Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Do You Have a Referral Strategy?
If your best cases come from referrals, why don’t have a comprehensive referral strategy? A better question may be: do you even have a simple plan in place to generate referral business?
With everything else you do, The BEST cases come from Referral, Agree?
The quality of the cases is high, and people who are referred to you by someone they trust are much more likely to contact and work with you than those who consider you a stranger. Referrals mean being vouched for; you skip the part where potential clients are still trying to decide if you are really above board or any good at what you do. Many people even feel obligated to work with someone who has been recommended to them, whether it is for legal services or another type of service.
But, you already now all of this, right? So, why aren’t you tapping into it?
WHY?
It is easy to think of referrals as something that just happen. Of course your friends, colleagues, and existing clients are going to send business your way. They know you, they like you, and they know that you are the right person for the job. That is probably all true, but you probably are not the first thing on their minds unless you put yourself there.
Your referral base does not just operate quietly and effectively in the background without some stimulation on your part. You must maintain active relationships with your clients and other lawyers for this resource to work for you. A haphazard approach, intending to get in touch, will not make it happen. You must have a plan and stick to it.
You can start with the basics.
Top of Mind Awareness – Client Relationship Management for Lawyers - Communicate with your clients regularly; greeting cards, newsletters (e-newsletters), any kind of communication to keep you on their minds. Pick one and be consistent.
Being consistent is the key to succeeding in Advertising!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Social Media Networking offers a tremendous tool to generate referrals, but, as with the others, you must be consistent. Set up a Facebook Fan Page for your law firm – and post on it regularly. Talk about your successes. Talk about how you contribute to the community. Post video as well as text comments. Take advantage of LinkedIn to build your professional network. Join groups and post comments about issues relating to your areas of expertise. There are many more opportunities here, but you have to have a plan and stick to it.
Network… Network… Network… Call other attorneys, take them out to lunch, attend events, and make these activities a part of your schedule. Do not wait until you get around to it. Rotate who you contact. Make a list and make sure you so not just focus on the people whose company you enjoy most. Do prioritize your list according to those who you know are your best referral sources.
Your law firm’s advertising campaign can help with this, but if that is all you do, you will miss out on some big cases. Keep in mind that your ad campaign will help with this only if you develop an effective brand within your community.
Do not forget to thank people for referrals. It will keep them coming. Do it right away and make it sincere, personal and meaningful. When appropriate give a heartfelt gift.
To learn more about creating a comprehensive plan for harvesting referrals, contact Network Affiliates today.
With everything else you do, The BEST cases come from Referral, Agree?
The quality of the cases is high, and people who are referred to you by someone they trust are much more likely to contact and work with you than those who consider you a stranger. Referrals mean being vouched for; you skip the part where potential clients are still trying to decide if you are really above board or any good at what you do. Many people even feel obligated to work with someone who has been recommended to them, whether it is for legal services or another type of service.
But, you already now all of this, right? So, why aren’t you tapping into it?
WHY?
It is easy to think of referrals as something that just happen. Of course your friends, colleagues, and existing clients are going to send business your way. They know you, they like you, and they know that you are the right person for the job. That is probably all true, but you probably are not the first thing on their minds unless you put yourself there.
Your referral base does not just operate quietly and effectively in the background without some stimulation on your part. You must maintain active relationships with your clients and other lawyers for this resource to work for you. A haphazard approach, intending to get in touch, will not make it happen. You must have a plan and stick to it.
You can start with the basics.
Top of Mind Awareness – Client Relationship Management for Lawyers - Communicate with your clients regularly; greeting cards, newsletters (e-newsletters), any kind of communication to keep you on their minds. Pick one and be consistent.
Being consistent is the key to succeeding in Advertising!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Social Media Networking offers a tremendous tool to generate referrals, but, as with the others, you must be consistent. Set up a Facebook Fan Page for your law firm – and post on it regularly. Talk about your successes. Talk about how you contribute to the community. Post video as well as text comments. Take advantage of LinkedIn to build your professional network. Join groups and post comments about issues relating to your areas of expertise. There are many more opportunities here, but you have to have a plan and stick to it.
Network… Network… Network… Call other attorneys, take them out to lunch, attend events, and make these activities a part of your schedule. Do not wait until you get around to it. Rotate who you contact. Make a list and make sure you so not just focus on the people whose company you enjoy most. Do prioritize your list according to those who you know are your best referral sources.
Your law firm’s advertising campaign can help with this, but if that is all you do, you will miss out on some big cases. Keep in mind that your ad campaign will help with this only if you develop an effective brand within your community.
Do not forget to thank people for referrals. It will keep them coming. Do it right away and make it sincere, personal and meaningful. When appropriate give a heartfelt gift.
To learn more about creating a comprehensive plan for harvesting referrals, contact Network Affiliates today.
posted by
Harlan Schillinger
at
1:58 PM
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