Referrals are one of the best sources of new business for lawyers and other professional services providers. Someone who already knows and trusts you recommends you to someone else, and you start the relationship with a level of credibility that would be difficult to create through traditional marketing. Many successful practices have been built this way, and referrals will always be an important part of business development.
The problem with relying primarily on referrals is that you have very little control over when they happen. You can have great relationships, do excellent work and have a strong reputation, but you still don’t know when someone in your network will need your services or have an opportunity to recommend you.
That’s where being more intentional about business development can make a big difference. You can’t manufacture a need for your services, but you can increase the number of people who know you, understand what you do, hear from you regularly and remember you when the right opportunity comes along.
For most lawyers and other professionals, there’s a lot they can do before they start worrying about cold outreach or meeting hundreds of new people. Some of the best business development opportunities may already be sitting within the network they’ve spent years building.
Start With the People You Already Know
When people tell me they need to generate more business, they often immediately start thinking about who they need to meet. Networking with new people certainly has a place in a business development plan, but I would first take a closer look at the people you already know.
Think about current and former clients, former colleagues, law school or graduate school classmates, friends, other lawyers, industry contacts, people you’ve met at conferences, accountants, bankers, consultants and other professional advisors. Depending on your practice, your network might also include investors, insurance professionals, recruiters, business owners, board members and people you know through community or nonprofit organizations.
There are probably people on that list whom you genuinely like and haven’t spoken with in a long time. There may be people you used to see regularly before one of you changed jobs. There are probably former clients you enjoyed working with but haven’t contacted since the matter ended. And there are likely people you’ve met several times at industry events without ever having a real conversation outside of those events. Those relationships are worth revisiting before you spend all of your energy trying to create new ones.
One exercise I use with coaching clients is to start building a master relationship list. Don’t worry about making it perfect. Start getting names out of your head and into one place. Look through your LinkedIn connections, phone contacts, email, former client lists, alumni networks and conference attendee lists. Once you start doing this, you’ll probably remember many more people than you initially expected.
Get Much More Specific About the Work You Want
One of the biggest mistakes people make with business development is starting with the idea that they want “more clients” or “more business.” That doesn’t give you much direction.
Instead, think about the matters or engagements you’d like to do more often. Which clients have you particularly enjoyed working with? Which industries do you understand well? What kinds of problems do clients already call you about? Which matters would you happily replicate several times over? Then work backward from there.
If you’re an M&A lawyer who wants to represent more privately held businesses in sell-side transactions, for example, your network may need to include investment bankers, accountants, wealth advisors, commercial bankers, private equity professionals and other lawyers who work with business owners.
If you’re a commercial litigator who wants more work from construction companies, your plan might include spending more time with construction industry executives, contractors, developers, insurance professionals, consultants and lawyers in complementary practices.
This exercise makes business development much more manageable because you stop trying to meet potential clients everywhere and start identifying the communities and people who are actually connected to the work you want.
Think About the Entire Network Around Your Clients
Your business development network is much bigger than a list of people who could hire you. Some of the most important people in your network may never become clients. They may, however, work with the same people you want to work with.
Think about who has relationships with your ideal clients before they need your services. Who advises them? Who hears about their plans? Who attends the same industry events? Who helps them make important business decisions? Who do they call when they have a problem that falls outside that person’s expertise?
For lawyers, this often means building relationships with other lawyers whose practices complement yours. A corporate lawyer can be an important relationship for a litigator. An employment lawyer may hear about an issue that requires another specialist. An estate planning lawyer may work closely with business owners who eventually sell their companies.
It also means looking outside the legal profession. Accountants, bankers, consultants, investment bankers, wealth advisors and other professionals often have longstanding relationships with the same clients lawyers want to reach.
When you understand this broader network, you have many more opportunities to develop meaningful professional relationships without treating every person you meet as a prospective client.
Make Staying in Touch Easier
A lot of business development advice tells people to “stay in touch,” which sounds easy until you have hundreds or thousands of contacts and an already full schedule. It becomes much easier when you start giving yourself natural reasons to reach out.
Maybe you read an article that reminded you of a conversation you had with someone. Send it to them with a quick note. You see that a former client was promoted. Congratulate them. Someone you know announces a deal. Reach out. You’re going to an industry event and realize a former colleague may also be attending. Ask if they’ll be there.
You can also create your own reasons to reconnect. Ask someone to coffee or lunch because you haven’t seen them in a while. Invite a few people who would enjoy meeting each other to dinner. Send a note to a former client to see how things are going. Reach out to someone you met at a conference and continue a conversation you started there.
Paying attention helps tremendously. LinkedIn, company announcements, industry newsletters and your own conversations give you information about what people are doing and what matters to them. Use that information thoughtfully.
I also recommend keeping notes after meaningful conversations. If someone tells you they’re opening a new office, hiring for a particular role, planning a major initiative or attending an upcoming conference, make a note. That gives you something specific to ask about the next time you speak.
Become Someone Who Makes Useful Introductions
One of the most effective things you can do for your network is introduce people who would genuinely benefit from knowing each other.
Maybe you know two people who work with the same industry but offer different services. Perhaps a client needs an accountant and you know a great one. Someone you met at a conference may be trying to expand into a market where one of your former colleagues has extensive experience. A banker in your network may benefit from meeting a private equity professional you know.
The best introductions are thoughtful and specific. Tell each person why you believe they would benefit from knowing one another. Give enough context so neither person has to figure out why they were introduced.
An introduction can be valuable even when no immediate business comes from it. You’ve helped two people in your network expand theirs, and you’ve given yourself another opportunity to strengthen both relationships. The more you know about the people in your network, the easier it becomes to see these connections.
Use LinkedIn to Stay Connected Between Conversations
LinkedIn is particularly useful for business development because most of the people in your professional network aren’t people you can realistically email, call or meet with every month.
LinkedIn gives you another way to stay visible between those interactions. If someone sees your posts regularly, reads your comments or notices that you’re talking about issues relevant to their business, they continue to learn about you even when you haven’t spoken recently. That matters because people can only think of you for opportunities if they remember you and understand what you do.
But posting isn’t the only way to use LinkedIn for business development. Commenting on other people’s posts can be incredibly effective. So can connecting with someone after you meet them, congratulating people on professional milestones and paying attention to what people in your network are working on.
I often tell people to think of LinkedIn as an extension of their real-world relationship building. The people you meet at conferences, lunches, client meetings and industry events can become part of your LinkedIn network, and LinkedIn can help you maintain those relationships between the times you see them.
Get More From the Events You’re Already Attending
Lawyers and other professionals spend a lot of time attending conferences, association meetings, networking events, dinners and firm-sponsored programs. But showing up doesn’t automatically make an event a business development activity.
Before an event, spend 15 or 20 minutes figuring out who will be there. Look at the attendee list if you have access to it. Think about people you already know who might attend. Identify a few people you’d genuinely like to meet. Reach out to contacts in advance instead of hoping you happen to run into them in a crowded room.
If there’s someone you want to meet and you notice that a mutual connection will also be there, ask for an introduction. This is one of the easiest ways to make networking feel more natural.
During the event, focus on having a few good conversations instead of trying to meet everyone in the room. Then make time for follow-up afterward by sending the email you said you’d send, connecting on LinkedIn, sharing the article you discussed, scheduling the coffee or making the introduction you promised.
I’ve seen people spend thousands of dollars and several days attending a conference and then barely follow up with anyone they met. Much of the business development value of an event comes from what you do with the relationships afterward.
Create a Simple System for Follow-Up
Most people have good intentions when it comes to staying in touch. Then client work gets busy, emails pile up and three months pass. Having even a very simple system can help you keep good relationships from unintentionally falling off your radar.
You don’t need complicated technology to start. A spreadsheet can work. Your CRM can work. Even calendar reminders can work. What matters is having a place where you can keep track of people and next steps.
After an important conversation, note what you talked about, anything you promised to do, information that may be useful later and when you might want to reconnect.
Also make your follow-up specific. Instead of putting “follow up with Sarah” on your list, write “Email Sarah the article we discussed and ask about the conference she’s attending next month.” The more specific the next step is, the easier it becomes to act on it.
Create a Weekly Business Development Routine That Fits Your Schedule
Business development becomes much easier when you stop treating it as a separate project that requires a huge block of time. You can accomplish a lot through a handful of consistent actions each week.
For example, reconnect with three people you already know, schedule one coffee, lunch or call, follow up with people you recently met, make an introduction when there’s a natural opportunity and spend a little time engaging with your network on LinkedIn.
You can adjust that based on what works for you. If you love events, your routine might include identifying one or two worthwhile programs each month. If you prefer one-on-one relationship building, put more coffees and lunches on your calendar. If you enjoy writing, content can play a larger role in your strategy.
I’m a big believer in finding business development activities you’ll actually do. A complicated plan that sits in a document somewhere won’t help you nearly as much as a manageable routine you can maintain throughout the year.
Try the 25-Person Relationship Exercise
If you want to put this into practice, start with 25 people you already know. They can include current and former clients, former colleagues, other lawyers, accountants, bankers, consultants, industry contacts, referral sources, business owners or anyone else who makes sense for your practice.
For each person, write down how you know them, when you last spoke, what you know about their current role or priorities, anything you have in common and what would be a natural reason to reconnect. Also ask yourself who you know who might be helpful or interesting for that person to meet.
That last question can change the way you look at your network because you start seeing relationships between people instead of viewing everyone individually.
Don’t turn the 25 names into a list of people you need to contact immediately. Pick a few each week. Reach out when you have a genuine reason. Add new names as you meet people and keep updating what you know.
You can also divide your list into categories based on your practice. An M&A lawyer might have business owners, investment bankers, accountants, private equity professionals, wealth advisors and other lawyers. A litigator might have general counsel, business owners, transactional lawyers, insurance professionals and industry contacts.
The categories will look different for everyone because your business development plan needs to reflect your practice, your clients and the network you’ve already built.
How to Know Whether Your Business Development Is Working
One reason people become frustrated with business development is that they measure it only by new matters. New business obviously matters, but relationships often take time to develop.
There are other signs that your efforts are working. Pay attention to whether you’re having more conversations with people in your target industries, former contacts are responding when you reconnect, people are introducing you to others, you’re being invited to more industry events or conversations, clients are asking you about services beyond the work you currently do for them and people are mentioning your LinkedIn content when they see you.
When new business does come in, ask how the person found you and why they contacted you. You may discover that the path was much longer than you realized. Someone might have met you at a conference, followed you on LinkedIn for a year, read several of your posts and then contacted you when a need finally arose.
Understanding those paths can help you figure out which of your business development activities are helping you build relationships and visibility over time.
Business Development Q&A
How can I generate more business if most of my work comes from referrals?
Keep the referral relationships you already have strong while adding more ways for people to encounter and remember you. Reconnect with former clients and colleagues, build relationships with people who advise the same clients you want to reach, attend the right industry events, stay visible on LinkedIn and create a regular follow-up routine. You’re giving your network more opportunities to understand what you do and when they might bring you into a conversation.
Who belongs on my business development contact list?
Start much broader than prospective clients. Include current and former clients, former colleagues, classmates, other lawyers, accountants, bankers, consultants, industry contacts, referral sources and people you know through professional and community organizations. Then think specifically about your practice and the people who regularly interact with the clients you want to reach.
What do I say when I haven’t spoken with someone in a long time?
You usually don’t need an elaborate explanation for the time that has passed. Find a genuine reason to reconnect. Maybe you saw news about their company, noticed they changed roles, remembered them because of an event you’re attending or came across an article related to something you discussed. You can also reach out because you haven’t spoken in a while and would enjoy catching up. Keep it warm and personal.
How can I stay in touch without feeling like I’m constantly asking people for something?
Pay attention to what’s happening in their world. Share information they might appreciate, congratulate them, invite them somewhere, make an introduction, comment on something they posted or ask about something they previously mentioned. Staying connected becomes much more natural when your outreach comes from knowing the person instead of searching for a reason to pitch your services.
How do I turn networking into actual business development?
Do more before and after the networking event itself. Know who will be there, reconnect with people in advance and identify a few people you’d like to meet. Afterward, follow up with the people with whom you had meaningful conversations and find ways to continue those relationships. One conversation at a conference is networking. Staying connected with that person over time is where business development begins.
How much time should I spend on business development each week?
There isn’t one number that works for everyone. Start with an amount you can realistically maintain even when you’re busy. A few outreach messages, one coffee or call, thoughtful follow-up, some LinkedIn engagement and an occasional introduction can be enough to create a consistent rhythm. You can build from there based on what generates conversations and fits naturally into your schedule.
Can LinkedIn really help generate business for lawyers and other professional services providers?
Yes, especially when you use it to support relationships instead of viewing it only as a place to publish content. LinkedIn helps you stay visible to people you already know, learn what’s happening in their professional lives, reconnect with people, continue relationships after in-person meetings and demonstrate what you know. Someone may follow your content for months before they have a reason to contact you, which is why consistency matters.
What should I track besides new clients and revenue?
Track the activities that can eventually contribute to business: meaningful conversations, meetings, introductions, follow-ups, speaking opportunities, event invitations, new relationships in target industries and engagement from the people you want to reach. Also track where new matters actually come from. Over time, you’ll start seeing patterns in which relationships and activities are contributing to opportunities.
What if I’m uncomfortable with traditional networking?
Build your plan around the ways you connect best with people. One-on-one coffees, small dinners, industry organizations, alumni relationships, writing, speaking, LinkedIn and making introductions can all be business development activities. You don’t have to work a giant cocktail reception if that’s not where you’re at your best. Find the relationship-building activities you can do consistently and build from there.
How long does business development take to work?
There’s no standard timeline because professional services relationships often develop over months or years. Someone you meet today may not have a need for your services until much later. That’s why staying connected matters so much. When the need eventually arises, you want the person to already know who you are, understand what you do and feel comfortable reaching out.
Build the Relationships Before You Need the Business
Referrals will continue to be an important source of work, and strong relationships will always be at the center of professional services business development. But there’s a big difference between having a large network and actively maintaining the relationships within it.
Spend time getting to know the people already in your orbit and learning more about their businesses. Introduce people who could benefit from knowing one another. Stay visible through LinkedIn and other channels. Be thoughtful about the events you attend and make time for follow-up afterward. Keep track of your relationships so people don’t disappear from your radar simply because everyone got busy.
When these activities become part of your regular routine, you’re building and maintaining relationships all the time. That gives more people the opportunity to know you, understand the work you do and think of you when a client, matter, introduction or other opportunity comes along.
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