Referrals from clients or other sources accounts for at least 70% and 80% of new business for lawyers. I say that because three referral gurus say so, and based on my personal experience when I was an in-house marketer at two different law firms.

Accordingly, it makes sense to market to referral sources on a regular basis. Trey Ryder has a brief article that covers the basics. He warns:

• If you don’t let referral sources know that you are accepting new clients, they may think that you are too busy, or not interested in certain kinds of work;
• Keep referral sources informed about your practice and the types of clients you are interested in;
• Market your sources by:

“Mail(ing) them (1) your educational handouts, (2) invitations to seminars, (3) newspaper articles in which you’ve been featured, (4) letters requesting referrals, (5) thank-you letters after receiving a referral, (6) outcome letters when the case has ended, (7) your firm newsletter, and (8) copies of your referral brochure inviting inquiries from prospects.”

Also, don’t forget to invite them to lunch or dinner, and entertain them just like you would a client. With so much of your business dependent on referral sources, it really is important not overlook or underutilize these business development sources.