Thursday, February 11, 2010
It's a Relationship Business
My friend and in-house marketing professional extraordinaire Heather Milligan of Barger & Wollen has an excellent post at The Legal Watercooler on how to counteract the not uncommon lawyer stance that they are "too busy to market."
She offers great advice on how to overcome the failure's of lawyers to understand the value of networking, and I am privileged to be mentioned in the piece on the simple concept that: Clients want to know you; it's a relationship business.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
ACC Takes Essential Step - Opens Up on Transparency
In a letter to law firm leadership, Association of Corporate Counsel General Counsel Susan Hackett explains how law firms can access the "satisfaction" survey in-house counsel have been participating in since ACC's announcement of the initiative last October. The initiative, dubbed "Value Index" is part of the broader ACC Value Challenge. An evolving initiative for in-house counsel and law firm's to maximize tools, ideas and define "value" in serving corporate clients.
An article posted on the ABA Journal's website today, with a link to Hackett's letter, says law firms will now be able to see their own ratings and overall averages. This is a very important step in the continuing to make sure that the Value Challenge and related initiatives has meaningful impact.
As often is the case in client surveys (not formal client feedback) those communications can be unilateral; one side takes the time to fill out a questionnaire but the other side never gets the results. If the vastly over-surveyed in-house bar is going to take the time to provide "rating" information of the firm's who serve them, then it is essential that become the basis of a conversation.
If law firm's don't know what their client's are saying about them, how can they ever improve service, adapt to their client's needs or truly understand what their client's value?
The client feedback loop is essential. We always advise our clients that when asking for feedback from a client you are making a promise: You will respond to that feedback. If not, it's a waste of time. Responding to feedback, adapting behavior, providing greater service and understanding the individual needs of a client is one of the most important steps in defining value.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Make Talking to Clients a 2010 Resolution
Last week, I accompanied one of our client’s managing partner and marketing director teams on a client feedback interview. The first thing the managing partner said after leaving the client’s office was, “That was really fun! We should be doing this every month. It should be part of my job description as managing partner.” And he meant it.
We advise law firms to start small. Select clients with whom they and the relationship attorneys are comfortable and to be upfront with the client that this is a pilot program, a “new” thing for the firm, and something they will do with all of their clients. The clients are usually flattered to be first and happy to participate.
It was a typical client interview, a small private business faring better than most in this economy, but still feeling its impact. We spoke to two business people.
There were no surprises, no hidden problems, no glaring opportunities. Yet, as we listened to the savvy business partners talk about their challenges, goals and interests, the knowledge we gained was immeasurable. We gained insight into the duo’s working relationship, saw how they view each other and the world, and learned what they really want to accomplish. It was enlightening.
Later that day, I got around to reading the Sunday New York Times. “The Corner Office” column is a favorite. Last week’s interview with Cristobal Conde, president and C.E.O. of SunGard, really struck a chord for me. He says, “I try to see a client every day… They’ll tell me things – what are their biggest issues, what are their biggest bets. All this information is incredibly valuable.” He went on to describe how critical it is to take that information back and share it internally so the entire organization can benefit from the insights. How many law firm leaders talk to a different client every day and report what they learned to the entire firm?
So make it a 2010 resolution. Talk to a different client at least every month in 2010. It will be fun and they will tell you really valuable things!
We advise law firms to start small. Select clients with whom they and the relationship attorneys are comfortable and to be upfront with the client that this is a pilot program, a “new” thing for the firm, and something they will do with all of their clients. The clients are usually flattered to be first and happy to participate.
It was a typical client interview, a small private business faring better than most in this economy, but still feeling its impact. We spoke to two business people.
There were no surprises, no hidden problems, no glaring opportunities. Yet, as we listened to the savvy business partners talk about their challenges, goals and interests, the knowledge we gained was immeasurable. We gained insight into the duo’s working relationship, saw how they view each other and the world, and learned what they really want to accomplish. It was enlightening.
Later that day, I got around to reading the Sunday New York Times. “The Corner Office” column is a favorite. Last week’s interview with Cristobal Conde, president and C.E.O. of SunGard, really struck a chord for me. He says, “I try to see a client every day… They’ll tell me things – what are their biggest issues, what are their biggest bets. All this information is incredibly valuable.” He went on to describe how critical it is to take that information back and share it internally so the entire organization can benefit from the insights. How many law firm leaders talk to a different client every day and report what they learned to the entire firm?
So make it a 2010 resolution. Talk to a different client at least every month in 2010. It will be fun and they will tell you really valuable things!