Dear Snap D: A potential new client came into our offices to interview us, but isn’t a fan of the billable hour and asked us if we could be creative with our pricing and offer a different billing model. Are any other firms billing in ways other than the billable hour?

A: Over the years there has been a lot of discussion regarding alternative billing arrangements. While some firms have been creative and have infused alternative billing into their client arrangements, the majority of firms still stick to the traditional billable hour.

Why? Many partners are traditionalists and simply don’t want to offer alternatives. Law firms operate with billable-hour targets and, most importantly, sophisticated or complex legal work typically always warrants an hourly billing arrangement.

If you are in a position to bend the rules and offer something a little more creative, my suggestion would be to ask them what they are looking for so that you can address their concerns and offer something that is enticing.

If you’d like to offer creativity in your billing arrangement, perhaps offer a subscription or productize some of your offerings. Or, offer something that all business folks must provide in their billing arrangements: a budget, project plan, timeline and key milestones. That, for a law firm, surely will be out of the box and may win you the business.

Q: I’ve been diligent about marketing and business development, but I’m having a difficult time with the significant amount of administrative work involved, beyond the physical outreach. Do you have suggestions to make this easier?

A: Easier? No. More efficient? Absolutely. You are correct in saying there is a lot of administrative work involved to market effectively. I would suggest getting your administrative assistant involved as much as possible.

While you still will conduct the outreach, he or she can help you interact with your potential new client or new clients. From the onset of the relationship, introduce your assistant and provide his or her contact information to your PNC.

Ask your assistant to track important client information such as birthdays, interests and children’s names and have him or her set up calendar reminders. Ask your assistant to help track client information, maintain marketing efforts, materials and pipeline information. Train your assistant to make follow-up calls for you, as this will save a lot of time but still show the client or PNC that you are thinking of them.

There you have it! At least four marketing ideas that will lighten your load and will allow you to market some more. Get after it, counselor.

Q: We are a midsize law firm that has traditionally always received payments the traditional way, via check. We’d like to offer clients the opportunity to pay by credit card. Are there any pitfalls to doing so?

A: There are no pitfalls I can see moving in this direction. To be frank, I only see pitfalls by operating as you currently do.

Allowing clients to pay by credit card has been the sign of the times for an incredibly long time and not allowing this simple method makes your firm appear like a dinosaur.

While this may continue to work for some of your clients, this simply will not work with anyone born after 1965. There are many platforms that will allow you to process payments by credit card, and several that are targeted specifically to law firms. They’re easy to find with a quick web search.