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  • Why not go to market with “excellent work at low rates”?

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    Posted on June 21, 2012 at 3:21 pm

    Recently, I made a presentation to lawyers on branding where I was challenged with this tired, old argument: “Clients only want excellent work at low rates. None of this [brand stuff] matters.”  Should I just shoot myself or say, once again, clients want their problem to go away…by excellent work, shoddy work or no work (e.g., a phone call). Half the time, even sophisticated buyers of legal services cannot distinguish between good and superb quality work. Moreover, clients don’t want to deal with lawyers at all if they are not a central part of their business; they want to get on with realizing their business goals (profit or balanced budget or return on investment).

    Low rates? Your rates cannot be low enough. Everyone, including many lawyers, believe their hourly rates are too high. The problem is the legal industry has backed itself into an hourly rate corner. Clients, in fact, want value and are willing to pay for perceived value.

    Excellent work at low rates? Wrong on both counts.

    Joggers want running shoes that are inexpensive. Nope. They want to get into shape or realize their highest potential. If the right shoes can make a difference, runners are willing to pay for what they value most.

    This truth is so fundamental it’s hard to imagine we still have to parry the belief we should sell “excellent work at low rates.”

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Brand Thinkers

Burkey Belser

 Burkey Belser

Burkey Belser, president and creative director, pioneered legal services marketing. He has been quoted on brand design topics by dozens of industry publications and is highly rated as a speaker on topics from branding to information design.

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