Serve First, Sell Later Marketing
Serve First, Sell Later Marketing
#75 The Secret to Keep Clients Coming
In this episode, host Sylvia Garibaldi dives into the reality that busy seasons don’t last forever—and why your current workload isn’t a guarantee for tomorrow. She shares relatable examples of professionals facing sudden slowdowns and lays out clear, practical strategies to future-proof your practice. You’ll learn monthly habits to maintain visibility, nurture your referral network, and bring in new clients—even when your schedule is packed. Whether you're riding a high or in a dry spell, this episode will help you stay visible, resilient, and in demand!
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- 01:59 Real-life scenarios when work dries up
- 04:03 Why even experienced professionals face slowdowns
- 06:29 Three monthly habits to keep your pipeline healthy
- 09:37 Content ideas for staying visible and connected
- 10:33 Micro tasks to maintain momentum during busy times
- 12:16 Building a strong, diversified referral network
Resources:
- Feeling stuck about how to grow your practice, book a free strategy call here.
- #26 Don't Let Your Fortune Slip Away: Mastering the Art of Follow-Up
- #21 Visibility Matters: Strategies to Stand Out
- #20 What Not To Do When Building Referral Partnerships
- #18 How To Fill Your Prospecting Pipeline
Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts
"Love listening and learning from the Serve First, Sell Later Marketing Podcast” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!
Sign up for our free LinkedIn newsletter on marketing your professional practice
00:00 - Sylvia (Host)
Hello everyone and welcome back to Episode 75 of the Serve First, sell Later Marketing Podcast. I'm your host, sylvia Garibaldi. So have you ever felt buried in client work and thinking to yourself, oh, I'll worry about marketing later. Or maybe you're running from meeting to meeting, your calendar's jam-packed and business is booming. But what happens when the phone suddenly stops ringing and those emails slow down and that steady stream of clients that you counted on? It just becomes a trickle right, and that's when the panic sets in. If that sounds familiar, you're not alone.
00:40
Today's episode is all about why the busy seasons don't last forever and why today's workload is not a guarantee for tomorrow. And, most importantly, what can you do today to build a practice that weathers the ups and downs, and that's what I'm going to be talking about in today's episode. So why work dries up, even for the most successful professionals? I'm going to cover actionable monthly habits to keep that pipeline healthy, even when you're slammed, and how to build a referral network that stands strong, no matter what's happening in the market. And if you're already in a slow patch, what can you do right now to get back on track? So by the end of this episode, you'll have strategies that you can start using right away to make your practice more resilient, more visible and, of course, more in demand. So, whether you're a seasoned attorney, a mediator just starting out, or maybe you're a divorce professional looking for more stability, you're in the right place, so let's dive in. So I want to kick things off by talking about what it actually looks like when the work dries up, and why it happens, even to the best of us. So let me paint a couple of real world pictures for you, ones that maybe you can relate to.
01:59
So let's say, you're a divorce attorney and for years, you've built a steady practice helping clients navigate tough breakups, custody battles and property disputes. So your phone rings non-stop. There's always someone needing urgent advice or a new client facing a family crisis. But then things shift. Maybe new legislation changes how divorces are processed, or perhaps a big local law firm starts handling more cases in-house. And then, suddenly, those steady calls slow down and you start to realize that you've been so focused on managing emergencies and court deadlines that you haven't had time to build new referral relationships or to update your online presence. And now, with fewer cases coming in, you start wondering well, where's the next client going to be coming from. This is a scenario I hear so often from so many clients, and this is why we do the work that we do at SG and Associates is to make sure that those pipelines never dry up.
03:04
Okay, here's another scenario. Picture a workplace mediator. You've been the go-to person for resolving disputes for a large corporation, helping teams work through conflicts and keeping things running smoothly, and for a while you're busy with HR calls for very tricky situations. But then the leadership changes right and maybe the company brings in a new HR director who prefers to handle things internally, or budget cuts mean fewer outside consultants are used. Work is gone Because you relied so heavily on that one company or that one referral source and you haven't built relationships with other organizations or kept in touch with past clients. Okay, now you're facing a dry spell, scrambling to find new opportunities. I bet this sounds familiar, right?
04:03
And so these scenarios happen all the time. They can feel like they came out of nowhere. So why does this happen to experienced professionals? Well, I think one of the reasons is over-reliance. It's so easy to get comfortable when things are going well and maybe you depend on one practice area or one firm or one main referral source, and when that source dries up, so does your work. And so another reason we're seeing this is, you know, professionals are putting business development on the back burner, because when you're busy it's so tempting to say, oh, I'll get to marketing later. But here's what I want you to understand If you're not planting seeds when you're busy, you won't have anything to harvest when things slow down. So no business development during the busy times actually means no momentum when that work dries up, making sense.
05:03
And, of course, there are market shifts. Sometimes these things are totally out of your control, right? New legislation changes the way cases are handled, the economy shifts, courts get backed up or there's an economic downturn. These shifts can happen quickly, and if you're not prepared and there's lots of examples of time frames like this, when this clearly happened, like 2008, covid, so these unpredictable periods they can leave you with a lot of empty space on your calendar. So what's the takeaway here? Being busy is not the same as being secure, so it's easy to mistake a full calendar for long-term stability. But here's the truth Things can change really fast, and that's why it's so important to keep your visibility and outreach going even during the busiest months, and I know it's not easy to do, but it's something that you have to build a process around. So think of it like keeping your car's gas tank at least half full right you don't wait until you're running on empty to fill up. The same goes for your practice. Keep reaching out, keep building relationships and keep your name out there so you're never caught off guard when the market shifts.
06:29
Okay, so now that we know how quickly things can change, let's get practical here. What can you do month in and month out to make sure your practice stays in demand, no matter how busy you are? So I want to break this down into simple, doable habits. So I want you to think of these as your business development baseline. Okay, the things you commit to even when your client work is stacked sky high. So, first off, here are three habits that I recommend you build into your monthly routine.
07:04
Number one reach out to five referral partners, and this doesn't have to be complicated. Maybe you send a quick note just checking in sharing an interesting article, or you invite someone for a coffee chat. The goal is to stay top of mind, offer value and keep those relationships warm. I want you to think about the people who have sent you business in the past maybe lawyers, therapists, financial professionals, hr professionals and make a point to connect with five of them every single month. That's not hard to do. That could take you a matter of minutes to send a quick email or a quick direct message. That could take you a matter of minutes to send a quick email or a quick direct message.
07:47
Number two I want you to post one to two thought leadership pieces on LinkedIn at minimum. Okay, at minimum. So if you can't commit to more than that, then just commit to either doing one or two a week. And why do I say this? Because this is your chance to showcase your expertise and stay visible. We know that LinkedIn is such a powerful tool and is so underused that you have to be there. Okay, you don't need to write a novel. Just share a case study, answer a common client question or offer a quick tip. For example, you might post here's some recent tax changes that could impact your separation agreement, or three signs that your parenting plan needs a summer update. So these posts remind your network that you're active, that you're informed and you're ready to help.
08:39
Number three track your pipeline. So this one is easy to overlook, but it's so important. Just take a few minutes each month or at the end of each day to look at your leads, your consults and closed clients. Are there gaps? Are you seeing a slowdown in new inquiries? That one's really important, okay, Because that's when you know you need to put your foot on the gas. If you're seeing that you're not getting enough inquiries during the month, even when you're super busy, that's a sign that something's happening, that something's slowing down, and I think the earlier you spot a dip, the faster you can take action to fill your calendar. Okay. And so, if this is you and you're feeling stuck and you're seeing that dip, book a consultation call with us and we'll be able to identify what's happening and how to get you back on track as soon as possible.
09:37
So let's talk a bit more about content. So, for lawyers, mediators and divorce professionals, posting online isn't just about self-promotion. It's really about connection, connection, because when you share content that's relevant and helpful, what you're doing is you're reminding people why they should turn to you, and here are some quick ideas Maybe you can talk about. Here's how recent tax changes may affect separation agreements. As we're heading into summer now, three signs that your parenting plan needs a summer update, or what most clients ask during our first consultation, and how I can help right. That's a great content piece that you can start writing on, and so these kinds of posts answer real questions. They show your expertise and they really just keep you top of mind for both clients and referral partners.
10:33
So if you're thinking, this sounds great, but I barely have time to eat lunch, so how am I supposed to fit in business development? And so I understand it is time consuming, but it doesn't have to take hours. I want you to think about small, consistent actions and how they can add up over time. So here are a few micro tasks that you can think about sprinkling throughout your week. So spend 15 minutes commenting on a referral partner's LinkedIn post. Take 20 minutes to update your website or maybe your professional bio. Block off 30 minutes to script a short educational video, something that you can record and share with your network. So these small investments they just keep you visible, they keep you connected even during your busiest seasons, and that's the key lesson here is that you need to make time, even when it's super busy, to fit this in Because, as I mentioned, it's planting the seed during the busy times so that on the off times, you already have things lined up to go. So I want you to remember that business development, it's not really about these grand gestures, it's just about being steady, being consistent, that ongoing effort, and I think when you make these habits part of your monthly routine, you'll be ready for whatever the market throws your way. And, by the way, if you're finding this episode valuable, I've covered related topics in past episodes that you have to dive into because they're just going to deepen your understanding. So please be sure to check out those episodes. I'm going to drop the links in the show notes so you can easily find them.
12:16
Okay, so let's talk about one of the most powerful ways to protect your practice for the long haul. Your practice for the long haul. So that's all about building a referral network, and it's a referral network that stands strong no matter what's happening in the market. So first, you want to really ensure that you don't put all your eggs in one basket. So what do I mean by that?
12:39
If you're relying on just one main source for referrals, maybe a single law firm, maybe one HR department, you're leaving yourself vulnerable. Instead, build a bench of diverse referral partners. Think of the different industries. Maybe it's lawyers, family lawyers, therapists or counselors, financial advisors, certified divorce, financial analysts, hr professionals, business consultants. Think about who these referral partners are and diversify. So this mix means that if one area slows down, you've got others to lean on right. Think of it as creating a safety net for your practice, and I want you to think outside of the box.
13:22
I've just given you some think outside of the box. I've just given you some traditional examples of referral partners, but you know who your referral partners are. It could be one company who does work with your ideal client, and so my question to you is how do you find more companies like that one, so you're not just relying on that one company and that you have different ones coming in, so maybe even the same type of services, but different companies that offer those services. So really diversifying is going to be super important, and I think it's about building relationships and not transactions. So how do you do that? And I think the secret really is that strong referral networks are not built on quick trades or one-off favors, right? People think that, oh my gosh, you know I developed this referral partnership but I haven't seen anything.
14:16
Well, it takes time and it's built on staying in touch. Staying in touch with your referral partners even when you don't need something, right so? Send a useful article, congratulate them on a recent win or simply check in to see how things are going. And one of the things that I like to talk about is having a referral partner newsletter, right so a newsletter that goes out to your referral partners just telling them about what's going on in the industry. If you keep that going as a habit, then you'll have a newsletter, maybe once a month, that you can send out to your referral partners and guess what? That becomes your touch every single month without even having to, you know, think about oh, should I send this person a quick note? You don't need to do that. You can just keep one newsletter going every single month, if you like. Or if you have a handful of referral partners and you're thinking, okay, I can send some customized things to them, then do that.
15:13
But I really like the generic piece that goes out to all referral partners. So if you want to be top of mind when someone needs to refer a client, you have to become that resource and not just a name in their contacts, right? And so I talked about the newsletter, but another way that you can do this is you can host joint webinars or workshops with these professionals. You can do lunch and learns for your referral partners in person. So think about that as well. I think when you educate and you add value, you're being remembered as someone who helps, not just someone who asks for business, right?
15:53
So next, I think, is it's really important to make it easy for others to refer you. So don't make your referral partners guess about what you do or who you help best. So I want you to create a simple one-pager, or maybe a referral guide, that explains the types of clients you're best suited for, what your process looks like and how to make an introduction. This way, you remove any barriers and you make it simple for others to send the right clients your way. So building a strong, diverse referral network it takes time, but it's one of the best investments you can make for your practice. So, staying visible, staying helpful and keeping those relationships strong, and you'll be ready for whatever the market throws at you.
16:46
So let's face it sometimes, despite your best efforts, you could find yourself in a slow patch, and I think we can all relate to that. Maybe the phone isn't ringing as much or your calendar has blank spaces more than you'd like, and if that's where you are right now, than you'd like, and if that's where you are right now, don't panic. This is actually a great opportunity to regroup and set yourself up for a stronger comeback. So, first things first, you need to take a step back and do a quick audit of your business development activities. Okay, so where have your referrals dried up?
17:23
Look at your usual sources. Are there partners who haven't sent anyone your way in a while? Take a look at your online presence. Is your website up to date? Is your LinkedIn up to date? Are you posting on social media consistently, on your social media platforms, your social media platforms? Who have you lost touch with? Right? So think about those colleagues, those past clients, those referral partners who you haven't spoken to in a while. Maybe it's been months, maybe it's been years, right. So this honest assessment will show you exactly where to focus your energy.
17:58
So the next thing you're going to want to do is you're going to want to reconnect. The next thing you're going to want to do is you're going to want to reconnect. You want to reactivate these dormant relationships. So how do you do that? So here's the key. Don't just reach out asking for business. Instead, I want you to send a simple, just checking in message ask how they're doing or, even better, ask for advice about something that's happening in your field Authentically, of course if you feel that this is something that you'd love to get their opinion on. So people love to help and asking for insight can really spark meaningful conversations. That naturally leads to referrals down the line. Okay, I hope this is making sense.
18:40
So you also want to look at promoting your availability. So this is all about visibility, right? So if you're open to taking new clients, don't be shy about it. Let your network know that you have space in your calendar, and you can do this in a very value-focused way by sharing posts like here's what most clients ask during our first consultation, or common questions that I'm hearing from families this month.
19:09
These are great social media posts that remind your referral partners of what you do and who you help, without sounding desperate or salesy. Okay, because I hear this a lot from you. Oh, my goodness, you know I'd love to do this. But I don't want to sound desperate or salesy. Okay, because I hear this a lot from you. Oh, my goodness, you know I'd love to do this, but I don't want to sound desperate or salesy.
19:28
So those types of two social media posts that I've just identified are a great way to spread the message about what you do and in a way that gets them to understand who you help and how you help them. And I think, by doing this, all you're really doing is you're reminding them of the amazing work that you do, and you can spark conversations by these referral partners thinking, oh my goodness, that's interesting. I didn't realize that he or she does that, and I have a client that's exactly in that situation right now. Okay, so, by these social media posts, what you've done is you've just sparked something You've created. You've ignited conversation and the ability for them to reach out to you because they've identified someone or something that might need your help. Okay, I hope this is making sense. I want you to think outside of the box, all right.
20:27
So, finally, I want you to use this slower period to your advantage. This is where the rubber hits the road. Okay, update your marketing materials, look at your online presence or learn a new tool that could help your practice right. More importantly, recommit to your visibility habits, whether that's posting regularly, whether that's reaching out to partners or attending events, networking. Think about what you can do to keep that consistency going and I want you to remember that slow periods are totally normal.
21:02
But what matters most is how you use that time to build momentum for the future. That's what high earning professionals are doing every single day. They have really looked at their calendars and said, OK, I know I'm busy all month long, so where do I build in this time to build this consistency and to do the reach out and to continue with my marketing? Their marketing never stops. It never stops, whether it's in small steps or in larger consistent steps. It's happening all the time and that's why they have fewer and fewer dry spells and why their practice has hit their revenue numbers consistently. Okay, I hope that's enough to get you to take action and think okay, how do I keep this marketing consistent, even when I'm super busy? So I think what matters most here is how you use this time to build momentum for the future. With a little consistency and the right mindset, you're going to be back on track and even stronger than before, and I want to hear about it. So send me a message and let me know how you make out there.
22:12
So I think it's important to remember that being busy is not the same as being safe or successful, if you will. Just because your calendar is full today, it doesn't mean that your practice is going to be secure tomorrow. We know that markets shift, clients move on and things can change really fast, and that's why it's so important to keep business development going even when you're swamped. So small, consistent actions really add up. You don't need to spend hours every week on marketing or outreach. Just a few focused habits reaching out to referral partners, sharing helpful content, tracking your pipeline all of these things can protect your future and really keep your practice thriving.
23:02
And, most importantly, build relationships before you need them. Okay, build relationships before you need them. Don't wait until the work dries up to start connecting, because the strongest referral networks they're built on genuine, ongoing relationships and not transactions. So here's a simple call to action for you this week schedule time to reconnect with at least one referral partner. Send them a quick message, check in or invite them for coffee, or maybe post a helpful tip or insight online to remind your network that you're active and you're ready to help. So if you're already in a slow spell, or maybe you just want to avoid the next slow spell. Business development is your lifeline. Start small, and if you want some help creating a plan or figuring out where to focus, I'm here for you. You can book a consultation call with me. The link can be found in the show notes. Thanks for tuning in today, and if you haven't already, please be sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you don't miss any future episodes. See you in the next episode.