This is for the lawyer who is quiet and introspective, who hates marketing.
Remember two facts that exist outside of you:
- Most people pick a lawyer based on a personal referral.
- The key to keeping existing clients is building a good relationship with each one.
Furthermore, people who will refer others to you (#1 above) will also do so on the basis of their relationship with you, however tenuous.
So if we approach marketing in terms of developing relationships, it becomes less intimidating.
For example, this is how it works
Let's say you are launching a new practice area. Begin your marketing of it inside your comfort zone - the comfortable relationships you already have. Networking begins with your existing network!
Few lawyers think to inform all their relatives and friends of developments in their practices and yet those people are the most likely to recommend you highly to their own in-laws and friends. Make sure that all your close and distant relations have your new brochure and see a copy of your newsletter. Tell Aunt Myrtle that you want to practice your new marketing pitch and that you would like to take her out for coffee to make the pitch to her.
Making the time to visit or merely speak with all your relatives and close acquaintances may seem burdensome but it has its rewards. You may get referrals, but you also have a chance to rehearse your presentation. The more you talk about your new services and the kind of problems you solve for people, the easier it becomes. Eventually your comfort zone expands.
Then you can ask Aunt Myrtle if any of her acquaintances might be interested in your services. You will be surprised how often a connection is made. She may say that her husband's niece's husband works for the major company in the field. You can then call "George" and say: Aunt Myrtle asked me to contact you in case you might be in need of my services one day; may I add you to the mailing list for my newsletter? This is not a cold call. It is warm; George will say: How is Aunt Myrtle?
Now contact all your previous clients and let them know you are moving into a new practice area. You can do this by mailing a tailored brochure or one-off newsletter. You can follow up with a phone call to the few who you believe may have contacts in the new field you are entering.
Contact trade journals and professional magazines that might publish an article in the new subject area. Attend a conference of people in the new field. Go to a monthly dinner meeting of the people who might be your clients.
So far, nothing I have suggested is intimidating so there is no excuse not to do it. In time these efforts will bring forth both clients and other opportunities for marketing.
Operational Standards for Ongoing Business Development
Now, one more thing about building relationships with new people: a lawyer is in the business of problem solving, not auto sales.
When you meet new people (or old contacts), don't pitch your services. Get to know the person over time and learn their problems in work or life. Offer referrals to others who deal with problems outside your area of expertise.
Only when you hear the person expressing a problem that fits your services will you tell them that you handle these sorts of matters and would be happy to help if they would like to come into your office for an appointment. By that time, they will have acquired a level of trust in you as a person and you will have become comfortable enough with them to discuss your services.
It is far less intimidating to enter a room full of people knowing that you are getting to know them individually than it is to visualize 43 opportunities to deliver your pitch. You won't feel like a leech. You will feel like a person who likes people and whom people like to meet.
