We help Canadian immigration firms prep/file visas 3x faster using tech and AI | Immigration lawyer/tech cofounder
How to double your business overnight - especially in immigration? Double your prices. This mostly applies to newer professionals who are just getting started, but I talk to immigration lawyers and consultants all day. And the most common "mistake" most newer practitioners make, or a missed opportunity, I see is when they vastly undercharge, usually because either: 1) they're still new, which is understandable if you're trying to get your first few files/approvals under your belt, and/or 2) "ghost consultants charge $200 so I can't charge much more than that" Side note: a "ghost consultant" is someone who sells immigration services even though they're not licensed to do so. While I could probably write a book on why #2 is a bad way to determine pricing for your own firm, here are 2 things to consider: 1) do you really want to position yourself, your pricing and your firm anywhere near those ghost consultants? 2) sure, if you charge more, you may get fewer clients. But fewer clients can actually be a good thing. Would you rather: - 10 clients paying you $500/file, or - 2 clients paying you $2,500/file Same amount of revenue, 1/5 the amount of work/resources/time required (even less if you have good systems/tech in place). I know which one I'd prefer, especially if I'm trying to scale my firm... What do you think about pricing? This can vary wildly from industry to industry, but in Canadian immigration it certainly makes for an interesting conversation
Great point Josh Schachnow. Obviously some price points start to push people out in terms of what's affordable, so going from $200 a file to $2500 a file might be extreme for some (especially if no one in the latter demographic knows who they are... they should market toward them first potentially), but overall I agree with your point that pricing is often a point of failure for firms for a variety of reasons. People are weird about money, and I think THAT'S a major factor in the stress many immigration professionals experience. You don't have to charge exorbitant prices, but some people sacrifice themselves to be too cheap thinking they're doing some kind of mitzvah, when really they're hurting themselves by not making enough AND hurting their clients by usually overextending themselves, having too much stress, underperforming as a result, etc. Just my $.02!
I believe you may need to use the wording of “UAP” unauthorized paractitioner where CICC and IRCC name them regardless of who they pertaining to be (i.e consultant or lawyer). Every consultant or lawyer will set the fees depending on time, and experience he/she holds dealing with file. Every firm will position themselves depending on the value added to the table and reminding their clients that you always pay for what you get. Going lower in pricing is not a good strategy IMHO as immigration is not anymore simple equation.
Kareem Ibrahim
7mo
This is really unethical, to be very frank, Josh Schachnow. Immigration law is already based on taking advantage of an unfair system, built on violent histories and unfair policies. Your suggestion amounts to little more than encouraging greed at the expenses of less fortunate people. I am open to other opinions.
I knew an accountant that wanted to cut his practice in half. His solution was to double his prices. FAIL!! He doubled his prices but everyone stayed! A good problem to have:-)
Carl Alphonse
7mo
Insightful post! I price myself the same rate as I did when I was working in my previous jobs, which is slightly above the market for solo practitioners. I target clients who can pay for my services. And I ask questions about their budget in my intake to weed out cases where it's not a good fit. I do from time to time, when capacity permits, accept cases at lower fees to encourage access to justice, especially where a client is low-income, and it's something I can assist with.
Amit Sharma
7mo
I believe when you are paid well, you tend to do a quality work on clients file. A lot of immigration consultants hire staff who have 0 immigration case processing experience ( primarily students) to do most of the work. So, pay them $50 for study permit extension application and save $100 for yourself. This is how they are able to compete ghost consultants in pricing.
Gaurav Sharma
7mo
Josh Schachnow, well said. At this time, when I am starting my practice, I too was facing this dilemma. However, very soon I discovered that I can't compete with these "ghost" consultants in terms of competency, professionalism, integrity, and above all- honesty. To cut short, I decided to stick with my price point!!
Vlad Shipilov
7mo
Extremely unethical Tony-Robbins-Style approach, as "some unprofessional helpers" in developing countries like Turkey, Russia, India etc. tend to do. They just overcharge for basic service instead of working on efficiency and case management system. That's a way to hell for real professionals :)
Aum Thakar
7mo
Interesting post Josh Schachnow 👏
Canadian Immigration Lawyer | AVIO Immigration
7moIt’s a touchy topic but the amount of time I invest in my clients’ files makes the final amount really reasonable. I refuse to rush files for a discount and risk my clients legal status in Canada or chances for PR.