Your Law Firm - Lee Rosen of Rosen Institute

Countless lawyers have explained to me that they’re not building their referral network because they don’t want to end up in the bind of receiving referrals and then being unable to reciprocate.I understand the sentiment. I worried that my referral sources would quit referring if I didn't send referrals back. I worried that resentment was building because I wasn't fulfilling my end of the implied bargain.Other lawyers tell me they have the exact same fears. They feel fortunate to be getting referrals. They don't want to damage these important relationships with their referral sources. They don't want the resentment to grow.

Being different is hard. It’s challenging to come up with ideas. It’s difficult to do the extra work on top of the legal work. It’s emotionally stressful to stand apart from the pack. Is it worth it to you?Lawyers all market their practices in much the same way. Many of them get mediocre results. Why? Because they’re all doing it the same way. How about doing it another way? That’s hard if you want to fit in with the group. Most of us value the acceptance of our peers.Sure, if you do your marketing differently you’ll stand out in the marketplace. But, you’ll also stand out to the other lawyers. You risk peer rejection. If your self concept is rooted in gaining the respect of your peers then conforming to the social norms of our peer group is important to you. Standing out makes you an outsider.