Let Me Think About It

“When you don’t know what to do next in the process of trying to get a prospective client to hire you,” I told a group of attorneys recently, “do what you do best—ask a question.”

A hand went up. “Any question?” a very young-looking attorney named Natalie asked.

“That was a good question,” I replied, and a few members of the group laughed.

Then, a more experienced attorney, Ben, asked me specifically about what to do when you’ve explained everything to a prospective client and you hear those dreaded words—“Let me think about it…”

“What do you do now when someone says that to you?” I asked Ben.

“My usual response,” he replied, “is something like, ‘Sure, take your time. When do you want me to check back with you?’” “But,” Ben complained, “once they leave, they usually don’t respond to my call, and I’ve lost them.”

“Let me think about it” is a statement that can mean anything:

“I’m not convinced of the approach.”
“You haven’t convinced me that your firm is the best one to handle this problem.”
“I’m not happy with fees and costs.”
“Maybe if ignore the problem, it will go away.”

As a result, you can’t do much with it unless you understand what it means for the person you’re talking with. A good response here, once again, involves questions. It might look something like this:

Great! It’s an important decision and you should think about it. Let me see if I can help you though:


Do you agree with concept [or approach]?
Do you agree that what I’m offering is the best solution?
Have I convinced you that we’re the right firm for what you need?
Do you agree that you need to start this right away?
Is there someone else you need to involve in the decision-making process?
Is there an issue with the fees?

“Your questions will eliminate the non-issues one-by-one, and you’ll find out exactly what your prospect needs to think about,” I told the group. “Then, you can ask more questions about whatever the particular concern is and make sure you’ve satisfied them—if satisfying them is possible.”

“At that point, ask them again if they want to get started,” I concluded. “Does that answer your question, Ben?”

“I don’t know,” Ben replied, “let me think about it!”

I can help you get more clients and feel more motivated, but you need to reach out and ask. In the meantime, keep REACHING…

Sandy