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Best Practices for...   - Business Development &      Management   - Business Entertaining   - Case Evaluation   - Locating Expert      Witnesses   - Marketing   - Medical Research   - Report Writing   - Subcontracting   - Technology ----------------------------- . Fees . CLNC Q&A . CLNC Success Stories . Confessions from the    CLNC Pros . From the Editor . My Most Memorable    Case . News Flash . Your Feedback   Vickie Milazzo Institute 5615 Kirby Drive, Suite 425 Houston, TX 77005-2448 www.LegalNurse.com Phone: 800.880.0944 Fax: 713.942.8075 Email: mail@LegalNurse.com		Legal Nurse Consulting Ezine, Volume 17, No. 15 July 21, 2006 Best Practices for Marketing – How to Rev Up Your CLNC® Practice with Strategic Exhibiting BEST PRACTICES FOR MARKETING How to Rev Up Your CLNC® Practice with Strategic Exhibiting by Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD Exhibiting at legal conferences can be one of your most effective strategies for meeting new attorney-prospects. Many beginners say exhibiting is expensive. Most CLNC®s get at least one or two attorney-clients from each legal conference, making exhibiting well worth the cost. Something is only expensive if you don't get a return on your investment. However, exhibiting isn't cheap and it can be time-consuming. These best practices are your guarantee you're doing it right. They will guide you in first-class exhibiting to capture attorneys' attention and to clearly communicate the value of your CLNC® services. The credibility you automatically earn as an exhibitor will even help you gain a new attorney-client on the spot. Win Instant Credibility with Attorneys Make your exhibiting debut at a local attorney conference. For your first exhibit I recommend selecting a smaller local conference. This gives you the opportunity to polish your exhibiting skills and test your marketing materials before taking them on the road to bigger events. Additionally, booth space at local conferences will be less expensive than space at national events, and your travel expenses will be minimal. This makes local conferences an affordable way to get in front of your target audience. In addition, fewer people will be exhibiting, so meeting and spending quality time with the attorneys is easier. Go for legal conferences at the state or county level. When you're ready to venture farther out, investigate state or county legal conferences and then those in neighboring states. You'll find information about such events on the sponsoring organization's website, usually in the continuing education section. Ask attorneys you know what legal conferences they attend regularly. Search the Internet for upcoming national legal conferences for organizations such as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA). Zero in on the legal conferences that best deliver your target attorneys. Before you commit to a particular conference, know who you'll be marketing to. Find out what types of attorneys attend. For instance, if the majority of the attendees will be tax or intellectual property specialists, you'd be better off selecting another event more heavily attended by personal injury and medical malpractice attorneys. Wherever you exhibit, consider what you're getting for your investment. The fee often covers much more than just your booth space. You may receive meals and admission to social events during the conference, giving you excellent additional opportunities to meet and network with prospects. Besides, how else could you speak to so many attorneys face-to-face in one day? You might receive a listing of conference attendees, making your post-conference follow-up practically effortless. Establish that the exhibit space meets your needs – before you send your check. Does it have ample space for your display materials? Will it be well lit? If you plan to use video or a PowerPoint presentation in your display, will the necessary electrical outlets and extension cords be provided? Taking all these factors into consideration will help you choose exhibiting opportunities wisely. You should be spending about 10% of your gross revenues on marketing, including exhibiting. Allocate your marketing budget based on the effectiveness of each marketing strategy. Project Quality with a Creative, Professional Exhibit and Promotional Package An attractive, uncluttered booth gives you a competitive edge when exhibiting. Don't cram too much information onto your exhibit display. Simply list the benefits attorneys will gain from using your CLNC® services. Remember, your exhibit is like a billboard. When it comes to creating a memorable exhibit, less is truly more. The following strategies will help you plan a more effective exhibit: Attend a nursing career expo or other nursing conference and notice what's attractive in the displays you see there. You may discover that nurses respond better to the simple freebies and the exhibitor's approachability, rather than to the bells and whistles of the display. Adapting the same exhibiting techniques will attract attorneys, too. The standard exhibit space is 8'x10' or 10'x10'. Visit an exhibit store or major office supply retailer and tell them the booth size. They'll show you a variety of pop-up displays and other options, such as table-top displays. Look in the Yellow Pages under "exhibits," "displays" or "promotions" for more help in finding the right display materials for your exhibit. Expect to spend a few hundred to a few thousand dollars on your exhibit display. Exhibit designers can put your imagination and your wallet to the test with high-tech options – lighting, electronic projection, background music, etc. – but you don't need to spend a fortune to create an effective exhibit. Allocate a percentage of your marketing budget to hire a graphic designer who can help you brand your exhibit to match the branding of your CLNC® business. This means using your logo, company name and slogan or tag line frequently and consistently throughout your display, promotional materials and giveaways. The goal is to distinguish yourself and help attorneys remember you and your company. Use color and eye-catching graphics to attract attorneys to your exhibit. Opt for a tall display so prospects can see your exhibit from a distance. Choose an exhibit that's lightweight and easy to handle, assemble and take down. If your budget is limited, you may be able to find a suitable exhibit on eBay. Be sure it's professional looking and in good shape before you buy. Then you only have to replace the graphics with your own. Every time you plan to exhibit, check your display and other supplies before leaving home. You don't want to arrive on site and find out that your exhibit is damaged or that you're missing some key ingredient. Before setting up, check to be sure tables and chairs in your booth are sturdy and all equipment is in working order. Once the audience has their eyes on your booth, hold their interest with your 30-second introduction, well-rehearsed and polished to perfection. Then be ready to share your marketing message in more depth and answer any questions the attorney has. This is the perfect time to stress your risk-free guarantee. Your handout materials reinforce your message, so use them every chance you get: Your business cards, brochures and list of your CLNC® services – Be sure they educate attorneys about the advantages of having a CLNC® on their litigation teams to help them win cases. Samples of your work product – Use these powerful tools to demonstrate what you can do for the prospect. The samples don't have to be elaborate but they must demonstrate the quality of your writing and analytical skills. Some CLNC®s report that a one-page example of a chronological timeline serves them well. If you don't have a lot of experience, work up a hypothetical case from the Core Curriculum for Legal Nurse Consulting®. Other promotional materials – These can include testimonial letters and your information newsletter. If your newsletter is electronic, use printouts as samples. Whatever you hand out, keep it focused on promoting your CLNC® practice, not only your nursing experience. Emphasize your unique selling position (USP, the feature or CLNC® service that makes you different from other legal nurse consultants) and the benefits you offer to the attorney. Capture Attorneys' Attention with Creative Giveaways In the busy setting of a legal conference you'll need to attract people into your booth. Usually this boils down to luring them with giveaways – promotional items ranging from office tools to free CLNC® consultations. Depending on the size and importance of the conference and your exhibiting budget, choose either or both of these types of giveaways: Smaller items you give everyone who drops by your booth in exchange for a business card or for subscribing to your information newsletter. Bigger items you give away by random drawing, again in exchange for a business card or signing up at your booth. All you need to hold your drawing is a basket or fish bowl on your table where people can toss their cards. Make it clear that by entering they will automatically be subscribed to your information newsletter. The number and variety of available promotional items is almost endless. Possibilities range from the mundane to the extraordinary – from luggage tags, pens and office tools such as a combination letter opener and staple remover – on up to walkie-talkies and a metallic briefcase filled with bottles of wine. Choose your giveaway (large or small) based on these simple guidelines. You want something attorneys are interested in, something they will keep and use, something that reflects your professional image and sets your CLNC® practice apart. In other words, your promotional item should serve as a constant, positive reminder of you and the CLNC® services you provide. Keep the following tips in mind when selecting your giveaway item or items: Search the Internet for "promotional gifts" or "advertising specialties." You'll find numerous sites where you can shop for the best deals on the items you want. Candy, cookies, mints or other edibles will definitely attract people, and you'll find plenty of suppliers who will customize these goodies with your company name and logo. To stand out, give out full-size rather than bite-size candy bars. But remember, once the food is eaten, it's gone, along with the reminder about your business. Accompany those food treats with useful printed information. For your drawing consider giving away medical dictionaries, clinical reference books or litigation software. You can often obtain such products free from the publishers because they are also interested in marketing to attorneys. Be sure to include your contact information inside the book. A great gift might be something deceptively small but extremely useful to your prospects, such as a chart of medical abbreviations with your company name printed on it. The advantage of this type of item is that you can produce it yourself and, except for the cost of your time, some stationery and perhaps laminating, it's virtually free. The ideal giveaway is a free screening or brief consultation that demonstrates your skills to the winner without straining your budget. You can give away as many free screenings as you have time for, spacing your drawings throughout the conference. You may even garner additional publicity if the drawings are announced over the public address system. Avoid heavy or bulky items, especially at a national conference with attendees traveling long distances. People don't like to be weighed down during the conference or on their way home, and you have to carry home anything that's left over. The key in developing your giveaways is professionally luring the attorneys into your booth. Your promotional items should be eye-catching yet reflect your "brand." That is, they should have a quality and "look" that's consistent with the rest of your exhibit and your handout materials. Beyond that, you can be as creative as you like about what you give out with your company name on it. If you can obtain the attorney registration list before the conference, send out personalized invitations to visit your booth, announcing your drawing for your free prize or free screening at the same time. Showcase Your Most Important Asset – You You are the heart of your CLNC® business. If you project professionalism and a positive attitude, you'll have more confidence and attorneys will find you more credible. Remember, attorneys already need what you have to offer – your job is to persuade them that you're the consultant they need. Attract attorneys to your booth with positive energy. It's contagious. Best of all, you can have fun and be professional at the same time. Don't let anyone pass your exhibit without sharing some of that energy with them. Be approachable. Attorneys really do love to talk. Just smile and make eye contact, and they'll come over. Even if someone walks by on the opposite side of the aisle, you can still approach them. Grab a packet of your promotional materials, step up to them with a big smile and deliver your 30-second introduction. Make it your goal to generate good solid contact with at least 10 attorneys at any conference you attend. Get business cards from the rest and follow up with all of them. Staff your exhibit like an expert: Any time you exhibit, you should dress professionally (in your power suit). Always stand while attorneys are walking around the exhibits. Those chairs in your booth are for them to rest on. You can rest when they're in sessions. Wear comfortable shoes. Did I mention you'll be standing all day? Comfortable shoes are vital for keeping your energy up and a smile on your face. Exhibit until the very end of the day. You'll meet some of your best prospects then. An attorney who wants to talk to you will wait until you're free – at the end of the day. Take advantage of all networking opportunities at the conference. If exhibitors are invited to social events or allowed to sit in on conference sessions, do it. You'll learn even more about your prospects, their mindset and their needs. Network with other exhibitors. You can form strategic alliances, exchange leads and adapt their exhibiting techniques to make your own exhibit more effective. When you meet especially good prospects during the conference, consider inviting them out for a cocktail or coffee after the exhibit is over. You can leverage the value of exhibiting and enhance your visibility and credibility by offering to be a speaker at the conference. If you're attending a conference that has 500-1,000 attorneys registered, take an assistant with you. You can't manage your booth and network effectively on your own with that large a crowd. Avoid these amateur mistakes: Don't sit in your booth reading the newspaper or talking on your cell phone while future attorney-clients walk by. Not only does this look unprofessional, you are not maximizing the investment you made to exhibit. Never look or act tired, bored, uninvolved or uninterested. Never leave your booth unattended during exhibit hours or any time attorneys are in the exhibit area. Don't place a barrier between you and the prospects. Push that table to the back or to the side. Don't take down your exhibit early. Don't leave important items at home (such as your sample reports). If you run into an acquaintance or become friendly with other exhibitors, don't get too involved in chatting with them. Attorneys may be reluctant to interrupt you, and you'll miss potentially great contacts. Schedule a Meeting to Turn Prospects into Clients When you hit it off with an attorney, schedule a meeting immediately. Remember, your meeting can even be a phone appointment. The hotter your lead, the quicker you want to follow up. Send a follow-up letter to all attendees immediately following the conference. Include a CLNC® note card that says, "Thanks for stopping by. Here's a gift of 50% off your first consultation." Have note cards ready to go before the conference, so all you have to do is add a bit of customization for each contact you'll send them to. Follow up with a phone call. Don't skip this step; it's where the payoff really increases. Another excellent way to stay connected is to send your information newsletter (with a note referencing the conference). This will keep your name in front of the attorney. Or send an article you've written containing information the attorney will find useful, such as how to decipher the hieroglyphics in the medical record, with examples from your own experience. Get Hooked on Strategic Exhibiting for Maximum Marketing Power Make exhibiting a systematic part of your marketing plan. If you're not already exhibiting regularly, set a goal of participating in at least one conference in the next six months. Because exhibiting is such a powerful way to generate business, ultimately, you'll get hooked and want to aim for exhibiting at least quarterly. That may seem like a lot, but remember, one good prospect who turns into a lifetime client can pay for your exhibit, and your children's Harvard education, too. Exhibiting is all about getting yourself out there and becoming visible in a professional way. When you apply these best practices, you'll soon become an exhibiting pro with an impressive track record of CLNC® success. Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD is the founder and president of Vickie Milazzo Institute. She is credited by The New York Times with pioneering the legal nurse consulting profession in 1982. Inc. named her to the Top 10 Entrepreneur list. She is the recipient of the Nursing Excellence Award for Advancing the Profession and the Stevie Award (business's Oscar®) as Mentor of the Year. Vickie has revolutionized the careers of thousands of RNs. She is the author of Inside Every Woman: Using the 10 Strengths You Didn't Know You Had to Get the Career and Life You Want Now (published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2006, now in its fourth printing). Send your best practices for marketing to feedback@LegalNurse.com. Top Copyright © 1999-2006 Vickie Milazzo Institute, a division of Medical-Legal Consulting Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. ISSN: 1533-9564

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