When it comes to holiday gifts, lawyers think alike. Whether it is a box of nuts or a fruit basket, the holiday gifts are pretty much the same. Boring! Hey, the thought was good, but the gift gets added to a pile of goodies and quickly forgotten. What if you had a holiday gift that your referral partners will never forget?
First, find the one thing that inspires your referral partner more than anything else. Your referral partner might be a Yankees’ fan or support a rescue organization for abandoned dogs and cats. Make a donation to the charity and send a handwritten letter informing your referral partner that you want to do more to support her cause. Now, you have a mutual interest with your referral partner and she will at least be more receptive to deepening the relationship.
What Inspires Your Referral Partners?
Be creative and think of things that your referral partner lives for.
- If the referral partner has a daughter who plays basketball for a small college, get a basketball with the school’s logo that is signed by the school’s legendary coach and hand deliver this one-of-a-kind gift-wrapped basketball. Think your referral partner will forget this?
- Perhaps their child was killed by a drunk driver and they support Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (“MADD”). Throw your financial support behind MADD and let them know you support their cause.
- If your referral partner is a big supporter of a faith-based charity, such as the Aspire Movement, make a donation and let him know you like to help him raise more funds for the organization (i.e., “I’d like to help you with your foundation. I know a lot of people who may be interested in getting involved.)
Pick your top 5 referral partners and do some research about the hobbies or charitable organizations that inspire them. Check Facebook to find out what they do in their spare time–maybe they drive Harleys or hunt wild boars. So, your referral partner loves the Knicks? Surprise them with 4 tickets to court-side seats for the big game.
We look for what people are passionate about and look for a way to find a win-win for their passions.
Steve Sims, Bluefishing
Look for connections. Find people who know your referral partners and ask what drives them more than anything. Ask their legal secretary what your referral partner does in their spare time. If your referral partner has an autistic child and she is on the board of Autism Speaks, raise a chunk of money for the organization. This will make your referral partner smile because no one else is doing this.
Focus on the Relationship
Here’s another idea: make a selfie video testimonial for your referral partner. Tell your referral partner that you respect their drive and passion for the law and you are lucky to work with them. Personal, unique and something your referral partner can post on their website forever.
The only thing I do today is manage and maintain relationships.
Steve Sims, Bluefishing
Show you care. If you’ve got a referral partner going to Italy for a dream vacation, show you care by sending her a travel book about the best sites to visit. If your client collects Corvette cars, send her a book about Corvettes. The small cost is irrelevant—what matters is that you are paying attention and you care about your referral partners. Personalization of gifts can be easy to do and has a huge impact.
A Holiday Card Unlike Any Other
Send a holiday card offering the gift of knowledge for your referral partners. Offer to send gift-wrapped, signed hard copies of your book to 5 of their lawyer friends. When you mail the books, add a handwritten note that the book was sent from Joe Smith (not you) as a special gift. Your referral partner sends a unique gift of knowledge and you get a new fan of your book.
Here is the language from our holiday card:
Give the Gift of Knowledge!
With the holidays approaching, there is no greater gift than the gift of knowledge, and we want to make gift-giving easier for you.
As our small way of saying “thanks” for being a friend (or at least a loose acquaintance), we will be happy to mail a free copy of my book, The Power of a System, to a friend or lawyer acquaintance as a gift from you (i.e., “To: Jane Doe, Esq. From: [You]”). Each hard-cover copy of The Power of a System will be gift-wrapped and signed with a handwritten note from yours truly.
Let us Make Gift-Giving a Whole Lot Easier for You
I know you have referral partners you should be sending a gift to, so why not let us do the work for you? We will send The Power of a System to up to five of your friends as a gift from you—and you won’t even have to drive to the mall. We want to make holiday gift-giving a little easier for you, and all you have to do is ask.
Just send an e-mail to my world-class paralegal with the name and address of your lawyer friend(s) and the holiday that they celebrate, and we will mail the gift-wrapped and signed copy of The Power of a System on December 7th.
photo credit: queenbeeofbeverlyhills Queen Bee of Beverly Hills Designer Handbags Holiday via photopin (license)
