Sales Playbook BANKRUPTCY LAW

Transcription

1 Sales Playbook BANKRUPTCY LAW Contents: SECTION The What 1.2 The Why 1.3 Display Advertising 1.4 The Lingo 1.5 The Economy 1.6 The Seasons SECTION The Conversation 3.2 The Questions 3.3 The Goals 3.4 The Value 3.5 The Expectations 3.6 The Close 1.7 The Playing Field SECTION 2 SECTION The Decision-Maker 2.2 The Gate Keeper 4.1 The Inbounds 4.2 Offline Providers

2 Section THE WHAT Bankruptcy attorneys provide legal assistance to businesses or individuals looking to file, stop, prevent, or complete bankruptcies or mortgage foreclosures. Their services may include loan modifications and debt settlement programs where the attorneys renegotiate credit card debt and interest rates with banks and other creditors. The Average Transaction Value for personal bankruptcy work starts around $1,500. For Chapter 7, which involves the sale of assets, the costs can range between $2,000 and $3,000. Corporate bankruptcy work, even for a small or medium-sized business, can run significantly higher. 1.2 THE WHY Bankruptcy attorneys are a good vertical to target for a number of reasons: Bankruptcy attorneys need a lot of new clients coming through the door all of the time. They understand the need for a comprehensive marketing strategy and budget. Because clients are often in a desperate situation by the time they pick up and call a bankruptcy attorney, there is a high call-to-appointment ratio. This allows us to easily demonstrate value of our products and services. Competition for new clients among bankruptcy attorneys tends to be high, making them interested in ways to stand out. Because attorneys tend to be well-educated, are involved in the day-to-day management of their office, and understand importance of being found, they may be more comfortable trying digital marketing than other verticals. Typically fairly easy to get to decision-maker, and a fairly short sales cycle. 1.3 DISPLAY ADVERTISING Are bankruptcy attorneys good candidates for display advertising? Yes - because of the longer decision-making process, top-of-mind awareness is particularly important. Also, bankruptcy attorneys are very competitive amongst each other, so any additional exposure would offer a leg-up on competition.

3 1.3 THE LINGO Help develop your role as a trusted advisor by familiarizing yourself with some of the industry s terminology: Chapter 7 Bankruptcy - Refers to Chapter 7 of the federal bankruptcy code. The most common form of bankruptcy in the US, this equires the liquidation of assets to pay off creditors. Businesses that file Chapter 7 must shut down, and be liquidated to pay off creditors. Chapter 11 Bankruptcy - Refers to Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code. Most typically used by businesses, as it allows businesses to remain operational. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy - Refers to Chapter 13 of the federal bankruptcy code. Allows individuals with a steady source of income to consolidate and restructure debts. Assets - Anything of value, such as cash, investments, property, personal belongings, vehicles, contracts, inventory, etc. Liabilities - Something owed to someone else, such as a debt, or obligation for a future service or payment. Creditors - A person or institution to whom money is owed Liquidate - To sell off assets and distribute the proceeds to creditors Foreclosures - The legal process through which a lender can take and/or sell property if the owner of that property has stopped making payments. Loan Modifications - A process that allows lenders and borrowers to rewrite a debt, typically at more favorable terms for the borrower. Debt Settlement Programs - Allows borrowers either in bankruptcy, or on the brink, to hire a third-party that then works with creditors to reduce owed debt and enter into a structured repayment program. 1.4 THE ECONOMY For obvious reasons, more people are likely to declare bankruptcy during a bad economy. Some people lose their jobs, fall into debt, and then declare bankruptcy either out of necessity or to gain a fresh start. However, it is worth noting that health care bills are often cited as the leading cause for personal bankruptcy. Severe injuries or catastrophic illnesses can happen any time regardless of the economy.

4 1.5 THE SEASONS Tax season can cause a spike in bankruptcies, as individuals or businesses look to protect themselves. The new year/post-holiday season also sees an increase in personal bankruptcies. 1.6 THE PLAYING FIELD There are many bankruptcy attorneys in every metropolitan area, and it is a competitive legal specialty. They all tend to know each other, know what type of marketing their competitors are doing, and how much they re spending. Some bankruptcy attorneys that advertise locally are actually national firms. Because they have deeper pockets, they can also drive up advertising costs, particularly for SEM campaigns. It may be hard for prospective clients to differentiate a local bankruptcy attorney from a national firm. Because attorneys who get the call often also get the appointment, it s important for local attorneys to emphasize their local-ness. Section THE DECISION MAKER The attorney is traditionally the decision-maker, but others may come involved (such as a spouse, law partner, or other web consultant) depending on the size of the firm. 2.2 THE GATEKEEPER Most bankruptcy attorneys will have a gatekeeper, whether it s a secretary, administrative assistant, paralegal, or other office staff. Some tips on getting through the gatekeeper: Ask for the attorney by first name. The gatekeeper may assume you are a colleague or client, and not a salesperson.

5 2.2 THE GATEKEEPER, con t. the attorney directly. Often, the address is easily found on the website. In some cases, setting a meeting with the attorney may be difficult. When this happens, spend some time with the staff, impress them with your expertise, and work the internal sale. Share success stories, how our products and services have driven clients to other attorneys. The gatekeeper is trusted by the attorney. A positive relationship with the gatekeeper may not guarantee success, but a negative relationship will hurt your chances. Know what other bankruptcy attorneys are doing in the marketplace - leverage this information to get the appointment. Print screen shots of search results or display ads. Call before or after hours. The attorney could be working and answer the phone. Legal networking events can be very well attended. Figure out which ones are in your area. This is an opportunity to speak with the attorney directly. Section THE CONVERSATION Once you have the appointment, you should think about what sort of information you want to share, and what type of questions to ask: Do you think people are looking for bankruptcy attorneys on the Internet? What is your market area? Local, regional, multi-state? Do you have a particular focus within the bankruptcy specialty? Commercial? Personal? Foreclosures? How much is your average bankruptcy client (or case) worth? Have changing bankruptcy or foreclosure laws impacted your business? (In particular, a 2005 federal law made filing for bankruptcy more difficult.) Do you require a down payment? A monthly retainer?

6 3.2 THE QUESTIONS Get the decision-maker talking about the business, how it s doing, and what the future goals are. Here are some questions to drive this conversation forward: What is the decision-making process like for people who need a bankruptcy attorney? Do they need him/her right away? Do they shop for the best price? How much time do they spend researching bankruptcy and bankruptcy attorneys before actually making the call? Is the rate of bankruptcies and foreclosures slowing or growing? What is your current market share in your area? How many calls/leads normally convert to a case, with your current advertising? Do you have a desire to grow your practice? Add more attorneys? Would your prefer to see one type of client over another? What types of advertising do you do? What has been most effective? How have tracked results from your advertising campaigns? Your website: Who manages your website? How do you like your website? How does your website perform for you? 3.3 THE GOALS Who are they looking to target with their advertising (generally)? What do they hope to accomplish with their marketing/advertising strategy? Possible demographics to target: Corporate/commercial bankruptcy. Personal bankruptcy. Adults whohave lost their jobs and ended up in a difficult financial situation. Families with large medical bills (often involving children). Property owners facing foreclosure. Bankruptcy happens across many socio-economic spectrums, from the poor to the wealthy. For the attorney it may be a pure numbers game: the more phone calls the better, regardless of the client s background. If an attorney focuses on low-income individuals, be sure to point out this demographic s growing Internet usage.

7 3.4 THE VALUE Customer lifetime value is less relevant with bankruptcy attorneys. Typically, an individual or business only declares bankruptcy once, and if they do, they may not discuss their experience with others, reducing the opportunity for word-of-mouth referrals. 3.5 THE EXPECTATIONS Proper expectations should be established with bankruptcy attorneys. Because attorneys can easily litigate, our liability may be greater. Don t make guarantees or promises you are not sure we can keep. From the start, the focus should be on new cases over the length of the campaign. To set proper expectations, let the attorney suggest how many calls/cases are required for a campaign to be successful. Frame the discussion as a two-way partnership. Propel can help deliver traffic to their online doorstep, but it is ultimately up to the attorney to convert the traffic into clients. Strongly encourage the recording of the phone calls. It is extremely important to be able to listen to them to show the value of, or identify difficulties in the ratio of calls-to-meetings. 3.6 THE CLOSE Once you receive the initial appointment, it often can take 3 weeks (1-2 meetings) to close. However, 1-call closes do occur. Your goals should be: Build trust and credibility. Focus on developing a long-term relationship. Demonstrate product knowledge and conviction.

8 Section THE INBOUNDS Lead aggregators, such as Findlaw.com Legal.com Yellow Book ReachLocal Other SEM & SEO providers When speaking about the competition Affirm past decisions, but explain how they can t do all that Propel offers. Provide examples of how current strategies are not fully serving their needs (organic search results, what competitors are doing, etc.) 4.2 OFFLINE PROVIDERS Print yellow pages Cable TV Newspapers, Radio, Billboards, etc. When speaking about the competition: Discuss the decreasing effectiveness of traditional media. The inability to track results. The inability to easily target specific audiences.