1. Attorneys can’t find you.
Some ways to get noticed by attorneys include:
- Cold outreach via email or letters to law firms
- Contacting Lawyer friends and family members
- Paying for an Online Expert Witness Directory
- Signing Up for Referral Services
TIP: Ensure that all of your marketing assets such as your LinkedIn and CV are optimized with keywords and lay language, so attorneys understand your unique talents and expert niche.
2. You’re difficult to reach.
Is it easy for the attorney to contact you or does s/he have to call your office and wait on hold, only to have his/her call returned days later?
Make sure that you have an easy way for the attorney to find your contact information. Some options include a website landing page, LinkedIn Profile (if you check it regularly), or paid directory listings.
If you are hard to get in touch with, the attorney will move on to the next expert on their list.
TIP: Share your personal email and cell phone to make it easy for attorneys to contact you.
3. Your area of expertise is not clear.
Experts with clearly defined niches fair better than experts who claim to know everything about everything.
I know, it is surprising, but try it out. Think about what you are known for, what your colleagues come to you about, and which committees you have served on.
For example, try listing your expertise as “Stroke Protocols in the Emergency Room” rather than simply “Emergency Medicine” for 3 months and see which is more successful for you.
TIP: Try A/B testing for multiple niches to find what is most successful. Just make sure that they are in your area of expertise. Make sure to stay in your lane to avoid any Daubert Challenges.
4. An attorney has badmouthed you to their colleagues.
Unfortunately, attorneys talk. Make sure that you do A+ ethical work that impresses the attorney and stands up to legal scrutiny from the beginning.
We don’t learn legal definitions and analysis in our medical training and this can lead to unintentional mistakes in our analysis.
TIP: Consider reading a book or taking a course (like my Flagship program) to learn how to do your best work all the time to get recommended.
Happy clients and word-of-mouth are the best way to grow your expert business.
TIP: Once you get your first few jobs and knock their socks off with great quality work, word-of-mouth will make you a sought-after expert.