The Firm: The power of referral marketing

By Glenn H. Finch & Mark Powers The Daily Record Newswire Referral marketing is more than a tool of the trade; making it a priority in your practice often makes the difference between being a good lawyer and a great one. There are plenty of books on the topic, including step-by-step techniques and tips on how to improve your rainmaking skills, but many well-read attorneys have only a nominal understanding of the psychology of referral marketing. Understanding the objective, focusing on the results and developing the discipline of interpersonal relationships are not important in rainmaking; they're indispensable. The term rainmaking is the cursory reference professionals often use to describe the process of bringing new clients into their business or practice. And like many overused words, the real meaning gets lost in the rhetoric of day-to-day operations, seminars and consulting advice. Professionals often use rainmaking and referral marketing interchangeably. And if you speak to great rainmakers, they really can't define the term or explain what makes them so good at bringing in new clients. But there is more to making rain than using the right language or having a marketing plan. Rainmaking is more than having a good reputation or the charisma to win friends and influence people. Rainmakers know the art of creating great relationships and are equipped with the mental muscle it takes to do so. Regardless of personalities, every lawyer needs to discover ways of developing interpersonal skills that promote healthy relationships with other professionals. Because relationships exist in a variety of forms, all of which have influence on your life and practice, successful attorneys maintain a focus on the quality of these connections. This focus is equally important to the technical work of practicing law. Unfortunately, most law schools spend too little time on the topic. It's up to each individual lawyer to prioritize the time necessary to foster relationships. Lawyers who develop great relationship skills and make referral sources their priority not only excel in developing great networks but lead more balanced lives. Take Robert, a successful criminal defense attorney in Louisiana. He makes at least four trips a year just to visit family around the country, has a goal of attending at least two Gerry Spence-type seminars with other litigators and plans two or three recreational trips per year with his best resources. For Robert, marketing is spending time with family, learning alongside other litigators and skiing in the Rockies. This is a professional who only six years ago depended on the clients who discovered him in the yellow pages or happened to cross his threshold. He now happily tracks nearly 80 percent of his best clientele from referral sources and has seen a 25 percent increase in revenues. Don't make it personal There are always setbacks in relationships, both personal and professional, and it's hard not to interpret negative outcomes as personal rejection. Here's a common scenario when it comes to referrals: One of your referral sources tells you he has a great lead for you. His name is John and he will contact your office on Monday. Monday arrives and there is no call from John. You figure he will call later in the week, but Friday arrives and there is still no call from John. If you are diligent in following up with your referral relationships, you might call your source and get some more information regarding the initial conversation. However, most of us are too busy doing the technical work and simply disregard John as a bad lead in favor of catching up on the pile of files on your desk. By the end of the second week with no call from John, your mind is already drawing conclusions: "It wasn't such a great lead after all. Maybe he contacted some other attorneys and found out about the size of my practice, the case I lost last month, or my lack of experience. Maybe John Googled me and didn't like my website. Maybe he ran into one of my disgruntled clients and decided not to trust my referral source's recommendation." There is no end to the mental conversations in your head or the faulty conclusions you draw. But here's the truth: You don't have enough facts to draw conclusions as to why John hasn't called. Perhaps he is ill. Perhaps he lost your number or had to go out of town. The tendency of human nature is to expect the worst. It's too easy to get defensive and when insecurities win the day, you assume personal rejection. Here's the good news. Until your referral source tells you John is no longer interested or has found another solution or John himself calls you and says, "Thanks, but no thanks," you haven't been rejected. It's almost always better not to listen to the voices in your head when you don't have enough facts to draw the right conclusions. Follow up is necessary. However, it takes time to stay in touch with referral sources -- time that you would typically use to bury yourself in the technical aspects of your work. Instead, spend the time to stay in touch with those who are promoting your success. Assess your practice and your office systems for capturing leads. Evaluate your referral sources, ask better questions and spend more time with your referral relationships so they better know how to describe you and your value. They will only be more inclined to convince potential clients to contact your office. Great attorneys who are experts in marketing are those who are self-aware, possess a view of people as people, almost never take rejection personally and pay careful attention to the relationships that sustain the balance in their personal and professional lives. They have a marketing plan that may include tactics integrating technology and public relations, but referral marketing is their core strategy and relationship building is their discipline. Businesses that thrive on building great relationships can only benefit from the priority placed on them. Great attorneys do this well. They are the lawyers who use their technical knowledge to deliver outstanding services in the atmosphere of healthy personal and professional relationships. They know that because they have this vigorous network of connections, it will rain. ---------- Glenn Finch, an Atticus Senior Practice Advisor, works with Atticus in matching clients with coaching programs that help them take better care of their clients, increase their incomes, decrease their stress and achieve an overall balance in their life. He can be contacted at finch@atticusonline.com. Mark Powers is the president of Atticus, Inc. and co-author of "How Good Attorneys Become Great Rainmakers" and "Time Management for Attorneys". He can be reached at mark@atticusonline.com or by calling 352-383-0490. Published: Wed, Sep 28, 2011