Relationship marketing Archives - The Attorney Marketing Center

Treating your competition

December 4, 2025 by David M. Ward

You read that right–”treating” your competition, not the conventional advice about “beating” them.

It’s a different philosophy.

Reach out to other lawyers in your niche or market and get to know them, or, if you already know them, get to know them better.

See them not as a threat but as a friend. Not someone to “beat” but someone to work with.

Treat them to lunch, share your presentation or article, find something positive to say about theirs.

Yes, even though they might target the same cases or clients you target. Even if they are literally your competition.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I’m suggesting this because if these other attorneys or firms see you as a friend, you might get some referrals from them when they have a conflict or a case or client that’s not right for them.

This is obviously true and how I started my practice. But the philosophy of reaching out to other attorneys in your niche goes beyond that. You can learn from them and be inspired by them, even if just by observing them.

What are they doing that’s working? Maybe you can do it, too. What mistakes have they made? Perhaps you can avoid doing what they did. Who do they know you should know, if not by name but by category?

Why would other lawyers be willing to embrace you this way? After all, you might look at them as a friend or business asset, but most attorneys, raised on a zero-sum “beat the competition” mindset, are unlikely to see you the same way.

Maybe. In which case, their reticence might become a self-sorting mechanism, showing you who might be worth knowing and who might be best kept at a distance.

On the other hand, maybe your openness will unlock something in them that could be mutually beneficial. Maybe they would love to get to know you (or know you better), learn from you and be inspired by you.

In the end, it’s not about them. It’s about you. Your habit of seeing everyone as a potential friend and a willingness to see where that could lead.

I know lawyers who are like that. Natural networkers, with lots of friends and contacts, and very successful practices as a result.

It’s not the only path to building a professional practice, not something I’m good at or enjoy. But it’s something I’ve been willing to do over the years, and it has almost always led to good things.

We don’t have competition, you and I. Just people we don’t yet know, or know well enough to call a friend.

Filed Under: Increase your income, Law office management, Legal industry, Marketing legal services, Networking, Relationship marketing

Referral marketing on steroids

October 23, 2025 by David M. Ward

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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Filed Under: Marketing Plan, Referral sources, Referrals, Relationship marketing

The most important question you can ask a new client

October 7, 2025 by David M. Ward

When you sign up a new client or meet with a prospective new client, there are lots of things you want to know. About their legal situation, what they need or want, and so much more. But there’s one question you should ask that’s more important than any other.

“Where did you hear about us?”

Most lawyers ask a variation of this question, but it is often perfunctory rather than strategic. You shouldn’t ask merely out of curiosity but because the answer is valuable.

You want to know if the client saw your ad, read your article, found you through search or through referral. This information can dramatically improve your marketing.

First, it tells you what you’re doing right, so you can do more of it. Write more articles on the subject, in the same or similar publications, use the same keywords on your website, continue running the ads that are making your phone ring, and so on.

Second, it tells you what you’re doing wrong.

If new clients don’t mention having discovered you through things you’re currently doing, you know you should probably stop doing them. If no one identifies the ads you’re currently running or events you’re promoting, you know you need to change something.

The third reason for asking how the client found you is that if they were a referral, you can ask what the referring party told them about you. What clients and business contacts say about you tells you how effective you are at serving clients and building your reputation. Valuable information, to say the least.

Finally, if they were a referral, you want to know who referred them so you know who to thank.

And thank them you should.

Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because the referring party will appreciate it and make it more likely that they will do it again.

I was reminded about the importance of thanking people who refer clients by my friend and fellow attorney Barak Lurie, who told me about an effusive thank-you message he recently received from a real estate agent he had thanked for referring a client to him.

When you get a thank you for a thank you, you know you’re doing something right.

Subscribe to The Attorney Marketing Letter (it’s free)

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Referrals, Relationship marketing

Ask

April 24, 2025 by David M. Ward

Yesterday, I got an email from the author of a book I bought several years ago, asking me for a review. “I’m looking to attract more readers, and your star rating [and review] will help tremendously… I’m asking for your help.”

Have you ever asked your clients or business contacts for help? You should.

Whether it’s asking for a review of your services (or your book), asking for a testimonial or an endorsement (from a colleague), or asking for referrals, the people who know you can help you, and they are often willing to do that—all you have to do is ask.

Ask website visitors to sign up for your newsletter or follow your blog. Ask people on your email list to attend your event. Ask business contacts to introduce you to a client or recommend you as a speaker at their club meeting.

You have a relationship with these people and are entitled to ask.

But many attorneys don’t.

Often, they don’t ask simply because they don’t think of it or don’t know what to say. Sometimes, they don’t ask because they “don’t want to bother people” or think that asking makes them appear “weak”.

It’s not. Asking is actually a sign of strength.

You ask because you know you provide value. You ask because it’s what people in business do with clients and contacts.

The people you know—your list—is a valuable business asset, second only to your reputation. Why not leverage this asset to grow your practice?

If asking makes you uncomfortable, ask in a form letter or email sent to everyone, or have an assistant ask for you.

There’s no harm in asking for help. So ask.

They got a free consultation? Ask them if they’re “ready to get started?” They read and liked your article? Ask them to share it with friends. You got an excellent result for your client? Ask them to give your card to their neighbors.

Start small. Put a questionnaire in your new client kit or a P.S. at the end of your “Welcome to the firm” letter. Put brochures in your waiting room with a sign that says “take one”. Ask your email list to call your office if they have questions about the law or their case.

Start small but start. Get in the habit of asking for help. You’ll be glad you did.

Filed Under: Relationship marketing

Long time no see. Let’s fix that.

July 15, 2024 by David M. Ward

Your best clients, closest friends, strongest business contacts, people who know, like, and trust you and with whom you communicate most—your “strong ties”—are often your primary source of referrals and opportunities to grow your business.

What about everyone else?

What about former clients and business contacts you haven’t spoken to in a long time? People who know your name but aren’t now actively involved in your life? Experts say these are your “weak ties” and if you’ve been around for more than a few years, there are far more of them than your weak ties.

And they represent a potential bonanza of business and prosperity for you.

They can provide you with valuable information about your (their) market, introduce you to people you’d like to know, send traffic to your website, promote your content and events, provide you with a testimonial or endorsement, and otherwise help your practice grow.

But their value isn’t so much what they can do for you, it is how easy it is for you to get them to do it.

You don’t have to spend time or money to identify them, and meet and get to know them. You just have to reconnect with them. You don’t have to win their trust, you just have to kindle it.

And it can be as simple as digging out their contact information, reaching out and saying hello.

Is that it? Just call or write and say hello?

Yes.

Acknowledge the passage of time, ask how they’re doing, and wish them well

You can do more. You can also send them something, perhaps an article you found (or wrote) and thought might interest them. You can offer to meet and buy coffee or lunch, or invite them to your upcoming event. Or find out what they need or want and help them get it.

What’s next? Perhaps you’ll get together with them and continue the conversation. Or invite them to sign up for your newsletter so you can keep in touch. Or simply calendaring a few months and contact them again.

You might not need to do anything else.

How about contacting them and finding out?

Filed Under: Communication, Increase your income, Relationship marketing

When should you publish (and how often)?

June 19, 2024 by David M. Ward

What are the best days for you to publish blog posts or other content? Which days get the most “opens,” sign ups, forms filled out, clicks and engagement?

Check your stats.

You might find that Tuesday gets far more opens than other days of the week, in which case you should consider making Tuesday your publication day.

But, there’s a problem. You typically need enough subscribers to see enough of a statistical variation to matter, and most lawyers don’t.

If your list is relatively small, other factors besides the day(s) of the week can affect opens and other metrics. So which day(s) you publish might not be important.

How often you publish is another story.

Publishing once a week will bring better results than publishing once a month. The more often you show up in their inbox, the more your subscribers will get to know you. If they like what you write, they will read most of your messages, look forward to them, and act on them.

So, publish as often as possible.

Once a week is good. Depending on your market and practice area, two or three times a week, or even every weekday as I do, is (usually) better.

It allows you to build a relationship with your readers, and that can make all the difference. It’s better to have 100 subscribers who like and trust you than 10,000 who aren’t sure who you are.

Won’t you get more opt-outs if you publish more often? Probably. But you’re not writing a newsletter for everyone who happens to be on your list. You’re writing for the ones who love you and can’t get enough of you.

The ones who read you because you teach them things they need or want to know. Because you inspire them, give them ideas, make them laugh, and otherwise lighten their burdens and make their life better.

You don’t have to write brilliant or lengthy articles or posts, or give away the store. You simply need to provide value and publish often enough to stay in your subscribers minds and hearts.

How to write an email newsletter that builds relationships

Filed Under: Email, Newsletters, Relationship marketing

Size doesn’t matter

May 24, 2024 by David M. Ward

I’m talking about your list of professional contacts. It’s the quality of your contacts that count, not the quantity. A list of 10,000 people who might recognize your name (or might not) isn’t nearly as valuable as a list of 100 who will take your phone call, reply to your email, or smile when they see you.

You know, people who know you.

Because if they know people who need your services, or know people who know people who do, you’ve got it made. Even if it’s not a big list.

Because it’s not who you know. . . it’s who THEY know. (And will introduce you to).

Do you know a professional or business executive who is influential in your target market? Do you know them well enough to ask for a favor?

Great! Ask them to introduce you.

If you know the name of someone they know you’d like to meet, ask them by name. “You mentioned you know Jack Bigtime. I’ve heard good things about him and would love to meet him. Would you be silling to introduce us?”

If you don’t know anyone they know by name, ask by category: “Do you know anyone who (describe the kind of contact you’d like to meet).” If they say they do, ask for a detail or two to get them thinking about them, maybe ask how they know them, and then ask if they would introduce you.

If they ask why, tell them the truth—you want to expand your network. Just an introduction. Not marriage. One professional meeting another, the way it’s done every day.

You may have to talk to a few people to find someone who knows someone who would be a good fit for you and will introduce you (or let you mention their name), but all you need is one.

Because one will lead to two. And that can lead to dozens.

Yes, you could play the “quantity-leads-to-quality” game most professionals play, work like crazy and eventually meet someone who’s a good contact for you. But the “quality-leads-to-quality” game is much more fun, and productive.

Here’s how to do it

Filed Under: Networking, Referrals, Relationship marketing

Can you rely solely on repeat business and referrals?

May 15, 2024 by David M. Ward

Yes, you can; many lawyers do.

They have a client base that trusts them and have enough legal work to keep them busy, and they have friends and business contacts they can and do refer.

Nice, isn’t it?

They don’t advertise, network, blog, do presentations, or do any other marketing. They can if they want to, and sometimes they do, but the growth of their practice doesn’t depend on anything other than doing good work for their clients and serving them well.

It takes awhile to get to that point, so if you’re a new lawyer or don’t yet have a big enough practice to generate a steady stream of business, you’ll need to do other things until you get there. I did that when I started practicing. It was hard and took a good five years, but it was worth it.

Hold on. It’s easy to screw up.

Clients and their businesses die, you mess up and they leave, the economy throws you under the bus, laws change, competition steals the show, overhead can eat you alive, and other factors can change everything.

So, never take anything or anyone for granted. Assume the best, but be prepared for the worst:

Continually strengthen your relationships with clients, prospects, and business contacts.
Ask for testimonials, reviews, introductions, and referrals, because they may not think to provide them if you don’t.
Create a website that tells people what you do and how you can help them and let it do most of the selling for you.
Build a list and stay in touch with everyone.

Finally, continually look for new ways to bring in business and increase your profits, because you never know what the future has in store.

How to talk to clients about referrals

Filed Under: Referrals, Relationship marketing

Remember me?

October 23, 2023 by David M. Ward

Think about all the clients you’ve had over the years. Do you think some of them might have a legal issue or question but haven’t contacted you? Or know someone who has a legal issue or question but haven’t told them about you?

Your old clients might know where to find you when they need you, but many don’t. If they haven’t talked to you or heard from you in a while, some won’t even remember your name. If you stay in touch with them, even just sending an email from time to time, they’ll not only remember who you are, they will think of you first when they need some help.

But there’s another reason to stay in touch with them. Your mere presence in their mailbox makes it more likely that they will recognize that they might have a legal problem or question and be more likely to contact you to find out.

And unlike the multitude of strangers and cold leads in the world, you don’t have spend a dime to find these people, or have to convince them of your capabilities.

Just contact them and say hello.

Yes, you can also offer them something, send them your new article, or ask them about their family or business. But saying hello is often enough.

If they don’t have a legal issue or question to talk to you about, hearing from you will make it more likely that when they do, they’ll think of you before looking for help anywhere else.

Especially when you continue to stay in touch with them.

Guess what? It works the same way with “old” business contacts and newsletter subscribers.

They “knew” you once and might be happy to “know” you again. If they do, it could be the first step towards reestablishing a relationship with you, and all the benefits that go with that.

Email Marketing for Attorneys

Filed Under: Relationship marketing

Leveraging other people’s talent, knowledge, and resources

October 19, 2023 by David M. Ward

One of the best ways to grow a law practice is to conduct joint ventures with other professionals and businesses that target the same markets and clients you target.

If you handle family law and target high-income executives in the health-care industry, for example, you should talk to business owners, insurance brokers, financial planners, consultants, accountants, and other (non-competing) lawyers who have an established clientele and/or actively target the types of people who fit the profile of your ideal client (and the people who can refer them).

You identify joint venture candidates, find ways to meet them, and learn more about what they do. You then tell them what you do and see if there is some common ground for working together for your mutual benefit.

This might mean conducting seminars together, sharing the costs of a mailing, or interviewing each other for your respective newsletters or blogs.

It might mean inviting each other to networking functions, co-authoring articles or books, or sending emails to each other’s lists with information or offers.

It might be keeping each other on a list of recommended “vendors” and referring to each other when a client or contact says they are looking for someone who does what you (and they) do.

And it might simply mean providing suggestions, feedback and encouragement to each other in your individual marketing ventures.

But don’t try to figure that out right now.

Just make a profile of the kinds of joint venture partners who might make a good fit for you. Once you’ve done that, you may discover that you already know people who fit that profile. Talk to them, tell them you think you should talk about “working together” and see what develops.

How to get referrals from, and set up joint ventures with, lawyer and other professionals

Filed Under: Leverage, Referral sources, Referrals, Relationship marketing Tagged With: Joint ventures