Biding your time. Recently, a nurse was sharing her angst that attorneys to whom she marketed via email were not responding to her. I have been giving this some thought because it is a situation that many new LNCs experience.

Everyone finds their comfort level in marketing, and chances are, if you are too comfortable, it might be time to change things up a little. This is particularly true if your efforts are not producing results.  Although LNCs can market to a variety of settings, let’s focus on marketing to attorneys, and begin by looking at ourselves.

What makes you buy a product that has no entertainment value? Need. You might watch a Bare Minerals commercial and be amazed that makeup can completely cover scarring. If your skin is perfect, you don’t need to buy the product (and it is costly).  If you suffer from acne scarring, the cost may be irrelevant compared to the benefit of having the appearance of smooth skin.

Attorneys place tremendous value on their time. If you call or visit, they may not see a need for you right then and there. They are going to say things like “I’ll keep your information on file”, or they may be “busy” when you call to schedule an appointment. This is not personal; they are concentrating their time and attention where they perceive a need, and right now, you are not it.

What do you do at this point? Do you simply move on to the next target and never look back? Or do you send them a partial work sample and CV? Do you thank them for taking the time to look at or save your materials, and promise to keep in touch? Do you send them a relevant article a few weeks later and then maybe monthly? Because sooner or later, your name will come across their desk when they need your service. If they like what they have seen of you, you might land a case.

During all this “down” time in which no one needs you, if someone is curious enough to look you up online, what will they find?

If you are on LinkedIn, they should find a complete profile, with picture, your education, and work history. Hopefully you will have a recommendation or two, and a respectable number of connections. They will look for a link to your website and a clear description of your services. They can only know you through what you have written.

Here is the crux of my rambling (which is another no-no). How many nurses have your medical knowledge and experience? Thousands.

What sets you apart and makes you special; what will convince the attorney that he needs you and not the others? Presentation, and the ability to communicate, are critical to being a successful LNC. If your profile is not complete, if your description of yourself is not well-written, if your writing has errors in grammar or punctuation, or flips between first and third person, or past, present and future tense, your public image will not be compelling. And to an attorney, words are everything.