How to have a 'conversation that converts' so more clients say 'yes' to you and your fees

No matter how great you are at being a lawyer, if you aren't good at converting enquiries into paying clients (and at the right fee level), then it will be hard to have a successful practice.

Does that mean we all need to be good at 'selling' our services? Well, yes and no. If selling means getting more clients to say 'yes' to working with you '“ then yes. But if selling means 'pushing' our services onto people, then no, we don't need that to be successful in our practice.

So how can you get more clients to say yes to working with you, without selling? The answer is: get them to want to buy.

It sounds simple, but the key is how you conduct your initial consultation or meeting with a prospective client. There are three key phases to this initial conversation which, if done correctly, will make it a 'conversation that converts' '“ turning the enquiry into a paying client who doesn't quibble about your fees.

Phase 1: Find out what they really want

The first thing to find out is what is this prospective client's real goal or need? Too often we tell our clients about what we can do for them, without really finding out what they really want first. For example, they may tell you they want to sell their business or buy a property, but there's likely to be a bigger goal or desire behind that which is motivating them.

When we know what they want '“ and why '“ we can see whether they are a good fit for our services. We'll also know what is going to motivate them to buy our service, because we'll know what's important to them. The secret weapon here is listening! Instead of talking we should ask great questions and listen.

Phase 2: Help them discover whether they want or need your help to achieve their goals

If they don't know why they need your help, they aren't going to buy your services. So they need to know the benefits, for them, of getting your help.

A good way to help a prospective client see the benefits of your services is to help them understand some of the pitfalls or challenges they might face in getting the outcome that they want. That way, they can understand how they would benefit from your help to avoid those pitfalls or overcome those challenges.

This is also an opportunity to help them understand the value of getting your help. You can do this either by showing them the positive benefits of your help (how they'll be better off when you help them avoid specific pitfalls, or get the results they want faster and with less risk), or you can help them see the consequences of not getting the right help (the impact of the problems or challenges they could run into without the right guidance).