Consultants

As a business, we have been in operation for more than 20 years with an excellent track record of success. We have served approximately 55,000 clients and a great number of our consultants have been with us for many years, attesting to great level of support that we provide.

Our training is not only free but is also unparalleled in terms of the depth that we offer. The training is also ongoing and a member of the team is always on hand to answer any difficult queries that our consultants may have.

Unlike our competitors, our Directors are Solicitors (and previously we had been a regulated law firm, until we decided to deregulate to save costs). This gives not only our consultants but also our clients the peace of mind of knowing that everything is being done properly and by professionals. Furthermore, our sister company, Premier Solicitors, are able to provide a wider range of services than our competitors for a better cost, including Probate, Court of Protection work and Conveyancing work as well as other reserved legal work.

We also offer our consultants with the ability to take instructions electronically through an online form. This can be completed with clients on a PC/laptop or even on a tablet taken to their own homes. Instructions are all provided to the Head Office in real time and for all but the most complex Wills, we are able to turn these around and send drafts out to the clients within two weeks.

We operate from the same building as a full service law firm and our consultants are also able to offer all of these services to their clients.

State of the Art Software

We provide all of our business partners with access to our state-of-the-art software, which allows client instructions to be taken accurately, efficiently and effectively. The software covers everything from basic Wills to complex Trusts, and includes the ability to prepare Lasting Powers of Attorney, Advance Decisions and a wide range of ancillary Estate Planning services.

Full Initial and Ongoing Training

We provide initial training at our Head Office in Bedford. This is followed up by several screen share Zoom webinars that cover niche topics and provide more of a grounding on how to use our software. We then have a follow-up seminar a few months after the original training session.

A large portion of our training goes into providing you with the knowledge you need in order to run and market the business. Ultimately, you will be running your own business and we want to ensure that all of the branding, advertising and marketing that you do is effective and profit-driven.

We also hold quarterly Estate Planning Practitioner meetings at our Head Office in Bedford, where legal changes and important updates are discussed and disseminated. This is also a good time to catch up with your colleagues and to find out what latest hot marketing tactic has been working for them!

Case-by-case Support

Estate Planning isn’t easy and we give you the full support that you need in order to deal with any client situation, no matter how complex. We’ve dealt with multi-million-pound Estates and you can trust us to provide the information you need for any particular client situation.

Everything is covered by our Insurance. Therefore, have a duty to ensure that any advice you’re giving clients is correct, up to date and relevant to their circumstances.

We’re only ever a phone call or email away, and always happy to provide you with the advice and support you need! 

Website and Social Media Marketing

Your website is one of the most crucial parts of your business in today’s competitive marketplace, and we provide you with a bespoke one from the outset.

Once built, we are able to give you information and support to help build your website’s SEO ranking to get to, and then stay at, the top of your game in terms of Google, Bing and other search ranking.

We’re also able to provide you with support on Google Adwords and Social Media Content/Marketing. Both of these platforms are vital for finding your future clients.

Marketing Materials

We provide you with a range of marketing materials.

Above and beyond this, we give you access to our designer, who can help prepare your logo, business cards, general marketing materials and bespoke advertisements for your business.

Website and Social Media Marketing

Your website is one of the most crucial parts of your business in today’s competitive marketplace, and, if you wish us to do so, we can provide you with a bespoke one from the outset for a competitive fee.

Once built, we are able to give you information and support to help build your website’s SEO ranking to get to, and then stay at, the top of your game in terms of Google, Bing and other search ranking.

We’re also able to provide you with support on Google Adwords and Social Media Content/Marketing. Both of these platforms are vital for finding your future clients.

Direct Leads and Marketing Support

We provide leads generated from our main website, and our over 50,000 previous clients and their referrals, which we pass out to you at no charge to you.

We also run regular marketing promotions. Combined with our ability to provide you with attractive, informative and bespoke designed marketing materials, we are able to quickly support you in the direction of ongoing success.

Estate Planning Cartoons

We provide you with a set of informative Estate Planning Cartoons for your use on your website, social media and elsewhere. These are professionally animated and voiced over, and we have found them to be incredibly effective marketing tools.

A Unique Trading Style

If you wish to do so, you will be able to trade in partnership with Goodwills in your local area and we will be able to provide you with all of the materials necessary to do so. Although you will run an independent business, your link to the main Goodwills brand will help you to generate new work and client enquiries. Alternatively, many IFAs only refer work from their existing client banks; our business model allows for both. Many of the IFAs that we’ve worked with for several years have chosen to run an Estate Planning business alongside their IFA practice, and to cross-refer work.

Insurance Cover

Estate Planning is an increasingly litigious area of law and, due to our business structure, you are able to act safely in the knowledge that you are covered by our insurance for the work we do. We know that there are cowboy Will writers out there but, as an experienced Will writing company, we are trying to move the industry as a whole in the right direction. You and your clients will have the knowledge that all documents are being written up by experienced Will writers. 

As a consultant, you will be responsible for providing clients with a high level of service and for taking instructions which our legal team use to help provide clients with a range of legal products. We take a fee for carrying out our part of the work but our consultants also take a fee from the client to cover their own time and travel expenses.

The business is a low overhead business, which allows for the generation of significant revenue and profit for the Estate Planning Consultant / Franchisee over time. This includes revenue from the Will, Trust and LPA work, but also includes significant revenue from Probate work too, which, in the case of large Estates, can sometimes amount to referral payments of £10,000 or more for a single matter.  

The model also incorporates a significant passive income element which, over time, can provide a substantial lifetime income. We, and our Franchisees, think of this as being their ‘Pension Pot’ and it is payable to them for the whole of their life, even after they are retired from working with Goodwills Legal Services Ltd.

We offer area exclusivity to our consultants and demand for areas is high and so we are unable to list all available areas at all times on our website – we would advise that you contact us as soon as possible if you are interested in acting as a consultant/franchisee for a particular area.

Right now we have very good availability in the London area and, if you are located in London or the surrounding counties, then please do get in touch, as it is an area of the country we are looking to develop extensively over the next year or so.

Are you able to put me in touch with existing Franchisees, so that I can get their feedback on the business?

Yes, absolutely! In fact, we insist that you speak to some of our existing Estate Planning Consultants before taking on the business. We invest heavily in our business partners and want to know that you’ve fully considered the implications of running the business before taking on the rewarding challenge of doing so.

Are you able to provide me with financial projections?

Yes, we are able to do so; please get in touch with us directly if you would like this information. As is the case with any business, the first one to two years are the most difficult but, once the business is up and running, it provides a significant income with an ever-growing passive income stream.

Whilst the first year is the most difficult, that is why we’re here to help with all of the above. It’s in our best interests for your business to success and we’ll do everything in our power to assist you to be a success.

Do I require any previous experience?

No previous experience of Estate Planning is required and we have advisers working with us who have come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Certainly a professional services background will help but, ultimately, we provide full training and support. As long as you are willing to put in the time and effort to build the business, we are able to help you nurture it into success.

I am a Financial Adviser looking to run an Estate Planning Consultant; are you able to help?

Yes, and many of our existing EPCs are Financial Advisers. Whether the Financial Advisers continue to run their IFA practices and run an Estate Planning business on the side, or switch over to only running an Estate Planning business, we are more than happy to help.

In our experience, financial advisers, with their background giving face-to-face, high quality advice, are very well suited to this type of business. The same is true for insurance brokers, mortgage brokers and a wide range of other financial professionals.

By running an Estate Planning business alongside your existing business, you’ll be able to refer clients back into your IFA practice and vice versa, which will lead to a multiplicate of potential business and profits.

I am an experienced Will Writer; can you help?

Yes, we are able to provide you with access to our instruction taking portal, our insurance and our branding. We are also able to provide you with 25% referrals on Probate work and are able to act as Professional Executors in Wills you draft.

In particular, we are very good at helping our EPPs to build their businesses and to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. We already work with a multitude of existing Will Writers and, for more information on the possibilities, just get in touch.