If you only have a couple new referral partners, timing can vary widely … from almost instantly to waiting six months for the first referred clients to appear. We have seen both outcomes.
However, if you assemble a larger group of partners, timing as well as volume of referral flow become more reliable and predictable. This latter approach is what: we recommend, detail below, and takes six months to achieve.
Finding New Law Referral Sources
In your first three months as a subscriber to the Marketing Amplifier, we guarantee you two phone appointments each month with high-quality and interested referral partners. After the first three months, we calendar one or two appointments for you each month.
We follow that approach to kickstart your new referral partner group before dropping down to a volume of introductions that is more readily handled.
While we assist with cultivation of your new partner group, your personal attention to the new relationships is also needed. For that reason, once you have a core group of partners, you will find that talking to one or two new prospective partners each month will keep your referral group growing at a healthy but manageable pace.
Expect that some new partners will send no referrals, others will send modest volumes, and a few will be highly productive. You only need four or five prolific referrers to give your practice a material boost. Be on the lookout for those especially productive sources while you continually seek and cultivate new partners. When you find those winners, pay special attention to them.
Ways to Cultivate New Referral Sources
We help you cultivate your new referral sources. How we do that is detailed in our article How Do You Help Me Stay in Touch with My New Referral Sources? Here we provide ways you can supplement our efforts.
- Visible effort to refer. Inquire about the type of legal business wanted. Learn the characteristics of your new referrer’s ideal client. When and where is that ideal client likely to surface?
- Inclusion. Invite the referral source to your firm parties and client gatherings. Introduce them around.
- Publicize. Welcome and describe your new referral partners in your law firm newsletter. Follow them on social media and share their articles on your pages.
Results to Expect
If you take the calls we set up for you, use our partner cultivation materials, and add a bit of your own attention and care, you can expect referrals to begin flowing after three months and rise up to a reasonably predictable level within six to nine months.
The keys to obtaining growth in your initial number of referrals are
- Taking good care of the referred clients
- Keeping the referrer informed
- Thanking the referrer
- Staying in touch
- Regularly approaching potential new referrers
Contrary to popular perception, cross referrals are not necessary to a successful referral relationship. They certainly help, and some referral sources will dry up without return referrals, but many referral sources will continue without them. And properly maintained, those sources can remain productive for years.
