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I joined my new firm two years ago. I have recently been charged with managing the firm's Estate Planning (EP) practice. I'm trying to find ideas on how to leverage the firm's 22 locations in the Metro area. I currently meet clients multiple times (approximately 3-4 times) and in person. This worked great for one location, but may be taxing with multiple. I may be able to use attorneys (real estate practitioners) in each office for non-EP specific parts of the process (perhaps signing meeting). What are some of your ideas to efficiently manage the EP process? Thank you!

Start with Defining Your Goals

Estate Planning Practice means different things to different firms, and client bases.

First you want to define what your goals are.  Are you trying to sell more wills/health planning packages at a grand (or less) a person (this will be their price point when seen as a commodity), or are you selling peace of mind to people of means (this could be four to ten thousand plus dollar trust plans, and possibly continuity payments (membership, monitorring, being on retainer))?

And you might have to do a certain number of the wills to get to the more profitable, more complex estate plans.

But as you position yourself as the expert on the latter type (anyone can write a will, but this takes your special sauce), people will preferentially come to you. Then it's a matter of making sure your local offices can identify the people (current and prospective clients) who would be appropriate for your practice area and ask them if you can be in touch. Also, make sure your local people have a compelling package they can distribute to those who might be appropriate.

You could also train your local offices to do the client work for the will matters (perhaps with your review), and refer to your offices the complex planning work.

I'm probably more oriented toward the marketing than the internal process, but you need both to work to ensure you reach the people you want to serve.

Where you should start is by honing your presentation, and making sure the firm is aligned with your goal (which is what again?).

Start Inside

Starting at the top in your firm, make sure everyone has a plan appropriate for his current life situation. As you present and review personal inventories and design plans, listen really well for the concerns in the background and if you are addressing them: People remember how you made them feel, not what you did for them.

Take good notes and revise your presentations and materials to address people's concerns (don't want to confront death, think it will be difficult, don't want to argue with spouse, don't know who to leave kids with, etc.).

Also note places ripe for follow up.  When kids age up and out of a parent's plan, they may be aging in to your services. Don't overlook them.

When everyone in your firm goes home knowing that his family is taken care of if something happens, you've already got a powerful built in referral base.

I could go on for an hour, e-mail lists and follow-up marketing, and life-time value, and how to maximize, but I've got to get my own practice to better set up.

Best of luck.

P.S. If you'd like to look at your marketing to client flow, I invite you to schedule a call.

I'm doing the same thing with my landscaping business. I feel I have to jump on the digital bandwagon in order to survive.

And if you are on the bandwagon, you are moving at the same slow speed as everyone else.

What you might want to figure out is your unique value proposition, what it is that makes your service more valuable.

Then you want to look at what might be an easy way in. Find something that people “need” to take care of in the spring, and offer that at cost in order to get in front of them, maybe a post winter gutter and downspout cleaning special, maybe a sidewalk power wash, maybe a salt-damage lawn restoration.

One, you want to get people to spend the first dollar with you. If they've done that, they are more likely to spend the second, and the hundreds to follow.

Two, you want to show them you are special, that you see details no other landscaper does or would. People are willing to pay for that.

Three, show them that you come to them. Get out on a Saturday morning. Go to home depot, buy twenty rolls of sod and some peat moss or top soil. Maybe some edging and a few miscellaneous garden tools, especially if there's one or two that you really like that most people don't know about. Find the people working in their gardens, let them know you are in the business, and ask them if there is anything they need. Provide any advice, sell any supplies, help them get it set up.

Maybe you also have a handout, “Five Pro Tips for a Greener Lawn” or something like that, branded at the bottom with your logo name and number, maybe an RF code to get on your landing page so they can get a new gardening tip every week throughout the year.

And if you can, get an e-mail and stay in touch. When they need, there will be only one address.

Chris Barbalis

I had an engaging conversation with Mr. Lindy Urso on a cold and rainy March morning about a month ago. I liked him from the moment I met him, and wouldn't hesitate turning to him if I had a criminal matter, or someone needed a referral.

I asked him about his on-line strategy. The gist of the conversation was that most people who come to a criminal attorney's website are there because they need a criminal attorney now. They're either going to call now, or they'll never show up.

This made sense to me. I said to myself, "David, it's a good thing you're marketing family law." I didn't think about it again until I was sitting in front of my computer this morning, as was Mr. Urso's card.

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Carl Heyerdahl

I look at Cohen and Wolf today because this firm appears in searches for both Family and Estate practice in Connecticut. Having these two practice areas under the same roof provide significant marketing opportunities.

This a full service firm. The number of attorneys that are listed as practicing in these areas suggest some significant attention is given to these segments.

The Web Site

It sucks, but if you knew me, you knew I'd say that. To be fair, most legal websites do. They follow a very safe formula, and put their visitors to sleep. Here's an example:

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