Law firm network QualitySolicitors yesterday announced a greater focus on lead conversion, along with a change in leadership to drive it.
CEO Eddie Ross is to leave next month and be replaced by Ben Greco, managing director of property services firm Move with Us, a member of the wider Simplify Group of which QS is part.
Mr Ross “will continue to provide consultancy support to the legal network”, an announcement said.
QS said it has been focusing on web marketing, and its central website and those of its member law firms recorded nearly 1.3m unique visitors in 2015, generating more than 38,000 leads and enquiries for the network.
It said Move with Us, with which some QS firms already work as a conveyancing panel partner, was “a recognised market leader in lead conversion in the sector”.
The announcement continued: “The central QualitySolicitors organisation will continue to further enhance this lead generation capability and also now, by harnessing the expertise and experience of the Move with Us lead conversion teams, focus its effort to create a similar level of success in lead conversion.
“Converting more of those new business leads into profitable legal cases will boost revenues at QualitySolicitors firms as well as improve end-customer satisfaction with quality of process and speed of response.”
Mr Greco said: “In the last two years, QualitySolicitors has strengthened its brand position, in particular online, and created a powerful lead generation engine. I am excited about working with the network to really maximise the value of those leads for the benefit of the QualitySolicitors member firms directly, and in further strengthening the QualitySolicitors brand.”
Mr Ross added: “We have helped our firms consolidate a differentiated brand proposition in the marketplace, and now the lead conversion experience of Move with Us will further increase the value of membership for our firms.”
Fuller details about the network’s plans are expected next month. The network has been quiet in the last year, although a couple of longstanding members firms – West Midlands firm Talbots and Norfolk firm Clapham & Collinge – made some noise by leaving it.
Just over a year ago, the Simplify Group – owned by private equity company Palamon – bought online business Evident Legal to add to QS, Move with Us, fellow conveyancing brand DC Law, and probate specialist Chorus Law.
The most recent accounts of the central QS organisation – for the 15 months to 31 March 2015 – showed a loss of £2.7m and net liabilities of £15.9m.
A sunken ship.
Fundamentally this is what happens when a barrister pretends to be a marketer. 5 years on – ‘ah we need to be a lead generation machine!’
Whats happened to the ever so defensive Mr Holt these days? ;-P