LNCtips.com: 5 Ways to Appear Desperate
You're a new legal nurse consultant, and you want that first case. You KNOW you can do a great job but you can't seem to get anyone to hire you. The more you market without results, the more you feel a sense of urgency to get that first case. Unfortunately, potential clients may perceive your sense of urgency as desperation, and that will lessen your value to them. Here are five ways new LNCs can appear desperate to potential clients.
Sadly, new LNCs can't always identify the signs of desperation in themselves. Let's look at five ways LNCs appear desperate and how to fix them.
1) You're frustrated. Frustration is desperation's cousin. You review testimonials of LNCs who have graduated from LNC programs and achieved instant success. You're frustrated because you're not achieving the same results. Potential clients may misinterpret this frustration as desperation.
2) You have self-doubts. If you wonder what's wrong with you because you're not having marketing success, you're experiencing self-doubts. According to Honore de Balzac, "When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubt." Your self-doubts become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
3) "Just give me a chance" or "Why won't they give me a chance?" If you've thought or spoken this type of sentence, you'll appear desperate to potential clients. There's no reason that attorneys have to give you a chance. They want someone who can do the job.
4) I'll do it for free." Some legal nurse consultants disagree with me, but I feel that working free of charge is a big tip-off that you're desperate. Unless you're volunteering at Legal Aid, working without pay means that psychologically you have given up on your ability to attract a paying client. It's a last ditch effort to prove to yourself that you are able to function as an LNC.
5) Your marketing efforts focus on all the types of things that you COULD do. This shotgun approach works for some LNCs. However, this type of approach can lead to frustration and desperation if it doesn't work.
What can you do to stop appearing desperate? Here are three ways to get back on track.
1) Review testimonials with a healthy dose of skepticism. A testimonial is a powerful form of marketing because we believe that if another LNC can get clients immediately, we can too. Some LNCs DO achieve success very quickly, but it takes time for most LNCs to land that first client. Think of it this way. Is an LNC program most likely to highlight in a testimonial an LNC who achieved quick success or the multitudes of LNCs who didn't?
2) Shift your thinking. Stop asking for chances. Instead of questioning yourself, review your strengths and focus on them. Your unique combination of skills and experiences is your path to success. Instead of telling attorneys that you'll review a case for nothing, tell them, "This is what I can do for you."
3) Turn around your marketing approach. Instead of using a shotgun approach to marketing, focus on the things you do better than anyone else does. This narrow approach to marketing is called targeted marketing. The great thing about targeted marketing is that it falls in line with your special interests and abilities. For example, I know one LNC who parlayed an interest and experience in working with experts into a multimillion-dollar expert location business.
You may have felt frustrated and used ineffective marketing techniques. Because of this, potential clients may have viewed you as desperate. Changing your thinking and shifting your marketing approach can change that perception. You can do this!
...Katy Jones