No matter what other types of marketing you do, referrals will always be key to marketing your legal services. Prospective clients contact you because someone they know and trust recommends you. They come to you pre-screened as to need, or at least interest, and the ability to pay.
The odds are they’ll hire you. You usually don’t have to do a lot to make that happen.
And, not only are referred clients easier to sign up, they usually turn out to be better clients.
There are other benefits to prioritizing referrals as a marketing strategy for a law practice. Among other things, that focus can also lead to more traffic to your website, more seminar attendees, more invitations to speak, and more subscribers and followers.
Because it’s based on relationships.
It’s an idea as old as marketing itself. And while many attorneys benefit do this, they usually “watch it happen” rather than taking steps to “make it happen”.
What do I mean?
I mean, most attorneys don’t systematically identify other professionals and businesses that already serve their target market (and don’t compete with them), approach them, and propose a marketing alliance.
A mutually beneficial strategic relationship, leading to referrals and other benefits. You promote their products or services, endorse and recommend them, send them referrals and traffic and so on, and they do the same for you.
You help them build their business or practice; they help you build yours.
Hold on, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that business people and professionals who might make a good strategic alliance partner for you already have referral relationships with attorneys and law firms in your market.
They don’t need you.
But they do.
Because the attorneys they currently work with often
- Target different sub-niches, industries, or types of businesses or clients than you do
- Offer different services or use different fee and billing arrangements than you do
- Can’t handle, or don’t want to handle big cases, or may not want the mid-size or small cases you prefer
- Have conflicts of interest and can’t take every case or client
- Get busy and can’t handle all the work that comes their way
- Retire, die, move, or get into trouble and are no longer available
They also might not have the same reputation, experience, or skill set you bring to the table, making you a better fit for their contacts.
And even if none of this is true today, tomorrow might be another story.
Which is why you should continually look for and get to know potential referral partners.
It should be a cornerstone of your marketing.
Routinely ask yourself, “Which business leader or professional in my market sells to, advises, or otherwise influences prospective clients who would be a good fit for my practice?”
Identify them, meet them, and show them how they can benefit by working with you.
That’s the plan.
Okay, I know what else you’re thinking. You’re thinking this is extremely difficult and time-consuming. It’s not worth the effort.
It might be difficult, but it isn’t impossible. And it is indeed worth the effort.
Not only can it pay off big time for you, but you don’t need dozens of strategic alliance partners, you only need a few.
In fact, just one can make a tremendous difference.
Not only can one new referral partner send you business, they can also introduce you to other professionals and businesses they work with who might also form a marketing alliance with you.
Good referral relationships might not be easy to come by, but when they come, they can compound.
Prove it for yourself. Do you have any business or professional relationships right now? Even one?
Have a chat with them and ask them to introduce you to someone they know who might also want to work with you.
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