Hearing a prospective client say ‘yes’ to instructing you is the fun part of client acquisition.
But then comes the onboarding process…
This is often seen as a ‘necessary evil’ process of steps and checks that you just have to ‘get through’ without making regulatory mistakes and without ‘losing’ the client before they’ve signed your client care letter.
There are obvious mistakes to avoid during onboarding, like not meeting your AML/KYC obligations, or making it overly difficult for your clients to provide the information you need for these checks. I was on the receiving end of the second of these mistakes recently when my conveyancing solicitor insisted I get my ID certified by another local solicitor or drive the 50 miles to his office to present my ID personally – there was no option to identify myself online in a way that worked for my busy life.
In addition to the obvious mistakes, there are more subtle ones that crop up during the onboarding process which can derail your relationship with a new client before you’ve really started.
For example, if your Client Care letter is full of legal jargon and/or has too many attachments for them to read, this can make clients feel overwhelmed and perhaps start to think they won’t find it easy to understand your legal advice later.
Or, if you don’t have any easy way for your clients to sign and return documents to you, this can make working with you feel like ‘hard work’ from the start.
If your clients start their matter with you already feeling frustrated, or like you’re making life difficult for them, it’s more likely that other (perhaps minor) issues that crop up after they’ve been onboarded will be viewed negatively. Ultimately this could impact their willingness to pay your invoice.
On the other hand, if you provide a great onboarding experience for your clients, you have an opportunity to set the right tone from the start – leading to not only a better working relationship but also an increased likelihood of referrals and positive testimonials and reviews.
Take action
When creating or reviewing your client onboarding process don’t just focus on avoiding the common mistakes – look for opportunities to create the right initial impression that will enhance your future relationship with your new clients.
Before you’re able to onboard a new client you need to get them to say ‘yes’ to your fees. Many lawyers are quoting lower fees than they want to because they’re worried prospective clients will go elsewhere if they try to charge more. If you want to increase the percentage of new client enquiries who say “Yes” to working with you using The 5 Step Client Conversion System to get a consistent flow of instructions from ideal clients without needing to do any additional marketing or spend more time on business development activities, then come to my Masterclass on Wednesday (12th June) where I’ll show you proven Practice Growth Tools to increase your conversion rate and the average fee per client and protect the future profitability of your law firm or legal practice.
Or, if you want to get started on implementing the specific strategies you need to in order to attract more enquiries from ideal clients, convert them at higher fees, and maximise profits from the clients you already have, then join us for Module 1 of our Profitable Practice ‘Kickstart’ to discover the 3+3 Formula to get fast results. Module 1 is complimentary, and you can check dates and times for this online session HERE.
