Everyone wants more referrals. You get a ready to buy prospect who already knows who you are and what you do. And someone else has already evangelized how wonderful you are and how you can do a great job, so your work in closing the deal is minimal.

Many law firms thrive on referrals - they are the life blood of the firm and one of the main ways the firm picks up new business. So, how do you get more?

One attorney I spoke with was considering running a postcard campaign to gain more referrals from other attorneys. He had seen other attorneys do this and thought 1) postcards were cheap and he could do them himself and 2) other firms wouldn’t be doing it if it didn’t work. Besides, if they didn’t work, he wasn’t spending a lot of money, so it wasn’t that big of a deal.

Why Postcards Aren’t the Answer
Unfortunately, postcards aren’t the way to go when you’re asking people you don’t or barely know for business. They’re impersonal and don’t say much. Yes, they may be low risk, but you want results, not to throw a few hundred dollars out the window, right?

And just because another firm is using a particular marketing technique doesn’t mean 1) it works and 2) it would work for you. Perhaps the other firms were testing the waters, just like this attorney was. Maybe they saw someone else do it and decided to try it for themselves.

Marketing is highly specific to who you’re looking to target. Mass marketing just doesn’t work anymore. (See my previous post for some reasons why.) Who are your prospects and would they be receptive to receiving a postcard with a cute catch phrase on it? Would it motivate them to contact you? Or flip it - if you received a cute postcard from another attorney you didn’t know, would you suddenly shower him with referrals?

Think about what it takes for you to give someone a referral. You have to know and trust that person. You wouldn’t refer a valued client to someone you’ve never heard of - what if they did a poor job? Then you look bad in your client’s eyes.

Referrals Are Personal
Instead, think of all the attorneys you’ve met with and know fairly well - from networking or who you’ve worked with in the past. Those are the people to start with. Send them a personal letter asking them to keep you in mind for any client projects they might have. And be interested in them, personally - network with them. Invite them to lunch, coffee, golf, or however you get to know people on a more personal level.

Next, look at current and past clients, who already know you do an excellent job. Which ones might be able to provide referrals? Get to know them personally, and stay up to date on their businesses. Maybe they’ll have a future need you can help them with.

And don’t be afraid to give to get! There’s no better way to ask for referrals than to refer a client, yourself. It shows you’re interested in their business, not just your own.

• Your Marketing Plan Should Address These 3 Groups
• How To Build Referral Relationships That Bring Clients In The Door
• What is Marketing?
• Power of Negative Thinking (Part 2): What’s Holding You Back?
• Two New Networking Services for Lawyers

Categories: Referrals