Law Firm Marketing: How to Help Your Referral Sources Keep Making Referrals
According to a recent ABA survey, 46% of those surveyed say they go to a trusted source like a family member or friend to find an attorney. That certainly comes as news to no one. Referrals continue to play a huge part in new business for attorneys because they are based on trust, and trust is based on the customer experience.
I'm convinced one of the biggest reasons that attorneys don't receive more referrals is because they don't take the time to inform and remind their clients of the various services they offer. Most clients immediately put their attorney in a box and believe the only service the lawyer offers is the one they used.
I remember a conversation I had with an attorney who practices business law. He was upset because a former client, whom he'd helped set up an LLC three months earlier, referred a competing law firm to a friend looking for representation in a multi-million dollar lawsuit.
When the lawyer explained that this was precisely his specialty, the client was shocked and said, "I'm sorry, but you really need to do a better job informing me of what you do and what kind of cases you want because I don't know."
How much business have you lost because your clients simply aren't aware of the various services your firm can provide?
Another way to increase client referrals is to make certain that your clients can accurately explain your ideal target market:
Your ideal target market is the person or company most likely to hire you initially, repeatedly and at the highest profit margin. With so many attorneys struggling to define their ideal client, it's no wonder if your clients don't know whom they should refer to you.
Remember that memory is elusive and just because you wowed them once and they sent you a referral - doesn't mean they will ALWAYS remember. So don't take referral relationships for granted. Finding a high-quality lawyer is easy and it takes more than quality to make an impression - it takes a relationship.
Just like any relationship, you need to be connecting with your current and former referral sources every four to six weeks to ensure the health and longevity of the affiliation. In my E-newsletter last month, I wrote about keeping in touch with referral sources - it is full of great suggestions.
Rainmakers don't wait for the door to knock or the phone to ring or the referral to come in. They take the initiative, stay in touch, and focus on serving their referral sources.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Stop Wasting Precious Time and Money
Feel like you don’t have time for marketing? Let us show you how to make a plan that runs on “autopilot” – one that attracts new and lucrative clients while you focus on your practice.
Learn how easy it can be to create an effective law firm marketing plan that performs by getting our Free Guide: 5 Easy Steps to Create Your Law Firm Marketing Plan.
After working with many ultra-successful lawyers we found five common threads in their marketing plans. This guide outlines these shared elements to provide insight into strategies that work and how to make them work for you.
There are two versions: one for Attorneys in Solo Practice and one for Attorneys in a Small Firm. Click here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!
Law Firm Marketing: How to Ask for Referrals Without Embarrassment
.jpg)
A member of our marketing team was discussing with me a problem that I find a lot of our clients have: asking for referrals without feeling embarrassed. We know that many attorneys build a good portion of their practices on referrals – yet, why is it so many feel almost ashamed to ask for a referral?
I believe that these attorneys are not looking at referrals in the right way. They see them as asking for a favor, when in fact you should regard it as extending a favor. That’s right. You are not asking to get a favor, you are asking to bestow one.
The secret to getting lots of referrals is to make it about them, not about you. Think about what benefits you offer your referral sources and what problems you may help them solve. When you help someone help a friend, family member or colleague, you have done them a favor.
Think about how referring you can make your client’s life better, and you will never be embarrassed to ask for a referral again.
Attorneys who rely on referrals for new clients also have to have a referral mindset. Always look for those moments in your relationships with others to create referrals – when you have won a case for a client, when you have helped someone avoid litigation, when you have provided a referral – all opportunities for you to generate referrals.
You also need to make it as easy as possible for people to refer you. Provide them with a written document that outlines the characteristics of your ideal client. Create white papers or give seminars that solve problems their clients may be experiencing and co-brand them, so your referral source benefits.
The real secret to feeling comfortable about generating referrals is to think give, not take. And to implement a system that creates a referral mindset throughout your organization.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Free CD: Insider Small Law Firm Marketing Practices
Get your free CD on Insider Small Law Firm Marketing Practices by #1 Best-Selling Author And Nationally Recognized Law Firm Marketing Expert Stephen Fairley, and listen as he reveals A Proven System To Generate More and Better Referrals, Find New Clients Fast, and Fill Your Law Practice!
Discover:
- How 1 piece of simple technology in your practice will drastically increase your communication with prospects, clients and referral sources – resulting in a major revenue boost
- 5 ways to market and position yourself as a recognized expert
- How 2 Attorneys promoted their law firms to over 100,000 people for less than $100 in 2 hours
- The 1 item you must absolutely have to create a Million Dollar Law Practice (hint: Not having this will almost guarantee your failure!)
- 6 BIGGEST secrets to generating more and better referrals
- How to create a proven network of 30 new Strategic Referral Partners in the next 90 days
To obtain your free CD, click here now.
Law Firm Marketing: Dispelling the Most Common Myths About Referrals
Attorneys know when it comes to law firm marketing, referrals are the best way of finding new clients, but there are 4 common myths I would like to dispel about referrals: 
Myth 1. Clients are the best source of referrals. This surprises a lot of attorneys when I tell them this is a myth. Clients are simply the most obvious source of referrals, not often the best source.
There are simply too many variables you cannot control when trying to get more referrals from clients:
- Do clients know all the different services your law firm offers?
- Can they accurately explain who your ideal law firm clients are?
- Are they able to give a clear and compelling reason why someone should hire you?
- Will they remember you when they meet someone who needs your services?
- Did they just receive a large bill from you and don’t feel especially “good” about your law firm at this moment?
Myth 2. Most legal referrals come from other attorneys. Actually, studies show that only about 25% of an established legal professional's practice comes from referrals from other attorneys, so logically about 75% of your law firm clients will come from other sources (this may vary greatly by practice area).
A simple marketing tip is to set up an easy tracking system as part of your client intake file and then review on a quarterly basis to identify where those leads came from. There are also some legal software products that can be customized to track that information automatically.
Myth 3. Online legal directories can produce a lot of referrals fast. There is some indication that consumers are starting to use online legal directories as a screening mechanism and they may even view attorneys who are listed in the directory as “more qualified” than attorneys who are not, but this is far from conclusive.
Generally speaking, local and state bar directories are more effective, but most non-bar-affiliated online directories have become the equivalent of online yellow pages and do not offer any more benefits than advertising in a telephone book.
Myth 4. Formal networking is a great way to get more referrals. Over the years of helping thousands of attorneys build million+ dollar practices, we have found that formal networking events (like trade shows and chamber of commerce, etc.) work exceptionally well for a select group of attorneys— and not at all for most legal professionals. Here are a few reasons why:
(1) Attending the wrong kind of group—one filled with peers, not prospects. Unless your target market is another attorney, I can't recommend spending much of your valuable marketing time hanging around other lawyers. Go where your prospects are, especially the decision makers, not the gatekeepers.
(2) Going to a networking event to find new clients is like going to a bar looking for your soul mate. While it may happen, the odds are stacked against you. The best way to look at a formal networking event is to go there for two reasons: first, to build relationships with potential referral sources (people you have identified that have a direct connection with your target market) and second, to find out how you can be a referral source to other professional service providers.
(3) Lack of a follow-up plan. When you find a potential referral source, you have about 48 hours to follow up with them or they will likely forget about you. Have a plan for calling them, emailing them, or both the day after the event for the purpose of determining if they are interested in getting together face to face.
So what is the best source of referrals? Strategic Referral Partners (SRPs) are the best source of new referrals. SRPs are people who already have a relationship with or already do business with the people you want to reach.
How to cultivate those SRPs is something we teach at every Rainmaker Retreat. Not just theories, but actionable strategies so you can start building your SRP network the minute you get home.
**********************************************************************
Looking for more Rainmaker Institute wisdom?
Then sign up for a complimentary Law Firm Marketing Strategy CD. It contains information that will enable you to Generate More and Better Referrals, Find New Clients Fast, and Fill Your Law Practice. The CD is free, so sign up now!
Law Firm Marketing: How to Increase Referrals and Fortify Your Practice
As an attorney today, you know your reputation and your skill as an attorney are highly important to the success of your practice.
However, to build a thriving practice impervious to ebbs in the economy, client referrals are of the utmost importance. They should play a key role in your law firm marketing approach.
Interestingly, many attorneys fall short when it comes to cultivating referral sources as part of their law firm marketing efforts.
Below are six proven steps you can take in your law firm marketing and referral strategy to build a large referral base and to catalyze multiple, repeat referrals from each contact.
All are designed to keep your name and your reputation top of mind with your contacts and to reward and recognize them appropriately to encourage referrals short-term and long-term as part of your overall law firm marketing strategy.
1. Get Contacts Thinking Referral: Don’t assume your contacts are thinking about referrals for you. Let them know your practice relies on referrals and how much you would appreciate them passing your name along.
2. Immediate Appreciation: When a contact does refer you, call or send a message thank you note the very same day you.
3. Reward: Within the next 48 hours, send your referral source a small gift of appreciation such as a business card holder, a gift card to a popular coffee shop or book store.
4. Recognition: Once you’ve successfully scheduled a meeting with the new, potential client, e-mail your referral source to let them know you have scheduled that meeting and that you will update them again.
5. Reward and Recognition 2: When the referral becomes a new client, send a “level 2 gift” to your referral source. A level 2 gift should be substantial and meaningful. Something your referral source will really value. However, be aware of dollar-amount gift limits your referrals are able to accept. Some excellent online resources that specialize in business gifts just right for law firm marketing referral gifts are MyBusinessGifts, Brookstone and eCorporate Gifts.
Also, be sure to include a personal note that tells your referral source the positive outcome of their recommendation.
6. Stay Top of Mind: Even when your referral sources haven’t referred, stay top of mind. Send a note to your contacts 1-2 times per year to your entire contact list thanking them for past and future referrals.
Implement these six simple steps, and you will see a sharp increase in referrals while adding to the positive reputation you strive for in your law firm marketing efforts.
