Articles By Dr. Judi Craig

Nurturing Those Referral Sources
Judi Craig (Equal Times: The Bexar County Women's Bar Association Newsletter, July 2004)

There’s no better way to build your legal practice than to get quality referrals. Easier said than done! Most attorneys simply leave this important client development tool to chance rather than utilizing a carefully crafted referral system—one key to which is taking exceptional care of the people who already give you quality referrals.

A first step is to know who those people are. If you can’t easily sit and write a list of your top 20 referral sources, pull your files for the past two years and see where your referrals are coming from (this is a good idea even if you can make that list—whom might you be leaving out?) And if you’re not already tracking referral sources, start
doing it.

Once you’ve got your list, look at each entry and ask yourself “Does this person send me quality referrals, or clients I’d just as soon not have?” You might want to cross off someone who consistently sends you clients who can’t or wont’ pay on time and/or those “high maintenance” clients who take up 80 percent of your time but represent 20 percent or less of your income.

When your list is pruned, it’s time to set up your system. Your goal should be to plan some interaction with each person on your list at least quarterly. You could take them to breakfast or lunch (a no-brainer!) or invite them to a party you host.

But think about activities or hobbies that you participate in—how about taking them along? It could be a Spurs game or some other sports activity, an evening at the theater or some special event. Or invite them to play golf, go bicycling with your club, train for a marathon together, attend a craft class or go to an interesting lecture. Consider inviting spouses to come along as well.

By including your referral sources in activities and events that are a normal part of your life, you get to know one another at a more personal level. And you have a great way to find out about their preferences. Rather than sending the typical poinsettia or fruit basket, you’re in a much better position to personalize any gifts you send for the holidays or as a “thank you” for a new referral (and they’ll notice this personal touch).

You may think “Well, I can see doing this with some of my referral sources, but what about the others?” You can craft a brief questionnaire for your administrative assistant and have him/her call the referral source’s assistant to get the information. “Ms. Jones would like to send Ms. Smith a gift for her referral of Mr. Miller. May I ask you a few questions to find out more about Ms. Smith’s preferences? What are her hobbies? Does she collect anything? Does she enjoy wine?—which kind? What are her favorite flowers, colors, cookies, etc.” You get the idea. And while you’re at it, you can also get important dates such as birthdays and anniversaries as well as the names of the person’s spouse and children.

By paying attention to your referral sources likes and dislikes as you get to know them better over time—and recording them in your contact management system—you won’t find yourself at a loss when it comes time to do something special for them. What better way to build your relationships—not to mention your law practice! Fulfilling lives.