5 Networking Tricks to Quickly Build Your Client Base

Without visibility, a career as a contract eDiscovery attorney will quickly fizzle out. After all, no visibility means no clients, and no clients means there’s no money coming in.

One way to increase your business’s visibility is to network. But networking well is easier said than done. On top of that, doing it incorrectly can mean hours of wasted time and even lost revenue.

Effective Networking Tactics

To save yourself time, here are five surefire ways to bring in more clients while positioning yourself as a leader in the industry:

1. Stay in touch with your ideal clients.

Use LinkedIn to make contacts and join groups where people are looking for advice. Joining such forums will position you as an industry leader and increase your visibility. Of course, you should always follow proper etiquette while on LinkedIn and other forums.

2. Reach out to people with large networks.

As a contract attorney, the more people you can get in front of, the better. Tap people you know from past jobs, college, and high school who already have large networks of people or businesses that could use your services. Connecting with them may get you leads to potential new clients.

3. Join an entrepreneurial council.

Get in touch with other professionals starting out and mentors who may be able to put you in touch with other people and potential clients. These professionals can give you advice on how to get started and even show you some of their own techniques for attracting clients. Remember that every connection you make is a potential client.

4. At networking events, always leave with at least one potential client or contact.

Rubbing elbows at a networking event won’t build your practice if you don’t engage with enough people. Make it your goal to meet at least one viable prospect during each session you attend. If you aren’t comfortable networking at live seminars and conferences, start conversations by asking what they think of the event so far; it’s what you have in common right away.

5. Get free publicity.

Skim headlines and tap into your network to come up with story ideas for other newspapers. Once you have an article idea in mind, pitch it. Make it clear to the newspapers that you’re available for reporters to interview you in order to get your professional perspective. You can also sign up for a service like Help A Reporter Out to assist reports and get cited as an expert. The result: Free publicity for your practice.

Of course, you could also join LexInsight. LexInsight allows clients across the U.S. to find you and assign you projects that might not have come across your radar any other way.