Grow Your Law Firm

Andrew Stickel combines considerable experience with proven skills in a number of marketing fields. These skills and experience give him trustworthy marketing insights and a unique perspective that clients find invaluable. Since his first year in college, Andrew Stickel has been a savvy, innovative entrepreneur. A native of Baltimore, Stickel started his first marketing venture at age 19, a small concert promotions company in Fort Myers, Florida. It was merely the first of his many successful marketing ventures. In 2008, Stickel co-founded a full-service marketing firm. As its Director of Operations, he managed numerous marketing accounts and created, developed, and implemented full-service, multi-media marketing campaigns for clients while simultaneously coordinating a number of departments, working for and alongside many varying industries. During these years, Stickel gained considerable experience in search engine optimization, web design, and content marketing. Well-versed in all phases of internet marketing, Andrew now brings his broad experience and his variety of skills together to provide clients with the most complete, effective, and cutting-edge social media marketing services available. In 2012, Stickel sold his share of the marketing company that he co-founded in 2008. With a new vision for comprehensive social media marketing, he moved on to launch Social Firestarter, a new-age marketing firm that is giving companies of all sizes a huge marketing advantage. Social Firestarter helps clients define their brand, personality, and image, and it helps them to market successfully (and often repeatedly) to today’s discerning consumer. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Andrew first got started in legal marketing, after starting his own social media marketing firm Why SEO (search engine optimization) is evolving over time, and why it is a challenging marketing area to master Why getting your firm ranked in the Google Maps rankings is a significant competitive advantage, and why setting your Maps entry up correctly is vital Why the biggest problem with pay-per-click advertising is its high cost, and why it is vital to convert clicks to new clients efficiently Why it can be difficult to balance website aesthetics, SEO, and CRO (conversion rate optimization) correctly What steps you can take to increase your “local relevance” and “niche relevance” to get listed in the powerful Google “Local 3 Pack” search results How Andrew and his team created a review template for legal firms to pass on to their satisfied clients to maximize the appearance of keywords in their reviews Why quantity of posted online reviews are crucial for promoting your firm and optimizing your conversion rate How Facebook ads differ from Google Ads, and why Facebook is a more cost-effective strategy that works best when you have a long view Why content creation and adding value for your clients is highly cost-effective, and why videos are versatile and great for repurposing Additional Resources:   Website: www.freebookforlawyers.com Website: www.lawyermasterclass.com Website: www.socialfirestarter.com  

As the Vice President of Business Development at Consultwebs, Tanner Jones oversees all business development opportunities for Consultwebs and their clients. He has the privilege of speaking with virtually every law firm that contacts Consultwebs and working with them to determine how they may accomplish their digital marketing goals. Tanner frequently shares his insights on online marketing with the legal community, including speaking at PILMMA conferences held throughout the country. He has spoken at M&L Seminars and co-hosted webinars with Google, Avvo, LawMarketing.com Editor-in-Chief Cindy Greenway and Raleigh attorney / PILMMA founder Ken Hardison. In 2019, the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys invited Tanner to speak at its Annual Symposium in Nashville. Additionally, Lawyers Weekly newspapers and Attorney at Law Magazine have interviewed Tanner numerous times. Tanner is a regular contributor to the Consultwebs online legal marketing blog. He has also appeared on the award-winning LAWsome podcast, discussing how law firms can measure their marketing ROI. A native of Waynesville, North Carolina, Tanner earned a degree in Business Management (with a minor in Economics) from Berea College in 2008. He has now returned to Waynesville, where he lives with his wife, daughter, and son and enjoys camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, golfing and playing “any other competitive sport available” in his free time. However, he admits that his goal for sports has gone from “win” to “don’t get injured.” What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why it is important to take a long-term approach to your law firm’s online marketing strategy and focus on consistency in your messaging and brand Why firms who invest in their brands typically do well in cost-per-lead and cost-per-case Why pay-per-click advertising is a complicated, competitive stream that may or may not get your firm the results you are looking for Why many firms have holes in their intake process they aren’t even aware of, and why strengthening your conversion process to nurture the contact relationship is key Why a rapid response to an incoming lead is the backbone of conversion, and why setting up an autoresponder can help you respond more quickly Why it can be helpful to submit contact forms for both your firm and your competitors to see how quickly you get a response Why online reviews are crucial for building your reputation, and why it is important to set reasonable benchmarks Why you should understand your firm’s metrics, track your advertising performance, and always be looking for ways to improve What tools firms should have available to track incoming leads and conversions, particularly call-tracking software and CRM software What topics Tanner will be discussing when he speaks at the PILMMA Super Summit 2020 from June 23-26 in New Orleans Additional Resources: Website: www.consultwebs.com Email: tjones@consultwebs.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tannerjonescw/ PILMMA Super Summit 2020 website: www.pilmmasummit.com

In 1999, after five years as Marketing Director for a multi-state personal injury law firm based in her adopted hometown of Philadelphia, Cindy Speaker launched her own business as a marketing director, coach and consultant to some of the most successful personal injury firms in the U.S. Driven by the creation and resounding success of her 3 hour audio CD series “Power Marketing for Attorneys,” the West Chester, Pennsylvania native has been a highly sought after speaker for numerous legal conferences, including PILMMA, ATLA and AAJ, AVVO, M&L Legal Marketing Conference, Market Masters and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Conference. Over the past ten years, Speaker Media and Marketing has built a nationwide network of referral attorneys and developed a reputation as the secret weapon of some of the top plaintiffs’ law firms and trial lawyers in the U.S. Working with firms on a market exclusive basis Speaker’s vision for her clients is for them to be on the cutting edge of marketing and technology and to have a dominant position in their respective markets. Hundreds of attorneys across the country have benefitted from Speaker’s marketing creativity and know that powerful videos are one of her secret weapons. She even won several “Telly” Awards for various PSAs she shot, including one for “social responsibility” for a clip that educated people on the dangers of distracted driving. Many of her clients, however, might not be fully aware of her educational background and experience as a documentary filmmaker. She received a master’s in communication with an emphasis on TV and film production at Regent University in Virginia Beach, and worked for the International Family Channel. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Which three key marketing and advertising activities too many firms aren’t doing today that Cindy says can bring in new cases and clients How content creation and especially videos can be leveraged for legal marketing and can be repurposed for many different uses How Google’s own statistics show that YouTube reaches more 18-49-year-olds in a typical week than all cable TV networks combined How Law TV® Network helps clients create pre-edited video and live interactions through platforms like Facebook and then repurpose the video for new content How Cindy creates professional-looking custom video thumbnails using free and inexpensive tools like Canva image design and Getty Images’ iStock photo archive Why law firms who have a Google Business Page of their own have a major competitive advantage over firms who don’t Why writing a book can help you establish credibility and authority, why Amazon Author pages and podcasts can be powerful marketing and networking resources What common but easily avoidable marketing mistakes legal firms often make, including relying too heavily on “traditional” advertising why converting existing leads into new clients and nurturing those relationships is more important than creating more leads Additional Resources: Email: cindy@cindyspeaker.com Website: https://cindyspeaker.com Website: https://lawtvnetwork.com/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/cindyspeaker/ Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/cindyspeaker Video Thumbnail Creation Tools Recommended by Cindy Speaker: Website: www.canva.com Website: www.istockphoto.com

Ever since launching Parnall Law Firm, LLC in 2009, Bertrand Parnall has focused on trying to make lives better for people who have been injured through no fault of their own. He ultimately joined forces with attorney Alan Malott, representing victims. When Malott was named to a judgeship on the Second Judicial District Court in 2009, Parnall took over the firm. Since then, Parnall and the other lawyers in the firm have helped to recover more than $65 million for clients. While his firm has expanded in size, it has retained its focus on providing excellent service to clients. In part, this commitment to teamwork and tenacity is a product of Parnall’s own athletic background. He was co-captain of the Albuquerque High School Bulldogs district football champions in 1988, and in subsequent years participated in competitive boxing and judo, in which he holds a second-degree black belt. In 2018, Parnall assumed the presidency of the Rotary Club of Albuquerque after serving on the service club’s board of directors for several years. He looks forward to working with his fellow Rotarians to identify community needs in Albuquerque and to find innovative ways to address them. Parnall is also on the board of Popejoy, a local venue for plays and musicals, and is a board member of the New Mexico Law School Alumni Association. In addition, he is on the advisory board of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and is a frequent media spokesperson for the group. His favorite activities away from the office and his other professional and community involvements are raising his kids, hiking, camping, skiing, and judo. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How growing up in many different countries and his father’s background in law had a profound influence on Bert’s world view How Bert’s firm started small before experiencing dramatic growth, and what challenges Bert faced over that period of growth Why it is crucial for the success of your firm to surround yourself with the right people hired into in the right positions How Bert developed a remarkable recruiting, hiring and training process to attract the right candidates, and how Bert uses “position scorecards” as a big part of the process Why the best way to find great employees is to tap into your own network of contacts, and how Bert’s team processes new applicants How Bert uses group interviews, personality tests, key questions, employee shadowing and other methods to “weed out” the wrong applicants Why Bert looks for strong character, talent and mental acuity in new applicants over prior experience Why appreciation and recognition is the primary reason employees stay, and why the lack of those things is why employees leave What books Bert would recommend to lawyers to help develop their management skills and improve their hiring strategies Additional Resources:   Website: www.hurtcallbert.com  

Kara Prior has a strong social media and writing background, having worked for several newspapers and managing Entrepreneur magazine’s 100,000-member social network before joining James Publishing seven years ago. Now she directs James Publishing’s referral and conversion system for lawyers, explaining to law firms how it works, customizing the program for different law firms, guiding James Publishing’s implementation team, and testing and rolling out new lead generation conversion and referral strategies. She was captain of her Division One college swim team and competed in long-distance races. She brings the same work ethic, people skills, and deep effort for helping her lawyer clients obtain more referrals, leads, and new clients. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Kara’s book How Small Law Firms Can Obtain More Referrals offers a detailed roadmap for getting more clients for your firm, and how to get a free copy of the book Why referrals can be a powerful tool for law firms to affordably obtain new high-quality clients, and why it is important to find the time to grow a referral network How Kara and her team help law firms develop strong referral networks, and how their simple and straightforward process works How branded consumer-facing FAQ booklets can be a great value-added way to start off a new relationship on a positive footing and showcase your firm’s expertise How Kara and her team target specific types of professionals as referral sources, such as drug rehabilitation clinics and mental health professionals for criminal defense firms Why past clients can be an incredible resource for referrals, and why newsletters can help past clients keep you in mind Why physical mail newsletters are cost-effective and are a better option than email for making an impact with past clients Why it is important to provide value and offer content to your past clients to help nurture relationships Why branded booklets and books are a fantastic way of helping past clients “break the ice” and make a referral What first steps to take to begin creating a referral network and build relationships with potential clients Additional Resources:   How Small Law Firms Can Obtain More Referrals by Kara Prior and Jim Pawell: https://amzn.to/2FKyVwf Website: www.jamespublishing.com Website: www.jamesreferrals.com Kara’s Telephone: (714) 434-5926 Email: kprior@jamespublishing.com  

Ken Hardison has fought for people’s rights as a trusted personal injury lawyer for over 35 years. His ethics, integrity, and passion for his clients helped to build one of North Carolina’s most successful firms, Hardison & Cochran, and a successful Social Security disability firm, Carolina Disability Lawyers, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Now, as owner and publisher of the law firm management website, Law Practice Advisor, and founder and president of PILMMA, Ken devotes his time to helping attorneys build their own preeminent law practices with proven marketing strategies and management resources. Ken has been recognized as one of the top 100 Trial Lawyers in North Carolina and is a member of the exclusive Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Systematic Marketing is his tenth book. Ken has authored 5 books on marketing and managing law firms. He is a sought-after speaker throughout the country on marketing and managing law firms. Ken is known as the “Millionaire Maker” due to his coaching clients doubling and quadrupling their law practices and income following Ken’s practice growing advice and insights. Ken lives in North Myrtle Beach, SC where he enjoys playing golf and fishing when he is not helping lawyers grow their practices.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why 98% of New Year’s resolutions fail through a lack of planning or a failure to execute on the plan or because of a lack of accountability Why expecting your staff at your law firm to provide you with the accountability you need probably won’t work Why hiring a mentor, finding a coach, or joining a mastermind is the key to creating accountability for yourself Why Ken and his team created the PILMMA Strategic Attorney Coach program, and what this new program will provide to participants How the PILMMA Strategic Attorney Coach program will help provide accountability and help you achieve your goals for yourself and your firm How to find out more about the new PILMMA Strategic Attorney Coach program and to see if it would be a great fit for you Additional Resources:   Website: www.pilmma.org Email: ken@pilmma.org  

Maddy Martin is the head of growth and education for Smith.ai, which provides law firm communication services, including their virtual receptionist & intake service, web chat, and Keypad cloud phone system. She has spent the last decade growing tech startups from New York to California and has expertise in digital marketing, small business communications, lead conversion, email marketing, SEO & content marketing, social media, comarketing, and event marketing.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: Maddy’s background in SEO and marketing The latest trends and strategies in digital marketing for law firms How to improve your firm’s responsiveness to potential clients What Smith.ai does and why it is more economical than hiring a full-time marketer How to prepare your firm for the heightened standards of client service Additional Resources:   Website: https://smith.ai/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madelainemartin/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/virtualreceptionists/ Twitter: @smithdotai  

Stephen Woessner is the founder and CEO of Predictive ROI, a digital marketing agency, and the host of Onward Nation—a top-rated daily podcast for learning how today’s top business owners think, act, and achieve. Onward Nation is listened to in 120 countries around the world. Stephen is the author of three books, including the #1 bestseller, “Profitable Podcasting,” and his digital marketing insights have been featured in Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com, The Washington Post, and Inc. Magazine. Ken Hardison has fought for people’s rights as a trusted personal injury lawyer for over 35 years. His ethics, integrity, and passion for his clients helped to build one of North Carolina’s most successful firms, Hardison & Cochran, and a successful Social Security disability firm, Carolina Disability Lawyers, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Now, as owner and publisher of the law firm management website, Law Practice Advisor, and founder and president of PILMMA, the Personal Injury Lawyers Marketing & Management Association, Ken devotes his time to helping attorneys build their own preeminent law practices with proven marketing strategies and management resources. Ken has been recognized as one of the top 100 Trial Lawyers in North Carolina and is a member of the exclusive Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Systematic Marketing is his tenth book. Ken has authored 5 books on marketing and managing law firms. He is a sought-after speaker throughout the country on marketing and managing law firms. Ken is known as the “Millionaire Maker” due to his coaching clients doubling and quadrupling their law practices and income following Ken’s practice growing advice and insights. Ken lives in North Myrtle Beach, SC where he enjoys playing golf and fishing when he is not helping lawyers grow their practices.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Ken’s career path ultimately led to the recognition that he could help lawyers better understand and navigate their marketing needs, and why he formed PILMMA Why Ken chose to specialize in helping lawyers improve their marketing efforts, and what critical role legal marketing plays in winning new business How Ken and his partners were able to grow and scale their North Carolina-based practice from a single office to eight statewide, and what key lessons he learned How Ken’s experience as a practicing lawyer helps him better advice lawyers who turn to PILMMA for marketing help What Ken’s “time vampires”, how they drain time from your day that could be spent more constructively, and what steps to take to defeat them and reclaim that time Why perfectionism is a dangerous habit, and why delegation and accepting that “good is good enough” have been key lessons that helped Ken advance his goals Why Ken chooses to focus on the areas he’s strongest at and hire others to handle the areas he feels weak in Why the mission, vision and values of a legal practice are the surest predictors of its growth, and why focusing on these areas is vital for firms who want to get ahead Additional Resources:     Website: www.pilmma.org Email: ken@pilmma.org  

Ken Hardison has fought for people’s rights as a trusted personal injury lawyer for over 35 years. His ethics, integrity, and passion for his clients helped to build one of North Carolina’s most successful firms, Hardison & Cochran, and a successful Social Security disability firm, Carolina Disability Lawyers, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Now, as owner and publisher of the law firm management website, Law Practice Advisor, and founder and president of PILMMA, Ken devotes his time to helping attorneys build their own preeminent law practices with proven marketing strategies and management resources. Ken has been recognized as one of the top 100 Trial Lawyers in North Carolina and is a member of the exclusive Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Systematic Marketing is his tenth book. Ken has authored 5 books on marketing and managing law firms. He is a sought-after speaker throughout the country on marketing and managing law firms. Ken is known as the “Millionaire Maker” due to his coaching clients doubling and quadrupling their law practices and income following Ken’s practice growing advice and insights. Ken lives in North Myrtle Beach, SC where he enjoys playing golf and fishing when he is not helping lawyers grow their practices.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why prepaying for your expenses and taking advantage of Section 179 of the I.R.S tax code to buy equipment for a full tax deduction can help you save money on your taxes What “conservation easements” are and how to take advantage of them for major savings on your 2019 taxes Why you should begin looking ahead to 2020 and begin planning for it now, and how Ken budgets for the next year How to determine your important key numbers to be able to tell what is and isn’t working for your business Why it is important to earn $6 for every $1 you spend, to cover the costs of overhead and implementation Why you should set a firm marketing budget, and how to decide how much to spend on marketing to preset your growth for the year Why you need to determine what your goals are for the next year and begin planning for how to achieve them How to do a Year In Review to help get everyone on the same page and get your team pumped up for the next year Additional Resources: Website: www.pilmma.org Email: ken@pilmma.org

Sam Glover is the founder of Lawyerist.com, the best place for lawyers to learn how to start, manage, and grow a modern law practice, and home to the community of innovative lawyers building the future of law. Sam is also the host of The Lawyerist podcast, a long-running series with more than 250 episodes about the future of lawyering and law practice. Every week Sam and his co-hosts Aaron Street and Stephanie Everett have conversations with successful lawyers and other creative people helping to shape the future of law practice. Additionally, Sam is an expert and respected speaker on successful small-firm law practice, and the co-author of The Small Firm Roadmap: A Survival Guide to the Future of Your Law Practice.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: What trends Sam has identified that outline the future for the small, consumer-focused law firm Why small firms need to realize that people want to pay less, consumer expectations have changed dramatically, and lawyer alternatives are creating pressure on firms Why Sam feels that firms should be charging more for their work but cutting costs so that it doesn’t affect the amount clients pay Why Sam feels that there is still resistance and pushback across the legal landscape against the idea that practicing law is both a profession and a business What traits small firms need to be focusing on to survive and find success in today’s highly competitive legal environment Why firms need to focus on their clients’ needs and predict and find solutions for clients’ pain points Why empathy, self-awareness, and adaptability are important traits that a law firm owner needs to have to stand out from the competition Why adopting new technologies and software aren’t enough, and why it is important to be strategic and future-proof yourself when embracing new tech Why it is important to consider the unique needs of your firm when considering adopting new software, and why Clio is becoming the ubiquitous industry standard Why setting clear, shared goals between yourself and your partners is an important first step to growing your firm Additional Resources:   Lawyerist website: https://lawyerist.com Lawyerist Small Firm Scorecard: https://lawyerist.com/community/scorecard/ The Small Firm Roadmap by Aaron Street, Sam Glover, Stephanie Everett and Marshall Lichty: https://amzn.to/35rwE3R LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/samglover/