FROM THE EDITOR
Step Out to Achieve a Radically Distinctive CLNC® Practice
by Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD
I had the pleasure of a fall hike through Utah's Bryce Canyon National Park, famous for its natural amphitheaters and its hoodoos. A hoodoo is a pinnacle or odd-shaped rock left standing by the forces of erosion. A hoodoo is also a magic spell and the hoodoos certainly cast a spell over anyone who sees them.
That fall morning the air was crisp and the ground was dusted with the season's first snow, snow that, with sunrise, would quickly disappear. Standing on the edge of the canyon with my cup of green tea, I was witnessing the birth of new hoodoos. The snow that looked so beautiful was, even as I watched, invisibly reshaping the canyon view I was enjoying. I thought of going to get another cup of tea, but by the time I came back, the awesome canyon I was now looking into would already be changed forever. I wanted to hold this vision for as long as possible.
Protective Caprock Guarantees a Longer Lifespan
If you've never seen the hoodoos, visualize striated rock richly hued in, orange, brown and white and carved into standing figures against the clearest, deepest azure sky you can imagine (or click here for a view). These magnificent pillars of stone began life millions of years ago at the bottom of a Cretaceous period sea. As the sea receded, it deposited a protective layer of gray or white caprock. Composed of dolomite, limestone and magnesium, the hard caprock forms a natural cement seal on top of what is now a high mesa. Particles of windblown sand and streams created by rainfall and melting snow slice through the softer rock formations beneath the caprock. Wind and water slowly carry away the earth surrounding the mesas and form large, deep amphitheaters in which only the caprock domes or ridges remain.
Soon, the forces of nature conspire further. Sunny winter days melt frost and snow, which then seep into the ridges' protective caprock covers. The freezes that follow each winter night turn the water into ice which expands, cracking the surrounding caprock. Once cracked, the ridges are more easily attacked by erosion. Come spring, the attack accelerates. Rain and melting snow run through the cracks in the caprock, washing away the softer rock underneath. Wind whistles up the slopes, effectively sandblasting the rock with its fierceness. Over time, the ridges dwindle down to hoodoo spires, each topped by a larger piece of the tough caprock.
Hoodoos are often found clustered together, an echo of the ridge they once were. The proximity of a group of hoodoos protects them all from the full intensity of the elements and guarantees a longer lifespan than those left standing alone. Many more eons of wind, snow and rain must erode the rock to form a solitary hoodoo. This lone hoodoo will achieve its own dramatic beauty, just as fascinating as the nearby groups of hoodoos. The increased stresses of wind and weather carve the individual character of the solo hoodoo until it becomes one of a kind – tall, majestic and utterly unique. Nevertheless this unique hoodoo, now alone and unprotected, will more quickly fade into the ages.
NACLNC® "Caprock" Gives CLNC®s the Power to Grow Radically Distinctive Practices
Like hoodoos, all CLNC®s enjoy the protective caprock cover of our association, the National Alliance of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants (NACLNC®). The collaboration of CLNC® colleagues, brainstorming ideas and encouraging individual success, enables each CLNC® to better withstand elements that might otherwise erode our practices.
Together we form the safe "cluster" of the NACLNC® Community. We receive wisdom and protection at the same time we provide wisdom and protection for others, and we are stronger and more permanent because of our alliance. We are at once challenged and nurtured within the safe NACLNC® amphitheater.
While we are great and powerful together, we are nurses, and nurses can do anything – together or alone. As a result, when you must step out from protective cover to achieve a goal on your own, you are strenghtened by your fusion with our NACLNC® Community and other incredible CLNC®s. You are empowered to rely on your own individual strengths and inner guidance to discover intriguing market niches, creatively adapt to the needs of your particular clients and grow a radically distinctive CLNC® practice.
T.S. Eliot said, "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find how far one can go."
Our NACLNC® Community is the force that helps us challenge ourselves to face the wind, rain and snow with confidence and risk going too far, discovering how far we can go.
Welcome to unparalleled new achievements,
Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD
Send examples of how the NACLNC® Community has helped you achive a radically distinctive practice to feedback@LegalNurse.com.
BEST PRACTICES FOR MARKETING
Set Your Sights on CLNC® Success...But Beware of Tunnel Vision
I discovered what I knew was going to be my new business logo, an eye. I created the slogan "Medical Eyes for Legal Professionals." I loved it! I printed brochures, letterhead, postcards and other business materials incorporating the same look. In my excitement I failed to preview the design with any of my current clients.
Next, I designed a booth for exhibiting. I spent more money than I had budgeted, because I wanted the booth to be a dramatic eye catcher.
After the booth was complete, I arranged to exhibit at a large attorney conference. I called Vickie Milazzo Institute and spoke with a CLNC® Mentor who offered valuable advice about exhibiting. I didn't ask anyone to review the booth itself or the text for the display. I was confident that my design would attract plenty of clients.
The conference arrived and I was ready. The hall quickly filled with attorneys. Many looked at my exhibit from across the room, drawn to the large eye and the dramatic display. Few approached my table. Of those few, two asked questions related to ophthalmology.
During the final hour of the conference, an attorney for whom I had previously worked stopped by to say hello. He asked when I had changed careers. I didn't understand what he meant and told him so.
"Eyes," he said. "When did you start working exclusively on eye cases?"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I never imagined that my design would be interpreted so literally. My own tunnel vision had cost me dearly. I had been delighted with the graphics and slogan; I had failed to "see" what they would communicate to the legal community.
After the conference, I knew I had to change my exhibit. I wanted to retain the "eye" while clarifying the various CLNC® services I provided.
The key changes in the copy accomplished three things:
Expanded the list of services under "Eye Our Services." The new list is more comprehensive and specific.
Changed the second header to make its message clearer. "Providing Medical Expertise for Litigation" gives a better overview of my CLNC® services than "Medical Eyes for Legal Professionals."
Rewrote the "Focus on This" list to provide clear client benefits.
OLD TEXT
NEW TEXT
1. EYE OUR SERVICES
Litigation support
Expert witness location
Custom reports
1. EYE OUR SERVICES
Medical record analysis
Deposition assistance
Medical literature research
Locate and prepare expert witnesses
Case screening for merit
Custom chronologies
Brief-to-comprehensive case reports
2. FOCUS ON THIS
Utilize our expertise while saving time and money
Comprehensive medical analysis and support
2. FOCUS ON THIS
Maximize the benefits of the "Medical-Legal Synergy"
Improve your settlement position
Save case preparation time while increasing your profits
3. MEDICAL EYES FOR LEGAL
PROFESSIONALS
3. PROVIDING MEDICAL
EXPERTISE FOR LITIGATION
The final result looked like this:
The real test came six weeks later when I exhibited at a three-day statewide attorney conference. Not only did I get many "looks," the attorneys also talked to me about all types of cases. Broadening my vision and seeing my design from a legal perspective enabled me to clarify my message, while keeping the graphics and slogan I loved.
Lesson Learned: Set your sights on CLNC® success with focused determination, but beware of tunnel vision. Review your products and designs with a "critical eye" and remember to preview them with your intended audience.
Copyrighted graphics are used with permission.
Cynthia Lacker, RN, MS, CLNC is the owner of Lacker & Associates in Pennsylvania. She specializes in electronic review of medical files including malpractice, personal injury, pharmaceutical and criminal cases.
