·
Is
it their experience or results they receive for their clients?
·
How
about their visibility in the legal community?
Is it their reputation?
·
Or
is it their bio or LinkedIn profile?
·
Could
it be as simple as their business card?
·
Or
maybe it is the articles they produce and get publish?
·
But,
what about referral sources? Is it how
they use their current clients to refer them to potential clients?
There are
dozens of tools that assist attorneys in their efforts to build business. Through my experience, I am not convinced
that there is just one “tool” that has more weight than others, but I would
argue that there are four that top my list.
And, when these are put together, they can be a winning combination.
1. Your
network.
Your clients, prospects, other lawyers, law school classmates, boards,
alumni groups, etc. are important groups for you to keep in contact with – all
potential future clients. You never know
when your contacts may be in a position to need your services or even refer
your services to someone they know. The
keys are ensuring you have a system to keep track of your contacts/network so
you can have consistent touches with them (see tool two below), ensuring your
profile information is as current as possible for people to validate your
credentials (tool three below), and having an engaging story to tell about who
you are and what value you provide your clients (tool four below). Keeping visibility of who you are and what you
do will pay dividends over time.
2. Use of Touch
Points.
Keeping clients/prospects in the know on topics you feel would be of benefit
to them is golden. These “touch points” are those little or big
interactions you have with clients, potential clients or referral sources in a
variety of mediums (phone calls, e-mails, newsletters, meetings, etc.). It
demonstrates that you are thinking of them and trying to add value for their
business operations. These are individual touches – not mass marketing. Frequency of your communications is
critically important in building relationships that can lead to long-term
value, so use the tools your marketing department produces (i.e. e-mail blasts,
newsletters, events, PR, etc.), or create your own (a congratulation note on a
client/prospects success or a note about positive press you see about them in
the news – easy to get by setting up a Google news alert on the company, share
an article you wrote, etc.).
3. Your bio/CV. While
building relationships is done individually, 1:1, having a well written and
updated bio is important to validate your credentials. When you network and hand out your business
cards or reconnect with those who may have a legal need, they will check you
out on-line. Having your firm bio
updated is essential for communicating who you are and the value you add. If you have a LinkedIn profile, it would be
in your interest to ensure this is updated as well. If you’ve spoken at an event, had a decision
published, or have a positive result, it is in your best interest to evaluate
if you need to add this to your profile(s). Set a calendar reminder to check your profiles
(bio, LinkedIn profile, etc.) at least quarterly. Also, if your picture wasn’t taken in this
decade, then it’s probably a good idea to replace it with something more
current. Finally, keeping an updated bio
helps your firm as well – as many of your peers may refer you without you
knowing it – having an updated bio puts your best assets forward.
4. How you
answer the question “What do you do?” If you say “I am a XYZ lawyer” or “I practice
XYZ law” you are missing a great opportunity to market yourself. The important
point is that when you tell people what you do as a lawyer, it should be short,
succinct, and actually say something meaningful that will invite follow-up
questions. It also has more impact if
you use storytelling techniques. To
learn more, read a previous Legal Sonar Blog post by Kohn.
Keep your business development toolbox
full of items that can help you with your efforts. The four items above are just the tip of the
iceberg. If your firm has a marketing
team, get to know them. They can arm you
with a plethora of tools that can help you develop your business.
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