By Abigail Stanley

It’s 5am in the morning. I’m on a plane flying from Vegas to Tampa for a fall family vacation. I just spent the past 5 days at the famous Bellagio hotel hanging out with 2,000+ of the top plaintiff lawyers in the nation. In one of the airport gift shops I saw a keychain with the phrase:

“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”

After 12+ years working as a Legal Nurse Consultant, I know with certainty this phrase is HIGHLY inaccurate. I don’t believe in selling at conferences. Instead, I build long-lasting attorney relationships that live on far past a Vegas conference.

In a world filled with spam calls, spam emails, spam texts…face-to-face is the only way to earn real trust. One of my top Indiana clients told me once he gets on average 15 emails or LinkedIn messages from legal nurse consultants EVERY SINGLE DAY. Want to stand out? Build REAL relationships. By far the easiest way to build real relationships is to attend or exhibit at an in-person attorney conference.

I started my company in August 2011. I jumped right in. I spent my first few months. researching lawyers in my area and cold calling (emails, LinkedIn messages, phone calls, stopping by law firms). Guess how many cases I got from all of these efforts? ZERO. Did I let that deter me? Nope. I was determined.

Three months later was my first attorney conference in my hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana.This was my first opportunity for real face-to-face time with a large number of attorneys at once. I was excited and scared. After the conference I mailed out what felt like a zillion marketing packets to all of the lawyers who attended the conference. I mailed out over 500 packets! And guess what? By December I got my first case from an attorney I met at the conference. I didn’t understand until years later how big I scored on my first attorney client. He was a managing partner of a fantastic law firm in Indy. Interesting fact – prior to the conference I sent all of the attorneys in his firm several emails and LinkedIn messages with no response. Landing my first case was from meeting him in person and building a genuine relationship. Years later I can say I’ve worked on TONS of cases for his law firm. The relationship has extended past him. I know his son (also a lawyer client of mine), his son’s wife (also a lawyer client of mine). They just had their second baby. We’re all Facebook friends. Are you getting the gist? The key is building real relationships.

One of the things I hear most from new legal nurses starting out is how intimidated they are at the thought of speaking with attorneys. I won’t lie to you. You definitely have reason to be intimidated. They will size you up. Over the years of marketing at attorney conferences I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks along the way. Our goal with Legal Nurse Secrets is to share as much as we can with LNCs and give back to the industry that’s given us so much.

5 TIPS FOR MARKETING AT ATTORNEY CONFERENCES

Tip #1 – Your mindset at the conference is the most important.
While you must view every attorney as a potential client, you must also understand you will hear more no’s than yes’s. Go with the flow at conferences. Let the no’s fall right off of you. Your mindset should remain consistent. You are there to build relationships not simply ‘get a case’.

Tip #2 – Dress to impress. Whatever (professional) outfit makes you feel your most confident, wear it. If you don’t have one, buy one. Confidence is key! Remember you’re entering their industry, not the other way around. Most attorneys live a life of luxury. You need to project that you’re comfortable in their world by dressing on a similar level.

Tip #3 – Be yourself! The BEST marketers are not selling. They are having conversations with attorneys who become friends who later become clients. Where are you from? Did you grow up there? Kids, pets, sports, college affiliations, vacations, movies, shows, etc. Use small talk to connect on a human level. After every conversation, make a note on your phone. Write down every detail – name, firm, where they live, kids/approx. ages, hobbies, fav drink, fav sports team, types of cases they work on, etc.

Tip #4 – While I do believe other vendors are our allies, do not let them waste your time. You have moments to speak with attorneys, MOMENTS! Use your time wisely. In the middle of a conversation with a fellow vendor I told them, “I am waiting here to speak with that attorney (pointed across the room). If I see her conversation end, I will leave you mid-sentence. No offense. And I know you get it as this is the game we’re both in.”

Tip #5 – Unless you’re an extreme extrovert, you’ll be a little nervous at the thought of talking to a bunch of strangers… strangers who happen to be attorneys you want to work with. To this day I still get a little nervous. To help my nerves I tap into my inner actress. Every single day, when I leave my hotel room to head to the conference I say out loud, “Showtime!” I figure if actors and actresses can become someone else, so can I. Throughout the day when I have to reset my thinking, I again think of my inner actress.

Bonus Tip – Before my first national conference I had a Zoom call with one super kind attorney (there are a few out there LOL). He gave me advice…probably the second most important advice I’ve ever received from an attorney to help my company grow. He pulled up a hotel map on our Zoom call. He showed me the room where all of the vendor booths would be in the exhibit hall. Then he showed me the hallways outside of the exhibit hall and the 2 main bars in the hotel (FAR from the conference area). He said, “Do you see these hallways? Do you see these 2 bars? That’s where the real magic happens. If you get a case, it more than likely won’t be from an attorney stopping by your booth, it will be away from the exhibit hall…at one of the hotel bars or in the hallways.”

I hope these tips help you on your journey as a new or established LNC. If you are a new LNC and have any questions, drop it in the comment section below. If you are an established LNC drop your tips of marketing in the comment section below.

P.S. Bonus Tip #2 – After the conference is over, YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW UP!