The Person With the Relationship Wins the Business

By Thom Singer, Marketing Manager for the Austin and Dallas offices of Andrews & Kurth L.L.P. He can be reached at 512.320.9265 and

While most firms continue to rely on their seasoned “rainmakers” to bring in more business, others are exploring hiring business development officers (i.e.: sales professionals).  Either approach can and will be successful if the firm remembers that: when all things are equal, clients will prefer to business with people they know and like.  It is a simple concept, but one that is true for any business that sells a product or service.  Regardless of whether the responsibility belongs to an attorney or a business development professional, someone must focus on building the image of the firm and making connections in the community.

Emotional response drives decision

When selecting a lawyer, all clients are looking for quality work.   However, no matter how good you are, there are others who are also equally qualified.  In addition, the client cannot always distinguish who is the better attorney.  The prospect will select the person with whom he feels most comfortable.   Price is rarely the issue, regardless of what they may tell you.   I have never heard of a client who would knowingly go with a less qualified attorney to save a few dollars.  At the end of the day it is that intangible feeling, that emotional response, that drives the decision.

While lawyers should always be focused on their existing client’s needs, it is important to remember that over time everyone will experience some turnover in their list of clients.  Therefore it is vital to look toward the future.  The best way to find new clients is to let them find you.  When a company is looking for legal counsel they will often create a short list of firms to interview.  No matter how good of an attorney you are, if the prospect has never heard of you or your firm, you will never be invited to make a proposal.  For this reason, everyone must work at creating a network of professional contacts that can and will refer business.

“Networking” is a word that many lawyers dislike because it conjures up images of cocktail parties populated with pushy salespeople.  But networking is not daunting task.  Networking is simply connecting with other people in the business community who might be able to send you business or refer clients.   Knowing a lot of people raises the opportunity of somebody sending you work.  And with the competitive nature of today’s legal profession, any advantage you have over your competition is important.  Being “known” is always better than being “the best kept secret.”

Similar to dating

The big mistake is thinking that networking is just about meeting people.  Meeting a person is only the first step to building a relationship with them that will lead to business.  It is similar to dating.  The night you met your husband or wife you probably did not ask them to get married (at least in most cases).  Similarly, when you first meet another business professional you are not yet at the stage where you can ask them for a referral or to represent their legal needs.  It takes time.  You need to cultivate the relationship.  You need to build trust and discover common interests.  It is creating this long term commitment where most attorneys fail, and thus never build the type of a professional relationship that leads to real business.

To build a real network takes many years.  It takes sincerely being interested in the lives and careers of other people.  It means volunteering to help without expecting something in return.  More than anything else it involves making an effort to follow up with people, getting to know them and then maintaining that relationship.

·       Follow Up. After you have met someone with whom you would like to build a professional relationship, you must plan for the follow up.  Simply exchanging business cards at a state bar happy hour will not mean that person will start sending you referrals.  The most effective way to follow up is to send the other person a short note that tells them that you enjoyed meeting them and would like to talk with them again.  Can you do this by email?  Yes.  Would a handwritten note receive a higher level of attention?  Yes it would.  Your goal is to stand out from the crowd.  You want to send a message that you are a professional, that you are unique… not just one of the pack.

·       Building the Relationship. Over time you will hopefully see people again throughout the community.  Every time you get a chance to talk further, you put another brick in the foundation of you friendship.  You will discover common interests.   Ask a lot of questions.  Find out about their family, career, civic involvement, etc.  Take a real interest in people and they will remember you.  

·       Maintain. Once you have built a large network of contacts, the hardest part is to maintain those relationships.  Keep your eye on what is going on in the community that might interest the other person and send them a quick note.  If you see they got promoted, call to say “Congratulations.”  If they lost their job, call to offer assistance.   Over the years you will discover that the people you networked with have become your closest friends.  If this is the case, then you have done a good job of building your professional network.

It is important to remember that to be a successful attorney you need to find that balance between “visibility” and “credibility.”   While it is true that you must produce good work for your clients (credibility), you also must make sure that others know about you, your firm and that you produce that good work (visibility).  The more people who know about you today, the more business you will have tomorrow.