Referrals are the lifeblood of every professional practice. They’re good for your ego and your bank account and should be the mainstay of your practice-building efforts.
To get more referrals, there are three things you can do.
First, you can start by being more referable.
That means getting great results for your clients, of course, but it also means making sure they see and appreciate your effort. Copy them on everything, explain why you did what you did, and encourage them to talk to you if they need or want more information.
Keeping your clients informed will go a long way toward getting repeat business and referrals, even if you don’t always deliver remarkable results.
Being more referable also means making it easier for people to refer.
One way to do that is to give them alternatives to providing your name and number to their contacts and recommending they call you, something they might resist doing. Something as simple as giving them articles you’ve written that they can share with their contacts could be a “gentler” alternative for both your client and for the prospective referral.
And for you.
The second thing you can do to stimulate more referrals is to solicit more feedback.
Talk to your clients and professional contacts, take them to lunch, send them quarterly surveys, ask them to fill out a form on your website, and find out what they like about working with you and what they think you could improve.
Don’t be shy about it. Ask for feedback, listen to what they tell you, and take action to fix any problems, improve your workflow and client relations practices, and otherwise make the experience of hiring you (and referring you) easier for everyone.
The third thing you can do to get more referrals is to ask for them.
Many clients don’t know you want referrals. They think you don’t need them or you’re too busy and don’t have room to take on new clients. Other lawyers and referral sources might think the same thing.
Make sure everyone knows that not only can you handle more clients, you want more referrals because the more referrals you get, the more you can reduce your other marketing expenses and amortize your overhead, something that benefits all of your clients.
Finally, consider that the number one reason your clients and contacts don’t refer you as much business as they is probably because they haven’t thought about it.
Which means the simplest thing you can do to get more referrals is to stay in touch with everyone and help them think about it.
