Ep. 43 - Making the Sale: Creating a Successful Intake Department

Marketing is only half the battle. While marketing can be extremely valuable, any marketing spending is wasted if your firm does not have the capacity to sign on the cases your marketing attracts. In today’s episode of the Successful Barrister Podcast, Marc and Diana discuss how Marc Whitehead & Associates created a winning intake department; from early mistakes the firm made to five quick tips to set your intake department up for success. Plus, Marc is offering his firm’s intake training manual in Word format for you to adapt to your firm! Listen until the end to learn how to get it. 

For detailed show notes, navigate using the time stamps below:

[0:00] Introduction

[2:34] Today’s episode is about how to set your intake department up for success. Your intake department is the bridge between your marketing and taking on new cases.

[5:14] Marc’s biggest mistake was not having an intake department from the get-go. This led to Marc becoming a chokepoint, thereby limiting the number of new clients the firm could take on.

[11:34] The firm’s intake process has become very sophisticated, with a specialized department and technology to track their progress.

[15:44] Your intake department should be made up of extroverted and reliable people. You can develop scripts for your intake specialists to help them get the relevant information to determine if the firm should take their case. 

[22:53] Your firm is not selling law, it is selling a solution to a problem. Marc developed a sales process based on this problem-solving approach. 

[28:58] Marc Whitehead & Associates holds its intake department to a 95% contact rate goal and a 90% qualified lead sign on goal.

[31:16] The firm also grades its intake department on its hand-off rate, or the transfer of cases to the people who will be working on the case.

[38:41] Marc’s first quick intake tip is to simplify everything you do. You can simplify your contracts to make them simple to explain over the phone and use DocuSign so clients can sign virtually.

[41:35] For Marc Whitehead & Associates, urgency is naturally built into the process on the client end, but other firms may need to build it in. Another tip is to explain your legal fee as a “success fee.”

[43:46] You can send “wow packages” to “wow” your clients with branded merchandise. 

[45:24] Marc is offering his intake training manual in Word format. You can reach out to marc@marcwhitehead.com and mention the podcast in your email to get the manual for free.

Visit the Successful Barrister website: https://www.successfulbarrister.com/ 

Visit the Marc Whitehead & Associates website: https://disabilitydenials.com/ 

Email Marc Whitehead for his full list of favorite books: marc@marcwhitehead.com