Internet Newsletter for Lawyers |
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Sherrards is a 10-partner law firm based in Hertfordshire, with a national client base. We have linked up with Forum Commercial Limited), a business transfer agency, to create a section of the site called Forum Legal. This provides free essential advice on the legal aspects of buying and selling businesses.
I have written articles for the site on Commercial Property issues relating to buying, selling and owning a business and future articles will cover such things as getting landlord's consent to a lease assignment, stamp duty issues, dilapidations and the Disability Discrimination Act. Other lawyers in the firm, who specialise in Tax, Information Technology, Corporate/Commercial and Employment, will contribute articles on such topics as which trading vehicle to use, data protection, working time regulations, the minimum wage, insurance and e-businesses. The firm will provide regular updates on legal developments, which will be of interest to anyone buying, selling or running a business.
Forum Commercial offers sellers a choice when selling their business, which is either the traditional, commission way, or simply via the web, where the business is put on the website and sellers pay an up-front low cost registration fee. In both cases, the seller pays no up-front marketing fee. The site is listed extensively with search engines and directories, including Yahoo! and Google (amongst many others) and already has over 1,000 registered buyers nationwide. The number of businesses for sale that are registered is rapidly growing. All sellers' businesses, whether being sold on a commission basis, or not, are automatically included on the website. Through the use of business templates, the site is able to generate effective adverts for each business for sale, which include the important details that buyers require when searching. In addition, the site has links with organisations and associations nationwide, for the benefit of both buyers and sellers, within its Industry Resources section.
The site links to the Sherrards Sherrards site and we have already received numerous enquiries since the launch of the web site in March this year. The venture is intended to be mutually beneficial to both parties. It provides Sherrards with an additional, more lateral tool in our marketing mix and a highly targeted audience. It also shows visitors to the Forum Legal page that we have an effective team, which can be called upon to advise upon all aspects of the business transfer process. Forum Commercial in turn is able to provide added value for its users and encourage loyalty in the hope that people will continue to re-visit the site to view legal updates, both during and after they have purchased or sold a business.
At JMW, our marketing team is always looking for new and innovative ideas. About 8 months ago I received a free CD with a PC Magazine I had purchased. The CD contained a short interactive cartoon film lasting about 15 minutes. It occurred to me that most people now have computers with cd rom drives. Wouldn't it be impressive if we could produce our very own film on CD showing an overview of life at JMW?
We already had a web presence and a somewhat outdated traditional brochure but then so did most other firms. This was something different and challenging. If I were a prospective client or referrer of work I would much prefer to watch a short real life CD as opposed to surfing pages and pages of information on the web.
With these basic ideas we set about the task of creating our very own video on CD. After interviewing 3 production companies we chose a local firm called LightAge. Over the next 6 months we had film crews regularly attending our offices and interviewing staff and partners. We approached Granada newsreader Andrew Brittain to provide the voiceover and the idea was that he would take the viewer through the work of certain specialist departments within the firm. It was also important to get the right background music to complement the scenes being filmed.
After a lot of hard work and a significant dent in our marketing budget, the CD was put into production in June this year. Copies have been given to all members of staff and the "feel good factor" in the office alone has made the exercise worthwhile. So far we have sent out about 1,000 copies to existing and potential clients and the feedback has been very positive. We are presently acquiring database lists for distribution to firms and organisations throughout the country. An added bonus is being able to use the video at in-house and external seminars.
The initiative has also received good coverage in the Manchester Evening News and the Manchester Chamber of Commerce Magazine.
Xlsis is a group of solicitors and other professional advisers who advise business clients in their own, specialist, fields. Membership is only open to sole practitioners, or very small firms, who specialise in particular areas and whose skills compliment those of other group members. This means that members can offer their business clients a partner-level package of bespoke services comparable to those provided by major law firms at very economic rates.
Xlsis is intended to be a powerful, modern, marketing tool for members to use in promoting their own businesses. It is not a virtual law firm and does not itself provide any advice or services to clients. Members do not pay xlsis, or each other, any introduction, referral fee or percentage and xlsis is not intended to operate as a profit-making entity in its own right. It has low overheads and entry and administration costs are relatively low.
The advantages of xlsis (from my perspective) are:
* Its focus on business clients.
* Its focus on (more or less) solo experts.
* The fact that it is not restricted to solicitors.
* Members' skills are intended to complement each other's.
* It is not intended to be a profit-centre in its own right.
Our membership currently stands at nine: six solicitors, one accountant, one fee-based IFA and a trademark agent. Although we are seeking additional members from across the country in a limited number of areas such as Competition, Insolvency, Intellectual Property, Town and Country Planning and E-Commerce, we have no interest in growing the xlsis "pool" for the sake of it.
Xlsis is not a local organisation. We do currently have a preponderance of members based in the West, but (taking my practice as a case in point) the majority of my clients come from around the country and overseas. The site is not intended to attract "High Street" clientele, or passing trade. It has to be easy and relatively inexpensive to maintain because we do not pool or share income.
There are two areas we need to develop in the coming months. We are expanding the "Useful Information" section to cover areas such as accountancy, debt collection, dispute resolution, employment, financial and tax planning, litigation and trademarks. We also plan a private members chat room, as an aid to internal communication.
There is no doubt that the site does perform a very useful function, already. It helps us explain to experienced business clients that a network of experts can now deliver high quality, competitive, services. Having this resource to refer to provides credibility, and the confidence to go out and promote the approach, at a wholly different level.
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