The 4-Step Law Firm Intake Process Behind an $18M Family Law Firm

Register Here ➡️ www.RocketClicks.com/unlock-sales-secrets 

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The law firm intake process at most firms? Broken from word one. Here's the 4-step system that built an $18M firm.

This is the sneak peek of our upcoming webinar called “Sales Secrets of an $18M Family Law Firm.” Mary Sankey will give you an overview of our 4-Step Sales System that boosted our revenue.

We’ll reveal our QA scoring system and the 24-hour feedback loops that keep every intake agent accountable, so you can see what scalable intake actually looks like.

If you’re interested to learn the entire system and getting the exact toolkit you can use to implement it immediately, register now for free: www.RocketClicks.com/unlock-sales-secrets.

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📝 Schedule a FREE Family Law Firm Audit: https://rocketclicks.com/schedule-a-family-law-quick-audit/

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📄 CHAPTERS  

0:00 - Law Firm Intake Process: Why Firms Lose Clients in the First 90 Seconds

1:52 - What Intake Looked Like Before Sterling Had a System

7:05 - The 4-Box Intake Framework Behind Sterling's $18M Growth 

7:43 - Step 1: Set Expectations and Take the Lead on the Call 

10:35 - Step 2: Shut Up and Let Them Tell Their Story 

12:35 - Step 3: Present Your Firm as the Clear Solution 

13:36 - Step 4: The Natural Close That Books $490 Paid Consultations 

18:12 - The 24-Hour QA Feedback Loop That Scales Intake Teams

Curious to discover your personalized roadmap to scaling a law firm, no matter where you are in the business? 

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Transcript

0:00

something that we kind of alluded to early on. We knew that you know, to trust someone. You had to get them to like you in order for them to feel confident enough to unburden. That's And so the very first thing that you have to ground yourself in is that ability to make people see you are a solution that can be trusted. Welcome back to the Sterling Family last show. And today we have an incredible episode for you. I have both Tony Karls, who is the co-founder of Sterling Family Law, which has grown to over 27 attorneys, as well as Mary Sankey, who runs the intake team. For Sterling, she is technically the sales and client experience manager. She specializes in people first sales leadership within emotionally complex environments, which is exactly what family law intake is. I think something that's really important to remember during this entire conversation is that if you put yourself in the place of a family law client, right, they are calling in and having to tell a horrible story about their life. And they may be doing this for the first time outside of their close family or friends. And so ensuring that that experience is thoughtful and caring is paramount to our success at Sterling. And so, Mary and Tony, thank you so much for being here. Today we are going to talk about the five most important parts of our intake process. And the first, Mary, is the pains about intake calls. Right. So what we need to do is help our audience understand how we do intake and sterling and, and the system that we've built. So start us off by just giving us some perspective, about how we think about intake and sterling. Thanks, Tyler. That was a really difficult season for us when we didn't have anything written out or something that we could reference and train on. How we think about intake is these are clients calling us in the most humbling season of their life. This is not a fun call. They didn't ever anticipate making this phone call on their wedding day. They didn't dream of having to call a divorce law firm, right? They dreamed of forever. And now that forever is falling apart. And so the first thing that we need to acknowledge is this is the most painful thing that this individual probably ever had to do. But also, we may be the very first person that they're talking to about this incredibly complex, very emotional situation. And if we don't treat them with integrity and with comfort and with care, they're not going to buy it from you because they're not going to like you and they're not going to trust you. And so the very first thing that you have to ground yourself in is that ability to make people see you are a solution that can be trusted. So when you started at Sterling, how big was the firm and what did you kind of walk into? Compared to where you are today? Okay. What was your first job at Sterling? Let's start with that. My first job, my first job was actually an internship position on the marketing team where I reviewed leads that came in to the firm and did some SEO ranking, understanding how they they got into the, the CRM that we use. And then from that, I actually started going to our main headquarters in our four different metros and running a divorce workshop alongside an attorney, and that was the most baptized by fire situation you could ever put someone that, this was live with a group of individuals and an attorney that walked through the basics of a divorce, what you could anticipate, what some of the nuances were per metro, per region, per state, and then how could they see themselves walking through this, whether it was on their own or with the help of an attorney? That was probably the most humbling thing a salesman could do, because it allowed me to see a really painful glimpse at what their next 6 to 9 months was going to look like, and it also allowed me to see the real side of what we were supporting. These are real human beings with real families, with real finances that are all different, coming from all different walks of life. And I learned really quickly how to bridge that gap into making someone trust you by asking the right questions. And that's really the beauty of intake, is you ask the right questions to get someone to like you and to trust you. So that was my first. I remember, I remember when we we held those, seminars and prior to you doing the, the first initial, like, signing thing, it was so awkward because, like, I'm, I'm, I'm not nearly as personable as you are. But having you do it like I can very much believe, like your your ability to, like, connect with people, you're way better connector. You're more, way more emotionally intelligent than I am. And, like, just seeing that and like, how well you did there was really cool to see because, like, you were able to connect with them in a very different way. And it didn't feel clinical anymore. It felt like it felt relational, like, oh, that's that's pretty interesting. And we we saw that like, well, we don't really have that anywhere else in our intake system. But like these webinar people seem to really like us after the webinars. And I think it had a lot to do with just that easy sign up, get them comfortable asking if you, you know, questions that you cared. You got them coffee sat down in the conference room like they just they felt they felt at home. And then you took that to the call center. I did, and that's that's really how that bridge happened. Thinking back on it, it was nine years ago at this point. So it's it feels like forever ago. But how I originally joined the intake team was these individuals needed someone to call them after the workshop happened, to get them signed up for a consultation. And you really couldn't do that well inside of a conference room because you you had to talk about very personal, deep issues that were coming up in these individuals lives. And so that wasn't comfortable to do in a group setting. So I started off getting my feet wet by just calling those individuals. And then the attorney that I was hosting with at the very next one said, why aren't you doing this on the phone full time? And then the rest is history. I joined the intake team, I think a week later, and here we are today. And saying how many people were on the intake team at that point? There was a total of four on the intake team full time. All non attorney salespeople. All non attorneys. Most of us didn't even have sales backgrounds. We just were non attorney people that came from customer support jobs. But yeah we we have we worked even really we did understand sales I certainly didn't. My the growth that I've experienced over the last nine years has been phenomenal. But I really grew into a salesman here at Sterling. Love it. And I really took a system. Right. You built a four step system to help, as we expanded to help these non attorney people turn into non attorney salespeople and, and really help the firm grow. Can you tell us and break down the four subsystem. Yeah. So the the four step, the boxes that we call them for boxes, it was something that we kind of alluded to early on. We knew that you had to, you know, to trust someone. You had to get them to like you in order for them to feel confident enough to unburden. That's what we call it now anyway. So how we did that, the first step is setting expectations and really taking the lead in that call. Right away. You want to establish calm but professional control. We want to let our clients know that what's going to happen in this call is confidential, and that no matter how long it takes, we're going to be here to help them through the next step, even if that means we are not the right fit for them. That matters because family law clients call in emotional chaos. They are incredibly anxious. They're incredibly uncertain. Nobody has control of the situation. And so establishing really early on what the expectations are that creates this instant sense of safety. And when people feel safe and professionally guided and they just tend to relax, they tend to trust and open up and they stay. That's the thing that I think a lot of law firms get wrong. Clients call and say, what's your retainer? What's your hourly rate? And if you give them that answer in the first 30, 60 90s, why would they stay? You have done nothing in order to ease the burden that they currently are feeling. Yeah. I mean, and like the first parts, the phone calls are super interesting. And if like if you have a really well trained team, they know exactly what to do with. I probably not what what you call it, what I always call it was the they're going to throw up on you like the first thing they're going to do when they call, when they call in, you're going to say thank you for calling Sterling my name. So and so what can I get you information on today. And then they're just going to throw up on you. And if like you're good sales if you're a good intake person, you're going to basically ignore everything they just said and then say awesome. We're so excited. We're we're happy to help you with that. Here's what's going to happen on this phone call. So you just like you let them puke all over you say thank you. That sounds oh, that sounds so difficult. So sorry. Whatever validated their motions, here's what we're going to do. And like you, just like they're they're like, yeah, they're they care about me. Like they validate my experience. Like they listen to me. They didn't try to like, rush me, blah, blah, blah. All that stuff. And like, you created this instant connection and but you're also like, using really good sales techniques. And you don't rush someone into the next step either. You just let them be and it doesn't matter what they say. It doesn't matter if they ask you if you have a free consultation. It doesn't matter if they ask you if you represent fathers rights or mothers rights or children with unique instabilities, it does not matter. The answer is yes. You validate their concerns and you set them up for the next step. That is what you do. Step one validate That's right. Set the expectation. Take that lead. what's step two. Let them tell their story. Be quiet. Shut up. Whatever you want to say here. This is where a lot of firms rushed is where I used to rush like I wanted to solve your problems. I wanted to educate you. Stop doing that. Create a space for that individual to share what is happening in their life and how it's affecting them. When callers or clients don't just feel judged right off the bat and feel like you are going to give them all the solutions to their problems, they're not going to move forward with you either. They they have fears, they have stakes, they have a sense of loss or a risk. They have an identity crisis that's on the line right now. You want them to feel heard, not processed. Trust is really built fast in this situation. If you let them lead, if you let them tell their story, the firm that listens first, they're the ones that win because no one wants to repeat this story either. I can tell you how many calls I got from individuals that had already talked to six other firms. The reason they didn't move forward with them had nothing to do with they practice family law and everything to do with. They did not get to share what hurt and how that's affecting them. Let them tell their story. That is step two. You. it. That's so important. Yeah. And ask it follow up questions like how how long is that? How long has that been going on? What does success look like after after this? Oh, you said you had two kids. What are like what are how are you thinking parenting is going to work after the plan? Like you're gonna do it because really, what we call the section is fact finding. But get let them tell the story. And like you, you, you know what piece of information you need. If it's a divorce, get it. As they tell their story, don't make it clinical. Don't make it. Step one, step two. Step three. Step four. Like a piece of paper to your. There's no emotion there. So they've told their story. They're feeling heard and trusted. Now, what? Present the firm as the clear solution to the problems they just put in your plate. Only after someone truly feels understood, truly feels like they've unburdened. That's when you can move into guidance. You want to connect their situation to what we do and what is going to happen next. And it's going to happen next with Sterling. So bring the clarity. We're going to reduce the anxiety. We're going to show you a clear path forward. The consultation does not feel like a transaction. It feels like momentum. It's the next obvious step forward because it protects you, because this is the progress you individually need to the situation you presented me. And here is how we are going to get you through this, get you out of this. I think you call them type you. I think you still coach the team on type X right. That's kind of what you want. tie back to their main concerns. Secondary. Yeah. You told me this. This was really affecting you in this way. Here's how we solve that. Okay. Final step. The close, I'm assuming. Yeah. Zoom the sale. You got to make that consultation feel natural. This is where confidence truly matters. I believe sterling is the safest place to go through any family law matter, and I live that it exudes off of me. You can feel it in every room that I'm in. We don't end with. So what do you want to do next? Would you like to book the consultation? Are you ready to move forward? No. That puts pressure back on someone who's already overwhelmed. Guide them to that next step. We offer options. Here is what I have available. Would you like to use a visa, discover, Amex or Mastercard? It's clear, it's calm, it's professional. Because when someone trusts you moving forward, it should feel obvious. That I that's called, like, being able to meet them where they're at, establish trust and then clearly be the solution. It's natural that they're like, okay, yeah. Guide me. Take my hand, write it. Go. Yes it should. It's not even a question at that point. They're doing this because this is the safest place to do this. Why would you go anywhere else? That's silly. And like and what is our what is our paid consultation rates at this point. Like I think attorneys are what 490 and non attorney consults are what. one $100. So and like I so what is what's the actual like. What's the line. Like if I'm the close like am I if I were to if I, if I were or coached me out like you give me feedback on this. This is how I would probably do it. All right Tyler, the next step in the process is to schedule a consultation. I have next Tuesday available at three, most most people that want to do this, they're going to schedule with the attorneys so they can get going right away. That's $490. If you don't want to do that. The other option is $100. Consult with, Cassie. She's one of our counsel, counsel, experts, counsel, paralegals, whatever. And I've done this in a while. Counsel, paralegals, and should be able to walk you through the process as well. Which would you like, put this on a visa or Mastercard today? I'd pass you, but I give you a low pass. I'd give you a c-plus on that. What I would tell you is it should sound more like Tyler. I really appreciate you sharing with me the details of your family. And I do believe that sterling is the safest place for you to ensure your relationship with your children is protected. I want to get you started with an attorney that can walk you through the next steps very quickly, and that would be $490. Or I have Cassie available today and she's available at 330. She's our conduit legal assistant. She works directly with Holly, and she can actually do some of the same things in terms of walking you through what options you have and what financing is available to you as well. Meeting with her would be $100, but I can get you in sooner. Of those two options. Which would you feel most comfortable in terms of protecting your children? It always is. Tied back to what Tyler told me is the pain point, and I'm going to offer both of these strategically to him. That allows him to see, no matter which option I choose, I'm choosing one. They both are going to get me to the goal of protecting me and my children. I mean, I'm happily married, but I think I got to meet with Holly, like, I. All right, let's do this. Well All right. But this is, this is how we run our whole intake team. These are just people are answering the calls, and, like, $409. That's an expensive consultation. And, like what? What percentage of our consults are paid with attorneys? It's not. It's not zero. No. Right now, our our attorney consult rate, I believe, is 20% of our counsel to go directly to attorneys right off the bat. The rest do go to our consult legal assistant team, and I. I don't think that's just due to pricing either. I do think it's there's a benefit to meeting with both individuals. Sometimes you have to meet with an attorney. It's just and the intake team knows that, like, this is not something that should go to a legal assistant. They need legal advice. There's a hearing in the next week. Okay. You need to meet with an attorney. And there's other times it's very strategic to meet with a counsel legal assistant first, because you're in marriage counseling and maybe the divorce nine months down the road and you just want to get your feet wet. Okay? I'm not going to pitch an attorney there. I'm going to pitch a counsel legal assistant. So you do all these coaching live with, with your team? And how big is the team today? On the intake side, we now have 16 agents working across three shifts. And how do you hold all of the agents accountable? What is the coaching and QA process like? It is a QA process that is, that is how we hold them accountable. And we coach within 24 hours of having a missed QA. We've got two dedicated agents right now. All they do all day long on their shift is they listen to calls, they score them, and they send detailed feedback over to us that we then coach immediately upon receiving feedback. Have to do it. Have to do it. Can't change something you don't acknowledge. So. Well said. So, Mary, we're going to do a webinar and really dive into this topic here very soon that will be available for everyone if they want to get more information. Is there anything else that you would like to include? Or a preview that's going to be included in the webinar? I think the one thing that we really started to touch on here at the end is the QA process, and why speed of feedback changes everything. Timing really does matter. If feedback happens two weeks later, it's history. Your marketing calls have already come in. The opportunities were there. They're not going to be two weeks later. So when coaching happens within that first 24 hours, that call is still fresh and we can fix what happened. And we can also encourage the agent to change something that needs to be changed. The emotions are still remembered that learning sticks better, speed turns feedback into growth time and time again. And we have seen this happen over and over again. So if you're interested, we have our webinar coming up. Make sure to check it out. Mary. Tony, thank you so much for your time today. Excited to dive in.