Legal matters are adversarial by nature. It’s usually somebody versus somebody else. But for personal injury lawyers, the battlefields sprawl beyond courtrooms and negotiating tables. Successful firms must implement marketing and business strategies that other lawyers can’t even fathom.
That’s precisely why cj Advertising invited Kaihan Krippendorff to be our keynote speaker at cj Conference 2013: Create Your Advantage. He’ll teach us how to recognize the right business moves and when to make them.
Mixed Martial Arts
As a business consultant, popular blogger, and the author of four business books, Krippendorff draws heavily from time-honored Chinese war philosophy to demonstrate how to seize strategic opportunities in business. His presentation is packed with examples of how major corporations use these ancient stratagems to gain an advantage.
In the cozy confines of the law, attorneys employ these same stratagems with ease. But in the boundless arena of business, it can be a tough to recognize how, when, and with whom you actually compete.
To help you rise to the challenge and get the maximum value out of Mr. Krippendorff’s presentation, I want you to ponder this question:
What is your advantage?
Think about it, run some numbers, talk it over with your staff and family—whatever it takes to identify the one attribute or achievement that sets your firm apart from your competition. The more thought you put into it, the more rewarding Krippendorff’s keynote will be. Even if you’re a lawyer that can’t attend his keynote, it’s still a good exercise before drawing up future battle business plans.
At the very least, you’ll better understand how you compete and, if possible, refine your go-to maneuver when you need to win.
That’s a good question.
I realize this is a tough assignment. You may want to ask the question in different ways. To help spark some ideas, here are a few starter-questions for your inner warrior to meditate on while catching flies in your chopsticks.
- What is the best business decision you ever made?
- When you suffer a defeat, how does your firm respond?
- What assets or talents do you have against which your competition can’t compete?
- In what ways has your competition tried to copy you?
- What has been your firm’s most successful moment, and what made it possible?
Popular Answers
In Creative Services, we determine the scripts we’re going to shoot by asking our clients a very similar question to the one I’m asking here: “What sets you apart from other law firms in your market?” Here are some of the most frequent responses (other than “ad agency” – wink):
- Customer service
- Spending power
- Trial skill
- Experience
- Brand awareness
- Firm size
- Compassion
- Efficiency
- Tenacity
- Community involvement
Hope that helps, and good luck with your soul-searching! We look forward to seeing as many clients and friends of the agency as possible at cj Conference 2013: Create Your Advantage.
