Key takeaways
- Judge the firm on signed cases and cost per signed case, not on clicks or calls.
- Track time to first contact. It affects every lead you pay for.
- Watch for dependence on one source of leads.
- Review monthly, and look at trends over a quarter or more.
What should your scorecard include?
| Measure | How to work it out | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| New leads | Count of enquiries by source and month | Whether demand is growing |
| Time to first contact | Median minutes from enquiry to first attempt | Whether paid leads are being wasted |
| Contact rate | Leads reached ÷ leads received | Gaps in follow-up |
| Consults booked | Consults ÷ leads reached | Quality of intake |
| Signed cases | Retainers signed per month | The result that pays |
| Cost per signed case | Total marketing spend ÷ signed cases | Whether channels are worth their cost |
| Source mix | Share of signed cases by source | Risk if one source dries up |
| Case outcomes | Settled or closed value, time to resolve | Return, months later |
What problems most often hold firms back?
- Slow first contact. See why firms miss leads.
- No tracking to signed cases. See the tracking guide.
- One lead source. A change in a platform or a vendor can end it.
- Unclear intake process. See the intake process guide.
- Spending without a cost-per-case target. See cost guide.
How do you use the scorecard?
- Fill it in for the last three months, even roughly.
- Pick the weakest measure and fix that first.
- Review monthly and keep the same definitions each time.
This is a marketing and intake scorecard, not financial or legal advice. Ask your accountant for profitability and your ethics counsel for rules on case advances and fees.
Want this worked out for your firm? The free 20-minute growth audit looks at your ads and how new leads are handled today, and you keep the written plan. Book my free growth audit.