"It's hard enough to get a prospect to talk to you," said Howard E. Sharfman, a 22-year MDRT member from Chicago, Illinois. "Once you have the ability to have that conversation, to limit yourself to one subject matter lowers your chance of success with the client."
That’s why Sharfman partners with specialists both inside and outside of his practice. He offers these suggestions for getting the most out of collaborative work:
Set expectations for communication. For example, when something happens with a client (new job, new house, etc.), you’re going to want to know about that, and your partners can keep you informed.
Understand. Both partners need to make money in the transaction, so recognize that you can’t expect someone to automatically be happy about any business you send them, and vice versa. If you have a relationship with a partner and are passing along “irrelevant revenue” on a case that’s important to you, make that clear.
Get on the same page. If a lawyer is sending you clients that aren’t your specialty, make sure they understand that. “I have to understand how they make a living, and they have to understand how I make a living,” Sharfman said. “There’s someone else who would be excited about that referral”.
