Business Development

[Al]

I am interested to learn as much as you want to divulge about your business development practices. It's a challenging business environment we work in where we not only compete locally but we compete nationally, and sometimes globally. What works for you? Do you spend a lot on advertising? Do you rely on word-of-mouth? Do you focus on being technologically superior? Is cutting deals and reducing rates what works for you? Since I asked the question, I'll provide an answer to get the conversation started. I focus on inspired personal service and something I call Outfluence in order to gain an advantage in the marketplace. Outfluence is an awareness of the fact that in every contact with another person silent messages are sent and received by both. The "secret" is in how you Outfluence. My success over the years has been local and national. How about you?

Al

[Sharon Smith]

Advertising is the wave of the future due to the Internet!! I did not realize the number of law firms who search the Internet to locate Court Reporters until I started advertising. No one uses a telephone book any more. I advertise with our State site and also a National site: www.nationalcourtreporterguide.com

[Michelle]

I agree, advertising is the future, but also through contacts built up on forums like this one. We have had a lot of business come through agencies in the USA looking for a resource for a client in Europe, this has been beneficial to both us and the other agency. You can build up some great relationships through chance meetings on boards like this one.

[Christy Fagan, CRR, RMR, CSR]

I advertise using YellowPages.com, LexisNexis and Rominger Legal. I'm not as diligent as I should be in asking out-of-town firms where they found my name but Rominger will send you an Email every time somebody clicks through to your website. So if you get a call soon after that, you can figure that's where they got the name.
Lexis is the priciest but I think it's one of the biggest names out there. I also use the pay-per-click on Google for my website and pay under $10 a month for all the click-throughs that I get on there. You can set a limit so that it doesn't get abused, but it also lets you know how often people are finding you through that.
I don't cut any deals. My rates are the same for everyone, no freebies.
Almost all of my clients have come through my meeting them at the depos and then them calling and scheduling with me after they see the work product or if we just had a good time and built up a rapport at the depo(s) in a particular case.

[Anthony D. Frisolone]

I saw Al Betz's seminar on Outfluence in Boston at the NCRA Midyear. What he has to say does give you food for thought. Very interesting, very common sense approach.

[Al]

Hi, Anthony! Thank you for your comments. Here's a bit of an update since Boston: Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland has become the first school in the country to add an Outfluence course to its curriculum. Needless to say, we're very excited. 40 more school districts in the country will be adding our program in 2009. Also, my second book, entitled Outfluence, is done and will be released in about 4 weeks. We update www.outfluenceonline.com daily with fresh content. I hope you'll pay us a visit from time to time.

I visited your page here. It's incredibly populated with great content. Nice going!

Best,

Al

[Shelly Scott]

A couple agencies I know tell their reporters that if they can get opposing counsel in a deposition to schedule future work, then that reporter gets 10% of the page rate on all future work of that new client. Seems like a great motivation for the reporter to put their best foot forward and talk up the agency on breaks and after the depo, and builds clientele..

[Reid Bryce Robbins]

I go a step further with that. I allow the people who work with my office, scopists, secretary, videographers, all the opportunity for that same 10 percent for clients. I have had people come to work just as salesmen for my company and do quite well. Why shouldn't a receptionist who has a friend who is a paralegal have a chance to bring in some cash for herself.

[Michelle]

Reid, I totally agree. We have much the same policy in-house.
If any of our staff, reporters or admin staff, bring in a new client, they get the benefits.