|
So you want to build a new practice area and wondering
how to make it happen? Whether you are a doctor, lawyer,
architect, or life coach, the starting point for
building a business is the same. All these
occupations rely on referrals and word-of-mouth, which
means building up a foundation of clients and then
encouraging them to refer you to others. The most
effective means of getting referrals is networking, and
as
lawyer marketing coaches
(check out our dedicated lawyer website,
Hot Blue Coaching), we know that's still
your bread and butter.
Yes, networking. Unfortunately for most of us, the
term networking conjures up an
image of some slick-haired guy handing us a card asking
us to “do lunch”. Well, networking today has evolved. So
much so that it has a new name; it’s no longer called
networking but permission marketing or relationship
marketing.
As a curious student and a lawyer coach, I began reading
current and past books on the topic. If you were to read
just one book, it would be Seth Godin’s Permission
Marketing. The key concept in any of these books is that
networking is about building a relationship. So, what
does that mean? It means focusing less on efficiency and
results (the task), as we do when working on cases and
work projects, and more on building relationships. Yup,
think about when you first started dating your spouse or
girlfriend. That is what it is about.
Get permission to go on the first date – Permission
marketing is experienced by most men (to pick an example
almost at random) in their early years. First, you need
to get an “in”. You need to get the girl to say “yes” to
your first date. After careful assessment, you
contemplate when you’ll make your first move. Once you
get permission you move to your next move. The same
applies in client relationships. Each time, you are
asking your client’s permission to have a deeper and
deeper relationship. For example, you start with a
business lunch. At the lunch you get to know what’s
going on with them and their business, and so on. The
next “ask” is up to you. Most likely it will be some way
for you to have continual contact with them (e.g.- a
newsletter, etc). How fast you can move and what you ask
is based on your assessment of the situation. What can
you get them to say “yes” to easily? Start with the
“first yes” and then worry about the rest later.
Get to know a person with prospect of marriage – The
age-old wisdom from courtship applies in this context
too. It means getting to know your prospective client’s
business and know your client as a person. During each
interaction, remember to ask all those questions and to
listen purposefully. Just like when you are trying to
woo someone. The same rule applies in courting a client.
A rule of thumb is that you are asking questions and
listening about 75% of the time and the rest you may be
talking about services that are relevant to their
issues. Once you know what the client wants and needs,
you can make notes in a prospect folder and then be sure
to send them relevant articles, news clippings, etc.
Be the perfect gentleperson – Remember when you brought
flowers or cookies on your next date? This small gesture
was to give the gal (or guy) the sense that she mattered
to you and that you were thinking about her. This same
concept applies with a client. Whenever you meet a
client ask, What could I do that would be helpful? Maybe
it is getting them tickets to a baseball game. Maybe it
is helping them answer some small legal matter or
sending them a relevant article. Courtesy also counts.
Remember to send quick thank you notes when someone
sends you a referral.
Be
patient - A solid relationship doesn’t happen overnight.
Some take longer than others. I talked to one lawyer who
often courted a client for up to 18 months before he
landed a case. And sometimes it is not the person you
are courting who becomes a client, but the friend or
colleague they refer you to. So pay it forward, but
don’t expect the favors to be paid directly to you. They
may come indirectly. Or they may not come for a long
time. Life is a mystery and referrals are no different.
Give with a spirit of generosity and then have faith
that something will happen.
The above will arm you with some basics . It is first
setting the goal correctly. It’s about building a
relationship. Next, it is about all the small details
that make a relationship solid and will eventually lead
to results. Beyond the above basic concepts are the
processes and technologies (especially some of the new
media) you’ll need to ensure you are feeding and
nurturing the relationship in both a sincere and an
efficient way. Coaching can help you develop the process
and systems that will work for you.
For more information, see our main site for
Lawyer Marketing Coaching.
About C.J.
Lawyer marketing coach C.J. Liu, recently of Microsoft, is a former CFO and
strategic consultant who brings the know-how of more
than 20 years of business, finance, and product
development experience to her coaching clients.
C.J. has worked at several other leading Fortune 500
companies, including General Electric and Clorox.
C.J. served as an in-house executive/business coach at
Microsoft and she continues to work with teams and
individuals there today. C.J. is a rarity in the
world of business/career coaching – she is one of few
certified professional coaches with an MBA from a
top-ranked program.
C.J. has coached executive directors at non-profits,
business owners, and entrepreneurs on the issues that
can create…or undermine… success: effective
leadership and communications, conflict resolution, how
to develop strong working relationships, and the hows
and whys of emotional intelligence. C.J.’s strong
business background and diverse experience in product
development, strategic planning, marketing, finance, and
business development provides her coaching clients with
a nice balance of Business IQ and Emotional Intelligence
(EQ). This extensive business background enables
C.J. to quickly understand the breadth and depth of many
business and marketing issues. Before joining
Feroce, C.J. served as an in-house executive/business
coach at Microsoft.
Read C.J.’s longer Bio.
Related Pages:
Attorney Coach and Feroce
Founder Cameron Powell
Lawyer Marketing Coach
Attorney Career Coach:
Who Else Wants to Leave the Law?
Legal Coach: Mistakes
to Avoid in Entering the Law
Lawyer Coach: An
Overview
Lawyer Coaching:
Individual Practices, Lawyers, and Lawyers' Lives
Attorney Coaching:
Types of Lawyer Clients
Lawyer Life Coach
Career Coaching
Top Signs You Could Use a
Career Coach
Recent
Coaching Conversations (one with a lawyer in a large
firm)
Related Pages on Hot Blue Coaching:
Lawyer Coach
Lawyer Life Coach
Lawyer Career Coach
Speech Coach
Writing Coach
Lawyer Marketing Coach
Our clients who use lawyer marketing coaches live in Los
Angeles, San Francisco and the Bay Area, Miami, Chicago,
Detroit, Minneapolis, St. Louis, New York City,
Charlotte, Philadelphia, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio,
Madison, Milwaukee, NYC, Washington D.C., San Diego,
Denver, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Honolulu, Baltimore,
Boston, Kansas City, Omaha, Las Vegas, Newark,
Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Portland,
Pittsburgh, Nashville, Fort Worth, Salt Lake City,
Seattle, San Jose, Phoenix, Tucson, Tampa, Olympia,
Spokane, Tacoma, Palo Alto, Pasadena, Sacramento, Santa
Monica, Greenwich, Hartford, New Haven, Albuquerque,
Austin, Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery, Eugene,
Salem, and many more!
|
