Episode 27: How Shifting Away from a “Big Retainer Mentality” Can Transform Your Firm


Brian Winters’ experience while working for a big law firm included what he calls a “big retainer mentality.” Success there was measured by how large the initial retainer would be. After some convincing, Brian started offering more affordable services including unbundled “isolated task” work to his clients, and this change in his mentality and approach helped transform his practice. Today, Brian shares how he went about making this important change, the kinds of options he offers now, and how he talks about them with his clients. He also talks about his expansion into other parts of his state, and how he manages his mobile practice from the road.


In this episode, you’ll learn:

How Brian overcame his self-described “snobbery” of wanting to charge a big retainer as a requirement to feel successful, and how this shift in mentality transformed his practice
How he explains unbundled options for clients by describing how he can help with “isolated tasks”
The value of quoting a flat fee in combination with a reasonable payment plan that is tailored to the client’s budget
The importance of using words like “lower cost” and “less expensive” versus “cheap” and “low cost,” plus the value of explaining these distinctions to your clients
How servicing a high volume of Unbundled leads helps Brian and his staff become more efficient and streamline workflows
Why Brian personally calls every lead himself, and why his conversion rate plummets every time his staff makes those calls
The WOW factor from calling leads in real time, and why you should position your firm to be ready to respond to leads immediately
What Contact -> Relationship -> Sale means, and how this shift in approach will result in more clients retaining your firm
How Brian uses the offices of attorneys in other counties as meeting places for his own clients, and how this has allowed him to expand his coverage area
How he avoids case overload or having work slip through the cracks by completing and filing each case immediately after he is retained
And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!


For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com