Your firm’s website is the “new shop window”, and by using a reputable lead generation service, potential clients are walked right up to your doorstep.
The arguments for using a lead generation system are compelling. Apparently lead generation is responsible for 42% of total sales (Econsultancy — Online Lead Generation Report).
The legal market has become increasingly competitive over the years and conveyancers need to attract more clients in order to grow.
Momentum for comparison sites continues to roll and clients are turning to price comparison sites to get a better understanding of what is available. Research carried out by RS Consulting shows that 69% of consumers use price comparison websites to identify service providers. This is not surprising. It is easy for the customer who can register for a conveyancing quote any time of the day, and a lead generation platform via a comparison website ensures no potential business opportunity is lost.
What is a ‘Lead’?
We define a lead to be a person who has registered their details online for a specific service, validated their details (we use a double opt-in) and is therefore proactively looking for a conveyancing service. As the lead has been pre-qualified by the potential client, this gives you the opportunity to pitch the benefits of your firm and the opportunity to open dialogue.
What Are The Benefits Of Lead Generation?
Lead generation has been proven to be a cost effective method for obtaining new business. You can either use a system that charges you a small sum for each lead you receive, or one that tracks the lead and charges you substantially more at the point of completion. Check with your lead generator how they validate each lead so you, and your marketing team, know the starting point and expectations can be managed accordingly.
As conveyancing is not restricted to locality, your firm is able to receive leads from all over England, Wales and/or Scotland. For firms not already using a lead generation service we would recommend you trial a service by receiving leads close to your local area. Once your marketing team are confident in handling the leads, they can expand coverage and spread their knowledge and expertise in converting leads from further afield.
How Do I Convert The Leads To Business?
There are many different ways to go about converting the leads. Some firms pop in a low price and wait for the phone to ring. Not a tactic we would recommend. Converting leads does take an element of effort. We suggest you respond immediately with a bespoke email and/or actively engage with potential prospects by phone, email and even post. Communication is essential, and any questionable feedback we receive from our users is almost always rooted in slow response times.
As per the SRA’s recommendations, we ask our conveyancing firms to provide the client with a full break down of all charges involved. Educate and reassure the client. Ensure they are aware of exactly what they are paying, when and why, to create a relationship of trust. The firms that do this well are then rewarded with excellent customer reviews by satisfied customers which in turn, helps to convert the next potential client. Feedback is essential when a client is deciding which firm they should instruct. A survey carried out by Trustpilot revealed that 77% of UK shoppers consult online reviews before they make a purchase and 79% of customers place as much trust in online reviews as they do in personal recommendations.
Finally, we may be preaching to the converted, but we advise against using an extremely low base line fee for comparison sites, and then charging for every paperclip, email and phone call. This is not the way to win friends or influence people. You’ll simply create a bad reputation for yourselves, the industry and lead generation websites.
Rosemary Rogers is a Director of www.reallymoving.com . Established in 1999, Reallymoving.com is the original comparison website for moving home services. We provide instant quotes for conveyancing, removals and surveys. Last month we provided leads for £5 million of conveyancing business.
