Growing your practice through referrals is a must. In addition to providing knowledgeable legal advice and excellent service, asking your clients to share your name with their friends, family and colleagues is invaluable. Yet it is one aspect of marketing that many attorneys are uncomfortable with. Even though you have provided good service, you may wonder whether it was good enough, whether the client is truly satisfied, and whether asking for a referral makes you seem salesy or desperate for new business.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. People would rather do business with someone they know than with a stranger, and getting a name from a friend is the next best thing. Clients that you have good relationships with do not mind passing along your information to others in need. The challenge is to make it simple and easy for them.
Online reviews and mobile applications are two stress-free ways to get referrals. Online reviews allow your current clients to write about their experience as your client quickly and easily. Mobile apps like “AttorneyConnect” not only include a “write a review” feature but also a referral button that lets a client forward your contact information to a friend in one touch.
More people are online than ever before and they are looking for lawyers using their mobile phones and tablets. Here are four ways an app can take your referral network mobile:
1. Personal Connections.
There’s nothing more personal than being on someone’s phone. Our phones are with us all the time. If a client has downloaded your app to their phone, you’ve made a connection. An app helps you keep in touch with your clients easily, sending them texts and alerts that keep you top of mind. They can also get directions, request an appointment, ask a question, link to your website and – of course – make a referral.
2. Broader Network.
Every one of your clients has the potential to connect you to many other prospects. An app allows you to use current clients to broaden your network. With an app, you’re in front of your client all the time, enabling him or her to refer you to family, friends and colleagues anytime – at work, out at lunch, or at a backyard BBQ — with the touch of a button.
3. Loyal Clients.
Asking a client to write a review reinforces his or her connection to you and builds loyalty. Reviews are also critical for attracting new business. The app review feature allows clients to read reviews of others and write their own. It makes it easy for your clients to submit reviews and you won’t even have to ask.
4. Tech Savvy.
Having an app gives your practice a competitive advantage. As more people use their smartphones and tablets for everything from checking email to shopping, clients expect their attorney to have some tech savvy. Yet some law firms don’t even have a website, never mind an app. The app shows that you are on the forefront of technology and keeps your clients engaged and connected to you and your law practice.
Are you skeptical that an app can work for you? Think of how often you check your own mobile phone and think about all the contacts on it. Why not make it fast and easy for them to refer or review you? To find out more about how mobile apps for lawyers and law firms can help your business development, contact Bardorf Legal Marketing at BardorfMarketing.com.
