Who are you and why are you calling me?

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I received an email from an attorney who asks two questions:

“I’m a sole practitioner, I wanted to enquire on how do I go about getting new clients if I don’t have any referrals?

What’s your take on cold calling as a marketing strategy?”

I’ll address the second question first.

Is cold calling a viable marketing strategy? Is it something I recommend? The short answer is “yes”. Absolutely. It always has been a viable marketing strategy and always will be.

The short answer is “yes”. Absolutely. It always has been a viable marketing strategy and always will be. In fact, cold calling should be a mainstay of every lawyer’s marketing.

But there are caveats.

If you’re calling lawyers, other professionals, business owners or other centers of influence in your local market or your niche market, hunky dory. One professional calling another, to introduce him or herself, to inquire about what the other person does and how the two of you might work together for your mutual benefit–that’s simply networking done over the phone.

Frankly, if you’re not doing this, you’re missing out on one of the simplest and most effective marketing strategies on God’s Green Earth.

If you want to know more about what to say and how to follow up after your first conversation, get my Lawyer to Lawyer Referrals course. You’ll know exactly what to say and what to do.

Now, if you’re thinking about cold calling prospective clients, that’s different.

If they are a prospective “consumer” client and they don’t know you, don’t call. Even if a mutual friend asked you to. Even if you’re not calling about a specific legal matter but are calling to invite them to your upcoming seminar.

Don’t do it.

Sidebar: if you’re calling as a member of the community, to invite your neighbors to a local picnic or charity golf tournament or something else that has nothing to do with you or your practice, that’s different. And worth consideration. But that’s a subject for another day.

That leaves cold calling prospective business clients.

If we assume that there are no ethical issues with doing that (make sure you check), why not? It’s like walking up to a business owner or executive you don’t know at a networking event, introducing yourself and asking to talk to them. You then tell them what you do and how you can help their company. Or offer to send them some information about legal issues in their industry.

It’s done all the time and it works.

But it works better when you have someone else introduce you.

Find someone who has a connection with the powers that be at the company and ask them to introduce you. Or, get their permission to use their name when you call.

Then, it’s not a cold call. It’s not cold because you have a mutual friend or business contact. Much better posture. Much better likelihood of success.

Now, as to the first question, getting clients when you don’t have referrals to offer prospective referral sources.

Surprise. This is also covered in Lawyer to Lawyer Referrals.

Are you still reading? Go get some referrals: Lawyer to Lawyer Referrals 

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