Download Printable Article By Philip J. Kavesh, J.D., LL.M. (Taxation), CFP®, ChFC, California State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law You may be thinking I’m nuts. It may have taken you years of your blood, sweat, tears, time and money to get your current office up and running smoothly and profitably (or you’re still in the process of getting that done). So why would you want to open another office? There are lots of good reasons. Here are a few: Gain access to a larger audience of potential clients (particularly if your current market has a…
7 Tips For Being the “Boss” of Your Boss
Download Printable Article By Kristina Schneider, Executive Assistant An executive assistant is probably one of the most important support staff members that any busy professional could possibly have, regardless of his or her profession. One of the things that we hear all the time from our boss, Phil Kavesh, is that his executive assistant is actually his boss. Of course, this doesn’t give us, as executive assistants, the same kind of “power” that a normal boss might have over an employee. What being the boss of your boss means is that you are supporting your boss and directing his or…
The GREAT Debate: The Client Maintenance Plan vs. The Free Service Package
Download Printable Article By Philip J. Kavesh, J.D., LL.M. (Taxation), CFP®, ChFC, California State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law A growing number of estate planning attorneys have adopted client maintenance plans, where clients pre-pay a fee each year to obtain certain ongoing services. Theoretically, this is a great way for you to annuitize the value of your practice and create a “guaranteed” base income each year from your existing client base. I know of attorneys who do generate hundreds of thousands of revenue each year this way. But at what real cost? When evaluating a…
If You’re Doing Seminars (or Are Thinking About Doing Them) Your Staff Better Know About and Be Handling These Important Details!
Download Printable Article By Kristina Schneider, Executive Assistant The common saying “The devil is in the details” is probably never more true than when it comes to seminar marketing. Whenever I’m discussing seminar marketing with attorneys, it becomes pretty clear to me that a lot of estate planning attorneys are overlooking a number of key details that should be completed. Successful seminar marketing is the result that comes from the compound effect of a lot of steps to be handled during the planning process, just before the seminar, during the seminar, and right after. Even missing one or two of…
Helpful Computer Programs for Organization and Efficiency
Download Printable Article By Megan DeLaGarza, Executive Assistant Staying organized and on top of a busy workload and boss can be time-consuming and overwhelming. Even if you have a plan of attack, it’s not always easy to find where exactly to start or the best way to implement new ideas. Below are a few resources that might prove helpful not only for you, but perhaps for your entire firm, to execute efficient and effective daily work. Text Expander. Save time and effort with TextExpander to avoid typing the same thing over and over, whether it’s a simple email signature or…
The Top 10 Seminar Planning & Marketing Mistakes Attorneys Make!
Download Printable Article By Philip J. Kavesh, J.D., LL.M. (Taxation), CFP®, ChFC, California State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law We’ve indicated time and time again in this newsletter column why seminar marketing – – whether to the public, to professional referral sources, or to your existing clients – – can drive substantial, consistent revenue into your practice (and has, for me, for over 30 years). But, successful seminar results depend on the details of your seminar marketing being done right. Some estate planning professionals ignore, or simply aren’t aware of, these details and their seminar…
Keep Your E-Mail Inbox Under Control (or It Will Control You!)
Download Printable Article By Megan DeLaGarza, Executive Assistant Technology is a concurrent blessing and curse. Email has not been around terribly long in the grand scheme of office administration, so we are just now learning the effects of it’s omnipresence in a plugged in world. The biggest problem with email is that it’s a huge distraction. The pressure to respond right away leads you to working off-task. An inbox that is open with notifications popping up makes this even worse. Responding to your inbox as a to-do list leads to working on the wrong priorities. It’s time to break these…
Last Opportunity to Join Phil Kavesh’s Monthly Practice-Building Series
Whether you are just starting out or you have 20+ years of experience running your own estate planning practice, you have most likely found out pretty quickly that all of the things you learned in law school, school textbooks, and through continuing education courses simply do NOT properly prepare you for what is involved in running your own practice. These things will most certainly help you become a technically sound practitioner, well-versed in the law, and perhaps a brilliant estate planning lawyer. But, it simply does not but it doesn’t train and teach you about the day-in and day-out experiences…
Our Top 10 Best Articles on Support Staff & Executive Assistant Tips
As part of our December 2014 Newsletter, we are featuring a special “Best Of” issue. Below, you will find a list of our Top 10 Articles on Support Staff and Executive Assistants. All of these articles were authored and written by Kristina Schneider and Megan DeLaGarza, Executive Assistants to Philip Kavesh. Five Simple Tips for Being a More Organized Assistant 6 Ways to Better Manage Your Interruptions How “Electronically” Organized Are You? Effectively Managing Your Boss’ Busy Calendar 7 Tips for Taking Better Notes & Being More Efficient! 6 Tips for Handling Difficult Clients 8 Steps to Hiring a Great…
Our Top 10 Best Articles on Practice-Building
As part of our December 2014 Newsletter, we are featuring a special “Best Of” issue. Below, you will find a list of our Top 10 Articles on Practice-Building. All of these articles were authored and written by Philip J. Kavesh, J.D., LL.M. (Taxation), CFP®, ChFC, California State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law. 8 Year-End Practice Building Tips to Implement RIGHT NOW Conduct a Successful “Kick-Off” Meeting with Your Firm Staff Reviews & Setting Goals at the Beginning of the New Year Fight Back Against “Commoditization” and Low-Priced Competition Blow Up Your Annual Maintenance Fee Program!…