Lexington Law is headquartered out of Salt Lake City, Utah. They are a credit repair firm. There are over 400 employees and 22 credit attorneys. Their business started in 1991 and they have served 1/2 million people. They will dispute questionable items on your credit. Is this legal? Yes, credit repair is legal and your responsibility. The Fair Credit Reporting Act passed by congress gives you the right to dispute any item you feel is not accurate on your credit report. This law also says that any item that can not be verified must be removed by the credit bureau. How does this work? You get a copy of your credit reports and forward them to Lexington. You also indicate what items you feel are inaccurate. Lexington will then send a dispute letter of your behalf to each credit bureau. Then you will be notified from the bureaus if the item has been verified by the creditor of if they removed it from your report. You then send this update to Lexington. How long will it take? It depends upon the damage to your credit. However it typically ranges between 6 months to 12 months. How much does it cost? They offer three levels of service, and you will be responsible to pay an account set up fee of $99. The prices on the services are; $39, $59, and $79. Can I dispute my credit myself? Yes, you actually should dispute you credit if you have minimal damage. To dispute you credit you must create a dispute letter and send it to each bureau. When the bureaus receive your letter they will investigate the item. During an investigation the creditor is contacted and asked to verify your account, the dates on the account, and the balance. If the item is not verified then the bureaus must remove it from you report. What else can I do to repair my credit? Credit repair is not just removing negative items from your report. We suggest you open a revolving line of credit. This will help you build a positive payment history by making on time monthly payments. This factor is weighted almost as much as negative items on your report when your score is calculated. In sum by building a positive payment history and removing negative marks you will be able to improve your score.
Before you can effectively employ the strategies of law firm marketing, you will need to clearly understand precisely what "legal marketing" is. Many attorneys confuse "marketing" with "advertising"; in fact, the two terms are often used interchangeably. That is a mistake because they don't mean the same thing, not at all.
When in doubt, go to the source for an explanation. Following is how Merriam-Webster defines marketing: To expose for sale in a market or to sell; to deal in a market.
No wonder so many attorneys are confused about "legal marketing", even the quintessential word gurus are not clear on the meaning. Marketing for lawyers is like any other form of marketing and simply consists of building relationships with people and sharing with them how you can help them.
You need to be able to present clear, compelling reasons why your clients need you and your firm. That will take a little bit of homework on your part. Know exactly how the client will best benefit from your services and tell them about it. Tell them about it over and over and over again.
The failure to find and retain more clients is fundamentally a marketing failure; it truly is that simple. Here are four keys that will help you make marketing your law firm easier.
To be an effective form of legal marketing, the message and image you present must meet the following four criteria:
1.Consistency is the key to success: Once identified, continue to reinforce the same reasons why your clients need you. If you do not stay on point, you run the risk of confusing them. Repetition of your core message is essential to successful marketing for lawyers.
2.Keep it short - Keep your message short and to the point. Choose your words carefully when engaged in legal marketing; people do not have the time or interest in reading dense paragraphs. Keep it clear of legal terms and focus on presenting solutions, not a litany of your legal services.
3.Share your enthusiasm - Your belief in your law firm marketing is contagious; share the wealth! Without implementing this key component, you run the risk of getting lost in the crowd. Once lost in a crowd, it is very difficult to re-establish why you are better than the rest. Too many attorneys make the mistake of trying to appear so professional that they end up being boring. This is the most deadly marketing mistake a attorney can make.
4.Communicate at their point of need - If you are not telling them exactly what it is they need from you (what they absolutely must have that only you can provide), you will be wasting your time and energy. Marketing your law firm is different than marketing other kinds of professional services, but to build a bridge to your prospective client, you must come down out of your "ivory tower" and meet them at their point of need. Strive to connect with them emotionally as well as cognitively.
Frequently, the best answer is the simplest and it is right under our noses. Your law firm marketing strategies must be consistent, concise, compelling, and contagious. Follow this notion and you'll see results immediately!
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