I was recently talking to one of my lawyer clients who specializes in wills and probate about the problems with “free” or “low cost” legal services.
She said her experience was that the less someone pays for her service the less they pay attention to the process, and the harder it is to get them to respond to her requests or to progress the matter.
Even worse, she said that if the client is getting a free will (for example under a charity scheme) then it is not uncommon for them to never finalize and sign their will!
I wasn’t surprised to hear this.
When we pay, we pay attention.
So when your legal service is low cost (or free), your clients will assume it’s low value or low importance.
But the converse is also true.
When you charge more, your clients will pay more attention. They will appreciate the value of your
service.
There’s just one catch. In order for your clients to pay more in the first place, they will need to see the value of your service before they say “yes” to working with you.
This means it’s critical that you have an effective way of demonstrating value to your prospective clients in advance of them hearing your fees.
In my 10+ years of experience helping lawyers improve both their conversion rate and the level of fees they are able to charge, I have found one technique works better than anything else…
…asking the right question.
If you can ask the right question, at the right time, that enables your prospective client to see the value of your service for themselves (without having to tell them) you will almost certainly get a ‘yes’.
One example of a question that can demonstrate value is “What if…?”
Such as “What if your money doesn’t go to your beneficiaries and dependants in the proportions you intend?” or “What if you don’t resolve this issue in the next 3 months?” or “What if there is a successful claim against you for this?”.
Take action
The right question is going to depend on the prospective client you’re talking to – every situation is different, and that affects the question you need to ask. But the key is to ask a question that helps your prospective clients see the value of your services for themselves so that you don’t need to tell them.
When you demonstrate the value of your services to prospective clients, more of them will convert
into paying clients (who will in turn appreciate the value of your services).
If you want my complete formula for working out what questions to ask in any situation to show clients the value of your services, then join me at my next online workshop ‘Profitable Practice Growth Secrets for Small Law Firms’. I’ll also show you how to use my unique ‘Client Magnet’ system for attracting more enquiries from high-paying clients (which you can then convert at higher fees using the question technique I’ll be teaching you). See the full agenda for the workshop, read testimonials about real results other lawyers have had, and check ticket availability HERE
Or if you’d like to get a fresh perspective on what’s possible in your firm or practice, so you can start thinking and doing things differently join me at my FREE online seminar on how to eliminate the 3 Limiting Factors of Law Firm Profitability so you can have more clients, more profits, and more time off. This session will show you how to eliminate the blocks that keep most small firm owners and senior lawyers working too hard for too little profit.