You’ve heard me say that when you ask for referrals, you get more referrals.

I’ve heard you say you don’t want to ask.

Well, there are ways to “ask” without asking.

When you write an article or blog post, for example, and share a success story about a case you handled, you can casually mention that said case or client was referred to you by another client who had a similar case or situation and received a positive outcome.

Your reader sees that you were successful in helping two clients with that problem. They also see that your clients refer other clients to you, suggesting that they can, too.

There are many other ways to “ask without asking,” and, if “asking” makes you uncomfortable, you should avail yourself of them. They are spelled out in my Maximum Referrals course.

Now, if you’re not uncomfortable asking for referrals, from clients or prospects or professional contacts, when you do ask, I have a tip for you:

Be specific.

Don’t simply ask, “Do you know anyone who needs an attorney?” That’s too broad and begs the listener to say no.

Instead, when you’re speaking to a small business client, for example, ask if they know a couple of business owners or execs who might need help protecting their assets or re-negotiating their lease (or with the legal situation you’re helping them with).

Being specific makes it more likely they’ll think about someone they know in the context of your services. You can then ask for an introduction or ask them to give them your card.

Another way to be specific is to help them think about people they know in a given context: from work, from church, in their neighborhood, or their customers or clients.

“Do you have any clients who might need help with. . .?”

Now, here’s another way to ask for referrals without asking. You can do this in person, on the phone, via email, or in your content:

“If you know anyone who could use [help or advice] with [a legal problem or situation], tell them go to [web page] to download a copy of my free report [problem-solving, benefit oriented title]. . .”

Reframe “asking” into “offering” and you’ll get more people sending people your way.

For more ways to get referrals without asking in Maximum Referrals

You sign up a new client and mail them a welcome letter, a supply of your business cards and brochures, and information you want them to know about their case, your firm, and about other matters you handle.

You should also enclose information about referrals: a description of your ideal client, what the client should tell people about you, and how to go about making the referral.

You want to make it as easy as possible for the client to refer others to you, and suggest that this is something clients customarily do.

To make referrals more likely, add an additional document to your new client kit: a sample email the clients can copy and paste and send to people they know.

The email should explain who you are, what you do, and how you can help the recipient with specific legal issues.

It should spell out your address, phone, email, social channels, a link to the contact form on your website and a link to a page where the prospective client can learn more about you and how you can help them.

It should also provide space for the referring client to say something about how they met you, why they hired you, and why they recommend you.

The email should come with “instructions”–who to send it to (your ideal client) and when to send it (when their friend or contact says or does something that suggests they might need your help).

Thank the new client for telling people about you and remind them that their friends will appreciate them for making it easier to get legal help when they need it.

For more ways to get more referrals, get my Maximum Referrals course.

Your clients (and prospects) have other legal needs besides the ones you handle. They need a divorce and you only handle bankruptcy. The want to start a business and you only do estate planning.

Some of your clients know they can ask you for a referral, and some will, but many don’t know and won’t ask.

Tell your clients (train them) to come to you for ALL of their legal needs.

Why?

So you can introduce them to good attorneys, sparing them the time and effort of searching and the risk of making a bad choice.

And so you can help attorneys you know by sending them referrals, setting the stage for them to reciprocate.

Send your list an email reminding them that you only handle [your practice area(s)], you know they may have other legal needs or questions and you want to help them.

Tell them you know a lot of attorneys with experience in other practice areas.

Tell them to call you, in confidence, about their legal matter or question, so you can refer them to a good attorney.

Put this email into your autoresponder or calendar to send a few times per year.

What if you don’t know an attorney who handles what your client needs? That’s your cue to find someone and thus expand your referral network.

You can do the same thing with other professionals. Businesses, too.

My course, Lawyer-to-Lawyer Referrals, shows you everything you need to know.

There are many ways to get more referrals. Here are 3 simple, “set-it-and-forget it” ways to do it.

1) Let your correspondence do the talking for you

Every email, cover letter, or invoice you send to your clients is an opportunity to remind them to send business. Add a prompt to the bottom of the document or to your email signature to do that.

Some examples:

• “We appreciate your referrals”
• “If you know someone with a legal issue or question, please have them call our office at xxx-xxx-xxxx and ask for me.”
• “We offer free consultations. No obligation, no pressure. If you know someone who might need to talk to an attorney, please have them call me at xxx-xxx-xxxx”.
• “If you know someone who might have a legal issue, please forward my contact information to them.”
• “When you refer a friend or business contact to us, please tell them to mention your name, so we know who to thank”

2) Let your website do the talking for you

Add prompts like the ones above to the footer of each page of your website, at the bottom of each blog post, on subscription “thank you” pages, and on your website’s contact form. The contact form could also prompt the visitor to supply additional information about the referral or to request that you send them a brochure, report, checklist or other information.

3) Let your marketing materials work harder for you

Your marketing materials have a dual purpose. To get the recipient to understand what you do and how you can help them, and to prompt them to provide referrals. So, make sure you add a referral prompt to each document, handout, or download.

Include your contact information and a simple “Referred by________________” so your clients and prospects will be reminded to hand these out or forward them to people who might need your help.

Adding referral prompt to your website, emails, invoices, and other documents, provides a cumulative benefit. Each time a client or prospect sees one of these prompts, they are reminded that referrals are commonly provided to your office, making it more likely that they will eventually make them.

For more ways to get referrals from your clients, get Maximum Referrals