By: Trey Ryder
You probably have several target audiences you want to reach. One audience is prospective clients. And another audience is people from whom you hope to receive referrals. Here’s how to persuade them to send you more referrals.
HOW TO BUILD A POWERFUL REFERRAL BASE
STEP #1: Compile a mailing list of the people from whom you’d like to receive referrals. This allows you to conduct your marketing effort to prospective referral sources through the mail. Include on your list anyone who comes into contact with your prospective clients and can refer to you.
STEP #2: Send an original, signed letter that introduces yourself, asks for referrals, and assures referrers that you will provide competent, prompt service. Enclose a powerful biography with a good marketing photo. Also, enclose the educational materials you’ve prepared for clients. Most lawyers don’t have much in the way of informational documents, so yours helps you stand far ahead of the crowd.
(Make sure you clearly state that you welcome referrals. If your friends and colleagues think your calendar is full, they may hesitate to send you new clients.)
STEP #3: Send a letter (or newsletter) that talks about important issues in your area of law. This helps recipients see the depth of your knowledge and experience, even if they don’t fully understand the issues.
STEP #4: Send a letter (or newsletter) highlighting your successes, which serves as proof that you do a good job for your clients.
STEP #5: Send a letter offering educational information to help the recipient and people the referral source might send your way. Focus on subjects that appeal to the prospects you want to attract. For instance, if you want to attract estate planning clients, offer information that is related to estate planning and asset protection. If you want to attract in-house counsel at corporations, offer information about the area of law in which you provide services.
STEP #6: Send your newsletter offering helpful tips and discussing current topics in your area of law. The shorter your newsletter, the more convenient it is for readers. The more often you send it, the greater impact it makes on referral sources. Send your newsletter at least monthly. Make sure your newsletter includes your biography, photo and seminar dates. Also, make sure you offer your free educational materials and direct prospects to your website.
STEP #7: Pursue a publicity program so editors occasionally feature you in local newspapers. Also, pursue opportunities to appear on the TV news broadcasts and radio talk shows whenever you can speak about a subject in the news. Visibility through the media helps referral sources have more confidence in you, helping them conclude you’re an authority in your field. (After an editor features you in a published article, reprint the story and mail it to your potential referral sources along with a brief cover letter.)
STEP #8: Send notices of upcoming seminars to referral sources. This makes it easy for them to alert their friends and clients to your program.
STEP #9: Offer to present seminars to groups made up of your referral sources. For example, if you get referrals from CPAs, offer to present seminars to CPA groups. If you get referrals from other lawyers, offer to present a continuing education seminar on your topic.
STEP #10: Invest time developing close, personal relationships. Take referral sources to lunch. Invite them to play golf. Offer to spend time with them in a way they welcome.
AFTER YOU RECEIVE A REFERRAL
STEP #11: Acknowledge every referral immediately in writing. Why do people send you a referral? Often, it’s because they think highly of you and want their friend or client to receive the best you offer. Certainly, you could shoot off a quick email thanking the person for the referral. But that’s the easy way out. When someone sends you a client, take time to write a letter. (Yes, an honest-to-goodness letter — on stationery, no less!) Thank them for having confidence in you and assure them that you will do everything you can to help the person they referred.
STEP #12: Keep your referral source informed about your client’s progress. Send an occasional note or email to keep the referrer up to date. This reinforces that you’re working hard on the client’s behalf. Don’t let your referral source lapse into guessing what might have happened with the client. Guesses — based on lack of communication — usually result in negative conclusions. Instead, keep your referral source on top of what’s happening. He’ll be so happy that you keep him informed that he will look for someone else to refer to you. When the case ends, make sure you send a summary letter explaining how you resolved the matter.
STEP #13: Help your referral source earn money. When appropriate, build your referral source into the process. If a CPA referred a client to you, help the CPA get added work from the client. If a life insurance agent sends you a client, point out to the client when it’s appropriate for him to increase his life insurance. Your credibility goes a long way. If you can help the referral source get business from the person he referred, that’s one more reason for your friend to refer another client.
STEP #14: Return referrals, when possible. No question, it’s nice when you can return a referral. But today, with such high levels of legal specialization, referrals are often a one-way street. Return referrals when you can. If you can’t, make sure you reciprocate in another way.
STEP #15: Pay referral fees. Money speaks with a loud voice. Make sure you abide by your Bar rules.
Summary: You build a solid referral base the same way you build a productive client base: With ongoing communication centered around your knowledge, skill, judgment and experience. When referral sources perceive you as an authority in your field, they are quick to send to you their friends and clients.
About the Author
Trey Ryder specializes in Education-Based Marketing for lawyers. He has provided marketing services for lawyers for 37 years. Trey offers three free articles: 7 Secrets of Dignified Marketing, Marketing Secrets of Superstar Lawyers, 11 Brochure Mistakes Lawyers Make To receive these articles, send your name and e-mail address to trey@treyryder.com and ask for his free e-mail packet of articles.
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Quick Tip!!By: David M. Ward
I keep hearing about 30-Day challenges. For writing, for creating new habits, for getting your home or office organized. Apparently, you challenge yourself to focus for 30 days on something new and efficacious and work your booty off to get it done.
So, how about a 30-day marketing challenge?
Choose an area of your practice you want to improve or grow. Something you can measure like new clients or new subscribers would be good. Then, pick a number: how many in what period of time?
Notice, it’s not “how many in 30 days”? You probably won’t see the bulk of your results until well after 30 days.
With me?
Next, what can you do to bring about that result?
I suggest you choose one or two strategies–no more than three–because you’ve got to keep things simple (or you won’t do them).
Got it?
Let’s say you want to bring in two new clients per month within 90 days and you’ve chosen networking to find new referral sources as your strategy to do that.
You can do this in person, online, or both. You can find professionals by showing up at a group (again, in person or online), or by asking your current referral sources (and clients) to introduce you, or both.
Your plan calls for you to introduce yourself, find out what they do and tell them what you do, and look for ways you can work together.
That’s a good plan, by the way. Simple, do-able, and likely to produce results.
Next, set up a schedule. Every day, for the next 30 days, what will you do? Block out 15 minutes or 30 minutes or 60 minutes a day on your calendar to do it.
You can take this challenge on your own or with a workout or accountability partner. Find someone who wants to take the same challenge or a similar one and help each other.
You can accomplish a lot with 30-days of sustained effort. All that remains is for you to do it.
About the Author
David Ward is an attorney and marketing consultant to attorneys. His website is The Attorney Marketing Canter where he offers a free newsletter about marketing, productivity, and personal development.
You can learn more at http://attorneymarketing.com
That’s it for this week. I’ll have a brand new issue for you this time next week. Also, if you have any questions or comments about the content in this newsletter please email me at sheisler@injurylawyermd.com ~SHH
