Marketing Mailbag : Bothwell Marketing, Inc.

SIZING UP SERVICES: Be Sure You Meet Clients' Needs

published in the Daily Journal

Dear Well-Meaning:
This particular adage has been around a long time. In today's competitive and crowded legal marketplace, I believe firms need a strategic and multi-faceted plan to maximize success. However, the quality of your services is a critical factor in client retention and referrals. Doing good work should be the foundation from which your practice will grow. Certainly, clients judge you on the quality of your work and if you do good work then clients are likely to give you more.

But what lawyers perceive as quality work may not be in sync with the clients' views. Lawyers may think the legal product is what counts. Clients often consider the legal product as the minimum of what they expect, but the delivery of the legal service is considered just as important. And clients may drift to a competitor if you are not meeting their needs, rather than confront you with your shortcomings.

If your business development strategy is to get and keep clients through quality work, take proactive steps to ensure that your clients are satisfied with the quality of your product. Because a client's expectations that are clearly defined are easier to meet, ask clients what they like and expect at the beginning of a project. For example, do they like to receive detailed memos monthly or daily e-mails? Do they prefer only one partner working on their case or a partner with an associate?

Ask them what they consider a realistic budget, and encourage them to tell their horror stories. Also, ask them what they consider inexcusable. Although clients are often reluctant to "bad mouth" firms, the more information you gain the more of an edge you will have over the competition.

Since finding a new client can cost five times more in money and time than keeping an existing one, make sure you are doing everything you can to keep existing clients. To ensure the foundation of your client relationship stays on solid ground, you need candid feedback.

It's up to you to elicit information from the client, not for them to come to you with problems or issues. Therefore, check periodically to ensure that you are on track. Schedule short 30-minute visits, and tell them you want to continue to earn their business and desire honest commentary on your firm's performance. Also ask about what problems and challenges they see in the immediate future. This is a good opportunity to give early advice on future legal problems and set the stage for new business.

Use client feedback to describe your firm's strengths and philosophy. If a client reveals a problem with a former law firm, advise him or her how your firm handles such issues. Discuss expectations and service, not pending matters. Address such issues as timely return of phone calls, billing and accounting issues, firm responsiveness, creativity and the overall quality of service. One-on-one feedback allows for quick corrective measures before the relationship goes awry.

To get a broad-based picture of trends; firms should conduct formal client surveys quarterly or annually. By sampling a significant number of clients, the firm can identify systemic problems and defective processes.