Building Your Own Client Base: A Will Writer's Marketing Guide

The biggest thing keeping will writers employed is the belief: "I can't find my own clients." Your company has convinced you that lead generation is some magical, expensive process that only they can do.

The truth: Finding estate planning clients is one of the EASIEST marketing challenges in professional services. Here's why:

• •68% of UK adults have no will — the market is enormous and mostly untapped
• •Everyone over 18 with assets needs estate planning — your target market is essentially everyone
• •Life events trigger action — buying a home, having a baby, getting married, bereavement, retirement
• •Referrals are natural — happy clients tell their families (who also need wills)
• •Professionals WANT to refer — solicitors, accountants, and IFAs need someone to send clients to
• •Local search demand is high — thousands of people Google "will writer near me" every month

What your company actually does for lead generation:

• •A website (cost: £500-£2,000)
• •Maybe some Google ads (cost: £200-£500/month)
• •A brand name (but clients remember YOU, not the company)
• •A phone number (cost: £10/month)
• •That's it. That's what you're paying 50-70% of your fees for.

What you can do yourself for a fraction of the cost:

• •Google Business profile (FREE — generates local enquiries)
• •A simple website (£0-£500, one-time cost)
• •Referral partnerships (FREE — professional relationships)
• •Word of mouth from happy clients (FREE — your best marketing)
• •Social media presence (FREE — LinkedIn, Facebook groups)
• •Networking events (£0-£500/year)

Total marketing cost: £0-£1,500/year. Compare that to the £30,000-£80,000/year your company keeps from your fees for "lead generation."

Referral partnerships generate 60-70% of business for most independent estate planners. Here's how to build them:

Who to approach:

1. Funeral directors — See bereaved families daily who realise they should have had estate planning. They want someone trustworthy to recommend.

• •Approach: Visit local funeral homes, introduce yourself, offer literature for their offices
• •What they need: Someone reliable who treats their families sensitively
• •Volume: 1-5 referrals/month per active partner

2. Financial advisors and mortgage brokers — Every client needs a will but they don't offer estate planning.

• •Approach: LinkedIn connection, local networking events, direct approach
• •What they need: Someone who handles the estate planning so they can focus on investments/mortgages
• •Volume: 2-10 referrals/month per active partner

3. Solicitors (non-private-client) — Conveyancers, litigation solicitors, commercial lawyers all meet clients who need wills.

• •Approach: Professional introduction, offer reciprocal referrals
• •What they need: Someone to handle the work they don't do
• •Volume: 1-5 referrals/month per active partner

4. Accountants — They know clients' financial situations and IHT exposure.

• •Approach: Offer to present at their client seminars
• •What they need: Estate planning expertise for their wealthier clients
• •Volume: 1-3 referrals/month per active partner

5. Estate agents — Every property buyer needs a will.

• •Approach: Drop off cards and literature, offer referral arrangement
• •What they need: An easy value-add for their buyers
• •Volume: 2-5 referrals/month per active partner

How to approach them:

• •Be direct: "I help your clients with wills, LPAs, and trusts. If you ever have clients who need this, I'd love to help them."
• •Offer value: "I'll look after your clients brilliantly, and I'm happy to refer work back to you."
• •Make it easy: Give them your cards, a one-page flyer, or a simple email they can forward
• •Follow up: After they send a referral, tell them how it went (builds trust)

Aim for: 5-10 active referral partners within 3-6 months. Each sending 2-5 clients/month gives you 10-50 clients/month — more than enough for a thriving practice.

Many people search online when they need estate planning. Here's how to make sure they find YOU:

Google Business Profile (Priority 1 — FREE):

• •Set up at business.google.com
• •Verify your business address (home address can be hidden)
• •Add photos, services, and opening hours
• •Ask every client to leave a Google review
• •Aim for 20+ reviews within 6 months
• •This alone generates 3-10 enquiries/month for most practitioners

Simple website (Priority 2 — £0-£500):

• •One-page site is enough to start
• •Include: your photo, services, pricing guide, contact form, testimonials
• •Optimise for local searches: "[your town] will writer" and "[your area] estate planning"
• •WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace are all fine
• •Don't overthink it — a simple professional site beats no site

LinkedIn (Priority 3 — FREE):

• •Update headline: "Estate Planner | Wills, LPAs & Trusts | [Your Area]"
• •Post weekly about estate planning topics (case studies, tips, common mistakes)
• •Connect with local professionals (potential referral partners)
• •Join local business groups on LinkedIn
• •Share client testimonials (with permission)

Local Facebook groups (Priority 4 — FREE):

• •Join community groups for your area
• •Don't sell — provide value (answer estate planning questions when they arise)
• •When people ask "can anyone recommend a will writer?" you'll be top of mind
• •Occasional informative posts (not promotional) build awareness

Google reviews: Your secret weapon:

• •After every completed case, ask: "Would you mind leaving a review on Google? It really helps other people find me."
• •Most clients are happy to do this
• •5-star reviews with personal stories are incredibly powerful
• •20+ reviews makes you the obvious local choice
• •Set up an easy link (Google provides this) and send it via text after each case

Online is important, but estate planning is fundamentally a LOCAL business. Here's what works in your community:

Networking events (1-2 per month):

• •BNI chapters: structured referral groups (cost: £500-£1,000/year)
• •Chamber of Commerce: local business networking (cost: £200-£500/year)
• •Rotary/Lions clubs: community-minded professionals
• •Local business breakfasts: informal networking
• •The key: go consistently, build relationships, don't hard-sell

Community visibility:

• •Sponsor a local sports team or charity event (£100-£500)
• •Offer free talks at community centres: "Estate Planning Basics" (generates leads every time)
• •Write for local parish magazines or newsletters
• •Attend school fairs and community events with a simple stand
• •Put cards in local cafes, hairdressers, and GP waiting rooms

Professional talks and workshops:

• •Offer to speak at retirement planning events
• •Present to local over-50s groups
• •Run free workshops: "Protect Your Home from Care Fees" or "Why Every Parent Needs a Will"
• •These ALWAYS generate immediate clients (typically 3-5 per event)

Direct outreach:

• •Letter drops to specific streets (newly built estates — new homeowners)
• •Door-to-door in retirement areas (not cold calling — informative leaflets)
• •Car boot/table top sales (unusual but effective — people queue up for "free will consultations")

Referral fee arrangements:

• •Legal to pay referral fees to non-regulated introducers
• •Offer £25-£50 per referral to funeral directors, estate agents, etc.
• •Or offer reciprocal referrals (no money changes hands)
• •Track where business comes from so you know what's working

The compounding effect:

• •Month 1-3: All marketing feels like effort with little reward
• •Month 4-6: Referrals start coming, reviews build, word spreads
• •Month 7-12: Marketing becomes self-sustaining (referrals generate referrals)
• •Year 2+: You have more enquiries than you can handle

Most of these strategies are free or very low cost. The investment is your time and consistency. Results compound over months — keep going even when it feels slow.

Our training doesn't just teach you estate planning — our business courses teach you how to BUILD a practice. Here's what we provide:

Business courses (Set Up Your Business, free; Client Mentality and Getting Clients, £199):

• •Client conversation scripts and techniques
• •Pricing and packaging strategies
• •Referral partnership building
• •Local marketing approaches
• •Online presence optimisation
• •Client retention and review strategies

WILLO software supports client acquisition:

• •Professional document output (impresses clients who then refer)
• •Client management (track referral sources, measure what works)
• •Follow-up reminders (prompt review conversations that generate new business)
• •Case tracking (know exactly how your pipeline looks)

Community support:

• •Connect with other independent practitioners
• •Share what's working in different areas
• •Learn from people who've already built their client base
• •Ask questions and get real-world answers

The numbers that should motivate you:

• •You need just 8-10 cases per week to earn £70,000-£100,000/year
• •At a 30% enquiry-to-client conversion rate, that's 25-35 enquiries per week
• •5 referral partners sending 3 referrals each = 15 enquiries/week
• •Google reviews generating 5-10 enquiries/week
• •Word of mouth providing 5-10 enquiries/week
• •Total: 25-35 enquiries/week from zero-cost marketing

The barrier isn't clients. There are 30+ million UK adults without wills. The barrier is getting started. Our free start removes that barrier — you learn the skills, get the software, and understand how to build your client base from scratch.

Register today. In 6 months, you'll have more clients than you can handle, earning 3-5x what your company ever paid you.