Author George Silverman’s book The Secrets of Word-of-Mouth Marketing describes his 7 secrets for referrals which I found at the Church of the Customer blog.
They include (with my editorializing for law firms):
*Keeping your message simple and consistent,
*Being specific as to your services (niche),
*Providing colorful examples of your experiences (but I’d avoid his “borderline outrageous” suggestion),
*Detailing success stories in your materials (be careful of ethics rules relating to unrealistic expectations, client confidentiality, and testimonials), but in a general, generic way,
*Making it easy for potential clients to find you,
*Getting super-connectors involved in your seminars, or other firm occasions, and
*Asking clients for referrals (have heard many a client say they would be happy to do so, but were never asked).
It is a given that word-of-mouth referrals are a significant source of business in any field. Referrals don’t always just happen, so your marketing should be proactive to encourage them.