McMahan Law Firm - September 2021

McMahan Law Firm - September 2021

(706) 525-5900 mcmahanfirm.com

September 2021

The Paradox of Good Automation It Can Build Client Connection

As a small-business owner, it can take a while to figure out which tools you actually need for your business. It takes time to build good internal processes for sales, marketing, and human resources. Sometimes a simple piece of technology or an app can save you from reinventing the wheel or overcomplicating things. Other times, a supposed time-saver ends up wasting your time if it isn’t quite right or doesn’t integrate well with your business. The many trends that come and go for entrepreneurs compound all of this. You may be tempted to try every new thing that comes along or listen to an old-school business owner who prefers to stick to the tried-and-true methods you’ve always used. But as is often the case, the most efficient approach is somewhere in the middle. That’s certainly true of incorporating automation into your business. WHERE DO YOU START? If you’re thinking about testing the waters of automation, start by looking at what tasks you do more than five times a week. The key here is that the task is repetitive and it works well. That is, it produces the desired results for you and your customers. At least that’s marketing automation expert Natalie Furness’ advice! One great example of this is email follow-ups after phone calls. If a client or prospective client calls you to chat about your product or service, sending a follow-up

any business trend or idea. And rule No. 2 is that you should not automate any process that isn’t currently working well. Automation relies on replication. As Furness says, it amplifies your efficiencies, but it will similarly amplify your deficiencies if done poorly. Repeat what’s working and revisit and refine what isn’t. If you interact with customers regularly through social media, Furness also cautions against automating direct messages in those channels. Social media is meant to be a way to connect directly with a company, so an automated response in these forums is a missed opportunity. That said, this is a great task to add to your marketing manager’s plate! Robots are far from taking over the world, but automating key repetitive tasks may be just enough of a game-changer to make you feel like you’re living in a new reality.

email is a no-brainer. But drafting a unique email after each call can be incredibly time-consuming. The main goal is to acknowledge the call and let the client know you’re available to help with any issues. It’s the perfect task to automate because it actually increases your communication and connection with clients and leads and gives you more time to spend with them when you actually get them on the phone. WHAT NOT TO AUTOMATE. An online search for automation tools for small businesses will leave your head spinning! Nearly every business process can be automated, but as any experienced entrepreneur will tell you, not every one should be. Rule No. 1 is that you should only do what makes sense for your business. That’s not just the case with automation but with

Please call us at (706) 525-5900 to find out how we can help you!

— Barton C. Solomon

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The Best Places to Visit in Croatia

Your Next Affordable Vacation Spot! This gorgeous coastal nation will absolutely blow you away with its beautiful architecture, landscapes, and delicious blend of Mediterranean and Slavic cuisine. Even better, it’s a fairly affordable place to visit! While many travelers land in Zagreb, the beautiful capital city and cultural hub, you wouldn’t want to miss these destinations. DUBROVNIK As the “Pearl of the Adriatic,” this coastal city is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Adriatic Sea. It’s a beautiful city, featuring 13th century walls, marble stone streets, Gothic palaces, breathtaking churches, and an imposing fortress. There’s so much to do in the town square — one of Croatia’s largest and most beautiful — and you’ll be able to explore many historic structures nearby. Nature also has plenty to offer, with secluded coves and beaches nearby for exploration. PLITVICE LAKES NATIONAL PARK Near the border with Bosnia-Herzegovina, you’ll find one of Croatia’s oldest and most beautiful national parks and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although it’s quite the drive, you won’t regret it — the park has an outstanding and picturesque series of tufa lakes and caves, all connected by waterfalls. With over 16 interconnected cascading lakes, it’s unlike anything else you’ll see.

If you get hungry, you’ll love the nearby National Restaurant Licka Kuca, which is famous for its traditional Croatian preparation of lamb under a cast-iron bell. SPLIT The second largest city in Croatia (the first being Zagreb) is Split, founded by a Greek colony in the second or third century B.C. Historically, Split enjoyed being an independent city-state many times, and that free spirit is very tangible, as

Split is very different from any other city in Croatia. With well- preserved Roman architecture and a multitude of museums, it’s no wonder Split is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although Croatia was among the first UN countries to open its doors to Americans, always be safe and check the newest regulations before booking your travel. Hopefully you enjoyed learning about this unique, wonderful country!

Getting to the Root of the Problem What the Law Says About Nuisance Trees

people wonder what recourse they have if their neighbor’s trees are producing excess leaves, fallen fruit, or problems from dangerous limbs or wily roots. While laws vary by state, your best first course of action is using what’s called self-help. That means that you can help yourself to pruning the branches or roots that encroach on your property. When it comes to fruit, the courts are divided. Some say that the fruit belongs solely to whoever has the trunk of the fruit tree in their yard, while others say that overhanging limbs with fruit are fair game for neighbors or passersby.

Trees provide shade, capture carbon, and add beauty to outdoor landscapes. They can also be the source of endless fallen leaves or fruit to rake up, hazardous branches, and strong root systems that can upend sidewalks or yards and cause drainage problems. That’s exactly what happened in a Minnesota court case, and the outcome teaches us a lot about how to be good stewards of the land and trees while also being good neighbors. In Holmberg v. Bergin , a Minneapolis homeowner who’d planted an elm tree just over a foot from his property line was sued after the tree grew to 30 inches in diameter and an astounding 75 feet high! The tree’s trunk destroyed the neighbor’s fence as it grew, but more problematically, the root system was so vigorous that it broke through the sidewalk and caused drainage issues at the neighbor’s house. The court ruled in favor of the neighbor, saying that the tree had created a nuisance. However, the judge did not award monetary damages, as the neighbor had requested. Instead, because the roots could not be addressed without damaging the tree, the court ordered it to be cut down. This was a rather extreme case, but many

As with many things that are irritating but not a nuisance in the eyes of the law, the best place to start is by chatting with your neighbor. No matter what the law says, your neighbor may be happy to share the fruit on their tree’s overhanging limbs or hear your other concerns about the tree and work to mitigate the problem.

And as that Minnesota judge alluded to in their ruling, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Speak up early if you see a budding issue with your neighbor’s tree.

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TAKE A BREAK

TEAM-BUILDING ACTIVITIES YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY ENJOY

Here’s something that may shock you: Team-building exercises can be fun! Often, a symphony of groans accompanies team-building games, and usually, that’s because activities designed to help you connect with others are … boring.

As you return to the office, start a hybrid schedule, or continue to work remotely, consider planning the team- building activities below instead of the standard pizza party in the break room. We guarantee you and your coworkers will have a lot more fun and actually bond. HAVE ALL THE FUN OF A CAMPFIRE WITHOUT THE SMOKE TeamBuilding.com is a company designed for this very mission, but our personal favorite among their 22 different events is Tiny Campfire. TeamBuilding.com’s hosts will curate the content; all you need to do is task your team with securing s’mores ingredients and one tea light. At the virtual event, the host will lead everyone through camping- themed games and share scary stories. You participate and roast your marshmallows for s’mores. This is perfect for fully remote and nationwide teams! USE PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS TO HELP YOU ESCAPE Escape rooms challenge your puzzle-solving prowess and require teams to work together to solve riddles, puzzles, and games to, quite literally, escape a room. These games can be found at local (physical) escape room sites, but you can also find board games sold online and platforms — like TeamBuilding.com — where you don’t have to leave your home or office to play! (Remember, escape rooms are designed for smaller teams.) FIND OUT WHICH DEPARTMENT IS THE ‘SMARTEST’ Whether you opt to host theme-based games with questions based on TV shows or holidays or quiz each other on the history of the company or people in the company, trivia is a great way to learn and problem-solve together. You could host monthly or quarterly events to start a tradition and choose to pit departments against each other or split the whole company up into teams. Ultimately, it’s up to you, but don’t forget to include prizes! Who doesn’t love the chance to win a gift card? Check out Pinterest for great, office-friendly trivia — including trivia from “The Office”!

Labor Maple Sports Windy

Fall Golden Grandparents Harvest

Abundant Apples Cookout Crunchy

NOTHING TO SEE HERE

The History of the Mystery Spot

American mystery spot destinations have a strange foothold history in U.S. culture. The most famous mystery spot, with its own paranormal and physics-based oddities, is in Santa Cruz, California, but it has cousins in Oregon, West Virginia, and Michigan. Each one has phenomena that are not easily explained — drawing thousands of people every year to come and witness the strange happenings (for a fee, of course). “Roadside attractions” of all kinds have been all the rage since people began to tour America by car. That’s why many of them have updated over the years to suit changing tastes — such as the Michigan St. Ignace Mystery Spot’s addition of zip lines and other attractions.

Today, mystery spots continue to draw attention. The best way to decide, of course, is to visit one of these mystery spots for yourself!

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700 S. Thornton Ave. Dalton, GA 30720

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Automation Can Increase Your Connections With Clients

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The Best Places to Visit in Croatia Neighbor With a Nuisance Tree? Try This!

The Mystery Spot is a True Piece of American History Try These Team-Building Exercises ASAP

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How McDonald’s Spun the ‘Hot Coffee Lawsuit’

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REMEMBER THE ‘MCDONALD’S HOT COFFEE’ LAWSUIT?

It Was Justified All Along

years about the dangers their hot coffee represented, with over 700 recorded burns and several lawsuits. But in 1992, their policy was to store coffee at 180–190 degrees F, which is almost the boiling point! Furthermore, McDonald’s higher- ups testified on the stand that no matter what happened, they had no intention of changing their behavior. Unsurprisingly, at the end of the trial, McDonald’s was hit with a $2.9 million penalty. Although the penalty was later reduced, McDonald’s still dragged Mrs. Liebeck’s name through the mud in the press, with their version of the story being the one that stuck in the public consciousness. But it wouldn’t change the fact that they had to pay her around $700,000 at the end of the day — or that their coffee is now being served at a reasonable temperature.

The facts were simple: Mrs. Liebeck used the drive-thru with her grandson, who was at the wheel. Once the car stopped moving, she placed the cup of coffee she’d just ordered between her legs and tried to add some creamer. The cup tipped over, dumping the contents into her lap, causing third-degree burns over 16% of her body. She required hospitalization for eight days. Whirlpool debridement of the burns and skin grafts followed. She was at least partially disabled for more than two years, and that’s to say nothing of her pain and suffering. For all of this damage, Mrs. Liebeck asked McDonald’s for $20,000 — arguably not even enough to pay her hospital bills. When McDonald’s refused to pay more than $800, the case went to court, and it came out that they’d known for at least 10

Back in 1992, an elderly woman named Stella Liebeck sued McDonald’s in what became known as the infamous “hot coffee lawsuit.” The public relations team at McDonald’s has made sure the case is remembered as frivolous, but, like the third- degree burns Stella Liebeck suffered from a cup of McDonald’s coffee, her lawsuit was dead serious.

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1235 Street Name City, ST 00000 000-000-0000 www.website.com Get Our Informative FREE Books Now Have you been injured at work? If so you’re not alone. Attorney Barton Solomon has written a

That’s not all! Attorney Solomon and Attorney Seth Holliday also wrote “7 Principles of Pursuing Significant Injury and Wrongful Death Claims.” With this book, McMahan Law Firm, LLC aims to help anyone experiencing trauma after a serious injury or wrongful death accident. Inside you’ll learn ... • What “significant personal injury” really means • How insurance companies minimize claim values • How an experienced attorney adds value to your claim ... and much more.

book, “12 Hidden Truths About The Georgia Worker’s Compensation Law”, to help guide you through the legal process of filing for workers compensation. If you’ve ever wondered ... • How to report an injury • Which injuries are covered • What to do when benefits are denied … then this book has all of the answers. Head to GeorgiaWorkInjuryLaw.com now to reserve your free copy.

And both books — “12 Hidden Truths About the Georgia Worker’s Compensation Law” and “7 Principles of Pursuing Significant Injury and Wrongful Death Claims” — are FREE . You can claim your free copy of “7 Principles” at GeorgiaAutoInjury.com. If you have any questions or want to learn more about these processes, be sure to call McMahan Law Firm at (706) 525-5900, and we will be happy to help.

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www.website.com 000-000-0000 Debunking Myths and Learning Secrets With More FREE Books Month 2020

Attorney Seth Holliday is an expert in the Long- Term Disability field. He can help navigate the gossip and myths you may have heard about long-term disability claims. In his newest book “7 Myth of Long-Term Disability”,Seth explains the top myths, that if believed, stop people from getting the benefits they deserve. This book eliminates all the misinformation you may have heard while providing a roadmap to success. You’ll learn secrets such as: • How to navigate the disability claims process • How insurance companies “manage” claims

Attorney Holliday doesn’t stop at debunking myths; he also shares some of the best- kept secrets in “7 Secrets of Social Security Disability.”If you are considering filing for Social Society Disability benefits you need this book! There’s plenty of knowledge to gain. You’ll learn secrets like: • The 6 different types of disability claims • How to navigate the disability claims process • Things that may help speed up the process To claim your free copy go to 7secretsofsocialsecurity or call (706) 525-5900.

• What to expect during litigation The book is available for FREE at longtermdisabilityfirm.com

If you would like to set up a free consultation please call (706) 525-5900 today.

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