Maplebrook Wills: Q&A with Mike Pugh
Published: 19 February 2019
What is Maplebrook’s mission statement as a franchise?
Our goal is, through knowledge and training, to empower Will writers to be able to act in a way to help their community and at the same time, earn a decent living. We do that through ongoing training and support, so we don’t leave anyone behind.
What are the benefits of being a Will writer with Maplebrook Wills, as opposed to doing it alone?
Our Will writers understand that they’re not just a Legacy planner out on their own trying to make a go of it. There’re thousands of Will writers in this country that are doing it on their own, and but they don’t understand the value of having a support mechanism, where they have the facility to ask questions and gain knowledge easily. We provide that here. We have spent a lot of time and effort building these relationships because monetary success is an outcome, but true success is the ability to go through your community in a respected fashion because you get to know your clients. You’re going to establish credibility and you’re going to establish your presence, and people will start referring a lot more business to you. So, if you’re doing this on your own without a support mechanism, it’s very difficult. At Maplebrook Wills, we provide support, training, and ongoing assistance and mentoring that will ensure, not only the franchise success, but the ultimate end is a good result in the community as well.
Why write a will with Maplebrook – aren’t there very cheap alternatives that you can buy online?
Whilst the bottom end of the Will writing market is served by £25 online Wills, we are not concerned with that – the human part of our service cannot be automated and stands out in the industry. People tend to opt for DIY wills if they’re about to have an operation or about to take a flight and have a bad feeling, for example. However, it’s very easy for errors to creep in, which could lead to parts of the will being invalid. The result might be a gift, potentially worth thousands of pounds, that can’t be claimed by the person you intended to have it.
Then why Maplebrook, and not another Will writing business, or a solicitor?
It’s worth asking if your will writer is affiliated with any of the national will-writing organisations. Accredited writers have the benefit of professional indemnity insurance, which protects their business in the event of claims against them, such as accidental damage of property. The will writers at Maplebrook Wills are accredited specialists who’ve written hundreds of wills. They know the exact wording to use for your circumstances, so you can have complete confidence that your assets will be passed on to your family exactly as you intend. As well as this, instead of having to visit a solicitor’s office, a Maplebrook Wills will writer can come to your home at a convenient time. They’ll discuss your needs in detail before drawing up a document, returning when it’s ready to sign. The process takes around two weeks from start to finish and typically involves no more than two hours of your time in total.
