Legal Marketing & PR

Get Indirect Referrals By Educating Your Target Audience

By Tom Kane

In March I wrote a post about a client of mine who admitted being timid when it came to asking clients for work (or friends as I recall). There are also many lawyers who are shy when it comes to asking for referrals. One reason is that they don't want to appear 'pushy' or come across as a snake oil salesperson.

Today I ran across a post on Automatic Referrals that mentions the 'no-pressure referrals' that Judith Cane talks about on Advisor Radio  (unfortunately, not being a financial professional, I couldn't figure out how to register free as the post suggests – hey, I was on vacation last week and my mind hasn't fully reengaged). Notwithstanding, I wanted to make a point about asking for no-pressure referrals without scaring off the referral source.

One option involves offering educational opportunities for potential clients to learn more about the dangers in your area of the law. On these occasions, you can outline the benefits to them by getting professional help without directly asking for their business. This can be done via newsletters or seminars.

So, let your referral sources know about the availability of such resources; and ask them if they know of anyone that might benefit from such information. In effect, this is an indirect referral since your contact is only providing the name of a 'potential' client who may or may not benefit from information you are willing to share.

Full post as published by Legal Marketing Blog on August 13, 2009 (boomark / email).