Understanding why customers pay more
Contrary to popular belief (or even fears), money may be everything, but price is not.
When a customer completes their Law Superstore journey, they’re presented with up to four matching service providers, each with a price band – for example, ‘writing a will – Gage, Whitney & Pace – £100 – £200’. At that point, you and the customer can connect to discuss the matter.
Some legal practitioners dread this moment, when the price flashes on screen and a customer makes a decision. They’re concerned about whether they’re overcharging or undercharging; they fixate on competitor costs.
But while fees are always important, it does a disservice to only see your firm as figures on a spreadsheet. It’s so much more than that.
Show your value.
The fact is, legal fees aren’t static. Sometimes you’ll charge more, sometimes less. You can adjust your fees on The Law Superstore, experimenting with your pricing strategy. And customers appreciate price transparency.
But in many cases, you also need to prove your worth. Finding the cheapest price is never the only driving force behind a customer’s choice.
Best-selling author and marketer Neil Patel, discussing the motivating factors behind making a purchase, has identified the five areas that are defined as ‘value’.
- Response – You stand ready to solve a customer’s problem
- Service – You know how to handle that problem
- Quality – And you can solve it well
- Price – You charge a clear, fair rate for doing so
- Time – Achieved on a clear timetable
Demonstrating the value of your law firm
Your value is best demonstrated on your website and social media pages. That’s where customers are and how they find you. If your website isn’t up to scratch yet, update your Law Superstore bio – or any other online space you have – with your value proposition.
Know your customer
Before you can begin to demonstrate value, you need to know who you’re demonstrating it to. What’s valuable to one client may not be valuable to another. If you haven’t already, get your key stakeholders together and determine which kind of clients you want to attract.
Once you know this, you’ll understand what’s likely to be important to them: the services they need, the questions they need answering, and the fears that keep them awake at night. You can speak their language with authority.
Show them that you understand them. People like companies that share their values. Innocent Smoothie is a good example of this in action. Put those values on the webpage.
Highlight your expertise
Don’t underestimate the power of your collective expertise. It’s reassuring to customers, and there is a good amount of trust in legal professionals. You can do something they can’t – practise law, and practise it well – and that’s exactly what they’re looking for.
You might focus on the number of years your business has been active, your team’s specialisms, or notable achievements.
Shout about it – but always in reference to how that experience helps the customer.
Focus on outcomes
Customers don’t really buy a service. They buy the outcome of using a service. People hire a lawyer to get a divorce because they want a divorce, not because they want to hire a lawyer.
Translate this into real-world solutions through testimonials and reviews on external sites like Google My Business and Trustpilot. How did you help others in a similar situation? What can a client expect when they engage you? What does success look like?
Customers should read these nuggets of social proof, such as a five-star review on The Law Superstore, and feel confident their money will be well spent with you.
Show understanding
Addressing specific pain points is essential – that moment when a client breathes a sigh of relief because they’ve finally found someone who ‘gets it’. They’re not another number, and they’re not being funnelled through a process without care.
Multi-service law firms will benefit from individual webpages and online ads dedicated to specific services. This way, you can tailor your message to the audience, demonstrating an understanding of what they’re going through and how you can help. Take it further with content themes across your blog and social media accounts.
If you operate in a niche, you know exactly what customers are experiencing, the questions they have, and their concerns. On the other hand, specialist practices sometimes find it harder to attract clients who need those specific services.
On The Law Superstore, users answer a few service-led questions that direct them to the most relevant legal professionals – but the same is true however your customers find you.
Dare to be different
When all law firms and their websites look largely the same, potential customers can end up choosing any of them.
Professional services like finance and law often struggle to break free from this sameness, but standing out is essential.
As more firms move online, practices are competing harder than ever to attract new clients. We’ve previously discussed the importance of defining your key differentiator in the crowded legal sector. Success rests on identifying what makes your firm different from competitors and carrying that message through your branding.
Strike a balance between getting noticed and meeting the expectations of your profession. You probably won’t want to use a talking Russian meerkat to market your legal services (although you could try).
Display thought leadership
A good thought-leadership article is engaging, authoritative, inspirational, and informative. It’s an activity legal service providers are well qualified to pursue, delivering genuine value while demonstrating experience and knowledge of the industry.
You know what millions don’t – and that immediately makes your insights valuable. It might be an opinion about a change in the law or practical advice for handling caseloads. Whatever it is, if you have something worthwhile to say, speak up.
Your blog is the perfect place for this, but don’t limit yourself. Medium and LinkedIn are great platforms for reaching new audiences, while thought leadership content can also appear in search engine results, expanding your reach. Legal websites and magazines can also provide a strong platform to demonstrate expertise.
When creating thought leadership content, look for opportunities to speak both to customers and to your industry peers. When customers see this, it inspires confidence.
The Law Superstore is the perfect place to demonstrate your value to potential clients and increase your online presence nationally and locally.
And there’s no minimum-term contract. No rolling subscription fees. You only pay for the leads you receive.
Start your trial today with 50% off your first three invoices. Join the panel here.
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