Turn Calls/Inquiries into Signed Retainer
Agreements and Cash in the Bank… Remotely
interviewer I don’t want to end it on such a somber note. Let me add a bit of levity to it, some positivity. When I spoke to you today, just now, I get a sense of calm and self-determination. I don’t sense any fear. I do sense that from a lot of attorneys I speak to. They’re afraid to be open about their lives, their spouses and what they do. I don’t sense any of that from you. I sense that you are relaxed and open. You’re happy and you’re successful. That’s what I want to communicate to the people listening.
Robert Absolutely. If you want to give a monetary example to the folks on the call, one of the great books I recommend for everybody when I talk about time management, the seminar you are at that we talked about, Richard, was a Dan Kennedy seminar. Dan has a book called the “No BS Time Management for Entrepreneurs Book”. After going to that first seminar for Great Legal Marketing back in 2006, one of the exercises in the first chapter, on page seven of his book, is basically to calculate your base earning target for the year.
It’s funny. There are all those commercials on there now that I think are just awesome commercials. Like “When you want to feel good about yourself, you go to a motivational seminar, when you go to a motivational seminar, you feel lucky, when you feel lucky, you go to Vegas, when you go to Vegas, you lose all your money, when you lose all your money you sell your hair to a wig shop. Don’t sell your hair to a wig shop”.
Anyway, after going to this seminar, one of the exercises is to write down the number. I was feeling, “I’m going to set a lofty goal”. The number I wrote down, and I’m looking at it right now, was $50,000 more in gross revenue than I had made in any year since getting married and moving to Richmond seven years earlier.
As I like to say, I’m happy to report I came nowhere near that goal. The actual number that year was $250,000 more than I had made in any year since moving to Richmond. The number has gone up every year since then. Hanging around with these people and knowing that what we’re doing works and that we are all of us good friends. That’s another benefit, hanging around good winners.
You’re right, Richard. Lawyers don’t talk about what’s going on with them in general. So often, they’re only hanging around other local lawyers who do exactly what they do, so they really don’t want to share what’s going on. Whereas we are a national group of people who are winners and who preach that mindset. We’ve all chosen not to take part in the recession.
interviewer Very good. Well, this has been very good, very interesting. I really appreciate you taking the time.
Robert Sure. It’s my pleasure, Richard.