Why 85% of Legal Firms Are Throwing Away Business

85% of Legal Firms are throwing away new business enquiries.

It is a staggering but true fact that according to our data (real world, real data) 85% of UK legal firms are failing to execute the very basics of generating new business.

In times of immense change in the legal industry, with high street names encroaching on the more traditional legal firms ground, one would think new business enquiries and the nurturing of those enquiries would be front and centre for all legal firms.

Not so.

Mystery Shopping Results

From the firms we contacted via our Mystery Shopping programmes, 85% did not follow up on the walk in enquiries we conducted.

So a potential customer with a real issue walks into a Solicitor’s office and seeks advice. This firm takes real care of its customers. The receptionist makes them a cup of tea and invites them into the meeting room. The solicitor then gives twenty minutes of their time asking great questions and building a good rapport with the potential customer. The issue is serious and could lead to a large piece of work.

That is how you would expect a walk in enquiry to go – yes?

The reality is somewhat different. Looking at data from the last 100 Mystery Shopping visits we have conducted on solicitors;

• Only 65% of solicitors, having spent time on an enquiry, take the contact details of the potential customer
• Only on 15.6% of occasions did solicitor firms follow up on that walk in enquiry

Amazing.

What To Do

Solicitors, like most professional services businesses have to take new business opportunities seriously. Capture information, understand needs, demonstrate competence and most importantly follow up with the CUSTOMER.

New business opportunities in the legal sector will continue to be challenging for many years to come and solicitors need to ensure they are always focusing on the customer, ensuring exceptional service and above all really nurturing new enquiries.

It is a simple fact that nurturing new business enquiries well, helping provide solutions to client issues, providing exceptional service and keeping in touch with the customer – leads to life long business relationships.

The competition is getting more aggressive. Solicitors need to focus on the basics.

The Tips

Here are some tips;

• Always ask the customer to fill out a personal information form
• Confirm the details are complete and correct before they leave your office
• Inform the customer that you will give them a call in 48 hours, or when is best for them
• Diarise the call to ensure you don’t forget
• Make the call and ask if they would like you to act for them
• Measure the percentage of sign-ups you receive, then review the success rate
• Finally, reflect on the manner in which you conduct the follow up and see how you can improve

Shopper Anonymous can help – we work with Solicitors across the UK to help them generate and nurture new business and keep customers coming back. We also provide a free consultation for legal sectors companies.

By Paul Matthews

Contact Shopper Anonymous on 0844 943 2992 or via their website.

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