referral business

Referral is my favorite marketing strategy, not just because it’s free, but because it works more effectively than any other marketing strategy I’ve ever used.

When I started my legal nurse consulting business in 1982, my hospital salary was $28,000 and I had a mortgage to pay, so with only $100 in my bank account, I didn’t have a lot of marketing dollars.

Networking led me to my first attorney-client, and referral business from that attorney and subsequent attorney-clients was the marketing strategy I used to grow a multi-million dollar business. Referral, however, is not a gift. Referral business is something you have to earn.

It is the result of providing excellent work product and excellent service. It is the most powerful and most inexpensive marketing strategy you can implement. Attorneys trust the opinions of other attorneys.

Put these referral strategies into action:

• Ask every attorney-client for referrals. Be specific and ask for the names of attorneys they know who handle medical-related cases.
• Request letters of recommendation from your attorney-clients to include in your promotional package. The attorney might even request that you write the letter for his signature, or you can suggest this possibility if you know the attorney is extremely busy. If you do write the letter of recommendation, interview the attorney to capture his glowing comments and have the attorney sign an original document so you can produce copies.
• Take your attorney-clients to lunch and ask for referrals.
• Invite an attorney-client and three to five of his peers to an event.

Ask for referrals when the timing is right, i.e., when the attorney is raving about your work product. Assure your attorney-client of your commitment to future cases. Request names, not just future referrals. Express appreciation for referrals through thank-you cards, lunch or a free case screening.

Follow through on the names provided and contact each referred attorney. When you follow up, mention specifically what the referring attorney suggested you could help the attorney-prospect with – defending or prosecuting a products liability case, for example. Invoke the referring attorney’s name every opportunity you get. Use information learned about the attorney-prospect in all communications.

Focus on setting up an interview with the attorney to educate him about the benefits you offer. Always try to get your foot in the door. The odds of going home with a case in hand are much stronger if you see the attorney-prospect in person. Never try to sell yourself over the telephone – an interview is your goal.

Systemize the referral process and soon you’ll be begging your attorney-clients to keep your name to themselves.

Success Is Inside!

I know that many of you readers come here, read what you want, make use of the information you want and go about your day without ever leaving a comment. One of the main benefits of a blog is the ability to start a conversation directly with Vickie and the other legal nurse consulting readers.

So, if you have been a silent reader of this blog and want to know the benefits of leaving comments, let me give you some tips on why you should be doing it.

1. You’re Alerting Vickie to Who You Are.

If you regularly leave comments on this blog, Vickie will start to recognize your name. Don’t forget the other regular contributors and hundreds of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants who read it daily. They will start to recognize you also.

If you leave some really interesting comments, Vickie may even ask you to “guest blog” some day.

2. You’re Building a Strong Legal Nurse Consulting Community.

A CLNC^® community is built around CLNC^® consultants and their views. Leaving comments is a way of showing that you care and want to share your opinion with others, including Vickie. The comments can be a suggestion, feedback, appreciation or even constructive criticism. Just be sure they aren’t spammy or abusive.

So, even if you are just stopping by, make that little effort and write a comment, even if it’s just a line.

3. You’re Getting What You Want.

You should leave a comment because that’s how Vickie judges what her legal nurse consultants want. Also this is how you can get your questions answered rapidly.

4. You’re Adding Traffic to Your Site.

When you leave a comment, your name will link to your website. People click your link to see what other interesting stuff you write about. Obvious but true. You might get some CLNC^® subcontracting out of it.

5. You’re Connecting with Nurses and Potential Clients That also Read This Blog.

It’s well known that Vickie is the nation’s most recognized expert on legal nurse consulting. Doesn’t it make sense that some attorneys may subscribe also? An attorney searching for information on a particular subject in Google can easily stumble on one of these blog posts. Then they will see your insightful comments, determine you are an expert and give you a call.

I actually had one new client find me through a blog comment. I ended up billing this contact more than $100,000 over the next year. The people who read the same blog post as I did, but didn’t leave a comment that day, didn’t get the business.

Blogging is not only about the author saying her piece, it is also about going out and joining the conversation where it is happening. It’s about reaching out to people and exposing yourself to new ideas.

There is no greater way to brand yourself as a legal nurse consulting expert than to leave insightful and regular comments on a blog like this one…you may even get some new business out of it.

So, let’s start today…everyone leave a comment and introduce yourself to all the other blog readers.

Guest Blogger Profile

Brian Horn is an Internet marketing consultant who specializes in search engine marketing, site optimization, social media marketing, link building and web data analytics. Brian has consulted with Vickie Milazzo Institute for over three years.

Brian also speaks at seminars and conferences throughout the U.S. and Canada on how to use the Internet to improve business.