How Bankruptcy Attorneys Can Build Their Own Lead Follow Up System
In this episode of 720 System Strategies, I walk through how to build a lead follow up system that works in the real world. Here are three key takeaways:
- Lead follow up drives the highest return because you already paid for the lead
- Most debtors do not hire another attorney right away. They wait until something forces a decision
- The firms that stay in front of the lead win when that moment comes
In this episode of 720 System Strategies, I walk through how to build your own lead follow up program for consumer bankruptcy. I get into what we have learned after years of doing this at scale, why most firms lose money by stopping too soon, and what changes when your messaging stops focusing only on debt and starts showing people what life can look like after bankruptcy. You can watch the episode for the full breakdown, or keep reading for the questions bankruptcy attorneys ask me most often about lead follow up.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is lead follow up so important in bankruptcy?
- How long should I follow up with a lead?
- What should I talk about in my follow up emails?
- Does texting really make that big of a difference?
- How do I get old leads to come back?
- Should I build this myself or use a system?
FAQ: Why is lead follow up so important in bankruptcy?
Lead follow up is so important in bankruptcy because most people are not ready to file the first time they contact your office. They are overwhelmed, embarrassed, short on cash, or still trying to convince themselves they can fix it some other way. What I have seen over and over is that they do not usually go hire another attorney right away. They wait until something happens, such as a garnishment or a lawsuit. That is the moment when they either remember you or they go back to Google and start over.
FAQ: How long should I follow up with a lead?
How long you should follow up with a lead is usually much longer than most attorneys think. The sweet spot starts immediately, but it does not end after a week or two. Some people need months and some need years. If they contacted your office and never filed, there is a good chance the problem sat there getting worse. That is why long term follow up works. The lead still exists. The timing simply was not right yet.
FAQ: What should I talk about in my follow up emails?
What you should talk about in your follow up emails is not only the mechanics of bankruptcy. Early on, a lot of firms focus on qualification, fees, process, and timelines. That has its place, but it is not the whole picture. What changed the game for us was shifting the message toward the future. We started talking more about rebuilding credit, buying a car, buying a home, and what life can look like after the case is over. People respond when they can see daylight.
FAQ: Does texting really make that big of a difference?
Texting really does make that big of a difference. Email helps people get familiar with you. It gives them time to think and it builds trust little by little. Texting is what gets movement. Once we added texting into the system in a serious way, conversions jumped in a major way. That is because people will ignore an email for three days and answer a text in three minutes. The channel changes the response.
FAQ: How do I get old leads to come back?
You get old leads to come back by staying in front of them with useful follow up instead of assuming they are gone. A lot of attorneys look at old leads and think those names are dead. I do not look at them that way. I look at them and think, they have not filed yet. If the original problem is still there, and it usually is, then there is still an opportunity. When the timing changes, the attorney they remember is usually the one who kept showing up in a helpful way.
FAQ: Should I build this myself or use a system?
Whether you should build this yourself or use a system depends on how much time and attention you can really give it. You absolutely can build it yourself. But most attorneys are busy being attorneys. They are not studying open rates, rewriting sequences, managing compliance, and building texting workflows. That is where a real system helps. It keeps the follow up moving without turning into one more thing your team never gets around to updating.
If you want help setting this up in your firm or you would rather plug into a system that is already working, reach out to 720 System Strategies.
Disclaimer: The content on this blog is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Watching our videos and reading our blogs does not create an attorney-client relationship. Always consult a licensed bankruptcy attorney or financial professional about your situation.