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So you want to build a new practice or business area and wondering how to make it happen? Whether you are a doctor, lawyer, architect, or life coach the starting point for building a business is the same. All these occupations rely on referrals and word-of-mouth. It involves building up a foundation of clients and then encouraging them to refer you to others. In our lawyer marketing coaching, one of the most effective means of getting referrals is networking.
Yes, networking. Unfortunately for most of us, the term networking conjures up an image of some slick haired guy handing us a card asking us to “do lunch”. Well, networking today has evolved. So much that it has a new name. It’s no longer called networking, it's now permission marketing or relationship marketing.
As a curious student and a lawyer coach, I began reading current and past books on the topic. If you were to read just one book, it would be Seth Godin’s Permission Marketing. The key concept in any of these books is that networking is about building a relationship. So, what does that mean? It means focusing less on efficiency and results (the task) as we do when working on cases and work projects, and more about building a relationship. Yup, think about when you first started dating. That is what it is about.
 Get permission to go on the first date – Permission marketing is experienced by most guys in their early years. First you need to get an “in”. You need to get the girl to say “yes” to your first date. After careful assessment you contemplate when you’ll make your first move. Once you got permission you move to your next move. The same applies in client relationships. Each time you are asking your client’s permission to have a deeper and deeper relationship. For example, you start with a business lunch. At the lunch you get to know what’s going on with them and their business, and so on. The next “ask” is up to you. Most likely it will be some way for you to have continual contact with them (e.g.- a newsletter, etc). How fast you can move and what you ask is based on your assessment of the situation. What can you get them to say “yes” to easily? Start with the “first yes” and then worry about the rest later.
Get to know a person with prospect of marriage – The age old wisdom from courtship applies in this context too. It means getting to know your prospective client’s business and know your client as a person. During each interaction remember to ask all those questions and to listen purposefully. Just like when you are trying to woo someone. The same rule applies in courting a client. A rule of thumb is that you are asking questions and listening about 75% of time and the rest you may be talking about services that are relevant to their issues. Once you know what the client wants and needs you can make notes in a prospect folder and then be sure to send them relevant articles, news clippings, etc.
Be the perfect gentleperson – Remember when you brought flowers or cookies on your next date. This small gesture was to give the gal or guy the sense that you mattered to them and that you were thinking about them. This same concept applies with a client. Whenever you meet a client ask, what could I do that would be helpful. Maybe, it is getting them tickets to a baseball game you have season tickets too. Maybe it is helping them answer some small legal matter or sending them a relevant article. Courtesy also counts. Remember to send quick thank you notes when someone sends you a referral.
Be patient - A solid relationship doesn’t happen overnight. Some take longer than others. I talked to one lawyer who courted a client for up to 1.5 years before he landed a case. And sometimes it is not the person you are courting, but their friend or colleague that they refer you too. So pay it forward, but don’t expect the favors to be paid directly to you. They may come indirectly. Or they may not come for a long time. Life is a mystery and referrals are no different. Give with a spirit of generosity and then have faith that something will happen.
The above will arm you with some basics. It is first setting the goal correctly. It’s about building a relationship. Next, it is about all the small details that make a relationship solid and will eventually lead to results. Beyond the above basic concepts are processes needed to ensure you are feeding and nurturing the relationship in both a sincere and efficient way. Coaching can help you develop the process and systems that will work for you.
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Articles by CJ Liu on Hot Blue:
Marketing Coaching for Lawyers: Wooing Legal Counsel
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