'Legal Tech Lists': 3 Things Your CRM Should Do For You

Editor’s note: This is an installment in the “Reference Manual of Legal Tech Lists,” an eBook set for release this spring. Read the prior installments here, and feel free to pre-register for your copy of the complete eBook using the form below. Customer relationship management — or CRM — can be the bane of lawyers’ (or legal marketers’) existence. Why? Because if you’re like most lawyers, your CRM is an underutilized database that’s not performing anywhere near its potential.

Here are a few things you’ll want your CRM to do — besides simply holding information — if you want it to truly benefit your business. 1. Show the relationship with each person. Are they a client, referral source, or prospect? Are they a vendor, competitor, or family? Are they a vendor and a client, or a competitor who refers conflicted cases to you? Are they a family member

and a client — who you don’t charge because they wouldn’t pay the bill anyway? Why is this important?

If you want to host a client event, send a gift to your referral sources, or share updated billing info with your vendors, sorting this info in your CRM should be a breeze. 2. Show the relationship between clients and referral sources. How many clients did Marty Byrde, the financial planner, send your way? When was the last referral made, and what is the value of those referrals? Does Marty have experience with casinos? This is key info for many reasons. If Marty is the only financial planner you know who has experience with casinos, then any clients in the gaming niche should meet Marty. If you decide to expand your business law practice to include casino property and operations, teaming up with Marty for a CLE or webinar may be a good idea. 3. Remind you of the info you need but don’t have the brain power to remember. Does Marty have two kids or three? Is he still with Wendy, or did they get divorced? What was the name of his former business partner? There’s no way you can remember all of this information about each of your clients. Before you meet with him next week, or if you know you’re sitting with him at the Chamber of Commerce dinner, refer to your CRM, so it’s fresh in your mind. The good news is that most CRMs are mobile-friendly, so if you run into an important business contact, excuse yourself and take a minute to review your notes. Reminder: Update your notes when you learn new info, because Marty is a busy guy with a lot going on. If your CRM is accomplishing the above for you — kudos! Go home, you’re done for the day! If it’s nowhere close to this, it’s no biggie. Start today. Fill out the form below to pre-register for your copy of the complete “Reference Manual of Legal Tech Lists,” which will be sent to all registrants later this year! And as a bonus, registrants will receive a copy of the “Legal Tech-to-English Dictionary” from Above the Law and Wolters Kluwer — another piece of our growing legal tech reference library.

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Cady Darago is a marketing professional with a niche in legal working both in-house at a 150-attorney firm and with marketing agencies.