12A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

Isaiah Miller

UFID: 80191457

12A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

6/11/2020

The segment that I chose to focus on is probate. The reason that I chose probate is because it is the first vertical that we are focusing on.  The need for each party I spoke to was salient, and each provided valuable insights into their psyche.  Each party I spoke with was between 1 and 3 months into the probate process.  Two individuals had full time jobs, and the other was a mother handling children, so all three had other areas of life consuming mind-space.  One individual emphasized that their stress related to the probate matter comes mostly at night in overwhelming strength, whereas the other two had sporadic reminders of it.  One interviewee had time allotted for 2 hours a day, four days a week to focus on his responsibilities.  Most of the time during the intraday reminders, the individuals would simply redirect focus, and further procrastinate the tasks.  I call this 'probate quicksand,' because soon they're in over their heads with tasks snowballing.  One interviewee originally wanted to take on probate pro per, or without an attorney, but after a month and a half realized that she needed at least proper legal representation.  

Most of the time when the information search begins, it starts with a call to their legal representation.  However, it is often difficult to get in touch with attorneys directly, so the call usually results in redirection to a paralegal or a voicemail.  Next, the internet searches begin.  One individual had made a list of responsibilities and organized a plan, only to realize later that the procedure was different in Florida.  Usually the searches are general inquiries about certain elements of probate, and other times the information and action-steps involve handling a material task like opening a probate bank account, paying a bill, etc.  

I believe that the need is clear, but aside from their attorneys, most personal representatives don't realize there is a team of probate experts eager to help them, at no direct cost to them.  They also overestimate the role of the attorney, and in every case realized after the first few meetings that the majority of the responsibility and tasks were on their shoulders, including MASSIVE liability.  They do look to their attorney for recommendations for service-providers when the time comes, and the attorney usually recommends probate-specific providers versus general practitioners in each service.