I once applied for a job and the person interviewing me said words to the following effect:\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t take this the wrong way, but why should I hire you?\u201d\u00a0 A client who has a problem that warrants spending hundreds or thousands of dollars of hard earned money and\/or company assets undoubtedly asks the same question (at least in their head).\u00a0 I apparently had a good enough answer to the question because I got the job and if you can answer the same question (whether or not the client asks) you will probably get the client to hire you. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Of course, before you get to answer the question, the client has to find you.\u00a0 Attorneys who are just starting out can rarely, if ever, come out of the gate with a large advertising budget and marketing campaign.\u00a0 So word of mouth is really key at first.\u00a0 The absolute best way to make contact with a new client is through another attorney.\u00a0 Here\u2019s why:\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n
When a potential client has a problem, they are likely to go first to an attorney that they already know and trust.\u00a0 Maybe it\u2019s the attorney who handled their divorce, maybe it\u2019s an attorney who represented their brother in a criminal case, and maybe it is their uncle who is in-house counsel at a company.\u00a0 Because there are so many types of lawyers, and so many different fee structures, there are good odds that the attorney they know and trust is not going to be the right one to handle their matter.\u00a0\u00a0 If that attorney refers the case to you, you already have the \u201cwhy should I hire you?\u201d question answered: the lawyer they already know and trust said so. \u00a0<\/p>\n
So that\u2019s why it is so important to develop and cultivate relationships you have with attorneys.\u00a0\u00a0 The best approach is to concentrate on the attorneys who are not your natural competitors.\u00a0 You will mutually benefit from getting to know each other and referring cases to each other. \u00a0<\/p>\n
When an attorney refers a case to you, he or she is putting his or her own credibility on the line.\u00a0 If a client has a bad experience with you, they may go back to their referral source frustrated and disappointed.\u00a0 So the message to get across to attorneys is that you are competent to handle the matters, you will be attentive to the people who come first to them, and you will make them look good by making the referral. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Which brings me to another point:\u00a0 I think it\u2019s a bad idea to try to be things to all people.\u00a0 One person cannot know 12 areas of law.\u00a0 Taking \u201ceverything that comes through the door\u201d is fraught with problems.\u00a0 First, you are subjecting yourself to a lot of unnecessary stress.\u00a0\u00a0 Second, clients are going to assume you know what you\u2019re doing, and if you don\u2019t eventually it\u2019s going to be apparent and they will be less than sympathetic.\u00a0 Third, you will be better off referring something out that you don\u2019t feel comfortable with, because it\u2019s ultimately a chance to meet the lawyer who does what you don\u2019t do (and therefore probably doesn\u2019t do what you do).\u00a0 In other words, it\u2019s a chance to introduce or reintroduce yourself to another attorney who will be glad to talk to you and who will naturally want to return the favor.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s an example:\u00a0 Let\u2019s say you are a divorce lawyer, and a personal injury case comes in.\u00a0 You don\u2019t know the first thing about handling a personal injury case.\u00a0 Chances are you will do a mediocre job and the client will not recommend you to anyone else.\u00a0 In other words, it\u2019s a closed loop.\u00a0 What if instead, you talked to the client, and told the client you are a divorce lawyer but that you would help them find a lawyer who can do a great job for them.\u00a0\u00a0 The lawyer you refer the case to will be grateful and you will get a chance to discuss your divorce practice with the lawyer while he\u2019s in a good mood (because he just got a case from you).\u00a0 You may very well get a string of divorce referrals from that lawyer.\u00a0 And the client you referred will think of you not only as a divorce lawyer, but as an honest and trustworthy individual who puts your client\u2019s need to get the right attorney over your own need to generate revenue.\u00a0 Chances are that client will think of referring you to a friend or relative in a future divorce case as well.<\/p>\n
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