In Search of Perfect Client Service

Countdown to Gerry Riskin!

Gerry Riskin is a renowned blogger(Amazing Firms, Amazing Practices) and internationally sought-after consultant to professional service firms (through Edge International). I've had the great fortune to meet Gerry Riskin, spend time with him in conversation, hear him present to a large audience, exchange emails and blog entries, but I have never heard him lead a small group discussion. That's about to change.

My law firm, like many others, holds annual retreats.  Ours for 2006 is this Saturday, and we had the enormous good fortune to be able to land Gerry to lead the retreat.  Having seen him in other venues and heard some much about him, I am really excited about getting up early this Saturday!

Congratulations to Michelle Golden

Congratulations to Michelle Golden on her 100th blog post!  Her Golden Practices is one of my "must-read" blogs.  Michelle used the occasion of her 100th post to write something "extra thoughtful" and she hit the ball out of the park.  Check out her post on The Profitability Problem as well as the followup post Profitability Through Pricing.

Brands, Lovemarks and Tattoos

A number of us have been having a discussion about branding, summarized here and here.  Against that backdrop, I started reading Lovemarks, by Kevin Roberts.  Roberts is the "Worldwide CEO" of Saatchi & Saatchi.  He is the originator of the concept of "lovemarks," described on the Saatchi web site as:

Lovemarks are brands that inspire loyalty beyond reason. People love them because of what they are, not because of what they do. Their appeal is emotional. Companies may own brands. But Lovemarks are owned by the people who love them.

An example of a brand that inspires loyalty beyond reason--Harley Davidson.  Tom Peters uses a slide showing what percentage of owners of a product would tattoo the product brand onto their body.  For Harley, its almost 19%.  This is an example of a strong brand.

Since my friend Dan Hull began this discussion and continued it further, noting that "most of us already have a distinctive and valuable 'look'," I have to ask Dan how many people he thinks have the Hull McGuire logo tattooed on their bodies?  No fair counting yourself. 

 

"That's H-U-L-L-M-C-G-U-I-R-E." (Thankfully, Dan has shown himself to have a great sense of humor.)

Seriously, does anyone love their law firm and its brand enough to have the name of the firm permanently inked onto their body?  If we ever find that person,  or rather that law firm, then we can hear from somebody who knows about branding for law firms.  Until then, I think I'm going to cast my lot with the people from the "real world" who are able to inspire others to ink their bodies with a brand.

Do, Don't Say, Marketing

The February 2006 issue of The American Lawyer contains a terrific article by Charles Green --"Selling by Doing."  Green is the author of Trust-Based Selling and the article comes from his book.   Green recounts the story told by a General Counsel of a Fortune 50 company:

      We needed to hire outside counsel; we looked at a dozen firms, narrowed it to three, and invited them for 90 minute presentations. 

       The first two were very good; they had solid expertise and industry knowledge and they had done their homework.

       Then came firm three.  They said, 'We have 90 minutes with you .  We can either do a standard capabilities presentation--which we're very happy to do--or we can try something different.  We suggest that we get started on the job, right now--as if you had already given us the contract--and begin the job, right here, right now.  After 85 minutes, we'll stop and you'll have firsthand experience of exactly how it feels to work with us.'

What's your reaction to this approach?   Here's what the GC thought:

        Well, we did their little exercise.  It was quickly clear they were competent.  But as we worked with them, we also got to know them better; instead of giving answers to questions, we had a dialogue.  And for our part, instead of giving stock responses, we began to open up too.  We felt what it was like to work with them.  They came to listen and to work, and to show their smarts in real time, on our issues, not to report on theirs.  You just felt you could trust them.

Here's how Green characterized it:  "A common mistake of the salesperson is to continue behaving as if they are in the screening process when it comes time to work the selection process.  They keep marketing the firm when they should be selling the salesman."

By the way, the author's use of this article to show what's in his book led me to buy it.  Good marketing Charles!

Marketing: A "Client's" Take

As I have said many times to many people, Aric Press, the Editor in Chief of The American Lawyer, is very smart and one of the most informed observers of the profession.  One reason he is so often "on the money" is his uncanny ability to look at what we do--or don't do--through the eyes of our clients, the ones that matter most.  In the February issue of The American Lawyer, Aric takes up the topic of law firm marketing.  His insights, as always are on the money and crisply written (certainly better than I could, so let me quote liberally):

"When it comes to marketing, there often seems to be a disconnect between what sort of talent law firms hire, and the level at which the talent is permitted to perform.  To make an exaggerated analogy, it's as though you bought a Maserati and then drove it only to the local grocery store."

"I am struck by this now during the start of the season of what I've come to think of as one-bounce marketing.  This is the time of year when I receive your creamy professional announcements, your perfect-bound annual reports, your lovingly balanced diversity publications, and all sorts of other handsome folderol.  Please keep sending them; I applaud even bad marketing, because everyone has to start somewhere.  But some of these efforts redefine ephemeral.  To be really effective, marketing needs to be part of a larger strategic initiative, one that employs all of the tools that your expensive CMO presumably has available if only you'd unleash her.  Otherwise you're making an investment on which there is no return.  (Why 'one-bounce marketing'?  Because this material hops nicely from my desk into the recycling bucket.)"

Ouch!  I love the way he waited so long to explain one-bounce marketing.  But now think about what you do and whether your marketing efforts suffer similar fate on the desks of your clients.

It Takes A Village To Attract and Maintain Great Clients

Okay Dan, I will take the bait.

Dan Hull hates logos.  So he told us here.  That invited comment from a number of people, including me. Dan was back at it again here, pointing out a solid post from Nathan Burke, a "web designer, marketer and consultant" who writes lawfirmblogging.  Nathan's point is that if you have no competition, then a logo doesn't matter.  Consider this from Nathan:

Instead, logos are just another way to be recognized. Only after a prospect has learned about your firm (and others) would a logo help. It is something that sticks in the back of their mind, associating something visual with a level of service.

Though we might not want to admit it, design is important in our purchasing decisions. While we don’t buy a product or service because we really love a logo, we may surely decide not to buy if we perceive a company to be unprofessional.

I couldn't agree more.

One comment that I often make about politics is that the partisan desire to separate issues into distinct boxes ignores the fundamental reality that life is a series overlapping and intersecting circles--a 3-D mosaic instead of the one dimensional view articulated by most politicians in an effort to appeal to the lowest common denominator amongst us.  We need to avoid the same pitfall in discussions like this, as Nathan's post reminds us.  Logos alone count for nothing.  Great client service alone counts for nothing.  Like so many other areas, presenting yourself to a client, the client's choice of you as its lawyer, and the many related issues are part of a 3-D mosaic.  And all parts are important. 

Sill More on Client Service Interviews

Tom Kane of Legal Marketing Blog weighs in here.  His post's title aside, Tom most certainly is not part of the "peanut gallery."  Its a strong post.  Please read it.

Client Satisfaction Surveys--Still More To Think About

Latest in the series--Jim Hassert at Law Firm Business Development with Part 5 of his series on this most important topic.

Speed: The Essential Ingredient

I was absolutely stunned to read this post by Tom Collins, who writes morepartnerincome.  To set the stage, Tom tells this story:

The attorneys were talking about handling e-mail and phone calls.  The partner from the young firm bragged that he made a practice of always responding to e-mail the next day.  His practice was not to read e-mail until the morning after and then to respond to it.   He explained that it avoided interruptions to his work schedule during the day.  It was clear that he considered a next-day treatment to be “very responsive” to his clients.  The partner had given me his direct office phone number.   Since our lunch, I have had the occasion to call the same attorney on several occasions.   I always get his voice message system.  He has never actually answered his direct number.  As with e-mail, he consistently returns my calls the following day.

Tom then asks whether this is really responsive.  Of course he does not, but he wants to know what others think, and I have to take his bait.

How can people who are so out of touch with their clients still have clients to be out of touch with?  Geez, I am afraid to not respond to client inquiries within minutes.  When I am on trial, my secretary runs interference to find out if "later that night" is good enough or should someone else in the office handle the call? And she knows that if its critical, there are lunch and bathroom breaks during trial.  I know my clients like the fact that I respond like this--they tell me and they tell the people who conduct our satisfaction interviews.

But put my insecurities aside and let's think about this from the client's perspective (always a good place to start and finish, by the way).  Client Mary is sitting at her desk working away on a project that her CFO wants later that day.  A question comes up and she emails the lawyer referred to in Tom's post.  She doesn't write that this is life and death because she knows the lawyer is in his office, having spoken with him earlier in the morning.  All day long she waits for information she needs to complete her report to the CFO.  She waits.  And waits some more.

Still waiting.  The end of the day is approaching.  What is a client to do?  Wait for the lawyer in Tom's story and she hurts her career by turning a project in late to the CFO.  So she calls somebody else if she can, gets an immediate answer and timely finishes her project.  Who will she call the next time?

Clients call when they do for a reason.  Its their reason and, most of the time, it is an important reason.  You are the SERVICE PROVIDER.  It is your job to honor their reasons.

Think minutes, not hours and certainly not days.  And don't get me started again on voicemail.  Just check out this earlier post.

Bill Clinton: Bringing New Meaning To Client Service?

Hilarious post by Dan Hull following up on the news that Bill Clinton is eligible to reinstate his law degree. On behalf of his firm, Dan posts this ad:

WANTED: Of counsel for growing Pittsburgh-based boutique business law firm. Must have at least 8 years of highest level federal Exec. Branch experience, world-wide connections, Yale law degree, one year at Oxford, own money and people skills. Must be able to sell anything to anyone. And be originally from Hope, Arkansas. State government experience not required but preferred. United Nations experience also a big plus. You don't need to re-locate. Happy to set up the office for you. Wherever you want. Harlem or Chappaqua is okay. Or DC. You decide. You can work out of your house. Whatever. NOTE: No previous private law practice experience necessary. Not a problem--no problem at all. Excellent benefits package.

So I start thinking--Bill Clinton and client service.  The possibilities are endless.  But too easy.  So I'll refrain. But let your mind run wild.