Face it right now, especially if you're a newbie/soon to be newbie, you're not going to get Michael Jackson (I know, he's dead), Mike Tyson, or the latest A-list Hollywood star divorce. You're not even going to get the B, C, or F-list divorces. Unless you know the person, they're going to go with [Insert Local Family, Criminal, or etc. Law Super-Attorney's Name Here]. The people you're going to serve are just like you: middle-class Americans, trying to make a decent living, and are now having problems.
Sometimes though, you'll find that even these decent middle-class Americans aren't hiring you, despite the fact you've quote 100 fees today. You might get discouraged, or you might start to think your fees are too high, and consider changing your rates. Unless you're charging $250 per hour, don't think about it! More especially, don't change your fees or cave to your doubts.
The worst thing you can do is start to believe you've mispriced your rates. The truth is, you're just like the other 90% of attorneys in this world who aren't getting the clients. Remember, clients have a variety of reasons for not hiring, and most likely, price isn't one of them. Good pricing makes the potential client truly evaluate their situation (check out my post here for a frank firm to client discussion about fees).
When you're not getting hired, it's time to reevaluate your sales pitch. What are you doing/saying? Quick, you have 60 seconds to sell your divorce/family law/bankruptcy/etc. services, what will you the caller? Have you even thought about your telephone pitch?
There's a great blog post by Jay Fleischman, titled, What if the Client Set the Legal Fee? The post is a candid look at fees and services. Mr. Fleischman, makes the point that "[v]alue must be built from the very first moment you begin to market your bankruptcy practice (or, for that matter, any legal niche). You need to stand in the client’s shoes and determine what it’s worth to them to get out of debt, and exactly what you can do to build up that value to a point where it matches or (ideally) exceeds the price tag associated with your services." I wholeheartedly agree.
I looked at the reasoning behind my "failures" and found that I didn't think I was giving the client enough information about what I would be doing to help them. When speaking with potential bankruptcy clients, I found I simply told them, "I'll help you file bankruptcy under chapter 7." No wonder I wasn't turning phone calls into clients. What exactly does that mean? And why does that justify my fees? Heck, anyone can file pro se and save themselves hundreds.
So, after this brief evaluation, I revised my pitch:
I'll help you file chapter 7 bankruptcy. This will involve meeting with you in person and talking on the phone at least 3 time to discuss your paperwork and financial information. I'll also be filing out the bankruptcy petition and compiling the financial data you've given me. This usually takes 1 day, or about 8 hours. When the petition is filed, we'll continue to talk, and I'll probably call you 2 or 3 more times to discuss simple issues that arise. We'll meet for the 341 meeting, which is a simple hearing before the bankruptcy discharge. All these services will be part of your [Insert fee amount here] fee. Of course, you're free to call or email at anytime with questions. When would you like to meet?
After discussing these things, I'm able to answer any questions and resolve any concerns with the client, before recommitting to the engagement meeting. The script, or something similar, takes about 60 seconds to recite, and has a powerful effect on people's actions.
I believe when you've carefully explained what value they're getting, this helps resolve a client's anxiety about paying your fee, and trusting your service.
Unlike a tangible product, judging the quality and value of services is difficult. Clients will not hire you for the task if they don't feel you can accomplish the job and get them the "justice" they deserve.
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