It's all the rage these days to be a specialist and to develop a frame of expertise, and then market the heck out of it. To listen to the conventional wisdom, all you need to do is find a niche, and then a subniche, and then find a hole just big enough to bury your head into, and then simply wait for fame and fortune to follow.
The problem with this approach is mainly that it doesn't work. You set up a little specialty for yourself, and unless you have a way of leveraging that specialty, you are dependent on someone else to bring you business. Even if you're good at marketing and rainmaking, you're still dependent on the market and the law. If you invested like this, your advisors would run screaming because you're putting all your eggs in one basket.
Why not "generalize?" You don't need to know everything to have a successful business. What you need are clients who like you, and enough general knowledge and savvy to be the person they go when they need a problem solved. And then enough charisma and good business sense to keep them coming back.
All you really have to do is specialize- in customer service. Be there for your clients, and make sure you show potential clients that you will be there for them. You won't have a built-in demand for your practice area, because you don't have one. You'll have to build a demand for your specialty- you, and the services you can offer. And if someone ever has a question for you, you won't have to experience that sinking feeling that says "I haven't seen this since the bar exam..."
People pay for peace of mind and security. You don't have to be a shark to give them that.
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About Me
- Carl Archer
- I am an elder law attorney with my own solo practice. I'm located in central New Jersey but I make house calls. I am in the business of setting the elderly and their caregivers at ease, by making sure they have high-quality health care they can afford, and governmental benefits they're entitled to.