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Your Legal Resource Newsletter 
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 I hope you are enjoying a little down time this
summer. It's hard to believe there's only one month
left! What are you
going to do to make this summer memorable and enjoyable?
I've
enjoyed our great weather which allowed for outdoor tennis, walks around
town, fun in the sun at our local swim club, a family reunion in
Iowa over the July 4th weekend, and this month I will be heading
up North for some rest and relaxation.
What's been
your biggest challenge this summer? Mine seems to be keeping my 13
and 9 year old sons occupied while running my business. We've been
to the library for books, and I'm limiting their use of electronics
(though not enough in my opinion). They've enjoyed the pool, family
time, a few day camps, sports, and the much slower pace of summer.
Remember when we could sleep in, and even take naps? They are
really enjoying that! Who would have thought that such
simple things like rest and relaxation and unplanned time could make this
summer so easy and fun for them and me? Who knew the
secret lies in spontaneity, not schedules? Don't get me wrong,
I'm still highly scheduled, but I'm giving them the freedom to not
be scheduled. To just relax and enjoy the summer, and it seems to
be adding to my ease and enjoyment as well.
Wishing you
a magnificant month as you make memories with your loved ones this
summer!
Lori T.
Williams, Attorney and President
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Who do YOU
call when you need an attorney?
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 Did you know that 75% of Americans hire an attorney recommended by a family
member? And that 65% of them are unhappy with the services that attorney provides?
How can you improve your odds?
One way is to use a legal referral service, such as Your
Legal Resource, which pre-screens attorneys and matches their speciality,
years of experience, personality and fee structure with the client's
needs. Attorney Lori Williams heads a team of over 50 independant
and qualified attorneys located in separate offices throughtout Metro
Detroit and she recommends one or more specialists who meets the
needs of each of her clients. Referrals continue to come in daily,
as well as warm regards from satisfied clients expressing their
satisfaction with the services of Lori and her team of attorneys.
Knowing you need an attorney is one thing. Finding
the right attorney
for your situation is something entirely different.
For a free consultation and a referral to an attorney
personally selected for you or someone you know, call 248-594-4470.
For more information, visit our website at: www.bestlegalresource.com.
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What are
some of your favorite reads this year? 
Here are a few of the books I've read:
-Get
Clients Now! CJ Hayden
-Parenting
Teens With Love and Logic, Cline and Fay
-Contagious
Joy, Clairmont, Graham, Johnson, etc.
Have
purchased or received and plan to read next:
-The 4-Hour
workweek, Ferriss (I'm almost finished. Lots of great tips on
outsourcing most of the personal and business tasks in your life and
freeing up time while creating more cashflow!)
-Positive
Discipline for Teens, Nelson and Lott
-The
Bootstrapper's Bible, Godin
Please share any valuable books you recommend for
business or personal growth. We can feature more next issue.
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Quick Links
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Sign up for
introductory rate of $19/month at www.smartwomenscoaching.com and take advantage
of resources to benefit you and your business. See more information below, or go to this link to sign up:
Tell us your most
effective way to generate more business and we may feature your story
next issue. See Article 3 to learn more.
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Are you stuck, uninspired overwhelmed, or longing for
change?
If so, you're not alone. These are just a few of the challenges
women have told us they are facing.
· Not having the right network and not knowing how to get it
· Getting myself organized to start my home-based business
· Staying focused on the important things
· Getting clear on what I want and then taking the first step
· Finding the perfect balance between work and family
· Growing beyond my current position
· The burdens of care-giving
· Taking care of myself
· Fear of giving up financial security
If these comments sound familiar and you're ready to take your life and
your business to that next level, then you are in the perfect
place. Smart Women's Coaching™ has created a community of
like-minded, supportive people who are assembled, waiting, and ready to
help you!
Have you ever wanted to hire a coach, consultant, advisor or take a
special program, but felt that you couldn't afford the time or money?
What if access to some of the top life and business coaches and their
personal network of experts, resources, and programs were available in
one place 24/7?
As a member of the Smart Women's Café Advisory Board, I invite you to
join our community. The members of our board have done all the
work, including the research, made the connections, and we have opened
up our personal network to you. You can simply walk through
the door and join this amazing community!
Click this link to sign up or get more information: http://www.smartwomenscoaching.com/members/go.php?r=11&i=l2.
Lori Williams
Smart Women's Café
Advisory Board Member and
Contributing Expert
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Late-breaking news for Smart Women's Cafe Members:
 -Stay tuned
for more details and a contest called Find Your Purpose-Find Your Passion, which will
award lifestyle and business 'makeovers' to the winners, such as
financial makeover, de-stress makeover, inside out personal
branding makeover, how to reinvent your life through writing, reinventing
your internet business.
Contest details to be announced shortly, prizes to be
awarded in January to contest winners.
Good luck!
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When Should I Call An Attorney? 
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Often life events trigger legal consequences. Experiences
like death of a loved one, divorce, bankruptcy, marriage, birth of a new
baby, a trip of a lifetime, first vacation away from the children,
starting a new business, or the purchase or sale of a home all have legal
implications. Seeking the advice of a legal specialist to plan the
outcomes of these events can save you substantial cost, time, and
possibly heartache. Often people don't get into action until after
something unfortunate occurs in their life. Being proactive can
minimize or alleviate cost and negative outcomes. Many attorneys
will meet and discuss your situation at no charge, so why not get the
advice and peace of mind?
People don't plan
to fail, but some fail to plan. Be proactive and plan your life
events so you can enjoy them, rather than react to them.
For a free consultation and a referral to an attorney
personally selected for you, call 248-594-4470. For more
information, visit our website at: www.bestlegalresource.com.
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What's Your Most
Effective Way Of
Generating More Business?
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The words "networking" and "referrals"
are often used as the pat answer to this question. While both are valid tools for
generating business, one's success rate with these tools can vary
greatly. When was the last time
you gave or received a referral? What
came of that last "networking" event you attended? How much business did you generate
from networking or referrals during the last six months?
Men and women network differently. Even when women play golf, they network
differently than men do. One is
not better than another, they are just different. In either case, effective networking
involves connecting with another person in a way that they learn to
respect you and trust you. This
generally takes place over time, although we can rule certain people out
right away and know we don't want to invest any more time getting to know
them. With the ones we do take
time to get to know, eventually they will send business to us when the
opportunity arises.
I was once horrified
to witness a florist at a large County-wide networking event,
"dealing" out his business cards to everyone near a table, much
like a dealer at a
Blackjack table. How
much business do you think he got from that event? Probably none! How many new
relationships do you think he made that night? Networking isn't about giving your
cards to as many people as you can.
It's about beginning and building relationships. We don't refer to people we don't know,
or people we don't like or trust.
Networking begins the relationship process.
Sometimes, relationships don't work and they need to
end.  I think it is better to evaluate the quality of a
relationship, rather than the number of referrals you get from that
relationship. I love this quote
from author/speaker, Todd Duncan, "if the essence of a relationship is wrong, you spend
90% of your time on form." If the essence of a
relationship is wrong, end the relationship! Todd views doing business with someone
like marrying them. If you don't
want to spend the rest of your life with this person, Todd advises you
don't close the deal. That may seem pretty extreme at first, but it makes
sense if you think about it. Don't we all want clients and referral
partners for life? In his book
High Trust Selling, Todd teaches how you can spend less time, with fewer
people,and make more money and be much happier than when you were running
around trying to please everyone. Invest your time and energy with the
right people and overall you'll be more successful.
We can get caught up in the number of referrals, and lose
sight of the objective of the referral.
If ultimately you are trying to serve another person well, you
will give them a referral to a person of integrity who is experienced in
handling the product or service needed.
Does it matter if that qualified individual has referred to you as
often as you referred to them? Not
if your objective is truly serving the client. Obviously if you have two equally
qualified people to choose from, you may want to give a referral to the
person who is providing referrals to you.
But don't be short-sighted and think, "I'm not
referring to you because I've given you 5 referrals
and you've only given me 2".
Look at the quality of the relationship and the quality of the
referrals when evaluating if the relationship is working.
Also, be aware of the referral pipeline and realize
sometimes certain professionals will see your client first and then be in
a position to refer to you, while you may be in a position to refer to a
different type of professional next.
When I ran a divorce practice for 14 years, I often received
referrals from marriage counselors because many clients sought the advice
of a marriage counselor before a divorce attorney. The counselors weren't upset with me
because I couldn't send them as many clients as they sent me, because
they were in the referral pipeline before me. Similarly, I didn't
get upset with the mortgage brokers, realtors, cpa's and financial
advisors who I referred the clients to, even if they couldn't send me as many
referrals, because I was in the referral pipeline before them. I didn't want my clients searching
through the phone book trying to find a qualified professional during the
most gut-wrenching time of their life, so I built this team of other
professionals to service the client well.
We've all heard the expression "givers gain." It's true. Give a referral, and you may gain a friend,
a referral partner
or even a client.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on what you've found to be
the most effective way to generate more business. I plan to feature the top five answers
in my next issue and devote an article to the #1 answer. Maybe it will be yours!
Till next time,
Lori
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