I’ve received A LOT of positive feedback from subscribers about last week’s “Happy Meal” newsletter. Thank you for all the emails!

You might recall, last time, I told you how McDonald’s uses the Happy Meal toy as an underlying or “secondary” marketing strategy to sell their primary product — food. Like I said, this strategy has been around for years and years. But McDonald’s has taken it to a new level, selling many BILLIONS of dollars in Happy Meals over several decades.

This week, I’m going to give you four examples of secondary marketing strategies some lawyers have used to lasso in the clients and make more money. Is this approach a little on the sneaky side? Maybe. But it works.

Remember: the idea of the Underlying Benefit strategy is to make the secondary benefit so alluring, prospects are essentially compelled to hire your firm and ignore the others that don’t offer the “toy.”

1. Real Estate Attorney Gives Clients the “Limo Treatment”

One of my private clients is a real estate attorney who handles all types of residential and commercial real estate transactions. During our consultation phone call, I extracted from him the fact that one of his very good friends owns a limo company. Within minutes, I had developed a strategy that links his legal real estate services with his buddy’s limo services.

NUTSHELL: I asked my client, what is the happiest moment in your relationship with your client? He said, the moment right after the closing when the new owner takes his/her family to the new house with key in hand… and they all walk through their front door together. They never forget that.

So we set up a program where my client’s limo buddy gives the new owners an unforgettable VIP experience right before they walk into the new house for the first time. The experience includes: a limo ride that picks them up from their old house and drops them off at their new house (who doesn’t love a limo ride?), a bottle of champagne and a custom welcome mat with the homeowner’s name, similar to one of these:http://www.personalizationmall.com/Personalized-Doormats-d1079.dept

RESULT: Not only does this attorney get an endless amount of referrals from clients who are over the moon with their experience, but one of the first things out of the referred clients is, “Will I get to ride in a limo?” That tells you the Happy Meal “toy” is working perfectly.

By the way, the limo ride doesn’t cost my client much money at all because, first of all, often the limo ride only lasts about half an hour or less; and second, his buddy gives him very favorable rates. Usually the mat costs more than the limo ride.

2. Litigation Attorney Gives First 10 Minutes of Every Phone Call Free

The premise behind this tactic is simple: most clients HATE having to worry about being charged for a quick call to their attorney. One of my subscribers, recognizing that fact, tells clients they can call him anytime and the first 10 minutes of the call is free. If it’s under 10 minutes, they don’t get charged. If more than 10 minutes, they get charged the full amount.

NUTSHELL: This accomplishes three main things: 1) It provides a great solution to a problem many clients have with their attorney; 2) it makes the client feel like you’re not trying to nickel and dime them (for some reason, clients think every lawyer makes a million dollars a year and hate to feel like they’re being milked for every penny); and 3) it gives you a great Happy Meal “toy” that is a strong foundation for referrals.

RESULT: I know for a fact, this attorney has seen referral after referral come into his office because of the “first 10 minutes are free” strategy. New clients will frequently ask, “I get the first 10 minutes free, right?”

3. Tampa Attorney “Slips the Ring” on His Clients’ Fingers

In 2002, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl. It was a huge deal for all the fans in the Tampa Bay area as it was their first (and only) Super Bowl win.

As is customary for many Super Bowl champions, the team’s ownership presents rings to not only the players and coaches, but also to the cheerleaders and front office staff as well. About two years after receiving the ring, one of the Buccaneers’ secretaries was in a bind and needed cash. She sold the ring to an attorney who was referred to me by one of my clients. He purchased a consultation with me and mentioned owning the ring in passing. My advice? Get clients to put that massive ring on their finger… they’ll never forget about it — or you.

NUTSHELL: This attorney is more of a general practitioner and gets all types of people in his office. When clients come in for an initial consultation, he shows them the ring and asks, “Would you like to try it on?” Of course, who wouldn’t jump at a chance to do that! Not only does he sign up nearly every single person who meets with him, but he gives them a “toy” no other attorney can give them. And the piece de resistance is that the attorney’s assistant takes a picture of the client with the ring on. Then they print the picture with the attorney’s name and telephone number in the lower right hand corner of the picture and present it to him or her in a frame.

RESULT: This ring makes a huge splash and has caused MANY a client to hire this lawyer. I’m not sure if this attorney is now semi-retired or retired, but everyone used to go to his office wanting to “put the ring on.”

4. Immigration Law Attorney Gives Clients a Metal “VIP Client Card”

Although this might not sound like a very big deal, when you offer prospects something that is different and unique — even if it only has a PERCEIVED high value — you give yourself an immense advantage over the competition. Such is the case with the metal VIP card.

NUTSHELL: One immigration attorney gives his clients metal “VIP CLIENT” cards when they sign up with him. On the card is the law firm name and address, the attorney’s personal cell phone number and the words “VIP CLIENT” in big letters. He tells clients that they can call him anytime — and if they refer other clients to him, he will give them the same coveted card. If you would like to see an example of a metal membership card, you can go to my website and scroll down to the CHAIRMAN’S VAULT program. go to http://www.naderanise.com/wp/store/products_programs.php (the CHAIRMAN’S VAULT program is in the middle of the page).

RESULT: Almost without exception, every referral that resulted from that special metal card asked to get a VIP CLIENT card. It costs pennies, but has a very high perceived value.

In Closing…

I don’t want you to limit options by considering only the above examples. They may be right for you or you might need to create an irresistible lure of your own; they might be a little beyond your budget or they may be just right. The point is, find that bright, shiny Happy Meal “toy” that only YOU can offer. Be creative. Every type of law practice of every size and in any location can benefit from this strategy.

Once you start seeing results, send me an email with your story. It will make my day.

P.S. – If you think some of your colleagues would benefit from this week’s killer strategies, use the sharing buttons below to send it to them. Might I also suggest you share it with anyone in your online networks and LinkedIn groups. You will be a star for doing it.