Adding Value to Your Estate Planning Practice

Clients who feel they are not receiving services equal to the amount their estate planner charges will, understandably, feel begrudged when it comes time to pay the fees. Estate planners can help eliminate client anger over bills by adding value to the services they provide. A list of areas clients typically find important and value adding in estate planning practices is below:

• The estate planner’s level of knowledge, skill, and experience
• The estate planner’s confidence in what he or she does
• How quickly the estate planner returns phone calls, schedules appointments, and can make time to see clients
• The ability of the estate planner to understand and communicate with client effectively
• The reputation of the estate planner
• The outcome of any past dealings or relationships with the estate planner
• The practice’s reception area
• How the client is greeted when they first arrive
• How long the client must wait in the reception area
• The location of the office
• The office’s parking lot and spaces

See Guy Jackson (WealthCounsel), What to Charge Your Estate Planning Clients? In Search of the Perfect Fee: The Importance of Adding Value, WealthCounsel, Sep. 13, 2011.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (WealthCounsel) for bringing this article to my attention.