Free Information Is Now Perceived As Persuasion

Every day you’re probably hearing this from those who claim to be marketing “experts”: “If you want to get new clients, you have to give information/value”.

Most attorneys seem to comply with this false belief.

They give immense value in their sales process by providing free information.

Dispensing free information used to be an effective way to sell but that has ended.

Here’s why…

Because in the pre-internet era, there was less free information available and free information provided was used to classify the source as trustworthy.

But in the post-internet era (now), free information is everywhere and when you dispense it in your sales process, it is perceived as persuasion for the purpose to get them to hire you.

Providing free information no longer portrays you as a credible expert… it portrays you as someone trying to sell something, keeping your prospect in “shopping mode”.

It extends your sales cycle, puts you in “follow-up” mode and ultimately ends up in: “I’d like to think about it, and I’ll will get back to you when I’m ready”.

This is the problem with free information/consulting/value, typically delivered upfront by attorneys, and the reason why most prospects don’t move forward as paying clients.

Here’s a different perspective that will give you more clarity on this…

When an industry becomes commoditized (like the legal industry), those working in it try harder to differentiate.

They share a portion of their knowledge for free, hoping to differentiate by displaying their competence.

That works great, when your peers aren’t doing it.

But it doesn’t work great, when everyone else in your industry is sharing their knowledge as well — competence from your prospect’s perspective, has becomes commoditized.

It’s easy to make the assumption your prospect is judging you based on your competence.

Don’t make that assumption anymore.

They’re judging you based on how much they trust you.

It’s why they often say “I need time to think it over”, instead of “Let’s move forward”.

What they are really looking for from you, is deep clarity on their issues, the ones they can’t articulate on their own.

Dispensing information requires them to process what you are giving them, it doesn’t create a clear “aha” based on the “gaps” they can’t see on their own.

Your prospect’s ultimate decision is not driven by processing your expertise and knowledge – it’s driven by whether or not they trust you.

Educating them with free information doesn’t build trust, it only commoditizes you, losing you potential paying clients.

To learn how to shift the conversation away from giving away free information and value to trust-building instead, order the complimentary book and schedule your free consultation below.