Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: I want to meet 15 new people that I've never met before. And I love the conference crew. They're, you know, these are friends, and it's important. Yeah. But I want to meet 15 new people that I may be able to make a difference in their life.
Doesn't mean that we're going to do business, but you don't know where something could lead.
So. So many people are afraid to walk up to somebody and say, hi, I'm Gary.
Hi, Kevin. Nice to see you.
[00:00:31] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:00:32] Speaker A: So for those out there in Kevin, wonderful audience. When you're out, go shake somebody's hand and introduce yourself. You never know where that connection could lead you.
[00:01:02] Speaker B: Most firms survive the best ones scale.
Welcome to the Managing Partners Podcast, where law firm leaders learn to think bigger.
I'm Kevin. Daisy.
Let's jump in.
What's up, everyone? We are live Here at Lardy Graw 2025, the managing partners podcast, and Spaghetti on the Wall podcast. And I have the best guest to start this show out with.
We have Gary Sarner, the man of radio, the king of legal conferences. What's up?
[00:01:34] Speaker A: How are you, Kevin? Thanks for having me, dude.
[00:01:36] Speaker B: Excited to have you here.
The conference is just getting set up. It's going to be a lot of attention going on here, a lot of fun going on here.
What do you love about this conference?
[00:01:45] Speaker A: You know, this is really about connections, relationships that last for years and hopefully a lifetime.
We come to these conferences with the hope that we're gonna find that person that wants to partner with us and do business, right?
[00:02:07] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:02:08] Speaker A: But the reality is we get to meet amazing people, form relationships, build friendships, and I think, as other people call it, the conference crew.
[00:02:20] Speaker B: The conference crew. Well, I mean, just meeting Gary, he was like, kevin, you got to get this conferences. You got to go out and see these folks. And it's such a great connection here and just met a lot of amazing people through coming here, seeing you, you introducing me to people doing the podcast. It's just been a great experience for everyone that doesn't know who Gary Sarner is. And that's not many people, I don't think.
[00:02:43] Speaker B: Tell us about what you do. Tell us about ROI 360 plus.
[00:02:47] Speaker A: So ROI 360 plus. The radio experts.
We brand law firms on the radio.
And the misnomer is nobody listens to the radio. Well, 93% of all Americans still listen to the radio.
And when I went to my first conference four and a half years ago and I walked in with my crazy loud shirts, no, I didn't Wear one today yet.
[00:03:17] Speaker B: It's coming.
[00:03:19] Speaker A: Everybody there talked about tv, billboards for branding.
Of course, you must be on digital in today's world.
And I'm sitting there going, wait a minute.
[00:03:33] Speaker A: I've already worked with a law firm for eight and a half years in South Florida.
That was crushing it on the radio.
[00:03:43] Speaker A: And I transitioned at that conference to say I'm going to be a legal marketing expert on radio.
And through lots of hard work, my incredible team and our partners who spoke highly of us, we now work with over 30 law firms across America.
We invest more money in radio as an aggregate for all of our partners than Morgan and Morgan does on radio.
So I'm proud to help our partners because my why is very different than what people would think.
My why is the end user. It is not the law firm. If the law firm gets to help somebody and they do great legal work, 100%, everybody does well.
But it's about helping people.
And I think we all share in that 100%.
[00:04:46] Speaker B: You know, I think getting to know how law firms and lawyers actually help folks in the community, people that have needs and the ones that do a great job get them in front of the people that need the help is important. So we definitely share in that. And Gary has owned the radio market. He is the personality for radio in legal, in my opinion. And it's just done such a good job.
Branding is so important with law firm, especially with AI search and all these other things. Branding is more important now than ever.
[00:05:17] Speaker A: So branding has always been important. And I asked this question of a lot of lawyers. I don't think I've ever asked you this.
[00:05:27] Speaker A: What's the best sneaker out there?
[00:05:31] Speaker B: The perceived best sneaker out there, in your opinion? We'll go with Nike.
[00:05:35] Speaker A: Nike.
So you're, you're in a good financial position.
Have you ever gone to a podiatrist to have your foot measured to see what sneaker would be best for you to wear?
[00:05:47] Speaker B: Hell no.
[00:05:48] Speaker A: Okay, so marketing, branding has made Nike number one in your eyes.
All the law firms that are out there, and you're a digital marketing expert, you put law firms, their SEO, their PPC, their LSAs, their GMBs, all of that matters.
[00:06:12] Speaker A: But if you don't have a brand, why would somebody choose that person or that law firm?
I'm curious why?
[00:06:21] Speaker B: Well, that's exactly right. So if, if you don't know any law firms, you're going to go based on reviews and you're going to do your research.
But if you see a law firm that you recognize and that you've heard their name and that you just immediately have trust that they are the better firm to go with. So if you heard them on the radio, you saw them on tv, billboards, just subconsciously, consciously, they're going to choose the firm that they have familiarity with.
[00:06:46] Speaker A: So the best firm.
[00:06:48] Speaker A: Might just be like the best sneaker.
[00:06:50] Speaker B: Absolutely. Yeah.
[00:06:51] Speaker A: So it's storytelling that is.
Here's another one. You work with a lot of law firms. You listen to phone calls. Right.
Have you ever heard a prospective customer of a law firm say, I want to speak to your best lawyer?
Have you ever heard that?
[00:07:11] Speaker B: No.
[00:07:13] Speaker A: Wouldn't that matter?
[00:07:16] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:17] Speaker A: So based on what we do for a living, our goal is to drive leads, whether it be to their website or a phone call to the law firm.
They then do their processes to sign a client up. But at the end of the day, what matters most?
Great legal work.
[00:07:41] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:07:44] Speaker A: And that's what I love about law De Gras.
There is so much education that's going to happen out here by some of the best trial lawyers in America.
This conference is so cool. And to be able to do this with you impromptu.
[00:08:05] Speaker B: I know. Yeah. Gary's been on my podcast.
Well, technically, this would be a third time.
[00:08:10] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:08:11] Speaker B: He's on my. With my business partner a while back, but yeah, Laura girl is amazing. They got such a great lineup. Everyone here is trying to do better, get better at running their firm, at their practice. And yeah, there's vendors and, and sponsors here that are here also teaching and learning along with everyone else. So it's just such an amazing community and a lot of girls just done it right. So.
[00:08:31] Speaker A: So it's interesting you said the word vendor. I despise that word.
[00:08:35] Speaker B: I do too.
[00:08:36] Speaker A: I despise that word.
[00:08:37] Speaker B: I hate when. If I'm called a vendor, I hate it.
[00:08:39] Speaker A: We're partners.
[00:08:40] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:08:41] Speaker A: And because we're all in it for the end user and all the partners that are here, from marketing to intake to processes to billing to medical management.
[00:08:59] Speaker A: It's incredible what is happening in the personal injury legal space today.
[00:09:07] Speaker A: The prospective client is getting better service.
[00:09:13] Speaker A: For the most part, because. Mr. Digital Marketing Expert, what is the one thing you see more about when you see a one star review?
[00:09:24] Speaker B: Communication.
[00:09:26] Speaker A: Oh, my God. How hard is that?
[00:09:28] Speaker B: It's. It's not. Here's what it's not. I got a bad result. It's not I didn't win my case the way I wanted to win my case. It's not anything like that. It's communication, it's education, it's. I didn't know what was going on. I didn't hear back from the firm. They took long, too long to follow up. And that's what everything is here. Intake, AI, all the great folks that are here are trying to constantly make that better for the end customer to know what's going on and then still to get the settlement they deserve.
[00:09:59] Speaker A: Right. And by the way, law firms do not always have control over the settlement.
Sometimes their client is so in need of money that they do have to settle for pennies on the dollar. But that is because of the client, not because of what the law firm wants to do. Yeah, I want to believe and what I see from the people we have the privilege to work with is they want to do the best, but sometimes they're told, take the money.
[00:10:35] Speaker B: Yeah, 100% no. So there's just a lot of great firms out there and fortunately I get to hang out with a lot of the leaders of those firms that are always trying to do better. Better intake, better communication, better follow up, faster processes within, you know, getting a case done. So yeah, for the, the folks out there that have a case, they probably don't know what we know. As far as what firms go through to try to make it a better experience for them.
[00:11:03] Speaker A: Well, that goes back to marketing.
[00:11:07] Speaker A: Based on the radio, TV and billboards that you see.
[00:11:12] Speaker A: It has been made about money.
[00:11:16] Speaker A: It has not been made about getting. Well, yeah, great legal work, big results as a whole.
I don't want to know anybody who's been injured like that to get those results.
[00:11:35] Speaker A: But that's why these great trial lawyers matter.
[00:11:42] Speaker A: Do you know that 30% of all accident victims will pick up the phone and call their insurance company instead of a lawyer?
[00:11:55] Speaker B: I can see that.
[00:11:56] Speaker A: Do you know why?
[00:12:00] Speaker B: That's probably what they've been wired to do. They don't know better.
[00:12:02] Speaker A: So you've been told you're in good hands, right?
You're in good hands.
Brand branding.
But the reality and the reason they won't call a lawyer.
[00:12:15] Speaker A: Number one, they are expensive.
[00:12:20] Speaker A: And I see all too many lawyers out there using the word contingency.
[00:12:28] Speaker A: Most of the personal injury law firm's clients.
[00:12:33] Speaker A: Don'T understand what that means. So that's when you see, yeah, no fee unless we win, blah, blah, blah. The number two reason.
[00:12:42] Speaker A: Lawyers are smarter than I am, they're not going to understand.
[00:12:48] Speaker B: They're going to take advantage of me.
[00:12:51] Speaker A: So lawyers out there that do branding or even in your digital pay per click or any of your advertising.
Be who you are.
[00:13:06] Speaker A: Two words we hear so often, empathy and sympathy.
[00:13:13] Speaker A: I want to make a challenge and use the word compassion.
[00:13:21] Speaker A: People want to feel heard.
And not everybody that calls a law firm has a case, they're going to be let down.
[00:13:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:13:33] Speaker A: Be compassionate with everybody that calls. I get that you want to sign up everybody, and every law firm wants to sign up everybody, but not everybody actually has a case.
And how you treat them.
[00:13:48] Speaker A: Matters.
[00:13:49] Speaker B: They could still interact with your law firm, have a great experience, and leave a review to say, I had an amazing experience with this firm.
You know, even if you don't have a case, they can also refer you and become a referral partner. And so that first interaction is so important that if your message is about compassion and they call and they don't get that, that's, that's not your brand. You're not on. On brand Track. So, yeah, 100%. A lot of the ones just talk about the result and fight for you and win.
[00:14:22] Speaker B: You know, versus like, hey, we're going to take care of you.
[00:14:25] Speaker A: Taglines matter in marketing.
[00:14:27] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:14:28] Speaker A: And if we were to take a hundred lawyers that we don't know, so we go somewhere, we put them in a room, and each one gets to speak, and you were to say to them, what makes you different?
[00:14:42] Speaker A: Do you know that you're going to hear we win more or we care more?
Over 70% of the time, yeah, okay, great.
You do.
But that doesn't make you different because everybody says it.
So when you are building your brand, have a tagline that stands out, that makes a difference. Maybe it's about your community.
[00:15:10] Speaker A: We were talking earlier, we were talking earlier at lunch, and there are some young guys out there and girls that are building their firms now. And they are doing it very different than the firms of 40 years ago. Because guess what?
Marketing is much harder today than it was 40 years ago.
[00:15:32] Speaker B: Yeah, no, these firms are running on thin. You know, they're, they're digital, they're virtual. They're. They're doing things differently. They're, they're, they're thinking about intake. They're thinking about all these things up front with all the products that are available out there. So some of these firms need to step it up.
Got a bug on film.
[00:15:52] Speaker A: Edit that out.
[00:15:54] Speaker B: Keep it in skip. Well, Gary Scharner at Lardy Gr.
What are you looking forward to? To? To learn who to meet at the event this week.
[00:16:05] Speaker A: So I come out with a goal.
I want to meet 15 new people that I've never met. Before. And I love the conference crew.
These are friends, and it's important, but I want to meet 15 new people.
That I may be able to make a difference in their life doesn't mean that we're going to do business.
[00:16:29] Speaker A: But you don't know.
[00:16:32] Speaker A: Where something could lead.
So. So many people are afraid to walk up to somebody and say, hi, I'm Gary.
Hi, Kevin. Nice to see you. Yes.
[00:16:46] Speaker A: So for those out there in Kevin, wonderful audience. When you're out, go shake somebody's hand and introduce yourself. You never know where that connection could lead you.
I tell my kids, because, you know, they grew up with their phones. Oh, yeah, put the phone down, shake somebody's hand, look them in the eye, and repeat their name.
What's the most embarrassing thing you could do when you show up at a conference and you've met somebody and you can't remember their name?
[00:17:15] Speaker B: That's the worst.
[00:17:16] Speaker A: It's awful. Yeah.
[00:17:20] Speaker B: Oh.
[00:17:22] Speaker A: But if you're intentional about meeting people.
[00:17:27] Speaker A: Listening to people.
[00:17:30] Speaker A: And then speaking, you will generally remember their names, and it'll make a conference experience.
[00:17:38] Speaker A: So much better. I just ran into somebody as we were walking over here that I haven't seen in a year and a half.
[00:17:46] Speaker A: And she's awesome.
And I was sitting thinking, you know, I said, I'm going to start calling people that I haven't spoken to in a while.
She wasn't on that list.
[00:17:56] Speaker A: And I ran into her and I was like, damn, I should have called.
[00:17:59] Speaker B: Her out of the list.
[00:18:01] Speaker A: But I'm glad I got to see her today. And yes, I remember her name. I'm not going to use it, though.
[00:18:06] Speaker B: Well, if you're at this conference, yeah, go to meet people. Come meet us. Meet Gary.
[00:18:12] Speaker B: And he's just such a good connector. It's been a honor to meet Gary, to know Gary and see him at all the conferences. So excited to be here, and I'm.
[00:18:22] Speaker A: Grateful for our friendship. I'm grateful for the people that we get to help together.
And just to know you and your great people around you, you make a difference in this community as well.
[00:18:36] Speaker B: Well, appreciate everyone.
Go check Gary out, follow him online, and we'll see you next year at La De Graw.
[00:18:44] Speaker A: Make today great.
