Meeting With
Network Contacts
By Art Italo
In the article Leveraged Networking, I
discussed the theory behind networking. This article will be about the
practicality of networking. Ultimately, you will be eyeball to eyeball with
another human being and you will want to know how to make this meeting go well.
Certainly it helps to have your Statements Of
Excellence prepared and rehearsed, but that will only occupy five
minutes of the lunch. The question is what exactly do you need to do during the
other fifty-five minutes to leave the best possible impression and maximize
your potential for referrals?
There are four basic goals you need to accomplish by the end of the meeting:
- Build Rapport
- Impress The Contact
- Expand The Network
- Gather Information
If you accomplish these, the meeting will be successful and your likelihood of receiving referrals will be enhanced.
Building Rapport - The rapport you establish in the first meeting is the foundation for establishing a good relationship with the contact. It doesn't matter how much they respect you, if they don't like you, they won't refer you any business.
Impressing The Contact - Naturally, you want the contact to remember you in a positive way at that critical moment when someone asks him/her for the name of an attorney. This is done by having a strong and well prepared presentation as discussed in the article entitled Statements of Excellence.
Expanding The Network - Each meeting provides you with an opportunity to expand the network further by asking the client for the names of people they know with whom you can establish mutually beneficial relationships.
Gathering Information - Every person you meet is a walking, talking database of information. Most of that information is readily available and benevolently given if you just ask. Most of my clients have commented to me, to their surprise, how free many of their contacts have been at giving them information that has helped their practice. These can be tips on practice management, legal strategies, the law itself or marketing.
The Seven Point Meeting Agenda
The meeting you have with your contact should be a one on one encounter such as lunch, dinner, cocktails, sporting event, etc. The purpose of the meeting is to establish or reinforce a personal relationship. This doesn't happen in a group setting. Group relationships seldom produce referrals. If you are at a bar meeting or a chamber meeting and want to create a relationship with a new contact, invite the contact to lunch.
In the initial meeting, you should accomplish seven things that will enhance your chances of getting referrals:
- Get On A Personal Level
- Learn About Their Practice/Career
- Tell Them About Your Practice
- Share War Stories
- Ask For A New Contact
- Ask For A Business Card
- Send A Follow-up Letter
Getting On A Personal Level - One of the most important keys to establishing rapport is to get on a personal level with the contact. Ask the contact questions about himself/herself. Discussions of spouse, children, outside interests etc., are all excellent ice breakers. Be a good listener and show interest in what the contact is saying. If the contact has a particular passion, such as golf, fishing, sailing, etc., indulge him/her by asking numerous questions. If you share the passion, it is all the better. This shared enthusiasm can create a great bond.
It is very important that in the beginning, you spend the majority of the time letting the contact talk about himself/herself. Naturally, you should answer questions asked about you, but always turn the conversation back to the contact. The more the contact reveals to you, the more he/she will tend to trust you. After all, isn't part of trust a matter of feeling comfortable disclosing things about yourself to someone? Trust is one of the cornerstones of the motivation to refer. If the contact feels good about you, he/she believes the client will as well.
Learning About Their Practice/Career - Now that you have spent ten minutes listening to the contact, you get to listen some more. For most professional people, their careers are among the most intimately important and consuming parts of their lives. Showing a keen interest here creates a great deal of rapport. Of course, this information is vital to understanding what types of matters you might want to send this person (if any), and how he/she might be able to help your practice. Being a good listener here also motivates the contact to return the favor and listen attentively to your presentation.
Telling Them About Your Practice - This is where you trot out your Statements of Excellence. Give the contact a strong and enthusiastic presentation. Emphasize yourself, not your firm. People send business to lawyers, not law firms. Clients hire lawyers, not law firms. Your practice is the point. For the purpose of this presentation, the firm is just an added bonus on top of your excellent skills and experience.
Sharing War Stories - This is a particularly good tactic with other lawyers. I don't know whether it is some kind of sacred or fraternal rite, but lawyers love to exchange war stories. This creates a great deal of rapport and you should encourage and be encouraged to tell them. Even if the contact is a non-attorney, you should have a couple of interesting war stories that also illustrate your full abilities.
Asking For New Contacts - The primary objective of networking is to continually expand the network. Remember, each new person you meet is a potential contact, and can also introduce you to other valuable contacts. The person you are sitting before, very likely knows five to ten people whom you would love to have as contacts as well.
By this time in the meeting, the contact should be feeling pretty good about you. He/she should be in a proper frame of mind to help you. Ask the contact for the name of a specific type of person. It is important to be very specific. If you just ask for a good person to network with, he/she will say, "Let me think about it." If you ask for a good accountant, it is likely a name will come to mind immediately. Ask for someone on your target list (see Attorney Marketing Strategies By Practice Area).
Always approach this request from the standpoint that you can send business to the contact's friend. Your reason for asking is ostensibly to help your clients, who have the need for that particular type of client. Thus, you have a chance to help the client and the contact's friend as well. The contact will be motivated to give you a name because it will help his/her friend.
When contacting the friend, mention the contact's name and the fact that your clients sometimes have a need for a professional of his/her type. You would like to get together to find out more about him/her because you might be able to send him/her some business. You don't need to mention you would like some back. This will be understood.
Asking For A Business Card - Always ask for a business card rather than offering one. Asking for a card sends the subtle message that you feel the contact is an important person with whom you should stay in touch. It is flattering. Offering a business card sends the message that you think you are an important person with whom the contact should stay in touch. It can be perceived as being pushy.
Most of the time, the contact will ask you for a card in return. If he/she doesn't, don't worry. You will send one in your follow-up letter anyway. On the back of the card, write the name of any secondary contact the contact has given you. This way you will remember from whom you got the name.
Sending A Follow-up Letter - This is a step that is neglected by many, which is why it is so important. This letter will differentiate you as being courteous and professional. Both of these perceptions improve the contact's level of trust and raise the probability of sending a referral. Included in this package should be a cover letter, a business card, a practice profile and a copy of a recent article you have had published.
The letter should be brief including a paragraph saying how nice it was to meet the contact, a paragraph devoted to some point of importance to the contact (son's baseball tournament, big trial coming up, loves to fish, hunt, golf, etc.) and finally a paragraph emphasizing that you will look for opportunities to refer and how you hope he/she will do the same.
Even if you gave a business card at lunch, send another one. Business cards taken at lunch often end up at the dry cleaners or in a dresser drawer. The business card that comes with your letter will probably go in the rolodex. If you had your choice, where would you rather your card be?
Your practice profile should be an inclusive document that outlines your name, firm, address, phone, fax, education and honors, the focus of your practice with brief descriptions, your professional leadership including organizations and positions held, lectures and publications. This is not an employment resume. Don't include any firms other than your current firm.
You should also describe civic leadership including business or civic organization and positions, boards of directors, charity volunteerism, etc. Don't include religious or political organizations. Nothing will get you rejected faster than having the wrong one from the reader's perspective. If you have a personal pursuit that shows leadership, such as president of your hunting lodge, or tournament bridge or chess master, you should also include it. Separate each section with bold headings.
If you accomplish all seven of these items in every meeting you have made a good start toward building a strong network. Being systematic with your contacts will improve the impression you make and increase your chances of getting referrals. With continued cultivation, these contacts can be a source of business for many years to come.
Copyright © Art Italo, 1996. All Rights Reserved
Select
this link to see Art Italo’s Practice Profile
Art Italo is a consultant working exclusively with attorneys in the areas
of business development and strategic planning. He speaks internationally on
legal marketing and strategic planning.
He has developed and refined the concept of Leveraged Networking after
over 15,000 hours of individual consultations with attorneys. He has personally consulted with over 250
attorneys in
For on-line help with your marketing questions, e-mail Art Italo at
italco@mindspring.com or contact Art
Italo at:
Italo Consulting®
P.O. Box 680474
Marietta, GA 30068
(770) 859-0600
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