So, you've taken the plunge and now provide remote particpation services for attorneys. Whether that's videoconferencing, bridging, chat, or streaming, you need to know how to effectively sell your new services  in order to maximize your profits (and the attorney's level of satisfaction with your firm). We've taken part of our Remote Counsel University Sales and Marketing course to explain some of the best strategies for selling remote participation services to attorneys.

As you're well aware, attorneys want the maximum amount of services for the least amount of money. As if that wasn't enough for court reporters to deal with, the legal industry is notoriously slow-to-change and wary of technology. So, how do you convince your clients to enlist your remote participation services? Two words: solution selling.

Solution Selling

Many court reporters assume that simply explaining your services to attorneys will garner a positive response. Oftentimes, this isn't the case. Instead of reciting the basic definition of the services you provide and then sitting back and taking orders, you need to sell the remote participation solutions to them. 

Ask the Right Questions

Solution selling simply put is asking the right questions. When you sit down to discuss your next deposition with your client, have a list of questions prepared that start the remote participation conversation. 

Start out with questions like:

1. Will everyone be attending the deposition in person, or will some be participating remotely?

OR

2. Would you like to allow attendees to be able to participate remotely in this deposition? 

These questions spark possibilities in your client's mind that they may not have known were possible. Now, they won't have to pay to send multiple attorneys to a deposition - others can participate through videoconferencing or streaming.  

Once you have started the solution selling conversation with your client, you can continue asking questions that filter out what services they may need. Here are a few examples:

1. For those joining remotely, will they just be watching or do they need to actively participate?

This question is great for determining whether your client needs videoconferencing (two-way communication) or video/text streaming (one-way communication). 

2. Which remote participants would like to receive realtime transcript feeds?

Providing realtime transcript feeds is an excellent way to leverage your additional services for some added revenue. 

3. Do remote participants need to securely and privately communicate with each other during the event?

Letting your client know that a secure chat function is available is an excellent perk. 

Try it Out!

The next time you meet with a new client, try out this solution selling strategy for your remote participation services. Have you had more success selling your services in a different way? Let us know in the comments below!

For more advice like this, register for our free online Remote Counsel University courses - now pre-qualified for CEU credit from NCRA!