The number one source of business for law firms of all sizes is referrals.  But to tap into this bottomless well of revenue, you’ll need to make getting referrals a daily habit. Let’s take a look at some tips for getting referrals and cultivating healthy relationships with referral sources.

Always Ask For Referrals

Asking for referrals should become a daily habit—in every interaction with clients, prospects, colleagues, community members, and fellow attorneys you should ask for referrals.

• Ask for referrals during consultations. When you’re doing intake or consultations with new clients, take the time to ask for referrals. You might say, “Do you know anyone else who may need legal services?” This isn’t too aggressive or inappropriate because they just may have a friend or family member in desperate need of a lawyer. And if they’re having a positive interaction with you, they may be more than eager to send you a referral.
• Ask for referrals when given a compliment. Sometimes clients are so pleased with your work that they may email you a compliment or pay you a compliment over the phone. These are perfect opportunities to ask for referrals.  You might say, “Thank you so much. I’m glad you’re happy with the work we did for you. Do you know anyone who may need our legal services? Please feel free to give them our number and email.”
• Place a referral request in your email signature. In every email you should include a request for referrals. Something simple such as, “Referrals are much appreciated and welcome” is sufficient. Including a request for referrals in your email signature line can go a long way in reminding your current clients that you’re always looking for new work, and that they should be on the lookout for anyone who might need an attorney.
• Be specific with your request. When asking for referrals, be very specific about what you’re looking for. You might say, “If you know anyone looking for a divorce attorney, please refer them to our law firm” or “If you know anyone burdened with credit card debt, please refer them to us.”  This way you don’t receive referrals you can’t use.

Expedited Service

You should create an intake system that expedites all referrals. This express service should provide the following:

• Quick email or phone response. Referrals shouldn’t need to wait more than 24 hours to hear back from you.
• Priority placement for intake/consultations. When referrals want to meet, you should have a system in place that makes it possible for them to get meetings in less than a week.

Nurture Your Source

There are always one or two people in your network who are the main source of referrals. These referral sources should be treated well and nurtured.

• Refer business their way. If another attorney is sending business your direction, you should reciprocate. Whenever there is an opportunity for work that you think would be a good fit for your referral source, send that work their way. You can also do this for referral sources who are outside the legal industry.
• Send a thank you note. As soon as you receive a referral, you should immediately call or email a thank you note to the source. Also consider special perks for referrals such as invites to law firm parties or VIP tickets to special events.
• Never abuse a referral. Always treat referrals with the utmost respect even if it turns out they’re not a good match for your law firm. Abusing or disrespecting a referral is a sure way to damage your reputation and your relationship with the referral source.

Referrals are the lifeblood of every law firm. Take the time to develop a daily habit of harvesting referrals and nurturing your referral sources.

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Jane Oxley is President of Smokeball, a productivity and case management software provider that increases efficiency and profitability for solo attorneys and small law firms. Jane’s worked in the legal field for her entire career, spending over 20 years engaged with small law firms. She has a strong affinity with small law firms and the crucial role they play in the communities they serve and is passionate about helping them work towards more productive and less stressful practices.