I was in the gym working out with my trainer Jerome this morning, and after finishing my bench press, Jerome exclaimed “We did it!” That cracked me up and I joked “We? I’m the one moving that weight and hey, I don’t see you sweating.” He came right back at me with, “But I was right there with you, Vickie. I’ve got your back so you can concentrate on feeling strong.”

I like to think I’m your “Jerome.” Whether you’re just starting your legal nurse consulting business or simply trying to take your CLNC^® business to the next level, think of me as your trainer. While you’re concentrating on the work ahead, I’ll be right there with you. When you read my blog, stay connected on Facebook or receive my mentoring advice, remember the “we” in your efforts. Yes, I’m right there watching your back and if you hang with me, the CLNC^® mentors and your CLNC^® peers in the NACLNC^® Association I promise you’ll always feel stronger.

Success Is Inside!

P.S. Comment and share what makes you feel stronger.

We are deep into the information age. In fact, there’s so much information coming at us from so many different directions that “information anxiety” should probably be a DSM-V diagnosis. Too much information (TMI) is our reality, and while there’s a distinct difference between quantity and quality, it’s easy to get sucked into the low quality noise. Do we really want to reduce our lives to the details of Ashton Kutcher’s sex life, Alec Baldwin’s musing about flight attendants or a constant stream of updates from “friends” we haven’t seen since high school?

Recently I was involved in three different mentoring situations with three legal nurse consultants. The first one forgot and missed our phone appointment. The second failed to complete the simple advance assignment I’d given her, despite the fact that she has more than enough free time on her hands – I know because I get her constant Facebook updates. The third is raising four sons, holding down a full-time nursing job and still made time to complete the assignments on schedule and attend an additional mentoring session for an upcoming interview with a potential attorney-client. Which Certified Legal Nurse Consultant do you think will be most successful?

In these busy times fraught with TMI what will you do to cut out the noise? Make a wise decision – your CLNC^® business depends on it. Now that’s a bit of information that really merits your attention.

Success Is Inside!

P.S. Comment and share what you will do to cut out the noise.

One of the marketing strategies I teach in the CLNC^® Certification Program is to network with everyone who comes within three feet of you. In this quick video, Catherine Cass, RN, CLNC shares how she used this marketing strategy right out of the Core Curriculum for Legal Nurse Consulting^® textbook to land a lucrative testifying expert position – even before she’d left the CLNC^® 6-Day Certification Seminar in Las Vegas.

It doesn’t get any better than this.

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Imagine being able to get dozens or even hundreds of attorney-prospects at the push of a button. Then you’re able to start marketing to them, knowing that you have a solid hot lead.

I found a tool that wasn’t designed with Certified Legal Nurse Consultants in mind; however, it could be a great weapon in your arsenal. It’s software called The Localizer Leads Tool. The Localizer Leads Tool is an Adobe Air-based marketing software program, which simply means it will run on both Macs and Windows PCs.

The Localizer Leads Tool pulls specific information on attorneys from Google, giving you access to their address, email, website, phone number and more. This tool allows any Certified Legal Nurse Consultant to instantly generate massive lists of attorney-prospects.

This video explains how a CLNC^® Consultant would use this tool to generate attorney-prospect leads with the push of a button.

Click here for a free trial of The Localizer Leads Tool and click here to purchase.

P.S. Comment and share how you find attorney-prospects on the Internet

Guest Blogger Profile

Brian Horn is an Internet marketing consultant who specializes in search engine marketing, site optimization, social media marketing, link building and web data analytics. Brian has consulted with Vickie Milazzo Institute for more than five years.

Brian also speaks at seminars and conferences throughout the U.S., Australia and Canada on how to use the Internet to improve business.

I started my legal nurse consulting business with the intention of testifying, but working behind the scenes with attorneys was how I really built my business. Despite that fact, I was always open to testifying and did so occasionally. And that’s exactly what you should do when your attorney-client asks you to testify. That’s right, go ahead, say yes!

Testifying is free advertising and an instant credibility-builder with attorneys. When you’re up against the opposing attorney remember: that attorney is not the enemy, he’s just another potential prospect. If you do a great job, that attorney will never want to go up against you again. The result? He will be sure to hire you first on his next case.

Next time an attorney asks you to testify in a case don’t reject it outright, go for it all the way! Remember who you are, a registered nurse with valuable knowledge and years of nursing experience. And if you start to panic, remember that 95% of the cases will settle before trial anyway so your likelihood of reaching court is exceedingly low (really).

When you “just say no” to testifying, you’re not only missing a huge opportunity to demonstrate your proficiency, but missing out on the opportunity to gain new attorney-clients for life!

Success Is Inside!

P.S. What are your biggest fears about testifying? Comment here to share.

I just left New York City after my appearance on FOX & Friends. Alisyn Camerota, who interviewed me about my book Wicked Success Is Inside Every Woman, is a pro. It was such an honor to interview with a strong woman who’s interviewed newsmakers like President George H.W. Bush and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The entire crew was professional and fun. Everything went so smoothly it would be hard to imagine a better experience.

Contrast my fun day at Fox studio with an earlier experience at a different, unnamed, TV network. Start by imagining yourself in a hot TV studio waiting for an interview. Your host is in New York City and you’re in your hometown (in my case Houston), sitting in an uncomfortable swivel chair wearing an earpiece that allows you to hear some of the chaos going on behind the scenes. In front of you are the camera, an ultra-bright spotlight shining into your eyes and some tech-types running around trying to pull everything together and make it all work. This goes on for 45-50 minutes while you sit there with your best interview face on, trying not to act bored or to allow the people in the studio back in the Big Apple see you fidget.

Unlike my spectacular experience at Fox, everything that could have gone wrong that morning did – connections failed, the lighting was off and cameras malfunctioned. I was sitting in front of the unforgiving eye of the camera the whole time, not knowing who was watching me because while they could see me, I could not see them. I was trying to smile, hold my bladder (nursing experience came in handy) and resist the temptation to pull out my iPhone^® and check email.

Finally, the voices in my ear became serious; someone shouted “Live” and we were rolling for another interview related to Wicked Success. Minutes later we were done and the interview was in the can. As we were leaving, Tom remarked that he was surprised that I sat there so long without visibly fidgeting. He’s used to seeing me move a lot.

It wasn’t easy nor was it my idea of a fun way to spend 45 minutes. So, I just sat there quietly when I preferred to fidget and struggled to practice the interview in my mind instead of focusing on all the things that aren’t getting done while I sit and smile.

The principles that I apply in a TV studio apply to you as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant when you go into an attorney’s office (whether for an interview or presentation). Appointments will be delayed, important phone calls will come up for the attorney and sometimes you can sit there for what seems at least two eternities before the assistant finally summons you into the attorney’s office. In the meantime, under the watchful eye of the receptionist you can work yourself into an agitated state, squirm, check the time repeatedly and make faces at each passing minute, or sit quietly or start up a friendly conversation (they’re called the gatekeeper for good reason!). Either way, your behavior will be reported to the assistant and maybe even the attorney herself.

Remember, from the moment you walk into that law office, you’re already in the interview or presentation. It’s just not enough to show up on time; it’s how you show up as a CLNC^® consultant.

Success Is Inside!

All smart business owners use social media to promote their services or products and so should CLNC^® consultants. Here are some simple ways successful Certified Legal Nurse Consultants are using social media in their CLNC^® businesses.

Talk to Your Friends – Let all of your friends know you are a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. Ask each friend to connect you with an attorney she knows. Almost everyone knows an attorney, so if you have 250 friends, that’s 250 attorney-prospects waiting to hear about you and your CLNC^® services.

“In this day and age, one would be foolish not to utilize the marketing power of social media to help get the word out that you’re a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. Through social media I have been very fortunate to have numerous friends and family members actually network for me. Their efforts have led to new attorney-clients and successful business relationships. New cases coming my way with no effort on my part – you can’t beat that!”

Julie Somen-Becker, RN, BSN, CLNC

Talk to Your CLNC^® Colleagues – Invite your CLNC^® subcontractors and colleagues to be your friend. Social media’s messaging tools are a convenient way to refer cases to expand each other’s business. Direct messaging is also convenient for referring experts and CLNC^® consultants.

“My social media contacts are primarily Certified Legal Nurse Consultants. I only spend 6-7 minutes a day on social media, but I have increased my pool of CLNC^® subcontractors with that minimal time investment. It’s well worth the time that you invest if you spend it wisely.”

Lawrence Frace, RN, CLNC

“I use social media to network with Certified Legal Nurse Consultants about potential testifying experts and new ideas for marketing campaigns. I’ve received some great ideas from other CLNC^® consultants and have reciprocated with some of my favorite rain-making tips. Keep your posts professional and assume everything that you write is public.

Dorene Goldstein, RNC, CLNC

Talk to Attorneys and Share Information – You might not want to “friend” your attorney-clients in order to avoid blending your personal and professional life. However, the question really doesn’t have to be “Do I friend or not?” Just create a business page for those professional relationships. That way you can keep your “friend” profile private and your “professional” page public. Your professional page can be a place to post useful links, share information, foster a sense of community and maintain your presence as a valuable resource.

“One attorney was asking a question about an OB case. I used this opportunity to educate him about the issues in his case, and by doing this I gained his trust. About a month later when I sent him a marketing packet and followed up with a phone call, he offered me that exact same OB case to review.”

Dorene Goldstein, RNC, CLNC

Facebook and Google Plus have made it easier than ever to get involved in social media. It’s a new world full of opportunities to expand your legal nurse consulting business. Used practically, professionally and purposefully, it can help expand your pool of CLNC^® subcontractors and experts, keep you in touch with your network of CLNC^® colleagues and attorney-clients and help you find new markets and attorney-prospects for your CLNC^® services.

Success Is Inside!

Phil Newman, RN, CCRN, CLNC, shares how he applies the old “lunch and learn” concept to attorneys. He also discusses how to get into the offices of attorney-prospects after meeting them at his legal conference exhibits.

 
Congratulations, Phil and thanks for sharing two effective marketing strategies for Certified Legal Nurse Consultants.

Success Is Inside!

You’ve QA’d your legal nurse consulting business, but have you QR’d it? QR, or quick response, codes are all the rage in the advertising world. These are the small images or blocks of computer code you see in magazine ads, boarding passes and newspapers. When you see a QR code, you simply need to focus your smartphone’s camera on it (and have the right app) and it will take you to a webpage selected by the QR code’s author.

My mind is spinning with the possibilities for CLNC^® consultants! Nothing indicates to your attorney-prospects that you are a high-tech, up-to-date Certified Legal Nurse Consultant more than a QR code on your ads in legal journals, the back of your business card and each of your promotional pieces. Different QR codes can direct to different pages on your website. For example, QR codes can link to your website’s homepage, CV, list of CLNC^® services or promotional video.

QR codes are free, easy to create and highly customizable. Do a quick online search for free online QR code creator to find one you like. Type in your information and before you know it, you’ll have a QR code you can save and insert into your promotional materials. Remember to optimize the page you’re pointing to for mobile devices.

I love technology. Don’t you?

Success Is Inside!

You wouldn’t have a CLNC^® business without your attorney-clients. And once you gain an attorney-client, you want to keep that client for life. A single attorney can represent hundreds of thousands of revenue dollars to you as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. The CLNC^® Pros share 12 tips for retaining attorney-clients through good old-fashioned customer service. That’s right – simple customer service is always in vogue. Check in and grade yourself on how you’re applying these attorney-client retention strategies.

Track Your Cases

1. I track all my cases using what I call a “Priority Review Table.” As each case comes in, I quickly add it to the table including the type of project, due date and the assigned CLNC^® subcontractor. I also track the progress of the project from beginning to end. This table acts as a quick reference so that when an attorney-client emails a question or needs to reprioritize the case, I am able to respond promptly without taking time away from the project that is in front of me. It also helps me to focus and maintain my productivity levels.
   – Suzanne E. Arragg, RN, BSN, CDONA/LTC, CLNC

Respond Promptly to Requests

2. I respond to emails and phone calls from attorney-clients within 24 hours. Since I travel quite a bit, I rely heavily upon my Blackberry^®. If an email streams across that can wait until I return to my office later that day, I respond at that time. If not, I am able to acknowledge my client’s request quickly. This gives the attorney confidence that I’m on it.
   – Suzanne E. Arragg, RN, BSN, CDONA/LTC, CLNC

3. My attorney-clients know that I am available to them at any time. I tell them to call or email me with any questions or to bounce ideas off of me. The attorneys appreciate this. I also extend the same invitation to their paralegals.
   – Jane Hurst, RN, CLNC

Meet or Beat Deadlines

4. I always meet or beat deadlines. Although I make every effort to educate my attorney-clients that planning ahead helps me to help them, sometimes “rushes” are required. When I am able to accommodate the “rush” or even beat the deadline, it communicates accountability and reliability time and time again and keeps the relationship strong.
   – Suzanne E. Arragg, RN, BSN, CDONA/LTC, CLNC

5. Keep your time commitments. Always carefully consider deadlines when making commitments to your attorney-clients. Think about the work and other deadlines you already have, so you do not over commit and risk compromising your work product and reputation.
   – Linda Turner, RN, MSN, NNP-BC, CLNC

Practice Quality Improvement

6. Working with employees, subcontractors and various vendors makes quality improvement paramount to the success and reliability of my CLNC^® business practices. I have regular conversations not only with my attorney-clients, but with their paralegals, legal assistants and secretaries to obtain feedback, receive suggestions, discuss concerns and welcome compliments!
   – Suzanne E. Arragg, RN, BSN, CDONA/LTC, CLNC

Stay in Touch

7. While a case is active, I stay in close contact with the attorney. I don’t call or email them for every little thing, but I do make a point of letting the attorney know when I discover new and important information in the case. I keep the attorney informed about my progress and create an atmosphere of joint collaboration.
   – Dale Barnes, RN, MSN, CLNC

Leave Your Other Cases at the Door

8. Let your attorney-clients believe that they and their cases are the only things on your mind when you are dealing with them. There is no reason for them to know you are juggling 10 cases at one time!
   – Margaret Gallagher, RN, BSN, MSN, CLNC

Give a Little Extra

9. I anticipate the attorney’s needs and always give a little more than requested. For example when I am screening a case, I add a few relevant research studies. On the invoice, I indicate this “free gift” by writing no charge – professional courtesy.
   – Dorene Goldstein, RNC, CLNC

10. I always give my clients more than they expect. In addition to the agreed-upon reports and services, I always try to do a little something extra, like a chart, some deposition questions or articles. I want them to know that they always get their money’s worth.
    – Jane Hurst, RN, CLNC

11. Always inform the attorney of other CLNC^® services you can provide as they relate to the case you are working on.
    – Mildred Mannion, RN, BSN, CNOR, CLNC

Live the Golden Rule

12. Treat your attorney-client exactly the way you want to be treated. When you provide first-class service, you usually get first-class response in return.

    – Lawrence H. Frace, RN, CLNC

Thanks to all the CLNC^® Pros for sharing their attorney-client retention strategies.

Success Is Inside!