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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

Volume 17, No. 2
 January 20, 2006
  1. FROM THE EDITOR – 5 Tips to Increase Your Chances of Actually Achieving Your New Year's Resolutions
  2. BEST PRACTICES FOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT – The CLNC® Pros Share Their Top Marketing Strategies
FROM THE EDITOR
5 Tips to Increase Your Chances of Actually Achieving
Your New Year's Resolutions
by Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD

Even in January, more and more people forget about the well-meaning resolutions they made on New Year's to improve their lives.

Here are five tips from my new book, Inside Every Woman, Using the 10 Strengths You Didn't Know You Had to Get the Career and Life You Want Now, to turn resolution road kill into a thing of the past.

  1. Stop being a commitment queen. Eliminate one or two items from your busy schedule to free up time to pursue your passionate interests. Which will they be?

  2. Do something even if it's wrong. Ninety percent of success is showing up. Whether you're selling an idea, trying to land a new client or learning how to paint, the point is, you have to show up. What idea will you pursue this year?

  3. Plan for growth. In life, as in business, when you neglect growth, the passion inside you cools. Plan not only for a bigger house or an updated vehicle, but for inner growth. Try to reinvent yourself on a regular basis. You don't want to wake up five years from now and greet the same person in the mirror. You want to see a new person who has transcended former boundaries.

  4. Challenge your obstacles. Let go of the notion that you don't have enough time, energy, money or discipline to do what it takes to succeed. When you challenge that thought you will magically make more things happen.

  5. Stick with it and endure. Many people who fail in reaching their goals simply turn back too soon. The path is long and the terrain is tough. When your endurance is tested and you're tempted to give up, remember this: You will miss not only the gold at the end of the rainbow, but also a wealth of other treats along the way.

Here's wishing you a Happy New You. And remember: We are nurses and we can do anything!

Inc. Top 10 Entrepreneur Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD is the founder and president of Vickie Milazzo Institute. She is credited by The New York Times with creating the legal nurse consulting profession in 1982. 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, coming March 2006 from John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Preorder this anticipated bestseller now at www.Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.

Send how you plan to keep your New Year's resolution to feedback@LegalNurse.com.
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

The CLNC® Pros Share Their Top Marketing Strategies

EDITOR'S NOTE: I asked the CLNC® Pros to describe the most important thing they have done in the past 12 months to grow their CLNC® practices. Now you can apply their best marketing strategies to your CLNC® practice, and you will quickly cash in on unprecedented growth.


10 Steps for Expanding Your Expertise with a Variety of CLNC® Subcontractors
Suzanne E. Arragg, RN, BSN, RN, CDONA/LTC, CLNC

CLNC® subcontractors are one of the most valuable assets to my CLNC® practice. Nurses bring a variety of experience to the table, and taking advantage of that expertise allows the ultimate work product to far exceed the attorney's expectations. When you exceed your clients' expectations, more cases flood through the door and your business grows.

My CLNC® subcontractors help me provide a timely, more efficient work product to my attorney-clients. CLNC® subcontractors have freed areas of my business that were held captive and opened me up for the more important business matters.

To assure success with subcontractors it is essential to:
  1. Maximize each subcontractor's talent.
  2. Take the time to communicate.
  3. Discuss their goals.
  4. Analyze their sample work product.
  5. Obtain a formal contract.
  6. Present an assignment and give precise instructions, including a budget.
  7. Evaluate the subcontractor's completed assignment.
  8. Provide constructive feedback.
  9. Share the revised work product.
  10. Reevaluate subsequent work products.
Following these 10 steps will help you determine whether the business relationship is mutually beneficial and contributes to the growth of your CLNC® practice.


Put an End to "Cold" Marketing
Dale Barnes, RN, MSN, CLNC

I never send out a packet without calling the attorney FIRST. Attorneys are just like the rest of us. If they get a letter from someone they don't recognize, they are more likely to throw it away than read it. This became apparent to me during follow-up calls, when the attorneys and their office staff either didn't know who I was or said they never received my material.

Now, I always call first. I try to make an appointment with the attorney, but if I cannot get through to the attorney directly, the staff often asks if I have something I can send. If they don't, which is rare, I tell them I will be mailing something and calling again in a week. Then, I ask for the attorney's voice mail. That way, the attorney also hears my name and the name of my company. When my mailing reaches her desk, she is more likely to recognize my name. When I make my follow-up calls, I have much better reception and connect more often with the attorneys directly. This has definitely improved my marketing and the growth of my CLNC® practice.


Schmooze Your Way to Success at Attorney Association Meetings
Rachel Cartwright, RN, MS, LHRM, FNC, CLNC

I attend the local bar association meetings with one of my attorney-clients. This not only gives me the opportunity to strengthen my professional relationship with him, it also gives me the opportunity to meet his colleagues. This free growth strategy has been very lucrative.


Market Your Nursing Expertise to Fellow CLNC®s
Nikki Chuml, RNC, CCE, FMC, CLNC

One of my best marketing strategies is promoting my obstetrical expertise to other CLNC®s. I offer to consult on fetal monitor strip interpretation, a service that can make or break an OB case. Fetal monitor strips are like a foreign language, and that's where I come in. I have helped CLNC®s from all over the country make sense of those long squiggly strips, so they do not have to turn down OB cases. Plaintiff attorneys say this service helps save money on hiring expensive experts, especially on cases that turn out not to have merit.

Speaking at the National Alliance of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants Conference has been the quickest and most effective way to communicate my obstetrical expertise to more than 1,200 CLNC®s. I also enjoy teaching other CLNC®s information that will help them become more successful. In addition to speaking, attending and networking at the nation's largest conference for legal nurse consultants helps me grow my CLNC® practice through new business and new information that helps me produce a better work product. I recommend that all CLNC®s attend the NACLNC® Conference each year to broaden their knowledge base and network with other CLNC®s who just might be looking for a CLNC® with your expertise.


Cash In on Your CLNC® Experience with Hospital Seminars
Lawrence H. Frace, RN, CLNC

One unique growth strategy I have added to my Certified Legal Nurse ConsultantCM business is presenting seminars to hospitals and long term care facilities. My seminar, "Awaken and Transform Your Nursing Staff," on professional and legal aspects of nursing care, has been well received beyond my wildest dreams. The feeling I get by sharing my knowledge with participants is almost indescribable. Being a seminar leader is exciting, challenging and fun.

By blending my knowledge and experience with my passion to teach, I have added an exciting dimension to my CLNC® business. My creative juices have spilled over into my traditional CLNC® business in the area of marketing and networking. I now have two marketing audio CDs, one promoting my seminar and one promoting my CLNC® services. As I present my seminar to more and more nurses, I find that many of them have close relatives who are attorneys. Needless to say, those nurses receive two of my business cards.


Focus on Personalized Service
Jane Hurst, RN, CLNC

My best growth strategy is personalized service. Without it clients will often go someplace else. I keep detailed notes in my mail program, making sure I record all the usual contact information for attorney-clients as well as more personalized data. For instance, I noted that one of my clients prefers to review the research citations before I obtain the full text versions of documents.

I also record names of office personnel. If I haven't received any business from a client for several months, I call the paralegal, telling her I'm checking in to see if they need me for any cases. I also make sure she knows she can contact me anytime for questions. I always remember Administrative Professional's Day, Boss's Day and the holidays.

When I court new clients, I research the attorney and law firm on the Internet first and jot down any useful information. Before I send out any promotional materials, I call the attorney's office and ask to speak to the paralegal. I introduce myself and tell her I have worked with enough law firms to know that the paralegals are the ones who know what's going on. I then ask if I can send a packet of information for the attorney to her attention and ask her to make sure the attorney gets it. Now that I have made personal contact with the paralegal, I believe she will have a harder time ditching my promotional packet and not showing it to the attorney. When I follow up in a week, if I can't reach the attorney, I can speak with his paralegal.


Offer Free Continuing Education to Attorneys
Brian Johnson, RN, PhD, CLNC

My most successful growth strategy is providing free continuing legal education (CLE) units for attorneys and free continuing education units (CEUs) for insurance claims managers. Follow this process to get your lecture approved:
  1. To provide lectures for attorneys, contact the state bar association and complete the application to become a CLE provider. Pay the required fee and include an outline of your lecture (e.g., mild head injury litigation).
  2. Contact the state insurance board and follow the same process to provide lectures for insurance claims managers.
  3. Develop a brochure or flyer describing your lecture and send it to attorneys and insurance companies stressing that they will receive free continuing education.
  4. One week after the mailing, call to ask if they received the mailing and if you can schedule a lecture for their staff.
  5. Once the lecture is scheduled, be sure to take plenty of marketing materials. We give our marketing materials to each person in attendance. We also have them sign in and provide their email address so we can send them our bimonthly newsletter.
  6. At the end of the lecture we ask if they have any cases they would like us to review. If so, we try to get authorization that day to do whatever work is needed (screening opinion, research, etc.).
We also use a telemarketing service to promote our lectures. For a small fee the outside service calls our database of law firms and insurance claims supervisors about four times over a two- to three-week period. About five times a year our office staff calls each potential client to ask if they have cases we can help with or if their staff would like a presentation on any medical-legal or medical topic. This strategy has been very beneficial in scheduling lectures and then getting cases from attorneys or claims managers in the audience.


Pump Up Your Direct Mail Response with Postcards
Cynthia Lacker, RN, MS, CLNC

One of the best growth strategies I initiated over the past 12 months was marketing to attorneys using oversized postcards. Why postcard marketing? Here are six reasons why postcard mailings can help you grow your CLNC® business:
  1. Postcard mailing is affordable and cost-effective, even for the smallest businesses. You can purchase full-color, glossy postcards that coordinate with your existing marketing materials.
  2. Postcards "brand" your company in a way that is unique in our market. If you start and stick with a postcard mailing plan, your company can develop quite a reputation in the medical-legal industry.
  3. Postcards don't waste attorneys' time. There's nothing to open, and reading your message is easy. Try sending attorneys something they'll want to read, such as "Top 5 Red Flags in Shoulder Dystocia Cases" or "Top 5 Websites for Researching Lyme Disease." Customize your tip lists for particular attorney groups.
  4. Testing an offer with postcards is easy. Just send your cards to a small group of attorneys and see how many of them respond. If you like the results, roll out a plan to mail to a larger group.
  5. Tracking your results is simple. Your card can instruct attorneys to mention a specific code to receive a discount on products or services.
  6. Postcards are versatile. In a single mailing, you can solicit business from existing customers and seek new business from prospective customers. Postcards aren't just for mailing either. For a memorable effect use them as mini-information sheets while exhibiting or as oversized business cards during presentations.
Remember, simple marketing strategies are most effective when consistently applied over a period of time. I increased my customer base by 27% using monthly postcard mailings for seven months. That's a great return on investment.


Ramp Up Your Determination
Rosale Lobo, RN, MSN, CLNC

One of my best growth strategies was ramping up my determination. I set a goal and I don't quit until I achieve it. For example, I rented a car and drove six hours round-trip to visit an attorney who, as it turned out, wanted nothing to do with me. However, on my way home, I refused to be defeated. I kept the big picture in mind and stopped at every office that had an "attorney" sign. I was determined to win a new client that day. Finally, I met an attorney who was working on several cases and was just about to call a legal nurse consultant he had used before. Then I showed up. We spoke for about two hours and developed a working relationship. A few weeks later he sent me a huge case with a $1,500.00 retainer check. Since then, I have consulted with him on many more cases.


Follow-Up on Existing Cases to Generate New Business
Gina Rogers, RN, BSN, CLNC

One of my best growth strategies is following up with attorney-clients on existing cases. Even after I've completed an assignment, I check in every four to six months inquiring about the status of the litigation. Many times the attorney has another case in her office that she wants to discuss. This strategy has proven to be an excellent way to keep the lines of communication open with my attorney-clients and to keep new cases coming into my office.


Grow Where You're Planted
Marie L. Wendle, RN, BS, CCRN, CLNC

Your CLNC® business doesn't always go where you want it to, so my strategy is to grow it where I'm planted. I grow my CLNC® practice by expanding my knowledge and listening to my clients, their needs and how I can best fulfill those needs. I attribute my success to my flexibility and my ability to offer my clients a full range of CLNC® services.

Growing means using the services of others. I realized that if I wanted to continue to grow, I had to hire help. I have delegated the clerical tasks to two part-time support staffers. At first this seemed strange, but now I am able to spend my time doing my legal nurse consulting work and this actually saves me time and money. This has also helped me balance my time between business and personal – a problem that can lead to burnout in any job, and I did not want that to happen.

I never turn down an attorney-client who comes to me with a case for which I do not have clinical experience. I engage my local and nationwide CLNC® colleagues to assist with such cases. I continue to work on the case along with the subcontractor as a consulting nurse. My attorney-clients appreciate the CLNC® services I offer through my CLNC® subcontractors, and they return to me over and over again to fill their medical-legal needs.

Even though I am old enough to retire, I find myself being thirsty for knowledge and staying up on the latest information out there in both the nursing and legal nursing arenas. Attending Vickie Milazzo Institute's National Alliance of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants Conference invigorates me, expands my expertise and gives me opportunities to meet great contacts. I stay energized with being my own boss in my own CLNC® business – growing where I'm planted.

Suzanne E. Arragg, RN, BSN, CDONA/LTC, CLNC, a CLNC® Mentor, is the owner of SEA & Associates Medical Legal Consulting, Inc. in California, specializing in long term care cases.

Dale Barnes, RN, MSN, CLNC, a CLNC® Mentor in California, has owned Barnes Medical Legal Services since 1999 and specializes in medical malpractice, bad faith insurance and general personal injury.

Rachel Cartwright, RN, MS, LHRM, FNC, CLNC is a CLNC® Mentor and guest faculty member for Vickie Milazzo Institute. She owns Medical-Legal Concepts in Florida. She specializes in critical care and regulatory compliance.

Nikki Chuml, RNC, CCE, FMC, CLNC is an independent legal nurse consultant in California with more than 19 years of nursing experience. She works as a consulting expert in a variety of specialties and as a testifying expert in OB cases all over the U.S.

Lawrence H. Frace, RN, CLNC is an independent CLNC® with 30 years of nursing experience. He is the founder of Spectrum Medical-Legal Consulting in New Jersey and specializes in medical malpractice cases.

Jane Hurst, RN, CLNC has been an RN for 25 years. She operates her business, RN Services, from her home in Ohio.

Brian Johnson, RN, PhD, CLNC is a CLNC® Mentor and specializes in neurological and psychological injury claims. He is also a life care planner and neuropsychologist in private and hospital practice in California.

Cynthia Lacker, RN, MS, CLNC is the principal of Lacker & Associates in Pennsylvania. She is certified in CaseSoft® litigation support products and specializes in electronic review of medical files including malpractice, personal injury, pharmaceutical and criminal cases.

Rosalie Lobo, RN, MSN, CLNC is the owner of Lobo Consulting Group in North Carolina. Her CLNC® business specializes in medical malpractice claims, nursing home negligence, personal injury, wrongful death and products liability issues.

Gina I. Rogers, RN, BSN, CLNC is the founder of Medical Review Consulting, LLC in Kentucky. She serves as a CLNC® Mentor for Vickie Milazzo Institute.

Marie L. Wendle, RN, BS, CCRN, CLNC is the president of Medical Legal Nurse Consultants of Washington. She specializes in IMEs and medical malpractice and personal injury cases.

Send your best practices for marketing to feedback@LegalNurse.com.


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