Law Firm Marketing

Are You Worth the Risk?

When a client comes to you with a problem he is anxious.  He may never have faced this kind of situation before.  He is worried about losing money, time and/or an opportunity.  He knows that hiring the right lawyer is going to be the most important decision he will make toward achieving a favorable result.

In short, he is worried about the risk he is taking in selecting you as his lawyer.

Overcoming the client’s fear of making a mistake in lawyer selection is the single most important factor in law firm marketing.  Most lawyers underestimate the depth of that fear.

There are six different elements of risk that come into play when a client is looking to hire a lawyer and you must overcome all of them.

Below are these elements of risk.  I have also included some thoughts on how you can address this risk head on and make the client’s decision easier.

The risk of poor performance:  The client hires a lawyer and the lawyer is not able to achieve the desired result.

To overcome this risk, show the client your past work.  Help him feel comfortable with your skill level.  Give the client the names and phone numbers of other people you have represented so he can check up on you.

The risk of financial investment: The client invests in you, you do not perform well and he is responsible for damages awarded to his adversary.

To overcome this risk, show the client the value he is receiving by hiring you.  Help him see that NOT hiring you is the true financial risk because you are their best option.

The risk of loss of time: The client helps you become familiar with his situation. This takes time.  If he needs to find another lawyer, he has lost the time he invested in working with you.  In many matters, time is of the essence.  If the client works with you and you cannot act quickly he may not achieve a favorable outcome.

Overcome this risk by demonstrating sensitivity to his time investment.  Show up on time to meetings with him.  Return his calls promptly and be attentive to his needs.  If you are unavailable, make sure a member of your team responds to the needs of the client in timely fashion.

The risk of the loss of an opportunity:  Your depth of knowledge is critical to the client’s success. If you miss an opportunity while working on his matter, you may cost him money or you may even jeopardize the entire engagement.

Start the relationship off by asking in-depth questions about the client’s situation.  Show him that you are thinking about his matter beyond the superficial aspects of it.  Asking good questions demonstrates the desire to completely understand a situation.  This is critical to alleviating the client’s fear of loss of an opportunity.

Psychological risk:  How does the client feel when he works with you?  Does he feel like he is in good hands?  There is a fine line between giving your client peace of mind and promising an outcome.  You need to walk that line effectively and make the client feel good about your work.  When you present your client with options and he makes a decision, reassure him.

Social risk:  Clients talk to other people in their sphere of influence.  Every interaction you have with a client or on behalf of a client either enhances or detracts from your reputation.  Monitor what is being said about you in the community and realize that what you do is also a reflection on your clients.

Many times the client is making the decision to hire a lawyer during a brief conversation you have with him.  You must, through your actions and your words, address each of these elements of risk to his satisfaction in order to be hired.  Lawyers who are good at business development have made this a natural part of their initial client meeting.

If clients come to see you and leave without hiring you, you have a problem addressing these six elements of risk.

This is not unusual and it can be corrected.  Call me today to find out how.

Law Firm Marketing Plan Must Include Referral Source Targeting

A few days ago I was speaking with a Criminal Defense Attorney about his marketing strategy.  He had employed a number of law firm marketing tactics designed to reach out directly to his end user.  He was spending a significant amount of money on pay per click advertising on the Internet.  He was in three different legal directory services.  He was doing a local radio question and answer “show” a few times each week and he was all over the latest fads – Facebook and Twitter.

All of these marketing tactics are fine.  In fact his activity was terrific.  But he was missing the most important element of a law firm marketing plan for any lawyer who handles consumer issues…

This attorney was missing a huge opportunity.  He had no plan to reach out directly to referral sources.

All law firm marketing plans should include a strategy designed to specifically target referral sources.  Lawyers who focus on criminal defense law, family law, immigration law and trusts and estates law in particular should heavily weight their marketing toward referral sources.

Why target referral sources?

Because of their lifetime value.

Think of it this way:  In each of these areas you will probably only be able to work with a client once or twice in their lifetime.  If you try to market directly to the client, you will spend a significant amount of money focusing on them and, in many cases, the amount of matters you source will only cover your marketing expense.

If you target referral sources and you attract one and that one source sends you several clients each year for five years, the lifetime value of that referral source is much higher than the value of an individual client.  This means you are able to spend more money attracting them and your return on investment is higher.

Who are good referral sources?

Attorneys

Most attorneys forget to target other attorneys with their marketing.  This is a mistake.  Some of the best referrals will come from attorneys in noncompeting practice areas.  Develop specific marketing tactics designed to reach out to local attorneys who do not compete with you.

Another great source of referrals is competing attorneys who are not located in your city or state.  I often find that great referrals are passed among attorneys who meet in my coaching programs and, although they are in competing practice areas, they only practice in a narrowly defined geography.  Sometimes these folks will source a case in your area and they need to find someone to whom they can refer that matter.  You want to be that attorney.  Target attorneys in your practice area in other states.

Accountants

Accountants have built up a significant amount of trust and good will with their clients.  People share their most confidential information with them.  As an attorney, you should spend some time targeting accountants as potential referral sources.  A good accountant, particularly those with high net worth individuals as clients can be worth his weight in gold to your referral program.

Clergy

It goes without saying that leaders of religious organizations have a tremendous amount of influence over their congregation.  These are important people to target with your referral campaign.  One of the best ways to build up goodwill with religious leaders is by volunteering to give regular talks to youth groups or senior citizens on topics of interest.

Civic or Community Leaders

Leaders of the local chamber of commerce or of a community or condominium association can also be valuable referral targets.  People will often approach these folks when they have a problem or question.  You can target these people in the same way you reach out to religious leaders.  Offer to give a talk or presentation to their group a few times each year.  Help them understand the issues of the day and you will be happily surprised at the results.

Legal work can come from just about anywhere but your time is limited.  Make sure your law firm marketing plan includes some form of outreach to referral sources.  They will reward you handsomely for your efforts.

The Most Misunderstood Aspect of Law Firm Marketing

There is one aspect of law firm marketing that is totally misunderstood.  In fact, most people disregard it completely.  They think it is a waste of time. They forget to do it, or the just flat out discount its effectiveness.

This critical component is FOLLOW-UP.

Yes.  You read that correctly.

The simple basic process of following up with a prospective client, colleague or referral source will make you more money than any other marketing technique you will ever employ.

Need some proof?

Follow-up Success Story Number 1

An intellectual property attorney gives between 6 and 10 talks each year to business owners in the publishing and Internet marketing industries.  He collects business cards at these talks in exchange for a free report he distributes via email.  He then proceeds to email these SENIOR EXECUTIVES a weekly email newsletter.  About 3 percent unsubscribe over the course of a year.  About 26 percent of his recipients open his email each week.  On average, he has retained two new clients per month from this follow-up process during the past two years.  His client lifetime value exceeds $20,000.  So each month, on average, he is acquiring $40,000 in assets from sending four emails.

Key points in this story:

Frequency:  This guy sends an email every week.  Most attorneys tell me that is too often.  Most attorneys tell me their clients will get annoyed.  Yes.  About 2-3 percent will get annoyed and unsubscribe.  So what?

Recipient Sophistication:  This guy sends email to senior executives (some of them are in Fortune 500 companies).  Most attorneys tell me their clients are too sophisticated to read and respond to an email newsletter.  That is not true.  We have had success using this at every level with people in every industry.

Follow-up Success Story Number 2

A divorce attorney in Illinois meets about 20 new lawyers each month.  She religiously adds them to her database in a list marked “colleagues”.  Each week she sends them an email giving them an update on some of the happenings around the local courthouse.  (Apparently this attorney has a knack for getting all the latest news and gossip directly from the source).  Her emails have an astonishing 44 percent open rate and even though her list is relatively small, she receives an average of 10 new referral cases per year in direct response to her emails.

Key Points in this story:

Content:  People will read things they find interesting.  Although most people will turn up their nose at gossip, they will not hesitate to listen to a good story about someone else.  If you add a “human factor” to your email, people will read it.

List Composition:  Most lawyers tell me they do not want to put other lawyers on their email newsletter lists.  This is a mistake.  Your colleagues are some of the best sources of referrals.  Make sure every lawyer you know gets your email.

Follow-up Success Story Number 3

A personal injury attorney in Virginia sends a weekly email newsletter to past clients, friends and family.  In the newsletter he only discusses things that have happened to him.  He then transitions this experience into a “life lesson”.  He closes his email with the line:  “Remember, you have a lawyer in the family.  Please do not hesitate to call me for any of your legal needs.”  This attorney has a list of about 1,300 people.  He consistently receives 3-5 calls to his office after the email goes out each week.  He makes at least 2 referrals to other attorneys from those calls.

Key points in this story:

Trust: People want to feel connected to you even after their case is resolved.  They placed their trust in you.  That does not happen easily.  Allow them to remain a part of your life afterward and they will call you when they have a legal need.

Give Referrals:  Passing a good, qualified referral to another attorney is like handing him some money.  He will want to return the favor.  Do not turn away your former clients when they bring you a need outside your area of expertise.  In fact, you should use your weekly email to solicit those issues and refer them to others.

Here is the bottom line when it comes to follow-up:  IT WORKS.

You should immediately begin to send out a weekly email newsletter.  Even if you only have a small list of people to send it to, it will pay dividends.  I have at least 25 more stories like the ones I listed above.  There is no reason; I repeat no reason, (other than your own stubborn refusal to take good advice) for you not to implement this strategy immediately.

If you like attracting more clients, no matter what your practice area, this will work for you.

Attorney Marketing: The Easy Way to Getting More Referrals

Referrals are part of attorney marketing and you should receive more referrals.  Think about it.  You know people you believe should be referring you more business, but, for whatever reason, they do not.

Don’t you wonder why?

The reason is simply because they are not thinking about referring you business.  In fact, they are probably not thinking about your ideal client.  Ever.

Don’t you want to fix this problem?

Here is a three step attorney marketing referral system that will help you fix this problem forever.  You will need to practice it a few times.  It will not seem natural at first.  But once you get the hang of it, you will be amazed at how well it works.

Our brains function like computers.  We store information in organized files.  In order to remember something, we need to know which file to look into in order to retrieve it.  To get someone to remember a person who could be a potential client for you, you have to get them to open up the mental file where that information is stored.  The exercise below will help you do that when you are in a one-on-one setting.

Attorney Marketing Referral System Step One:  Start up a referral conversation

Usually I start a referral conversation by asking how the other person finds his clients.  They usually reciprocate and ask me how I find clients for my business.  When they ask, I tell them most of my clients come to me through referrals. They usually say they like receiving referrals too.  At that point I ask them to describe their ideal client.  That leads step two.

Attorney Marketing Referral System Step Two: Get the other person into a referral mindset

Now you have to shift the other person from thinking about their clients to thinking about people they know who might be good clients for you.  To make this shift I usually say something like:

“Getting referrals can be tough because people do not always recall everyone they meet.”

Then I ask them if they have ever met a famous person.  This can be a celebrity, it can be a politician, it really can be anyone.  You just want them to recall the meeting and the person. I ask them to describe the event where they met the famous person and I ask them to describe the qualities of the famous person. Where were you?  Was he nice?  What did he say?  Getting them to recall details is important because it helps them open the mental file completely.

Attorney Marketing Referral System Step Three:  Use a memory jogger

The next step is to get them to think of the kind of person you want to meet.  You can transition into asking for specifics by saying something like:  “It is amazing how many people we meet on a regular basis. Did you know most people in business meet, on average, over 300 new people each year?  By any chance do you know someone who…”

This is where you fill in the person you want to meet.  A trust and estates attorney, for example, would ask about a CPA.  An immigration attorney could ask about Human Resource professionals.  An attorney who practices administrative law would ask about doctors.  A criminal attorney would ask to meet attorneys in any number of practice areas.

After you ask for your referral, make sure you are clear on who is a good referral for them (so you can send them someone for their business).

Attorney Marketing Referral System Step Four: Follow up

After you get back to your office immediately do an email introduction of the person you were just speaking with to someone who could be valuable to their business.  Always give before you expect to receive.  This is extremely important.

Nine times out of ten, you will receive a referral in return.

If you use this strategy once each week for 50 weeks a year, you will come away with 50 new referrals.  If you only do business with half of them you will wind up with at least 25 new clients.  That’s not too shabby.

Find a way to work this referral process into your weekly activity.  Once you master this attorney marketing referral system, it will pay you dividends for a long time. 

Hey Lawyer I have a problem…

I have a problem…

Those are the magic words every attorney wants to hear.  Unfortunately many of the people who have problems you can solve don’t even know you exist.

So what is an ambitious, ethical attorney supposed to do to gain some visibility?

Here are three things you can do RIGHT NOW to gain greater exposure within your community:

Market to Your Referral Sources

All attorneys have a natural pool of referral sources that should be regularly reminded of your value proposition.
For example:

Real Estate brokers and loan officers should regularly receive communication from Real Estate Attorneys.
 
Trust and Estate Attorneys should be well known in the local community of financial advisors, insurance professionals and accounts.
 
Personal Injury Attorneys should reach out to other attorneys, doctors, chiropractors, members of the local clergy and bartenders.

Criminal Defense Attorneys should be well known within the courthouse.  Bailiffs, guards, clerks, court reporters and process servers should all be treated like potential clients since they see and hear many of the people who may need your services.

There is a list equally as long for each and every practice area specialty. Market to your referral sources just as hard as you would market to potential clients.
 
Educate the Community

Hold educational seminars whenever possible.  Host these seminars on your own as well as in conjunction with other attorneys or referral sources.  These seminars serve two purposes:

1). They provide valuable information to people who need it.
2). They position you as an expert in your field.

Holding a seminar on a different topic each month gives you a reason to get some folks together in your office.  Even if you only have 10-15 people attend, those are now 10-15 “sales people” who will be referring you to their friends and neighbors.

If you can work with a local civic organization or religious group and have them host or sponsor your educational events, you may have a more significant audience and a larger “sales force”.

Write Articles

Look for trade magazines in your niche and submit articles regularly.  Many of these publications need content and their editors are thrilled when people send them high-quality information.
Local newspapers often have guest columns written by influential members of the community.  Find out how you can become one of those influential people.
 
Send your newsletter to editors of all trade magazines and local newspapers.  You never know who will read it and call with a potential lead.

There are probably twenty more things you can and should be doing to raise your profile in the community.  The real key is not so much WHAT you are doing…The key is that YOU ARE doing SOMETHING.
 
Doing NOTHING is easy.  Doing NOTHING gets you the results you already have.

Get up, get going and get clients.

Your Law Firm is Leaking

Each and every month you lose influence over your clients.  Each month some of the people who have paid you the highest fees or done the most work with you become less and less interested in you. Each month your stellar reputation fades a little more in the minds of the folks who refer you new clients   And most people are probably not doing anything about it.

Why?

Because most people are lazy.

You lose 10% of your influence with your clients, prospects and referral sources for every 30 days you do not have contact with them.

This means ten months from now, the great client you had lunch with today will have forgotten all about you.  It means the doctor who sent you that great referral last week will have a hard time remembering what you do for a living.  It means the business owner you met at the networking event yesterday will not recognize you if you hit him with your car next spring.

So what is the solution?

The answer is to start communicating with these people.  Each month you should have some kind of communication with your clients, prospective clients and referral sources. This communication can be a newsletter, it can be a card or it can be a phone call or an email.  It really doesn’t matter how you interact with them.  You simply want to remind them that you are here and ready to help them and the people they know.

Some people will say: “I don’t have the money!”

Do you have a real business or are you just playing around?  You need to invest money in your client acquisition efforts in order to develop a real business (a law firm is a business by the way).
It costs less than a dollar to purchase and mail a greeting card each month.  It costs about $2 to send out a printed newsletter (in small quantity).  Email is practically free – just type and hit send.

But some people will need to be convinced.  Here’s how the math works:

You mail 1000 newsletters at $2 each (the cost for printing and mailing).  You mail 1000 greeting cards at $1 each.  You type and send 1000 emails to the people within your database (only to those from whom you have received permission).  You do these three things every month.  That is a total monthly expense of $3000.

Let’s say it takes you three months to see any business from these efforts.  So you have spent $9,000 in keeping up with the most valuable 1000 people in your database.

On the first day of the fourth month you get a client as a direct result of these efforts.  This client is your average client.  And your average client pays you $10,000 in fees.

Was your investment worth it?

Yes.

Will you get more than one client from these efforts?

Most likely.  There is a cumulative effect to this kind of system.  After about six months you will start to see more and more interest in your services.  It takes some people a little longer to absorb the information and react.

Will you get more clients by doing this compared to doing nothing?

Definitely.

What are you waiting for?

If you need a kick in the rear end and want some help in setting up this type of system, give me a call.  If you want me to show you how, I will.  If you want me to set it up, I will.  If you want me to do this for you each and every month I will.

You can be lazy and outsource this system to me or I can show you how to do this for yourself.  The choice is yours but doing NOTHING is the worst choice you can possibly make.

Call now. 1.888.692.5531

Three Ways to Attract New Small Business Clients to Your Law Firm

Many solo and small practice attorneys look to court small business owners as their clients. Marketing for lawyers in a corporate transactional law firm must include this target market.
 
This segment of the population offers enormous opportunity for your law firm.  Small businesses enter into contracts and service agreements regularly.  They have copyright, trademark and patent issues.  They deliver products and services and need to be protected from liability.  And they often have complicated tax issues that need to be sorted out. All of these factors make them good potential clients for your firm. Yet one persistent question always arises about this group. 

How does a solo attorney attract a small business owner to his law practice?
Since small business owners are usually busy, and they prefer to work with people they know, like and trust. The way you approach a small businesses owner is critical. You must take a long term view toward building this relationship.  Start by getting to know them and helping them get to know you.

Below are three ways to jump start a professional relationship with a small business owner:

Ask a CPA for an introduction

CPAs are a critical partner to small business owners.  In most cases, they are trusted advisors and their recommendations are accepted and enacted quickly.
 
If your solo practice works with small businesses, you need to immediately begin to introduce yourself to as many CPAs as possible.  Develop relationships with them first and then follow up in a nonthreatening way.  Make them aware of the different matters you can handle.

A relationship with a CPA will pay big dividends down the road.

Go to lunch with a new small business owner everyday

This may seem like an overwhelming task at first but it is one of the easiest ways to build your small business client base. There are twenty work days in a month.  You need to eat every single day.  The business owners must eat daily as well.  There is no reason for either of you to eat alone.  Every lunch you eat alone costs you money. Marketing for lawyers should include mealtime marketing.
 
Start by immediately offering to take a small business owner to lunch tomorrow.  Then begin to fill out your calendar for the remainder of the week.  As you fill up dates for the month, remember that breakfast is also a great way to meet and establish a relationship with a prospective client.

Meals are great opportunities for these get-to-know-you sessions because of the common purpose—everyone has to eat.  Use this time to get to know the prospective client and follow up over time to keep your name in front of them.

Leverage memberships in groups to build relationships

Chamber of commerce groups and networking groups are excellent sources of leads for small business attorneys.  Small businesses make up the bulk of the membership in these groups. The key to leveraging a chamber of commerce or a networking club membership to build a successful law firm is to go into the meetings with a specific purpose in mind.
 
You must have an idea of who you want to meet and what you want to do when you meet them.  When you are introduced to these folks, do not immediately pitch them on your services.  Instead, take some time and win over their trust. This is a key component of marketing for lawyers.
These three tips may seem basic but if you work on them on a regular basis, you will be surprised at how effective they are in helping you to build a successful law firm.

Utilizing Referral Sources to Market Your Law Firm

One of the best ways for law firms to get new clients coming in the door is through the referrals of other people.  There are a myriad of ways to get the word out about your law firm, your lawyers, the legal services you offer, and your firm’s unique ability to solve the problems of its clients.  Many of the options available to lawyers for marketing their firms are either labor intensive or expensive.  Utilizing a vast network of referral sources can be a low cost way to build your firms client base and your reputation within the community.
 
When someone has a sensitive legal issue and they’re looking for representation, they are much more likely to go to a lawyer who was recommended to them, as opposed to one who sent them a random postcard in the mail.  While mailers can be an effective part of your marketing plan, they won’t be your firm’s bread and butter.  Often times when someone refers a client to you, this initial recommendation comes with more than just handing the potential client you business card.  The referral process will usually include statements regarding your ability to handle and their problem.  In other words, referral sources often provide low or no cost advertising that comes from a trusted source.
 
A strong referral program should be a key component of every law firm’s marketing plan.  While some referrals may just come to you out of the blue, the majority of quality referral sources have to be identified and cultivated in order to be utilized to their fullest potential.  The bottom line is that developing a strong legal practice that is financially successful requires initiating, building, and maintaining strong relationships with potential referral sources.
 
Here’s how you can use referrals as a key component of your law firm marketing plan.

Start With a System

Managing your referral sources is not something you should try to keep in your head like a grocery list.  If you don’t already have a database for your referral sources, then this is a great time to build one.  Make a comprehensive list of potential referral sources and past referral sources.  Organize the list based upon which referral sources are most likely to provide you with potential clients.  Compile this information into a database that includes information about the referral source.  This should be information that you can use to make the relationship grow, including the names of their children, their personal hobbies, their birthdays and anniversaries.
 
Include these people in a quarterly e-mail newsletter so that your name and specialty remain fresh in their minds and your contact info is just a few mouse clicks away.
 
Attorney to Attorney Referrals

Fellow attorneys can be one of the best referral sources to help make your firm grow.  This is one of the many reasons that lawyers need to have a specialty.  Select a niche within your market and become the best at what you do.  Over time, it will become almost automatic for other attorneys to refer work to you that they can’t handle because of a conflict of interest or simply because it does not fit the niche that they themselves have decided to pursue.
 
While it should go without saying that each client you encounter should be treated well.  This is most important when dealing with clients who have been referred to you by other attorneys.  More than likely, the referring attorney is helping the client with a different legal matter.  When you do a great job for this client by going above and beyond their expectations, you are building the reputation of the referring attorney as well as your own.
 
While working with a client that has been referred to you by another attorney, maintain contact with the referral source.  Let the referring attorney know how that their client’s legal matter is being taken care of.  Lastly, be sure to thank the referring attorney.  Show your appreciation and gratitude for his help in growing your business.  One of the best ways to say “thank you” to attorney’s who refer work to your firm is to refer work back to them whenever possible.
 
Other Referral Sources

Most likely there are individuals in your community, besides other attorneys, who frequently come into contact with people who may require legal services.  Build relationships with these people and they will send work your way.  Go to industry events, meet people and let them know who you are and what you specialize in.  Buy a seat or a table at a local fundraising dinner.  This will give you the opportunity to meet several high level executives within your city.
 
Another great way to get referrals is by positioning yourself as an expert in your specialty.  One way to do this and to network at the same time is by doing speaking engagements.
 
An often unexplored avenue for potential sources is past clients.  Every interaction you have with one of your clients may lead to work from additional clients in the future.  Just because their legal issue may have been resolved does not mean that you should not continue to cultivate these relationships.  Make sure that your clients are satisfied with the services that they’re receiving from you.  Keep in touch with them long after your work for them is complete.  You can do this through e-mail newsletters written specifically to past clients.  You can write articles that explain how changes in the law and the economy affect your area of law.
 
Building relationships with referral sources is like building relationships in any area of your life in that it takes time and patience to do it.  The work of cultivating referral sources is never done.  It is an ongoing project that needs to be managed.  Nevertheless, the benefit of having strong referral sources will be seen by your firm for many years to come.

Need More Clients? Just Ask!

If you get one from a client you can get ten or twenty from them.

It is the most effective form of marketing.

It is also the most efficient way to acquire a new client.

Yet most attorneys don’t do it.  In fact, most attorneys have some kind of hang up about doing it.  They have an unfair distain for the practice.

Have you figured out what we are referring to?

It is the most effective and underused strategy for getting more business.

We are talking about asking for referrals and using the three step process that could help you double your client base almost overnight.

Many people – and attorneys are no different – are reluctant to ask their clients to refer them to others.  The question is: “Why?”.

The answer probably lies deep within our subconscious.  When we were kids we were taught to be polite and not be too “pushy”.  This is one of those scripts that is running unconsciously in the back of our mind at all times.  Over and over again it is playing in the background:

“Don’t be too pushy.” “Don’t be too pushy.” “Don’t be too pushy.”

This is powerful stuff developed over years and years.  It was installed by people who had the most profound influence on us – our parents.

And it will absolutely kill you if you want to build a good size law firm.

You need to break through all of that subconscious programming.  Once you do, you can begin to ask for more referrals from your existing clients.

There is a secret about clients who provide you with referrals that will be worth a fortune to you. The client who refers once can and will refer many more people, many more times if you motivate them to do so. Once a client has referred someone to your firm, he/she used as a referral resource over and over again.

There have been numerous studies done that show that the average person has a circle of influence of about fifty people.  That’s fifty people who will take this person’s call and listen to what he has to say.  So every client who is happy with your firm should provide you with fifty opportunities to help someone else in a similar fashion. 

Yet research conducted by the American Marketing Association indicates that the average satisfied client only tells an average of three people about his or her experience with a firm. 

So how do you get from three to fifty?

There is a simple three step process that any attorney can follow to get more referrals almost instantly.

The three steps are:

Ask

As we already discussed, you have to ask in order to receive.  Picking the right time to ask is key.  You want to ask when the client is full of good feeling. Always ask a client for a referral after presenting some great results or receiving a favorable decision or outcome.

Social events are also great opportunities to ask for referrals.  If you are kicking back and enjoying a relaxing lunch with a client, you can ease into the conversation by asking what his ideal client looks like.  Make sure to whip out a piece of paper or note pad and take careful notes as he describes his ideal client. 

Now just having this conversation might lead him to ask you what your ideal client looks like.  This is a great opportunity to ask for a referral.  If he doesn’t ask you about your ideal client at that point – just let the whole conversation drop. 

The next day, send him an email (or give him a call) to thank him for spending time with you and for being your client.  Then give him a referral to someone who you believe fits his profile of an ideal client – actually volunteer to set up a meeting between him and the other party.  At THAT point, give him a description of your ideal client.  Then ask if he knows anyone who fits that profile.

Receive and Report Back

This is the part of the process where many attorneys blow it.  When someone gives you a name and phone number of a potential client, you must call that person immediately.  As soon as the client says that it is “ok” you need to follow through on that lead. 

After you speak with the person who has been referred to you, it is imperative that you report back to the person who gave you that lead.  The report back tells the client that you appreciate the referral.  It also helps let the client who refers know that it is ok for him to follow-up with the other party.

Immediately calling the new potential client is critical and so is the follow-up call.  Although you will be tempted to skip this step, please don’t.  Make sure to include it in you referral strategy.
Reward

Once you receive the referral and that prospect becomes a new client, you need to reward the person who referred the business to you.  This is essential.  If you don’t do it, the client will definitely have a negative impression of you.

But the importance in rewarding a person who refers business to you goes well beyond avoiding negative word of mouth.  The value of rewarding a person who refers comes in the reinforcement of the positive behavior that referrer exhibited. 

There are many different types of referral rewards that have been effective for our clients over the years.  Some of the best rewards are gifts of food.  There are three reasons for this:

1.) Sending food is the equivalent of “breaking bread” with a client.  This has historical and psychological significance for most people.
2.) Food is often shared with others in the office.  This gives the person who receives the reward a chance to be a hero by giving a snack to the office staff.
3.) People do not feel guilty taking a gift of food.  If you sent cash, some folks would feel guilty or they might feel that the gift is inappropriate.

Steaks, fruit baskets, cookies and brownies are all great referral rewards to extend to clients who send business your way. 

Asking for referrals is by far the easiest way to double your client base quickly.  Make a list of ten clients you can contact today for referrals.  Then get on the phone and call them.  It will seem awkward at first but these are the easiest sales calls you will ever make.

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