158: The Ten Golden Rules of Intake for Law Firms with Brooke Birkey and Jay Berkowitz

Most law firms lose clients before they’ve even signed them simply because intake isn’t done right. Brooke Birkey from Level Up Law Firm Business Coaching joins me to break down the 10 Golden Rules of Intake that turn more leads into signed cases. From giving prospects multiple ways to connect, to delivering five-star service on every call, we share our proven systems to boost conversion, protect revenue, and build a reputation that keeps clients coming back. If you want your team to master intake from the first ring to the final signature, you’ll find the exact steps here.Key Topics00:56 – Why Brooke returned for a second episode and her background in emotional intelligence-based intake training04:53 – Rule #1: Give the User What They Want—four contact options every site must have06:20 – Why chat captures cases calls and forms miss07:30 – Using text as a high-conversion intake channel08:05 – The role of overflow and backup systems like Smith.ai09:00 – Rule #2: Be Available 24/7/365 or risk losing Google visibility10:09 – How Google tracks response times and rewards quick answers11:30 – Coaching teams to answer with empathy and urgency13:06 – Rule #3: Pick Up that Dang Phone within 3 rings and avoid phone trees14:33 – Why no answering machines on LSA calls15:58 – Rule #4: The 3x3x3 Follow-up for competitive markets18:21 – Using CRM remarketing campaigns to re-engage leads19:37 – How TGR Boomerang rescues missed calls and stale form leads21:17 – Rule #5: Deliver Five-star Concierge Service from the first contact22:50 – Training teams to anticipate needs like Ritz-Carlton staff24:38 – How service quality drives five-star Google reviews25:24 – Scripting and reinforcing “hospitality tonality”26:53 – Managing calls with empathy, control, and value propositions27:27 – Rule #6: Conversation, Not Interrogation—build rapport before qualifying29:08 – The five essential intake questions for PI cases30:40 – Rule #7: Measure What Matters—track leads, conversions, and cost per case33:35 – Why “we close 97% of cases we want” is misleading35:02 – Rule #8: The Value Sandwich—what they gain, the contract, and what they lose if they don’t sign36:32 – Rule #9: Explain It To Your Grandmother37:59 – Avoid legal jargon and break agreements into four clear chunks39:32 – Rule #10: Don’t Let the Fish Off The Line—close before they hang up40:52 – How AI call review spots missed closing opportunities42:00 – Brooke’s book and podcast recommendationsResources MentionedBooksThe New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company by Joseph Michelli, - https://a.co/d/4Jp1kqP Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara - https://a.co/d/4xwqFFa Technology/SoftwareSmith.ai – https://smith.ai CallRail – https://www.callrail.com TGR Boomerang – https://tengoldenrules.com PodcastsLaw Firm Blueprint – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-law-firm-blueprint/id1604509420 They Don’t Teach This in Law School – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/curating-a-personal-brand-that-sells-with-jay-berkowitz/id1640557971?i=1000714329383 About our Guest:Brooke Birkey is a dynamic coach specializing in emotional intelligence (EI) training for law firms. With a deep understanding of the unique challenges facing legal professionals, she helps law firm owners, intake teams, and legal staff build stronger emotional intelligence skills that lead to better client relationships, enhanced team performance, and greater revenue generation.Brooke focuses on helping intake teams optimize their processes to increase revenue and supporting legal teams in reducing opportunity costs through effective communication and decision-making. Her coaching helps teams break through barriers, streamline workflows, and increase productivity by tapping into the power of emotional intelligence to improve both individual performance and collective outcomes.Outside of her work in law firm coaching, Brooke enjoys reading, Latin dancing, and finds joy in anything involving the outdoors.https://leveluplawfirmcoaching.com/ About Jay Berkowitz:Jay Berkowitz is a best-selling author and popular keynote speaker. Mr. Berkowitz managed marketing departments at: Coca-Cola, Sprint and McDonald's Restaurants, and he is the Founder and CEO of Ten Golden Rules,  a digital marketing agency specialized in working with attorneys.Mr. Berkowitz is the author of Advanced Internet Marketing for Law Firms, The Ten Golden Rules of Online Marketing and 10 Free Internet Marketing Strategies that went to #1 on Amazon.  He is the host of the Ten Golden Rules of Internet Marketing Webinar and Podcast. He has been profiled by the Wall Street Journal, The Business Journals and FOX Business TV.Mr. Berkowitz was selected for membership as a TITAN for Elite Digital Marketing Agencies, he is the recipient of a SOFIE Award for Most Effective use of Emerging Media, and a Special BERNAY’s Award.Connect with Ten Golden RulesSubscribe to Ten Golden Rules on YouTubeCheck out our webinars on TenGoldenRules.comConnect with Ten Golden Rules on LinkedInFollow Ten Golden Rules on FacebookConnect with Jay Berkowitz on LinkedInThanks for listening!Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!Subscribe to the podcastIf you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. 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