No Answer. No Callback. No Way.

We spotted the problems. The solutions got stopped at the front door. Our Business Development team planned a sales meeting. Each of us submitted 15 to 25 firms to prospect, and since many of our lists overlapped, we agreed on ten offices to visit. Before stepping into a single office, we did our recon: we reviewed their websites, and were surprised to see how many of these firms didn't have a website, and others led to an error page. We ran some Google analysis and called every firm.

Every call went to voicemail. Every single one. Even when we pressed the option to schedule a consultation, no one picked up. Some firms we called three times. As of today, not one has called us back.

So I got in the car with our lead sales rep and drove to them.

What we found at the door

Two firms led us to mailboxes. When we entered one of the addresses into navigation, it took us to a UPS Store. We double-checked the website, re-entered the address, and sure enough, it was a UPS Store. Virtual offices are completely fine; plenty of firms work remotely now, but if a potential client can't reach anyone by phone and decides to stop by on their lunch break, they find a mailbox or a shipping store, not a law office.

Speaking of lunch breaks, it's very common for law offices to close during lunch. We were surprised, however, that closures were 90 minutes to two hours. At a firm I once ran, the intake desk never closed, and backup reception was mandatory. Think about the potential client who uses their only free hour to call a divorce attorney, only to learn the office won't reopen until well after they're back at work.

Then there were the locked buildings. We paid for parking, walked over, and found the main entrance locked during posted business hours. We called the number on the firm's Google listing, which connected us to a location in another city about 30 minutes away. The receptionist was very sweet, but she didn't know why the building was locked and couldn't offer any further help. Fortunately, someone walked out, and we slipped in. The office manager was quite friendly. She didn't know why the building was locked either, and even though we reciprocated her politeness, she didn't invite us past the firm's door.

At another firm, the front desk told my rep, "Not interested" before she could explain why she was there. We got a few assumptions, "your realtors, right?" Made me think about what a stereotypical realtor must look like, and were we giving realtor vibes somehow?!

Most front desks were genuinely kind. They graciously accepted our goodies and offered to pass them along. Several were visibly nervous to even ask the managing attorney or office manager for five minutes. None saw the value in what we were there to deliver, so not one appointment made it onto a calendar.

I understand the gatekeeper

This isn't my first or only business, and I used to run a law firm as a COO. A good gatekeeper is important. They protect the owner's time, C-Suite time, attorneys' time, and that is important. An attorney's time is money. C-Suite time is valuable.

As an experienced entrepreneur, I realize rejection is also part of the sales journey. Doors close, phones hang up, objections are frequent, but this day hit me different. It saddened me how many attorneys don't realize the opportunities knocking at their door - delivering much-needed solutions. After more than two decades in law, attorneys, paralegals, and support staff are my colleagues, my referral partners, and some of my good friends. I've sat through countless conferences, workshops, and webinars, and I know firsthand that solo and small firm owners want to grow. They want to stand out. They want solutions. They want to make money. Law school wasn't easy, and it certainly wasn't cheap.

There's a cost to a gate that never opens

All day, I wondered whether these firm owners knew how many barriers stood between them and the people trying to reach them. Those barriers don't just keep out sales teams like mine. They keep out new clients, too. The solutions we were there to offer would remove those barriers, free up time to work on client matters, hit their billables, reduce staffing costs and operational overhead, all while helping them scale.

Now, picture a potential client. She leaves work early, pays for parking, walks in heels to stand outside a locked door in the heat, has to look up the phone number, calls to be buzzed in, and learns no attorneys even work at the address listed online and the person who schedules is at lunch. Would she still believe that office is worth pursuing? That experience is the preview of what being their client would feel like.

"No answer. No call back. No way in the door."

Three things to check this week

• 1. Call your own number, including during lunch. Does a live person answer? If it goes to voicemail, does someone call back the same day?
• 2. Search your firm on Google and Maps. Is the address correct - or should you list it; does the phone number reach the right office; and does your website actually load?
• 3. Give your front desk clear guidelines. Tell them which calls and visitors deserve five minutes of time so they can screen with confidence instead of fear. Fear of upsetting you, which in turn gives them decision making powers you might not be aware of.

When opportunity calls, answer

At our agency, we say: when opportunity calls, you need to answer. That day served as an eye-opening reminder that the call isn't always a lead. Sometimes it's a business partner.

How often does a firm owner see a report of every caller turned away, every message never returned, every person who gave up at a locked door? Probably never, because those people don't leave a trace. Those people just call or drive to the next firm.

No answer. No callback. No way that is happening?

Law firm owners: when was the last time you called your own number, searched your firm, or checked in with the gatekeepers?

Stop losing leads you already paid for.

Talk to The Intake Agency about answering every call, recovering more no-shows, and converting more qualified leads into signed retainers.

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