Make hay while the sun shines
Community Relations
Some law firms make the mistake of isolating themselves from their market: they don't get to know their neighbors or intervene in the community. When more than 70% of new clients come to you by referral from their friends and family, you lose a big opportunity when you are isolated from the community.
Do you avoid your public or just their lawyer jokes? Get out in the community to generate good will and build a positive image for yourself and the profession. Active involvement and a sustained community relations program will develop relationships and new clients - and not just with the businesses around you who already send you referrals.
Sponsor a community event
As summer arrives, consider sponsoring or hosting events important to the neighborhood that make your name known to the market you want to reach.
Studies by bar associations and others have shown that clients are very concerned about lawyers' interpersonal skills, including communication skills. Make the time available to ensure you can focus and communicate well with the people you work with on the event so you do not undermine your own efforts by making mistakes in the process.
The public is also concerned that lawyers do not seem to care about them or their problems. What better way to connect and how your concern than to go into your community.
Traditional sponsorship opportunities include sports teams, tournaments, charitable events, public radio, and local public television. Be clear about the profile you want to establish then try initiating something new and distinctive.
When you do get involved in community events, remember a few points:
1. A community event is not the place to solicit business.
You are there to get to know people, build relationships, and be involved in your community. Any other approach will be seen as pushy, grasping, and arrogant. You need to develop the image of a friend and neighbor.
2. Maintain your focus and your integrity.
Don't sponsor events that have nothing to do with your interests. Choose activities that are an extension of your lawyers' personal or professional interests. If you specialize in personal injury, don't co-sponsor an event with a brewery. If you haven't got a clue, don't get in the game.
3. Know your people.
You can't plan this approach without knowing what your lawyers' personal interests are. Survey your lawyers and staff to find out how people spend their free time: do they golf, are they runners, do they volunteer as readers for the blind, do they support particular charities, is someone's child disabled? Support the existing commitments of your staff as a commitment to them.
4. Consider partnering with a client.
Do you act for a charity or non-profit group? Could you co-sponsor one of their events? Could you raise money through a firm event? Could your event-sponsorship involve services-in-kind rather than money? Could you provide staffing, copying, printing?
Survey existing clients
Another approach to determining the best sponsorship opportunities for your firm can also be a means to solidify your relationships with existing clients. The simplest, and perhaps best, way is to meet with your clients individually to explore their community interests. This can be a lunch or just a client visit.
You can tell your client the truth -- that the purpose of your meeting is to keep in touch with clients and the community. They'll be pleased to hear that you don't want to sit in your office waiting for a problem to arise to see them again.
Ask the client about family and community activities. Don't use this client meeting as an opportunity to go on about your firm's services or openly cross-sell services. Use this opportunity to learn more about your client. If you listen to the client's description of personal and community activities or business developments, you will hear clues to what you should do.
Be sure to continue to keep in touch with clients. And remember you gain nothing from a flash in the pan. Don't give up after the first try at sponsorship. Any new event takes years to develop a following. And image is not changed in a day.
