6 Fast Ways to Get Referrals from other Lawyers

If you work in a small law firm, you are probably familiarized with the myriad of techniques you can use to attract more clients to your business. From traditional marketing tactics to social media and dinners with potential leads, you’ve probably used all the tricks in the book to grow your practice.

But, as you’ve probably learned by now, referrals are the most effective way to attract new clients and build your practice. There’s just one problem: all referrals are not created equal. According to Baltimore personal injury attorneys, regardless of how many connections a client might have, there’s a certain limit to the number of leads they can bring to you. Most of the time, a client’s referrals are related to their friends, family, and business partners.

Referrals from other lawyers, on the other hand, represent a more profitable source. And it’s easy to understand why. Good lawyers have access to a wider leads pool than your current clients. More than that it is more likely that those leads be a close match with your target audience.

But, here comes the difficult part. How can you get referrals from other lawyers?

Know What Good Lawyers Are Interested In

How you present yourself to other lawyers is just as significant as you present yourself to prospects. The only major difference is that when other lawyers examine your practices, they know exactly what to look for and why.

Here are some of the things you need to consider when reaching out to other lawyers:

A professional looking website is Paramount

It’s fairly easy to build a website nowadays, and it can make a difference in how other lawyers or potential clients see your practice.

Highlight Your Skills

Let prospects know for how long you’ve been practicing law; tell them if you’ve worked for big law firm, and what you can do for them. Other lawyers will appreciate this information too.

Rate Your Services Accordingly

Don’t believe that if your rates are cheaper than other attorneys with the same experience as yours, you will get a competitive edge. In fact, this might be perceived as a sign of lack of confidence.

Prepare Your Elevator Pitch

Let’s assume that you’ve managed to schedule a meeting with a lawyer that could send you tons of valuable referrals. To woo him or her, you will need to be able to explain your business’s purpose, value, and mission. In other words, you need to prepare your elevator speech and convince them that you deserve to be recommended to potential clients.

Explain Your Niche

It doesn’t matter how small or big your practice is as long as you can prove that your services are valuable. Whether you do something as small as wills or as important as taking on business law cases, this is an important step. By explaining your niche, you will help the lawyer to match you with the right referrals. It would be bad business to be recommended to someone only for them to discover that you don’t practice that area of the law.

Get in Contact with Lawyers from Other Niches Too

Most guiding, you get plenty of calls every day asking if you do collections, or bankruptcy. By helping these clients get in touch with the right people, you are doing other lawyers a favor that will pay off eventually. Other lawyers might do the same for you, helping you grow your practice.

Be Memorable

Most lawyers spend a lot of time networking with potential clients, other lawyers, or other professionals. It would be hard to remember your small practice if you aren’t memorable.

No, that doesn’t mean you need to create a wacky identity for your small practice (although that might help). Instead, the easiest thing you can do to help people remember you is to meet them regularly.

Here’s an example. The first meeting is usually about your business and what you need. During the second meeting come up with some ideas on how you can share the same clients. Then, share some interesting studies or articles with them, invite them to events, and connect with the regularly to remain on top of their mind.

Follow Up

If you get a referral from another lawyer and it turns into good business, the least you can do is to call the lawyer back to thank him or her. It would be recommended to also send them a gift to show them you appreciate their help.

The referring lawyer probably sent that client to other attorneys as well. By showing your gratitude, you will build a profitable relationship with the referring lawyer, persuading them to send more business your way.

Getting referrals from other lawyers is no easy task. You need to work hard to create strong relationships that will eventually turn into business. But, at the end of the day, it’s all worth it.