Decorate your shared law office space with interesting items. They are conversation starters that can lead to long lasting referral relationships.
Just as your shared law office space should be designed to serve as both a place to accomplish your work and a referral marketing tool, your office décor should pull double-duty as well. Decorating your office is extremely important. It is another aspect of your “visual resume.”
When you are deciding on the feel of your office, pick pieces that you will enjoy seeing every day and that express something interesting about you to casual observers. It can be anything you love, like a piece of pottery from your Moroccan vacation, a Renoir print or your children’s art.
The décor is not as important as the story behind the object or the conversations it will inspire. At Law Firm Suites, we have found that social interaction on a personal level is more likely to lead to prolonged referral relationships.
The Marathon Medal
Accessories reveal more of who you are as a person to your office mates. For example, a Law Firm Suites IP attorney is an avid runner. He has run the New York City Marathon three times and proudly displays his medals around his office. They are instant conversation starters and, as we have mentioned, collegial conversation with like-minded professionals is the first step in receiving the ultimate value from your shared law office space: referrals.
His neighbor, a trusts and estates attorney, runs from his uptown home to work (9 miles!) every day that the weather allows. He saw the medals and instantly a friendship was born. These two attorneys, in seemingly disparate practice areas, now network with and for each other. You would be surprised at the volume of referrals they have exchanged.
You do not have to be a runner to appreciate the marathon medals. The IP attorney regularly has people say to him “how they could never run a marathon”, or extend a compliment about his dedication and perseverance. The marathon medals now symbolize the type of professional that this IP lawyer is: he is the lawyer who is willing to persevere for long-term benefits in the face of adversity. He is a lawyer who is tenacious and dedicated.
Find your own “marathon medals” and display them proudly.
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