Generating Referrals Without Asking with Stacey Brown Randall
Defining Referrals
A true referral is when a prospective client comes to you with two things other prospects don’t have:
- Personal connection. Somebody they trust (a referral source) makes the connection to you for them.
- Identified need. They already know their need, so they’re coming to you already in buying mentality.
Referral Sources
There are four types of referral sources:
- Clients. Clients are a great source, but depending on the area of practice you’re in, that may not be an option.
- Centers of influence. They can be other lawyers in your practice area. If you for example, are a criminal attorney and then decide to only handle sexual assault cases, then other criminal attorneys can refer those cases to you since you’re the expert in that field. Centers of influence can also be professionals related to your practice area. For example, if you’re a tax attorney, then you can have accountants refer their clients to you.
- Friends and family
- Strangers
The first two are more reliable and you can put a process around them.
The Referral Process
- Identify who your referral sources are - anyone who referred a client to you in the past year or two.
- Decide if you need more. You may or may not.
- Now you’ll take your referral sources and make sure you stay top of mind.
You want to be memorable and meaningful, so they don’t forget about you. When you take care of them and build trust, they will on their own think about what they can do to repay the favor.
Staying Top of Mind
When you’re trying to stay on their mind, you can accomplish that in a very easy and natural way.
- You can do a gift or something that costs less money, like a personal thank you note. The things you do can be very simple.
- You only need to do something once or twice a quarter. Set up a process and schedule, so that you don’t forget.
- It’s important that you pay attention to what they need because you are doing this for them. It’s a relationship. Your referral sources will usually have something in common, so you can focus on that.
Client Referral Sources
Not all clients will be referral material. Figure out which ones you think would refer you. Now ask yourself:
Did this person like working with you?
Is this person well connected?
Before you can get your clients to refer you, you need to make sure you are referrable. You need to have a great client experience that focuses on the great work you do and building relationships.
Are Referrals All You Need?
Definitely in the beginning you should not rely on referrals to bring in your clients. It will not happen overnight. Even when your referral strategy brings in all the clients you need, you should never just rely on one tactic. Find a couple of them that work well and bring in the clients you need and use those.
“It’s a Journey, But It’s One You Can Definitely Do. You Just Need To Get Started.”
- Stacey Brown Randall
Resources
Generating Business Referrals Without Asking: A Simple Five Step Plan to a Referral Explosion Paperback by Stacey Brown Randall
https://www.amazon.com/Generating-Business-Referrals-Without-Asking/dp/1683509269
Roadmap to Grow Your Business with Stacey Brown Randall
https://www.staceybrownrandall.com/podcast/
Flip Scripts
https://www.staceybrownrandall.com/work-with-me/
Molly McGrath from Hiring and Empowering Solutions
https://hiringandempowering.com/
Stacey’s Website
https://www.staceybrownrandall.com/
Referral Ninja Quiz
https://www.staceybrownrandall.com/quiz
Growth by Referrals
https://www.profitwithlaw.com/referrals
Stay connected with news and updates!
Author
Moshe Amsel
Author
Moshe Amsel the host of the Profit with Law podcast is not an attorney. As the owner of a successful accounting firm DreamBuilder Financial and Law Firm Growth coaching organization Profit with Law, Moshe has proven that there are better and different ways for a law firm to do business and be successful.
