When I saw the suggestion below on getting referrals, I just knew it was a legal marketing winner. I even said to myself “Self, why didn’t you think of that?” Apparently, the idea was first mentioned by Matt Homann on his (non)billable hour blog a few months back, and was later picked up by my friends Michelle Golden of Golden Practices and Miriam Lawrence at Automatic Referrals.

With that much blogging talent behind it, you just know it has to work. In Matt’s words, the suggestion is:

“Find your five favorite clients.  Take them to dinner.  Don’t let them leave until they answer this question:  What can I do to get more clients like you?”

It isn’t clear whether he is recommending that you take the five to dinner together or one at a time. I see advantages in either approach, but would recommend doing so one-on-one. The important thing is that it will work because:

• Clients will be flattered that you think so highly of them, and their opinion;
• What they say will tell you a lot about why they chose you, continue to use you, and what your brand is in their eyes; and
• It will likely motivate them to think of clients they could actually refer to you.

I really like this idea.  You may ask the question differently, but the point is clear. Let me know if it works for you.