List

6 R2R archetypes on the intake desk and the call each one loses

Five of the 13 R2R archetypes recur on intake desks. Each is a strength overused under pressure, and each loses a different call.
Last reviewed October 25, 2026 · By Dr. Jeffrey Scott Stanton, DCH

The Price Softener

Discounts or apologizes for the fee before the caller has reacted. Loses the fee conversation. Often the kindest person on the desk.

The Conflict Avoider

Ends every call with "let us know." Avoids any moment that could produce a no. Loses the ask.

The Planner

Prepares thoroughly, collects every detail and never gets to the ask. Loses the call to the clock.

The Back-Seat Agent

Waits for the attorney to close and treats the consultation as someone else's job. Loses the caller who needed a push to book.

The Reluctant Advocate

Believes in the work and feels pushy suggesting anyone pay for it. Loses the caller who needed to hear a recommendation.

The Texter

Moves callers into text, chat and email threads and avoids the live call. Loses the caller who needed a voice to feel heard and to be asked for a time.

The short version

Each is one of the 13 R2R archetypes. A pattern is not a flaw in character. It is a predictable place where a particular person retreats. Knowing which one someone runs tells you which scorecard item to expect them to skip, and which moment to role-play with them first.

Scope, plainly: everything on this site concerns the conversation that turns an inquiry into an engagement. Nothing here is legal advice, nothing touches the legal work or the attorney's judgment, and any wording a firm adopts is reviewed by the firm against its jurisdiction's rules on attorney advertising, solicitation and fee communication before it is used.

About the Author

Dr. Jeffrey Scott Stanton, DCH is a behavioral strategist and the founder and Chief Learning Officer of R2R Diagnostic Group. He is the former EVP of Learning & Development at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, where he trained sales professionals on the conversations that turn an inquiry into a commitment. He applies the same method, the R2R Assessment and a 14-item call-review scorecard, to law firm intake teams. The work is the conversation only; legal questions and judgment stay with the attorney.

The method, the scripts and the scorecard are on how it works, the script template and the scorecard guide.

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