm saying "Close Enough" isn't anymore. I'm tired of leaving so many opportunities waiting at the dooruntil they grow tired of knocking and decide to move on down the block. I'm inspired to find my One Thing to make the world better.
I resolve to:
- Follow my passions, honor my principles and strive to create something new every single day.
- Nurture my intelligence, creativity, passion and wit, and judge my life by the things I experience and not the things I possess.
- Refuse to let one day go by without realizing that my daughter is my purpose in life, and to build my life for her, not around her.
- Focus on delivering “amazing” and “way beyond ordinary” in everything I chose to do.
- Choose my clients as carefully as friends, knowing that I work best when they are one in the same.
And this blog is where I'm going to be sharing my journey. But don't worry, I'm not abandoning the underlying purpose of this blog: to make lawyers better. In fact, I'm going to embrace it. You'll see lots more ideas, original thinking and links to amazing, outside-the-box content. I'm going to make this blog (and LexThink) the place to go for lawyers out to dramatically change their practice.
I hope you'll come along for the ride!
Congratulations to Matt Buchanan
Friend, drinking buddy, LexThink alum and all-around good guy Matt Buchanan just opened his solo IP shop: BIPO. Some really cool stuff there, including his "core principles." Check it out. Congratulations, Matt!
Almost Back.
After a quick trip to Helsinki, London and Madrid, I'm off to Orlando to speak at an attorney retreat. I've also been (draft) blogging up a storm, so look for some cool stuff next week. Thanks for waiting!
Matt
Congrats to an Inspired Solo
Congratulations to my blog friend Sheryl Sisk Schelin, who's ventured out into consulting land with The Inspired Solo. Check it out.
Testimonials
“Matthewis king of turning crowds into idea engines. He is a facilitator thatbakes "ideas" into "actionable ideas." If that doesn't sell you,consider the fact Matthew makes topics like law seem fascinating, andturns rigid thinkers into creative idea types. If I get fired from myjob today, I'll beg Matthew for a job tomorrow.” April 3, 2007
“Ifirst met Matthew at the first LexThink and was immediately struck bythe aura of good nature and open enthusiasm that he carried with him.Matthew and his team executed that event flawlessly and with grace, andwith great fun. Our paths have crossed since then and it's always apleasure.” June 15, 2007
“Mattis an amazing guy, full of very creative, boundless energy. I first hadthe pleasure of meeting him when I become involved with the firstBlawgThink in Chicago in 2005. Having been disappointed by some of theallegedly interactive unconferences I had recently attended, I had beenthinking a lot about how conferences could be more rewarding. I arrivedat BlawgThink and within a day felt like Matt was really ontosomething. He is very good at thinking deeply about the way to bringpeople together, then--and this is the good part--he also knows how todo tha actual legwork to make his visions come to pass.” May 14, 2007
Hobie Swan, External Affairs Manager, MindJet Corporation
“Mattis an incredibly energetic individual whose infectious "positiveintensity" is envied by many aspiring "communicators" in the legalmarketplace. His success at balancing technological capability andpractical communication wisdom can be seen in all of his endeavors.Whether it be formal public speaking to legal professionals at theannual American Bar Association TECHSHOW or indirect writings to hismany readers in the blogosphere, Matt is a master communicator who notonly practices what he preaches but also inspires when he preaches.” April 25, 2007
Rob Robinson, Vice President of Marketing, ONSITE Electronic Discovery
“Mattis a wonderful facilitator, has awesome programs, helps people to thinkout of the box. He takes workshops, confrences to another level. Hemakes things interesting, different and most of all exciting. ThanksMatt for your ideas and skills.” February 27, 2007
“Matthewis a one-of-a-kind blogger with many ideas for improved law practicemanagement. With LexThink he puts to work his innovative ideas forfacilitating interactions between people.” January 11, 2007
Connie Crosby, Library Manager, WeirFoulds LLP
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
“Ifirst met Matt at Blogwalk Chicago where we jointly participated inthat conference. Later, I had the pleasure of working with Matt as hestaged one of the first LexThink "unconferences" in Chicago. Matt is acreative thinker who is eager to put creative ideas (his and others)into action, which he does effectively. I hope we get the opportunityto work together again.” January 8, 2007
Jim McGee, Director, Huron Consulting Group
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
“Iattended Matt's outrageously interesting Lexthink campout in Chicago.Fantastic people, interactions and space... all run with great savvyand fun by Matt and his team.” January 2, 2007
henry copeland, ceo, pressflex llc
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
“Matt'snot only an innovative guy, but a heck of nice person. He lives thetrue spirit of Internet business success, he gives more of himself toothers than he expects to receive in return.I've worked with Matt as a conference presenter where he was thecoordinator. First class job. Inspired attendees to think creativelywhile at the conference and to achieve great things when they returnedto their jobs.” January 1, 2007
Kevin O'Keefe, President & Founder, LexBlog, Inc.
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
“Mattis continuously challenging lawyers--notoriously fond of precedent and"what others are doing"--to think differently and to actually considerinnovative approaches to their work. You will find yourself coming awayfrom a conversation with Matt rethinking at least one thing you alwaystook for granted.Bruce MacEwen” December 22, 2006
Bruce MacEwen, Owner, "Adam Smith, Esq."
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
“Mattis motivated to help lawyers and other professionals learn to usetechnology, particularly the Internet, to enhance their vision andtheir practice. I've attended several of the innovation workshops thathe was responsible for coordinating and each time I came away withvaluable information, as well as a heightened sense of respect forMatt's talent and enthusiasm.” December 21, 2006
Ernest Svenson, Founder, Svenson Law Firm
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
“Matthewwas part of a team of consultants we hired at Thomson West to provideus with insights and creative ideas for new products that we woulddevelop specifically for one and two person law firms. Matthew's energyand creativity elevated the discourse and produced sessions that werevery insightful, fun, and - best of all - productive. The depth andbreadth of his knowledge and experience went beyond the actual subjectarea. Definitely one of the best consultant experiences I've had.” December 21, 2006
Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, Creative
Robert Schuneman
hired Matthew as a Business Consultant in 2005
“Matt'sbrainchild, LexThink, puts together innovative "unconferences." I hadthe pleasure to speak at a LexThink conference in April 2006. I enjoyedthe experience and made some valuable connections.” December 20, 2006
Neil Squillante, President, PeerViews Inc.
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
“Mattis an incredibly bright and creative individual. On several occasions,his ability to think out of the box has delivered tremendous value tome and my business partners by helping our team flush out our big ideasand develop a plan for launching them.” December 20, 2006
Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, Creative
J. Matthew Buchanan
hired Matthew as a Consultant in 2005
“Mattis extremely pleasant to work with and is an incredible source ofideas. He excels at presenting information and beginning dialogue toactually accomplish what a conference should. I help Matt produce hisLexThink! events.” December 19, 2006
JoAnna Forshee, Owner, Envision Agency
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
“Matthewis a "big idea" guy who makes you think...that's the highest complimentI can think to describe his worth. He's a talented man.” December 19, 2006
Jim Logan, Owner, JSLogan
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
“Matt'sthe [non]billable hour blog is must reading for independentprofessionals trying to move forward in the world the Web created, notonly for his own keen observations on how to reorganize one's practiceand marketing to better serve clients, but for the links he provides tolike-minded writers. His RSS feed is on my reader--and should be onyours.” December 19, 2006
Top qualities: Expert, High Integrity, Creative
Edward Wiest
hired Matthew as a Business Consultant in 2005
“Ina world where conferences have varied from extremely effective to awaste of money, Matt's concept of the un-conference using the OpenSpace model has proved to be very effective. I've been thoroughlyimpressed with all three LexThink! events I've participated in (fromattendee to speaker). Matt's big picture thinking and energy isintoxicating and you can only feel like you can change the world afterbeing in his presence and attending one of his conferences.” December 19, 2006
Frederick Faulkner IV, Webmaster, American Bar Association
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
“Matt'sleadership of group meetings at Blawgthink 2005 and the St. Louis IdeaMarket has brought together excellent people and stimulated interestingconversations generating innovative ideas and insights.” December 19, 2006
Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, Creative
George Lenard
hired Matthew as a Unconference organizer in 2005, and hired Matthew more than once
“MattHomann is one of the most enthusiastic and creative thinkers that Iknow....His un-conference, BlawgThink2005, was truly a valuablelearning and networking experience with just the right mix of contentand smart people to make the value long lasting. I can always count onMatt to be willing to share ideas, find solutions..and to make itchallenging and fun!” December 19, 2006
Marianne Richmond, Partner, Resonance Partnership
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
“Mattorganized and ran the very best conference that I have ever attended.He has that rare combination of creativity with follow-through.” December 19, 2006
Dennis Crouch, Patent Attorney, McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
“Iattended the inaugural LexThink event co-hosted by Matt. The event wasproof that the world truly is flat -- lawyers, bloggers and consultantsat all levels exchanging synergistic ideas at a furious pace. I wouldrecommend adding Matt to your short list of advisors.” December 19, 2006
Kevin Buckley, Attorney, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
“MattHomann is one of those few people who can not only conceive the big"out-of-the-box" idea, but can also attend to the details necessary toget from idea to reality. That ability, combined with his extensiveknowledge of the law, makes Matt a near-unique consultant. Matt is arare find, and I encourage everyone to take advantage of his knowledgeand ability.” December 19, 2006
Robert Kraft, Owner, Kraft & Associates, Injury, Disability & Immigration Lawyers
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
“Mattis a very bright and talented guy! I would highly recommend him, andwould say anyone dealing with Matt will be highly please with hisenergy, skills, imagination and ability!” December 19, 2006
Burton Bruggeman, CEO, ActiveWords
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
“Ihave had the opportunity to both attend and present at conferencesorganized by Matt Homann. While traditional conferences are greatplaces to learn from, the LexThink events I have participated in havetruly challenged my thinking and promoted ingenuity. By combiningstructured presentations with collaborative brainstorms, attendeessynthesize inspirations into practical applications that areimmediately relevant.” December 19, 2006
Steve Dembo, Director of Technology, Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
“Mattled my team through the best staff retreat I've ever experienced. Withhis creative and "small pieces, loosely joined" approach, we were ableto build the groundwork for constructive new partnerships with otherdepartments, as well as take advantage of creative insights into ourown processes that couldn't have occurred without his uniqueleadership.” December 19, 2006
Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, Creative
Brendon Connelly
hired Matthew as a Business Consultant in 2005
“Ihave attended at least two LexThink events, and they were bothwonderful, collaborative experiences. Matt brings together an excellentset of people, seeds the group with interesting questions, and guidesthe free-flowing conversations.” December 19, 2006
Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, Creative
Jack Vinson
hired Matthew as a Business Consultant in 2005, and hired Matthew more than once
“Mattheworganized one of the most creative, interesting, idea-provoking,network-generating events I've ever read about much less had thepleasure to attend. That was the LexThink event. His LexThink event wasorginally targeted at the legal profession. But it's a model that couldbe applied to professional association memberships of any sort. We feelfortunate to have Matt as a resource and a friend.” December 19, 2006
Zane Safrit, CEO, Conference Calls Unlimited
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
“Congratulationsto Matthew Homann for contributing a new dimension to how the kegalprofession thinks about itself. As President and Chief Thinking Officerat LexThink, Inc.., Matthew has provided unique environments andprocesses that serve to stimulate fresh thoughts and ideas. Bravo!” December 19, 2006
Gerry Riskin, Owner, Edge International
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
“Mattis one of those rare individuals with the ability to put together asocial experience that is intensely productive AND memorable for itsuniqueness and whimsy. To that effect, I look back on Blawgthink!,which Matt had a senior role in organizing, as one of the greatconferences I've ever attended. And during an event Matt is everywhere,ensuring people are having fun and getting engaged. I can't recommendMatt and Lexthink highly enough.” November 30, 2006
Kyle McFarlin, Implementation Consultant, Gyronix
was with another company when working with Matthew at LexThink, Inc.
Makin' it Purty
Spending the next few days tweaking the new design. Let me know what you think, and forgive the mess.
Contact Matt Homann
Email:
Matt@LexThink.com
Phone:
H: 618-407-3241
W: 314-541-6412
Skype:
"matthomann"
Mail:
1531 S. 8th Street, Suite 401, St. Louis MO 63104
Spring Cleaning: Time for Another Idea Garage Sale
It has been almost a year since my last Idea Garage Sale, and it is time for me to clean out my link closet. Here are some miscellaneous goodies I've been saving that I'm giving away, free for a good home.
- Anybody out there marketing their law firm as Green? You know, only using recycled paper, reducing your carbon footprint, donating portion of fees paid to an environmental charity, picking up trash by the side of the road? Just wondering. Seems like a marketing no-brainer to me.
- Here's a great name-remembering tip:
If you are unable to remember someone's first name, simply ask them:
"What's your name?" When they reply with their first name, laugh and
say "Oh no, I knew that, of course. I meant your last name". This is a
much more acceptable thing to forget--and you still get their full name.
- Got any car dealers or automotive nuts as clients? Get them this.
- Do real estate work? Check Cyberhomes out.
- Mmmmmmmm, beer.
- For your divorce lawyers out there, here's a great tool for your clients: PhotoWipe. It "magically removes unwanted objects from your photos." Or try the Face Transformer.
- Reserve that parking space before you get to the airport.
- Here's why you should go with your Gut.
- Want to learn more about a client's industry, search for industry-specific conferences on Confabb.
- Need to understand Networks? Check out all of these essays from Forbes.
- Have ugly clients? Be careful in front of a jury (or a game show audience):
Wefind that the most attractive player is equally likely to be eliminatedas the average-looking players. The least attractive player, on theother hand, is significantly more likely to be eliminated. The effectis substantial: The least attractive player is almost twice as likelyto be eliminated at the end of the first round than any other player....Less attractive players are discriminated against, for reasons thatare uncorrelated with their performance or behavior during the game.