Do you know what your conversion rate is?  Or in other words...do you know what percentage of leads who filter through your system actually end up becoming paying clients?

If you can't say for sure, you're not alone.  Most attorneys have no clue.  And yet, one of the best and most leveraged ways to get more clients is to improve this number!

Here are four key ways to convert more of the prospects you're already attracting...

1. Understand your current road blocks.  The first thing you need to do is track your existing sales process to see where there are breakdowns in your system.  Is it after the first call?  The first appointment?  Wherever you see the most leads dropping off, that's the area you need to target first.

2. Overcome common objections.  If you're like most attorneys (and business owners in general), you have a tendency to freeze whenever a lead asks a tough question or raises an objection.  Handling objections can be awkward and intimidating -- until you realize it's a natural part of any conversion process, and actually means the lead is seriously considering your services.  To handle objections gracefully, be sure to always empathize with their concern, provide a succinct answer (for best results, prepare and practice answers to your most common objections in advance), and then ask them to follow up with additional concerns.

3. Educate, educate, educate.  As an attorney, you are a highly-trained expert.  While this means that clients are often willing to defer to your advice, it's important that you keep them educated on why you're doing what you do in ways they can understand and get behind. Educating them helps clients see your strengths, makes them feel important and involved, and gives them a good feeling about your practice.  It will also help you close more clients.

4. Test and Track.  At each stage in your conversion process, create TWO different approaches to test against each other, then track which variation performs best.  It could be the way you answer the phone when a client first calls, the headline of an ad you have in the paper, the question you ask when you are in an initial meeting with a prospect, and more.  As you identify the successes and eliminate the failures, your conversion rates will soar!

If you want more great ways to convert more clients, and build a law firm that helps you earn an outstanding income WITHOUT working your tail off, attend my FREE webinar, "How to Earn More in Elder Law and Life Care Planning!"  It's coming up on THIS TUESDAY at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.  This webinar has a retail value of $398, but if you register today, you can attend at no charge.

Just CLICK HERE to register now!

Many attorneys assume that their ideal client is anyone who shows up at the door, but that's simply not true.  Even within the segment of law you cater to -- whether it's elder care, life planning, or something else -- you have an ideal market segment that tends to produce optimum results for you and your firm.  Whenever you work with clients who fall outside your ideal range, you're increasing your risk of problems.

I like this analogy I've heard with fuel grades: if you're running a business that is high-end luxury, and you're filling it up with low-value, price-shopping, low-grade gas...should you really be all that surprised when there's trouble?  On the other hand, why are you trying to use super-ultra-premium in your 1979 Ford Pinto with a serious case of body cancer?

A business coach colleague of mine has a term that I think makes a lot of sense.  He says there are "riches in the niches."  That's because revenue comes faster when you know who you are, who your target prospects are, and how to communicate with them and serve them better than anyone else around.

Maybe you have an existing target market, but haven't done a good job of articulating it.  Perhaps you know you need to define it better, but aren't sure where to start.  Either way, here are three steps to better targeting the right prospects...

1. Where have I had the most success before? Go through your client list and identify your top 10%.  These are customers who are loyal, easy to work with, pay on time, send you referrals, and so on.  If you're like many attorneys, you'll begin to see a pattern emerge.  You'll discover that they have similarities: age, income level, personality traits, types of legal services they need, and so on.  Create a client profile based on what you discover, then begin targeting those people specifically.
2. Where is the opportunity?  If you choose a market segment that is too narrow, you won't have enough demand to build an entire firm.  So look around the marketplace and ask yourself, Where is there a real opportunity?  What segment of the market is growing?
3. Where do I have the most fun?  Finally, think about the type of work you love the most.  Focus on attracting more of that work specifically.  When you are passionate about what you do, you'll have more energy and enthusiasm for your work – and that's a tangible thing people are drawn to.  Almost nothing can help you grow your firm, faster.

They make buying decisions based on value -- the quality and character of the service they receive in exchange for their investment.

Your clients are not your clients because you're inexpensive (if so, you probably have LOTS of problems with attrition and collections already, and it's time to go after a higher quality market segment anyway!).  Your clients are your clients because you have demonstrated that you can make their lives better.  They trust you, they like you, they appreciate you -- and they will continue to pay you, even if you charge a little more.

Here's a fantastic table that shows you how much your sales would have to DECLINE before you start losing profit.  I think you'll agree, if you're like most, you can easily increase your prices to your great advantage...

 Still skeptical?  Start slowly.  You can begin by quoting your higher prices to new clients only.  Once you find the "sweet spot" that allows you to maintain a conversion rate you're happy with while increasing your revenue substantially, you can start rolling out your new prices with confidence to your existing clients.

This is one of the fastest and easiest ways to increase your profits.  So don't wait to get started!

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You'll find information here about how to improve your business -- in terms of increasing revenue & profits, creating a winning team of employees & strategic alliances, becoming more productive by managing your time and general tips on how to create a THRIVING business.

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Here's to YOUR success!