Too many professionals sit in their office expecting others in the firm to bring them work or introductions to clients. They probably won’t! Why? Because:

• they don’t really know what you do and
• they don’t fully trust that you will deliver.

So a colleague introducing you to their client is potentially taking a big risk.

But fret not! Here is a step by step guide for those who would like to get more referrals from other parts of the firm:

1. Decide which clients of the firm would benefit from your experience and skills.

2. Do your homework. Read up about these clients, their competitors, sector issues and the legal issues they might need to confront.

3. Approach the partners who lead the relationships with these clients and have responsibility for developing the relationships. Have an initial discussion with them to learn more about the client and offer ways in which you might be able to add value.

4. Be prepared to offer a quid pro quo. Consider what you can offer in return. To develop good sustainable relationships with your fellow partners it can help if there are favours operating in both directions.

5. Take on board what you learn from these discussions and prepare your persuasive case as to why the partner should introduce you and your services to the client.

6. In considering this, ask yourself ‘what’s in it for the partner to introduce you?’ In what ways will this help the partner look good?

You’ll get many more referrals from colleagues if you adopt this approach.

For more on the art of cross selling see https://tonyreiss.com/2011/12/19/the-psychological-barriers-to-cross-selling/