Instead, go for the DYMO LabelWriter Twin Turbo system instead.  You simply buy the machine and that’s it.  There is no toner to buy, only the label rolls.  It works on some futuristic thermal printing technology that doesn’t require toner.  The stamp program that accompanies the machine is through Endicia.  There is no cost for using the service, only the cost of stamps.

For a little bit extra, if you’re feeling the need to splurge, also buy the DYMO scale that connects via USB so you won’t have to manually input the weight of your letters or packages.  The scale automatically weighs it and calculates the postage for you!

Why is it that most yellowpage advertising doesn’t work? Simple. No one uses the yellowpages anymore.

I do agree with Cameron that MBA programs don’t teach entrepreneurship.  Being a business person cannot be taught through a Masters degree.  It takes something else – the x-factor as Simon Cowell says.

Definition of entrepreneur: ‘a person who organizes, operates and assumes the risk for a business venture’

I get calls for uncontested divorces and I often get asked the question, how long will it take.  I tell them it takes about 5-6 months.  Some people are shocked and tells me that other attorneys they’ve called tells them it’ll be done in a month or two.  That is simply  not possible because the Judgment Nisi period is 4 months alone for a uncontested divorce here in Massachusetts.  What those attorneys are quoting is simply the time it takes from intake to when the clients get to go to court.  But that wasn’t the client’s question.  The question was when would they be divorced.

As an attorney, how do you make sure that you don’t make the mistake of my contractors or some of these attorneys?  Give clients a realistic and overly conservative estimate of cost and time.  If you’re taking a retainer for a case, and you expect the case to cost $4000, tell them that there’s a chance it might be $8000 or $10000 depending on what happens.  If you think that the case will take 4 months to complete, tell them 4 months or better yet, tell them 6 months.  The worst thing you can do is underestimate your price and time from the beginning because your clients will think that you have failed them if you don’t live up to those standards you first set for yourself.  If you quote them realistically and conservatively, you’ll exceed their expectations every time!

Many times when I meet a client in person, I was asked, “You look young.  How old are you?”  In fact, I still get asked that question today, but a lot less often (I’ll tell you why later).  When I was first asked this question, I was at a loss for words.  A million things ran through my head: Do I actually tell them how old I am?  They’re gonna think that 25 is way too young.  These people have kids older than me!

What I eventually came to realize is that I shouldn’t be afraid to tell them how old I am.  And if I do my job right from the start, they’ll ask less about how old I am.  What I ultimately realized was that they don’t really care how old I am.  What they really want to know is “Do you have the necessary skill and experience to handle my case?”  But instead of asking that question which could be rude and embarrassing to the client to ask, they ask me how old I am instead and they use my age as a yardstick to gauge my level of expertise.

The reason why 3 years later, I get a lot less first-time clients asking me about  my age is because I’ve developed a system of extensive and lengthy intake before I actually meet with the client in person.  We talk about their case and the law and the fees all before they come into the office to see me for the first time.  So that by the time they actually come in, they’re ready to sign on with me with retainer check in hand.  Because of this extensive intake, most of them no longer is suspicious whether or not I have the level of expertise to help them with their case because I’ve already shown them my grasp of the law during the intake process.  And because they no longer worry about my skills and experience, they don’t need to ask me about  my age.

I still get a few “How old are you?” questions from clients sometimes but the tone is entirely different now.  They ask it as a point of making conversation and not something that hinges on whether or not they’ll engage my firm.  I also have no reservations about tell them proudly that I’m 28 years old and yes I own my own small firm with associate and support staff.

Dustin Cole of the AttorneysMasterClass has a term he calls MBWA – Marketing By Walking Around.  That is what people do when they think they’re networking.  They’re just walking around, without a purpose, handing out cards as if their business card is made out of honey and they’re trying to attract insects.

In any “networking” event, your purpose should not be “How can I network to bring in business?”  Instead, when you meet someone, you should be thinking, “How can I help them with their business?”  By turning your thinking around, you will naturally be more engaging to others because your purpose is no longer selling yourself but you’re now listening.  People love to talk about themselves and you will stick out in their mind as someone who listens.  Follow up by seeing if you can send clients their way.  The best way to get clients is to give clients.

If you connect with someone on LinkedIn, apply the same rules as if you met them in person.  First, meet them in person and then see how you can help them with business.  Meeting people in person, even those you meet online, is important.  People typically don’t remember you until the 3rd time you’ve met them.  So the more frequently you connect with your top business associates, the more likely you are of getting referrals from them.  This is more commonly known as Top of Mind.

Now go out there and Never Eat Alone!

I asked her after she told me about the break-in, “Did you back up?”  Her response is typical of lot of attorneys, “It was next on my list of things to do.”  But we all know that that list only grows longer and other things start to creep in ahead of backing up.

She has since spent a lot of time and money to rebuild her office from this catastrophe.  The lesson to be learned is that even though you may lose your computer to theft, fire or other disasters, if you have an effective back-up system, the only cost to you would be the money to replace the equipment.  The time to restore your old files would be negligible.

I recommend multiple backups, one of which should remain outside of your office.  Keep a hard drive backup and also an online backup such as Mozy or Carbonite.  Do it now before it’s too late!

In this month’s Massachusetts Lawyers Journal and Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, there were articles about how to take credit cards and using PayPal to collect fees.

Listed as cons for using PayPal are reasons such as chargebacks to your IOLTA, fees being deducted from the retainer amount and commingling attorney funds with client’s money.  Another reason not listed that should be mentioned is that paypal is unreliable.

Ask any large-scale merchant on ebay or do a search on paypal horror stories and you will find forum after forum full of merchants who had had their paypal account frozen purely at the discretion and whim of paypal.  If they see that your account is “suspicious” they have the unilateral right to freeze the account and hold the funds for upwards of 90 days.  All this you agreed to in the end-user agreement that nobody reads when they sign up.

What does PayPal consider suspicious activity?  Who knows.  It’s purely their decision.  If they see a large transaction (such as a large retainer), they might freeze your account until they can ascertain the validity of the transaction.  Meanwhile, you can’t access those funds and PayPal is not investigating with full deliberate speed.

If you’re going to accept credit cards as part of your law practice (as you should), then sign on with a reliable and trusted law firm merchant account such as Affiniscape or LawCharge.  Don’t risk it with PayPal.

If your clients charges a credit card to pay your retainer, the entirety of those funds must be deposited into your IOLTA account.  No fees or other charges must be taken from those funds.  Any and all fees must be paid out of your operating account and is a cost of doing business.  You cannot charge your client the fees associated with using a credit card.

Law firm merchant accounts such as Affiniscape or LawCharge are set up to serve law firms specifically.  They will deposit all retainers into your IOLTA and take any fees or chargebacks from your operating account.  This is the ONLY way to charge credit cards in your law practice.  Do not use paypal!