I know many of you find legal innovation overwhelming at times. I get it, there are so many competing ideas and views that it can be tricky to cut through it all and work out what’s right for you.
Over on LinkedIn, I recently shared five tips to help make your #doinglawdifferently journey so much easier. Here they are.
1. It all starts with a great vision
The starting point has nothing to do with business and everything to do with you. If you’re going to redesign your business, you might as well make it one you love.
Your first job is to work out what you want your life to look like. Then you can set about designing a business that lets you live that life.
Don’t let someone else’s definition of success cloud yours.
2. Know your WHO, WHAT, WHY and HOW
WHO do you help?
WHAT do they want?
WHY do they want it?
HOW do they want it?
Start with these questions and you’ll end with innovative solutions that are tailor made to your clients’ needs.
3. Turn your IP into products
A productised service is a service that is packaged and sold like a typical product. They offer the convenience of a one-size product and the personalisation of a service. Think of them like a beautifully wrapped gift – a bundle of services put together and tied with a neat bow. Everything you need is wrapped safely inside.
If you’re tired of tracking time, productised services offer a way to simplify your business model. They let you “work hard once” and leverage that hard work time and time again.
4. A good process produces good results
Would I be Lucy Dickens if one of my tips wasn’t about process improvement? Creating good workflows transformed our business and is undoubtedly one of the pillars of our success.
Systems are the business equivalent of a baking recipe. Effective business systems are the difference between a business that rises and one that sinks.
Any task in your business that will be done more than once should have a documented process. Every product you sell should be powered by a streamlined workflow, designed to deliver your services in an efficient and effective way while providing an exemplary customer experience.
If process isn’t your thing, it certainly is mine. My superpower is an ability to “see the path” from A to B. Get in touch to see how I can help.
5. When it comes to technology, know what you need and don’t get distracted by the bells and whistles
I’ve got experience with tech from all angles: lawyer and file owner, supervisor, practice manager, software developer and customer.
Time and time again, where I see people go wrong, is that they get excited by the bells and whistles and distracted by the shiny lights. They buy technology that looks and sounds exciting, innovative and cutting edge, but they hit one of two problems. Either the technology doesn’t suit the way they do business and using it becomes cumbersome; or those fancy features go unused because they didn’t really know what they wanted them for anyway.
Don’t fall into this trap. Technology is capable of transforming your business for the better, but know your objective before you dive in.
There you have it – five tips to help you do law differently. What’s the biggest tip you’ve learned that you’d add to the list?
