Lawyer and Business Owner Marketing Results

These business owners and professionals benefitted from the Ryder Method of Education-Based Marketing in one of three ways: (1) They asked me to custom-design and carry out their marketing program. (2) They asked me to prepare specific documents to support their efforts. Or (3) They asked for specific advice, which they followed to achieve these results:

Results achieved for attorneys

After an estate planning attorney appeared on a radio talk show, he received calls at his office from 426 prospective clients asking for his educational information. The same attorney attracted calls from over 400 prospects after an article in the newspaper. And a small article that included information about his seminar filled the room with 233 prospective clients.

The attorney’s materials were so persuasive that one woman drove over 100 miles each way to attend the attorney’s seminar. The town where she lived had a number of qualified attorneys who could have provided the same services. But the attorney who had an active marketing program in place pre-empted attorneys for 100 miles as she drove past their offices to attend his seminar.

An attorney just two years out of law school hired me to help him build a foundation of clients for his practice. We tested a handful of personal injury seminars and promoted them through media publicity. He held the seminars at public libraries, which co-sponsored the program. (Co-sponsoring meant the lawyer was allowed to use the meeting room without paying rent and the library offered to hand out his seminar fliers.) His first series of seminars attracted only 15 couples. Yet 6 couples -- 40% of those attending -- hired him to handle their injury cases. This first series of test seminars brought him legal fees in excess of $20,000.

An attorney hired me to create an Education-Based Marketing program to attract new clients. He tested his seminar in Payson, AZ, where I live. Within 24 hours of his first seminar, two clients presented him with retainer checks. In a small town, or at small publications, you’ll often find that advertising and promotion costs are relatively low. He charged the same fees that he charges in large metropolitan areas. But his overhead to market his seminar was lower, so his profits increased.

A lawyer hired me to help him get more of his seminar attendees to come into his office for an initial consultation. I wrote an article for the local newspaper. The editor printed the article and resulted in a seminar audience of 85 prospective clients. I attended his seminar to see what needed to be done to increase requests for appointments. After the program was over, I suggested that the lawyer add five more minutes of information to his program. It worked -- and at his next program, 10 of the 11 couples in the audience asked for an initial consultation in the lawyer’s office.

An attorney hired me to help him establish his reputation as an authority in personal injury claims. We decided to pursue a publicity program to generate articles and interviews, which would result in calls from prospective clients. The first feature was a full-page article with the attorney’s byline (actually written by me) in the Phoenix Business Journal. The article explained steps business owners could take to prevent defamation suits. The second article was a front-page story in his home-town newspaper about a multi-million dollar lawsuit he filed. The third opportunity for publicity was when he was interviewed on the largest radio talk station in Arizona about personal injury and negligence claims.

An estate planning lawyer hired me to resurrect his seminar business, which had been highly profitable until 1994. During that year, his results had been so poor that he stopped presenting programs. In December of 1994, he hired me to refresh his marketing efforts. His first new seminars were scheduled six weeks after he hired me, about the middle of January. He attracted 249 people to five seminars, an average of 49 people per seminar. His new program continued to produce remarkable results for the six months I worked with him.

A lawyer hired me to help her establish herself as a national consultant on medical malpractice defense. We created written materials and we decided to offer her materials and support her expertise through media articles and interviews. She gained a number of print articles in specialized publications directed toward the insurance industry and insurance defense bar. One of the articles appeared on the front page of a respected medical malpractice publication and within days she received over a dozen requests for her materials from prospective clients.

An elder law attorney appeared as a featured expert on the television mid-day news. He offered his written educational materials to anyone who called his office. Within 3 hours after the interview, he attracted calls from 200 prospective clients, over 500 calls in all.

A personal injury attorney asked me to promote a seminar using only one newspaper ad in a rural community. Because this was the first seminar in this area, we had no idea how many people might attend. Only three people attended, two of whom already had lawyers. (They were disappointed with their lawyers and came to ask whether they should hire a different attorney.) The third man had been in a motorcycle accident and was in a coma for 12 days. He had not yet hired an attorney to handle his injury claim. When the seminar ended, he made an appointment to meet with the attorney. Remember, don’t judge a seminar by the number of people who attend. Judge the seminar on whether you’re pleased with the new business you receive.

Several years ago, I designed an Education-Based Marketing program for an estate planning lawyer. Every month, as part of this program, he presented four or five seminars. At one seminar, a person from Phoenix College attended. This person was responsible for finding an attorney to address all soon-to-be retirees from the City of Phoenix. This person liked my client’s program and for the past several years, he is the lawyer who presents the retirement seminars for the City of Phoenix. (Seminars attract a broad range of interested people. In particular, we’ve found that many millionaires attend these non-threatening, public programs.)

A young attorney in general practice disagreed with a law proposed by the legislature. He hired me to help him promote his point of view. I designed a short media campaign and mailed out press releases. Within days, the lawyer was interviewed on three of the four TV stations in the market, as well as the state’s largest radio talk station.

A lawyer who hired me to promote his practice also owned a Christmas tree farm. Around November 1, we started a publicity campaign to promote the tree farm and invite people to choose their Christmas trees. In three short weeks, I sent out ten different press releases to local media. My client received substantial articles in nearly every newspaper within 75 miles of his farm. Plus, TV cameras were a common sight on the property, filming school children riding horse-drawn wagons on field trips.

A business attorney hired me to generate publicity for him in his home-town newspaper. On our first effort, the editor requested a three-part column on how changes in the tax law would affect business owners. The editor published these three columns, which gave the attorney recognition in front of hundreds of prospective clients.

One of my lawyer clients was a musician before he entered law school. I wrote and mailed a news release about the musician-turned-attorney. The newspaper in his primary target area took a photograph of him holding the soprano saxophone he played in hotel orchestras on the Las Vegas strip. The newspaper ran a hugh photo, taking 70% of the newspaper page. His article took another 20% and was continued inside. The remaining 10% of the page was for someone’s regular newspaper column. While he didn’t get 100% of the newspaper’s page, he did quite well with 90%.

Results achieved for business owners and professionals

A water damage company in southern California hired me to write a news release so the company could gain exposure and credibility with insurance companies. I completed the news release and the company owner mailed it to the media. One day while I was working at the computer I heard my client’s voice. I looked up and saw his story and interview on the CNN HEADLINE NEWS being broadcast around the world.

An attorney who was also a master gardener hired me to help him promote a Master Gardener conference. I interviewed many speakers and sent out news releases about each major presentation. One news release featured a man who built ponds at people’s homes. A single news release resulted in an article that covered 2/3 of a newspaper page and included four color pictures of his ponds. Within four days, he received 35 inquiries. Calls poured in for 2-1/2 weeks and didn’t taper off until two months after the article appeared.

A fine jeweler in Scottsdale hired me to design an Education-Based Marketing program. A single news release to the local media brought the jeweler a 6-column-wide feature article (the width of the full page), 2 columns of which were his photo. He had dozens of calls from prospective clients who asked to receive his written materials. In fact, some prospects drove over 50 miles one way to get these informative handouts.

The owner of a pet sitting service asked me how to gain publicity for her new business. I told her how to approach the editor and present her story idea. She followed my advice and called the editor (an idea I would not recommend today). Within two weeks, a huge article -- covering 2/3 of an entire page -- appeared in Phoenix’s afternoon daily newspaper.

Owners of a retirement park hired me to create an Education-Based Marketing program to attract prospective residents. When their program was up and running, the owners said it was the only method that proved successful after three years of trial and error. The park was half full and is continuing to fill up.

A travel company hired me to design an Education-Based Marketing program to set up new corporate travel accounts. A direct mailing to corporate executives drew a 15% response and many requests to set up new travel accounts. The educational materials were so complete that many executives asked that a salesperson not come to their office. Instead, they wanted to set up an account over the telephone.

A carpet retailer hired me to create an Education-Based Marketing program to sell floor covering. His primary marketing method was offering his Consumer Carpet Workshop. He recouped nearly his entire marketing investment five weeks after we kicked off his program. After the first year, his sales were up 35% from the previous year.

A urologist hired me to create an Education-Based Marketing program to attract male patients to his center. A local television station aired a five-part story on the evening news. Each night they offered the information kit I wrote. The doctor sent his written materials to hundreds of prospective patients who called his office as a result of the publicity.

A travel company asked me to send out a news release at the time when Americans were concerned foreign travel because of bombings at European airports. Within seven days, the travel company owner was featured on the front pages of the state’s two largest newspapers. In addition, the news release was printed in many smaller newspapers, including business publications, which reached the company’s target audience.

A hospital hired me to promote its maternity program through media publicity. The hospital was featured in several articles and interviews, and the publicity director expressed her pleasure with the results. One interview segment on a morning television show lasted a full 12 minutes.

A veterinarian hired me to write his practice newsletter. While we worked together, a disease carried by ticks grew into a near-epidemic. I wrote and mailed a news release about the disease to the media. The article appeared in almost every newspaper that received the news release. Also, television news crews came to his office for interviews. Dozens of other veterinarians could have benefitted from the same publicity. But the attention and profits went to the veterinarian who mailed out the news release.

A dentist hired me to create a program of Education-Based Marketing to attract patients to his practice. He appeared on TV news interviews and radio talk shows. After one interview, he received calls at his office from 38 prospective patients. The newspaper articles were so persuasive that patients cut out the articles and carried them into his office two years after the articles were published.

The district manager of a chain of child care centers hired me to create an educational program to teach parents what they should know about child molestation. I used media publicity to promote seminars that were presented by a psychologist. The child care company was featured in many broadcast interviews and articles, one of which appeared on the front page of a major metropolitan newspaper. My program was named “the best public relations program” in the nationwide chain of child care centers.

The owner of an introduction service hired me to create a program of Education-Based Marketing to attract upscale professionals to her service. She offered educational materials through ads and news releases. On Valentine’s Day, the owner was featured in a half-page article in her local newspaper. Plus she sponsored a singles exposition trade show where singles could meet, socialize and look at products and services offered by singles for singles. The event was co-sponsored by a radio station, which broadcast from the floor of the show.

A consumer advocate hired me to create an Education-Based Marketing program to promote his financial advisory services, seminars and tapes. One way he advertised his information was on radio. He attracted 129 qualified inquiries from just five radio commercials. Plus, his seminars attracted dozens of prospects.

A psychologist hired me to create a program of Education-Based Marketing to attract clients to her counseling practice. She promoted her practice through interviews on radio talk shows and the television news. In fact, one TV station aired three different interviews with her on the news within ten days. Also, a 2/3-page article about holiday stress in a home and garden magazine drew over 500 requests for her educational materials as long as one year after publication.

A human resource consultant hired me to create a Education-Based Marketing program to market pre- and post-employment tests that match prospective employees to the most appropriate jobs. After creating his materials, I mailed out a news release that included the offer of his free written materials. One of his published articles appeared on the front page of a business newspaper. Also, a small newspaper in an upscale neighborhood printed the news release, which resulted in several inquiries, including a request for a proposal for 2500 employment tests. In a second news release, another business newspaper ran five small paragraphs, which brought him over 40 inquiries from prospective clients.

A certified public accountant hired me to generate publicity to attract new clients. He wanted to teach business clients how to read financial statements. I approached the editor of the primary business newspaper in the market. The editor published the article on two adjacent pages. The article -- twice as long as most articles -- highlighted and explained each element found on a financial statement.

I use media publicity to promote the concept of Education-Based Marketing. After a local article appeared in the ARIZONA BUSINESS GAZETTE, the Associated Press got hold of the information and sent it to the American Marketing Association. Next thing I knew the editors printed the article on the front page of the American Marketing Association’s national publication, MARKETING NEWS. I’m pleased that the editors thought the article worthy of the front page. This reinforces the need for a good concept and good execution. Also, it reinforces the importance of keeping good news releases and articles circulating in the media. If we hadn’t been circulating the article, the American Marketing Association would never have received it. And I would never have received the front page national article that is now a key part of my marketing message.

For three years my wife, Stephanie, received mountains of publicity while we promoted her counseling practice and diabetes newsletter. I created her educational materials, designed to attract people who had diabetes. Here’s a brief sampling of the results she received:

I taught my wife how to contact newspapers and present her story idea. On her first phone call to an editor, she received a 6-column wide feature article on the front page of the Tempe Daily News.

A Sunday feature in the ARIZONA REPUBLIC promoted her “11 Holiday Survival Tips” for people with diabetes. She attracted 310 written requests for information.

In a two-part interview on KPNX Channel 12’s evening news in Phoenix, she offered her written materials. She drew 185 telephone requests for information.

In a feature article in the ARIZONA REPUBLIC (the state’s largest newspaper) she announced the publication of her newsletter and offered subscriptions. She received orders for 80 subscriptions (with checks attached) directly from the article.

In addition, she was featured in dozens of articles and interviews around the United States. He most widespread and profitable response came when Ann Landers offered information about Steph’s newsletter in Ann’s advice column. Stephanie received 19,000 written inquiries the first week, and over 23,000 inquiries in all.

Dear Lawyer:

From psychologist to carpet retailer...pond builder to attorney...my method gives today’s consumers what they want, information and advice. That’s why the American Marketing Association featured this method on the front page of its national publication, MARKETING NEWS.

While I have worked with many business owners and professionals in the past, today I work exclusively with attorneys.

If you’d like to benefit from this powerful and dignified method, I invite you to call. I can design and carry out your program for you. Or, I can design your materials and help you carry it out yourself.

So whether you need a lot of help -- or a little -- I’m as close as your telephone. Don’t continue to lose clients to competitors. I’ll show you how you can dramatically improve your marketing results.

Yours Free!
“7 Secrets of Dignified Marketing”

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Would You Like to Achieve

Marketing Results Like These?

by Trey Ryder

Results achieved for attorneys

Results achieved for business owners and professionals

Dear Lawyer: