Your Attitude for Your LNC Business Success Matters

Your attitude for success in building your LNC business means everything.

Starting your LNC business is hard work. But the hard work, in the beginning, doesn’t end there. Once you have your business going, a positive attitude leads you to continue to grow and develop your business. This is where your mindset attitude kicks in to help you jump the next hurdle.

Business development is an ongoing process. There will be challenges along the way, and having a positive attitude will keep you going during the rough times.

Right now feels like one of those tough times. Courts are closed in many states. But attorneys are still taking in new cases, settling or mediating cases, and making decisions that need your medical input.

Marketing on a Shoestring

It is easier than ever to develop your business with a shoestring budget. For instance, Google has a ton of business tools you can access and use for free.

For example, instead of the premium price for Microsoft, Google has the same counterparts you can use for free.

They are simply called other names:

• Word = Google Docs
• Excel = Google Sheets
• Powerpoint = Google Slides
• Outlook = gmail
• Plus a whole lot more!

Of course, there is a ‘paid’ version that gives you more storage, and more business tools, perks, etc.

Social media platforms are another free asset you can use for your business. Marketing and spreading the word about you and your LNC business is easier than ever. Of course, you can do paid ads. However, overall your marketing plan can afford to use ads and get more traffic when you are saving money from other parts of your business.

These are only a couple of ways you can start and maintain your business on a tiny budget.

Passion and Enthusiasm

No amount of money can buy you passion! No professional PR campaign can generate your enthusiasm for your business. Passion and enthusiasm come from you. If you don’t have passion for what you’re doing, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.

A positive attitude is contagious. If you radiate enthusiasm for your business, people will think, “I want some of what she has.” Enthusiasm also suggests confidence. Attorneys you’re trying to attract as clients will be drawn to you.

You’ll also attract top-quality clients. Everyone wants to be in a positive atmosphere. The creation of such an atmosphere is entirely in your hands and your attitude. Remember that your clients are looking at your professionalism. Your enthusiasm and confidence can change their attitudes, too.

Goals and Priorities

I recommend setting goals and priorities when you’re in a positive mood. If you’re tired, everything will seem too difficult. In a state of enthusiasm, you can envision the future you desire and set goals that will help you achieve it. These goals should be both short-term and long-term and should always be prioritized.

This is the time of year to begin thinking about what you want to accomplish next year. We’re all ready to look towards a more positive future.

A well-thought-out list of goals helps to structure and manage your time. Completing items on a list will give you a sense of accomplishment. Some goals have deadlines, like bill payments. Others aren’t as time-sensitive. Some planning advisors warn against the temptation to make the priorities the easy jobs. At the same time, if every “A” task is difficult, you can get discouraged.

Sometimes doing a few easy things first gives you the reward of checking them off the list, which makes the list less menacing. Experiment with what works best for you. Experts advise that you always set time aside for marketing every week. Again, see what works best for you, but don’t skip it.

You also want to set up a program for your long-term goals. Most likely you’ve seen the lists that ask: “Where do you want to be in 90 days, six months, a year, five years?” What matters is that you have this kind of long-term structure in place and that you review it frequently.

Before 2020, the concept of a 5 year goal seemed realistic. Now, I think we are lucky if we can see a year ahead.

Ask yourself how the projects and day-to-day responsibilities you’ve given yourself fit into the big picture. Be determined about eliminating marginal tasks. Do it once you have the program in mind, follow it. Do the thing, or most of them, that you’ve assigned yourself for the week, month, etc. To make sure that you do them, schedule time every week to review whether you’ve achieved your goals or not.

I like to put my tasks on my calendar so I don’t lose track of them. I’m also considering trying Evernote to keep everything in one place.

In the beginning, if you’re a solopreneur, you may do this alone. Once you have a team, it will become a group review. Doing this is important, especially in the area of marketing.

Did you call the number of people you said you would?

Did you write the article?

Don’t make the review an opportunity to criticize yourself. Make it a chance to do better next week. In addition, note whether these efforts made a difference.

Be Informed

You need to absorb as much information as possible about your business and what your competitors are doing. That’s the minimum. However, you also need to know what’s going on outside your industry. Political shifts in government may have a big effect on your business. We’re in such a shift right now.

You may need to have a broad understanding of new techniques that can help you in your business. Beyond that, being well-read and well-informed stimulates your creativity.

Be and Look Professional

This is more important than ever. Invest in a Zoom account: this becomes your new platform, your new way to meet your clients. By now I bet you’ve heard stories of people who forgot the camera was on, went to the bathroom or masturbated in front of the camera. (Couldn’t this have waited until later?) Others got caught wearing inappropriate clothes, especially from the waist down.

Our virtual world also means taking care of what you say. Adapt the World War II saying, “Loose Lips Sink Ships” to read that they can sink businesses. Never complain about a client to a colleague. Bad news travels at the speed of light. On the other hand, you can freely compliment people. This last section loops naturally back to the first one. Be positive. Say good things about people. Nothing will serve you and your business more.

Before the U.S. election, some of the comments on Facebook got really toxic. I had some strong beliefs and only rarely shared them. It is far better to be completely neutral. You’ll offend someone, as I did one time when I slipped.

Focus on your goals, stay positive, and know that we will get through this dark winter of despair.

Pat Iyer is president of The Pat Iyer Group, which develops resources to assist LNCs obtain more clients, make more money and achieve their business goals and dreams.

Pat’s related websites include the LNC business coaching services she offers through LNCAcademy.com, the continuing education provided on LNCEU.com, the podcasts broadcast at podcast.legalnursebusiness.com, and writing tips supplied at patiyer.com.

Get all of Pat’s content in one place by downloading the mobile app, Biz Edu at www.legalnursebusiness.com/bizedu. Watch videos, listen to podcasts, read blogs, watch online courses and training, and more.