Relationship Marketing

Relationship marketing is based on the simple principle of Know, Like and Trust.

Know, Like and Trust takes place when you get to know somebody. A lot of times you get to know attorneys by meeting them face-to-face. That could be at a networking event, a legal conference, or a meeting of local businesses. You grow a relationship over time. You get to know them. “Know” is the first step in relationship marketing.

The “Like” portion is when we start to find some common things that we can communicate on. It could be cats. It could be the fact that we’re both from New Jersey. It could be something along the lines where we have something in common and now we’re communicating either online or face-to-face and building that “Like” feeling. Attorneys want to like the LNCs they work with.

In a successful relationship, you as the LNC and your attorney client need to like each other. The attorney realizes, “Yeah, I like this person. She’s not trying to sell me too much. She’s are really concerned about me. I’d like to work with her.” That’s where the “Like” fits into relationship marketing.

When trust happens, transactions occur. “Trust” develops when a person has seen you or your work, heard from you, likes what she sees and hears, and now sees you as a resource. The attorney decides, “She is the person I should send that complicated case to.”

I got to the point in my LNC business when I heard attorneys say, “You pick the right expert for me. I trust your judgment.”

Relationship marketing occurs over a sequences of steps: know, like and trust. That’s what relationship marketing is about. It’s about building that relationship over a long term and giving people a reason to want to either work with you or recommend you.

Relationship Marketing Starts with Giving

Give a 100% of yourself, a 100% of the time, expect nothing in return and watch what happens. When you talk with an attorney, ask yourself, “Who can I connect them to who would propel their business or give them a reason to want to get to know you better?” For example, when one of my clients handled an unusual case that was similar to one that another one of my clients handled, I would refer them to each other so they could help each other.

LinkedIn is another example of relationship marketing. You have the ability to give them a recommendation. There’s a better than 75% chance that they are going to recommend you back. They are going to write a recommendation that is more heartfelt, sincere and detailed than if you walk up to them and simply say, “Would you recommend me?”

The whole point about relationship marketing is building relationships, being a resource, being Google for somebody, being a connector, giving, being a human being and then watch what happens.

Explore the power of relationship marketing by listening to 2 podcasts on this topic:

• Relationship Marketing: How to Develop Know, Like and Trust Factors by Brian Basilico. This is LNP (legal nurse podcast) 6.
• How to Get to the Gold: Relationship Marketing, an Iyer’s Insights by Pat Iyer. This is LNP 7.

Get these programs on legalnursepodcasts.com. We offer the audiofile and transcript of this program on legalnursepodcasts.com.