QUESTION #1: Which type of marketing do you recommend for me: institutional marketing to build my image -- or direct marketing to generate inquiries from prospective clients?

ANSWER: If the consultant prefers institutional or image marketing, you should be aware that his marketing program may not attract inquiries from prospective clients. If the purpose of your marketing program is to improve your image and not generate inquiries, then an institutional approach might be all you need. But if you want calls from prospective clients, make sure the marketing method you choose is built on sound, proven principles of direct marketing.

QUESTION #2: Which marketing method is better for me, selling-based marketing or Education-Based Marketing?

ANSWER: Without question, the better method to use is Education-Based Marketing. Here's why: Clients are tired of selling and sales pressure. They've learned they can't always trust a salesperson. So if you choose selling-based marketing, you shoot yourself in the foot in two ways. First, you're not giving clients what they want. And second, you hurt your credibility when you take on the role of a salesperson.

Most of the marketing we see today is selling-based marketing, designed to sell a product or service. And you know what happens when we see an ad in the newspaper -- we turn the page. When we see a commercial on TV, we either hit the mute button, change the channel or go to the refrigerator.

I once saw a comic in the Sunday Funnies. A man was watching the Super Bowl on TV and he got up to leave the room. The voice on the TV said "Hold it! I paid $1,000,000 for this commercial. Now you sit down and watch it."

One reason lawyers get such a poor response from their marketing is because they're not giving prospects what they want. Prospects want information and advice, which is the foundation of Education-Based Marketing. And until lawyers realize what consumers want -- and give it to them -- attorneys will continue to get a poor response to their marketing.

So, which marketing method is better for you? Education-Based Marketing because it gives your prospective clients what they want: information and advice. And because it doesn't hurt your credibility by casting you in the role of a salesperson.

QUESTION #3: Which type of marketing do you use more often for your clients -- selling-based marketing or Education-Based Marketing?

ANSWER: Lawyers often ask how many other attorneys a consultant has worked for in the same business or profession. Yet, another question is much more important. I suggest you ask which type of marketing the consultant uses more often, selling-based marketing or Education-Based Marketing. You see, a marketing consultant can apply his type of marketing to any area of the law. But if the consultant typically uses selling-based marketing, you can expect him to suggest that you use selling-based marketing, too.

In my case, I work exclusively with Education-Based Marketing because it consistently brings my clients the results they want. And, as you might imagine, the marketing program I design for one client will have similar components to the program I design for another. Not because the clients are similar -- but because I use similar methods for both.

QUESTION #4: How will you direct my marketing only to prospective clients so I don't waste money reaching the wrong people?

ANSWER: The marketing consultant will likely ask you -- or at least, he should ask you -- the type of clients you want to attract. After you define your target audience, then the consultant should tell you different ways to reach those people. For example, if you're looking for high level business executives, you might reach them with direct mail, feature articles and display ads in trade publications, and interviews on radio and television shows directed toward business executives.

On the other hand, if you want to reach a broad-based consumer audience, you might reach them through interviews on radio talk shows and television newscasts, and by advertising or getting articles in general-interest newspapers and magazines.

QUESTION #5: How will you get my prospective clients to call me?

ANSWER: People often hesitate to call a lawyer they don't know. So I encourage you to offer free written information, which you'll mail to anyone on request. This gives your prospective client a non-threatening reason to call. He simply calls and asks your receptionist to mail him a free copy of your materials. That's when he gives your receptionist his name and mailing address. In this way, your prospect gets information to help him solve a problem -- and you get a mailing list of prospective clients.

QUESTION #6: What college courses have you taken in marketing?

ANSWER: A few years ago I hired associates to help me serve my clients. When I interviewed prospective associates, I was surprised to learn that many people who call themselves marketing consultants have never taken a single course in marketing. Can you imagine a person claiming to be a lawyer without ever studying law -- or claiming to be a doctor without ever studying medicine? College courses alone will not create a competent marketing person. But it's at least a step in the right direction.

QUESTION #7: Have you ever owned and marketed your own business?

ANSWER: The only way a marketing consultant can know what it's like to risk money on marketing is to have owned and operated his own business. It's one thing to put a client's money at risk. But it's quite another to risk your own. I can remember many of my own marketing failures -- out of which I learned many expensive and valuable lessons. In my case, I had to learn each lesson the first time because I couldn't afford to make the same mistake again. If I hadn't owned and marketed my own business, I might never have learned those important lessons.

QUESTION #8: Have you yourself ever hired a marketing consultant or p.r. firm?

ANSWER: The only way to appreciate what it's like to hire a marketing consultant -- to put your trust into someone else's hands -- is to have done it. In my early years after college, I hired four marketing consultants to help me on my own projects. In coming years, my wife and I hired three public relations firms, after interviewing 14. More recently, I hired five marketing associates from over 50 who applied. After hiring a total of 12 different marketing people or agencies, I was pleased with the work of only two. That doesn't speak well of the marketing profession -- but it does help me appreciate what you're going through.