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Using Trade Organizations to Network: Three Things You Should Know
Time is one commodity few lawyers have in abundance. As such, careful consideration must be taken when selecting a trade organization to help grow your network. Read more to learn the three questions you should ask before sending in your membership dues.
Our clients consistently report anecdotal evidence supporting trade groups as excellent venues for business development; observations confirmed year-after-year by our national marketing effectiveness surveys.
However, some trade groups seem far better than others when it comes to the ease with which lawyers can establish relationships with referral sources and prospects that eventually lead to significant business. As a result, we have recently investigated what characteristics of a trade group appear indicative of fertile ground for business development.
Here are the three most important questions to have answered before you pay membership dues, sponsor an event, or become a volunteer. Most of this information can be found online at the group’s Web site.
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Can attorneys be active members? If vendors are not allowed to attend regular membership meetings and participate on committees, the organization is far less effective for business development. This is a litmus test-- avoid groups in which your lawyers cannot be a participating member.
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Do they have annual, semi-annual or monthly meetings? The best groups have monthly membership meetings, quarterly is acceptable if most all members attend religiously. Frequency of contact is the key to establishing meaningful relationships and therefore, the group must meet regularly. Absent regular meetings this can’t happen. Groups that meet only twice annually are problematic— unless they have working committees which meet regularly in the interim.
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Do they publish a newsletter or magazine which is sent to members? If yes, can lawyers write guest columns on industry issues? Do they accept advertising? You should advertise if you can.
Your final step in the analysis of a group is to determine if those who attend and serve on committees can actually buy your services, or refer or introduce you to those people who can. Avoid groups where non-decision makers are the majority of participants.
About the Author
Bob Weiss is president of Alyn-Weiss and Associates, Inc., a Denver-based marketing consulting group which has worked with both corporate, transactional and defense firms and contingent fee practices nationwide for more than 20 years.