Where Are You Failing at Lead Conversion?
Increasing the number of cases signed is the main goal of any law firm. The first phone call a client makes to your firm is crucial – their first impression can make or break signing up that case. Is your intake team making a good impression?
Here are some astounding statistics provided by Trial Lawyer Magazine* regarding a survey taken by The Rainmaker Institute. A staff member called a random sample of 126 law firms that were scheduled to attend the National Trial Lawyers Miami Summit event. The staff member pretended to be a car accident victim who was in an immense amount of pain in her neck and back, and was referred to the law firm back her doctor. This is what she experienced when calling the firms:
“70% did not ask for any contact information before getting off the phone… 52% of the firms never called back when promised… Only 40 of 126 bothered to identify the name of their firm when they were called… 90 firms left the caller on hold for at least two minutes… When the caller asked for the law firm’s website address, 33% misspelled it”.
Is your firm guilty of any of these mistakes? Find out. Call in to your firm, or have someone you know call in and see how your intake personnel are handling calls. First impressions are crucial for converting leads to clients.
Here are some best practices that National Trial Lawyers suggests:
– Don’t ever answer the phone with simply “law firm”! Branding your firm is important.
– Get the caller’s name and phone number at the beginning of the call, in case you are disconnected.
– Show compassion and empathy. When an injured person calls in, expressing condolences for their injury goes a long way towards building rapport.
– Do what you are going to do, when you say you’re going to do it. If you promise to call or send an email, follow through!
– Know what makes your law firm different. If a caller asks, “Why should I hire you?” you and your staff should know what sets you apart.
Market Masters-Legal has been providing marketing guidance to law firms for decades. Call us today to see how trying our turnkey campaigns can boost your intakes.
Source: The Trial Lawyer Magazine, Summer 2014
