If you’re an estate planning or elder law attorney, you already know the feeling.
You finally get a new prospect in the door — or on Zoom — for an initial consultation. You’ve set aside 90 minutes (or more) of your valuable time. But ten minutes in, you realize this meeting is going nowhere fast.
The prospect isn’t ready. They don’t understand their own situation. And before you can even start helping, you have to spend an hour educating them — for free.
The Problem: Prospects Show Up Unprepared
Most attorneys can recite these conversations in their sleep:
“Our situation is simple. We just need a basic will.”
“My brother-in-law got his trust done for $99 — how much do you charge?”
Then you start asking questions… and “simple” quickly turns into complex: a child with special needs, property in multiple states, family conflict, or a looming long-term care crisis.
Sound familiar?
These prospects mean well — but they’re not ready to buy. They don’t know what they don’t know. So instead of a meaningful planning discussion, the meeting becomes a crash course in estate law.
You walk them through everything — incapacity, tax exposure, trust funding, Medicaid eligibility — and by the time they start to understand, they’re overwhelmed.
And overwhelmed prospects rarely buy.
They thank you for your time, say they need to “think about it,” and walk out without signing a single document.
Why Your Initial Consultation Shouldn’t Be a Classroom
Education is important — but your initial consultation shouldn’t be Intro to Estate Planning 101.
If you spend your consult teaching basic concepts, you’re working for free and setting yourself up for frustration.
Here’s the bigger problem: you’re starting the sales conversation at the wrong point.
Instead of focusing on the why — the client’s goals, fears, and problems — you’re forced to start with the what and the how.
That shift makes it almost impossible to build momentum or close confidently.
The Better Way: Pre-Educate With a Webinar
A properly structured webinar changes everything.
When done right, your webinar does the heavy lifting before the prospect ever walks into your office.
It:
- Sets the right mindset — so prospects arrive focused on their goals, not just the price.
- Answers the basic “what is estate planning?” questions ahead of time.
- Shows your authority and professionalism.
- Positions you as the trusted guide — not just another lawyer selling documents.
When prospects have already watched your webinar, they come into the consultation prepared, informed, and motivated.
You don’t have to spend an hour explaining the basics. Instead, you can dive straight into meaningful planning and confident recommendations.
Consultations become shorter, smoother, and far more productive — and your conversion rates soar.
Ready to Make Every Consultation Count?
Join us for our free upcoming webinar:
Harvesting Leads That Feed Your Business – How Webinars Turn Prospects into Clients
Thursday, October 30, 2025
10:00 a.m. MDT
Michael Campbell, Creative Director, Integrity Marketing Solutions
We’ll show you exactly how to use webinars to:
- Attract qualified, motivated leads
- Pre-educate prospects before the consult
- Streamline your sales process
- Close more high-value clients — without burnout
Reserve your seat today: https://imsrocks.com/webinar/how-webinars-turn-prospects-into-clients/
And if you’d like to see how other attorneys are improving consultations and conversions with this strategy, check out our client success stories.
Stop Giving Away Your Time — Start Converting It
Every hour you spend educating unqualified prospects is an hour you could be using to grow your firm.
Webinars let you reclaim your time, build trust faster, and make your initial consultations truly pay off.
If you’re ready to stop teaching and start closing, this is your next step.
