In this episode, cohosts Marc Whitehead and Diana Berry discuss the ins and outs of creating a sustainable referral base. Identifying your target audience and curating campaigns that resonate will help other firms send you your perfect client. Learn tips and tricks for building your base, maintaining it, and segmenting it to determine who to prioritize.  

[0:53] Marc Whitehead introduces himself and chief operating officer Diana Berry, and he also introduces the topic of the episode, which is B2B marketing. For Marc Whitehead & Associates, this involves marketing to other firms – sometimes even direct competitors. Marketing to attorneys is crucial to the business model of Marc Whitehead & Associates.

[3:36] Marc constantly has to develop new referral sources for many reasons. Referral sources retire and find other people to refer clients to, so refreshing your referral base continuously is crucial to sustainability.

[6:37] These referral sources, when properly cultivated, can be more effective than marketing to the general public because of the legal expertise and connections of your referral sources.

[9:06] First, recognize that you cannot market to a B2B referral network in the same way that you market to the general public. The development about the Successful Barrister newsletter was one of these B2B-specific marketing campaigns.

[11:56] Next, think about the specific audience that you are targeting. Marc Whitehead & Associates attempted to market to doctors and therapists, but found that the return on investment for those campaigns was far less than the return on campaigns targeting attorneys. 

[14:27] The third step is determining what makes you stand out. What is your niche? Marc Whitehead & Associates works in disability law, but the firm also stands out because Marc has written multiple books on disability law. 

[18:12] How many people should you have on your list before you begin a B2B marketing campaign? Marc says that your starting list can be the people that you knew in law school. You can also get involved in local organizations and add other members to your list.

[21:57] The Successful Barrister newsletter is printed and sent through the mail. Marc notes that while this costs more, it is going to have a higher open rate than an email. This is especially true as junk mail is becoming less common with the rise of email.

[24:38] Your Level 1 referrals are the referral sources who frequently send you clients whose cases are relevant to you. Marc prioritizes these referral sources and sends them gifts three times a year.

[28:18] Diana notes the importance of tracking your referral sources to determine who are your most reliable sources. Marc Whitehead & Associates uses a VIP referral link.

[34:37] Marc is constantly adding new referral sources to his list. Constantly adding names is crucial to sustainability.  

[36:24] Next, you need to segment your list beyond your level ones. Your second level are occasional referral sources. The third tier are people who do not regularly refer clients to you, but you should mass market to them to keep them aware of your firm.

[41:22] Last, never forget to say thank you. Find a systematic way to keep your referral sources updated. Saying thank you is a great way to follow up with your referral base. 

Visit the Successful Barrister website: https://www.successfulbarrister.com/ 

Visit the Marc Whitehead & Associates website: https://disabilitydenials.com/ 

Email Marc Whitehead: [email protected]