The Decision-Making Factors: Why Clients Choose You

When potential clients look for an estate planning lawyer, their criteria often vary, but they typically include:

• Quality: The reputation of a law firm can be a significant deciding factor. Clients look for positive reviews, attention to detail, and a compassionate approach.
• Trust: Personal referrals and social proof play a crucial role in a client's decision-making process.
• Price: The adage "you get what you pay for" rings especially true in legal services, where the stakes are high.

To stand out, attorneys must emphasize their ability to solve problems and provide expert service, positioning themselves beyond mere estate planning document generators.

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Trust Funding: The Differentiator

Trust funding goes beyond being an add-on service; it's a key differentiator that underscores the value of comprehensive legal guidance. It's not enough to offer trust funding; attorneys need to effectively communicate its importance and persuade clients of its value.

Benefits of Trust Funding to your Firm:

1. Risk Mitigation: Trust funding ensures that estate plans are executed as intended, preventing potential failures.
2. Ongoing Engagement: Utilizing tools like Trustate, law firms can offer clients a personalized dashboard. This platform not only guides them through the trust funding process but also serves as a space for ongoing financial planning and document storage.
3. Continuous Communication: The portal allows for regular check-ins. If progress stalls, attorneys can reach out, offering further assistance or reiterating the value of trust funding services. This proactive approach underscores the firm's commitment to the client's long-term well-being.
4. Personalization and Branding: Customizing the client dashboard to reflect the firm's branding enhances the professional look and feel, making it an integral part of the service offering.

Turning a "No" into an Opportunity

Even when clients initially decline trust funding, the structure provided by Trustate gives attorneys a second chance to demonstrate its value. By keeping track of client activities and milestones, attorneys can identify the right moment to re-engage and offer their services, turning a previous "no" into a "yes." Here’s how you can transform initial rejections into future sales opportunities with Trustate's comprehensive platform, designed to keep the value you provide front and center for clients:

1. One organized workspace: Trustate's dashbaord feature ensures that every client, regardless of their current stance on trust funding, is accounted for and engaged within your firm’s ecosystem. Your client’s dashboard serves as a direct extension of your law firm, providing a professional and branded online space they can use during their lifetime.
2. Up-leveled Client Experience: In each dashboard, clients have expertly tailored instructions for trust funding, secure storage for their estate planning (EP) documents, and shared space with you for ongoing estate and financial planning. This personalized approach not only reinforces your firm’s brand but also keeps clients engaged with the process.some text
   1. Benefits to Clients:
      1. Customizable area for clients to track their work
      2. Easy to use financial inventory for clients have to manage assets and understand where things are / where things go in the estate plan on an ongoing basis
      3. Secure Space for critical estate planning documents and everything in between
3. Facilitate Ongoing Client Interaction: Encourage clients to periodically visit their dashboard to review trust funding instructions and you can monitor their progress and set reminders for them to check in with you and vice versa. This regular engagement helps keep the importance of trust funding and estate planning as an ongoing service top of mind and demonstrates your firm’s commitment to their financial well-being.
4. Proactively Address Client Inactivity: Monitor client progress through the dashboard. If a client stalls in their trust funding efforts, Trustate gives you a tangible reason to reach out. some text
   1. CRITICAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT KEY: Three months after EP documents are shared on the platform, you can gently remind clients of incomplete actions, presenting an opportune moment to re-offer your trust funding services when they have realized it makes better sense to have your firm handle it as opposed to taking matters into their own hands.

By leveraging Trustate, you can create a dynamic and interactive client experience that not only educates but also re-engages individuals on the importance of trust funding. This strategic approach ensures that even those initially hesitant can see the value over time, turning potential "no"s into successful engagements.

Conclusion: Building Lasting Client Relationships

Incorporating trust funding into your practice is more than just adding another service—it's about creating a value proposition that speaks directly to clients' needs and concerns. By emphasizing quality, trust, and expertise, and leveraging the right tools, law firms can not only enhance their service offering but also build lasting relationships that extend across the client's lifetime.

In an era where clients have ample choice for legal services, those firms that effectively communicate the value of trust funding, backed by a commitment to client success, will distinguish themselves in a crowded market.

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