1. What Do Clients Value in their Attorneys?

- Thinking like the Client: First, you learn how to think like one of your clients; we guide you through an understanding of what clients value. Second, you will hear directly from 3 corporate counsels about what they value and how they view their lawyers (in a full 2 hour audio-taped seminar, complete with transcript).

- The SAGE Relationship Hierarchy: Reviews the hierarchical qualities of Client Relationships from the Client perspective and examines the hurdles you must overcome to rise to valued business advisor.

2. How Are You Doing with Your Current Clients?

- The Client Relationship Audit: Guides you to identifying who your most important clients are, where your risks are with them, and where you stand in the relationship.

- Brainstorming Missing Services: Takes you through a proven process for translating potential sources of business pain into opportunities for you.=

3. What Actions Must You Take to Master Key Relationships and Sell More Services?

- Best Practices in Client Marketing: Reviews proven best practices options for marketing your value and capabilities to your top clients

- The Action Plan: Our planning templates let you determine the specific steps you will take to master relationships with your most important clients.

The 7 Biggest Mistakes Attorneys Make In
Mastering Client Relationships

In a recent survey of major companies, almost 2/3d of corporate counsels said they had hired a law firm with whom they hadn’t worked in the previous twelve months.

Here’s the sad part of this story: if attorneys knew how to master client relationships, the results would be very different. Instead, attorneys tend to make avoidable mistakes that put relationships at serious risk:

• Mistake #1: Attorneys fail to view their service through the clients' eyes

Problem: Clients care only about their "trauma" and your ability to solve it

Solution: See yourself as a "business doctor"

Attorneys often think that clients care about the same things they do. But clients and attorneys often look at a matter from VERY different angles. Recognize that clients are buying your services to avoid or alleviate a "pain" or "trauma." Identify this trauma and confirm it with the client. Tailor your work to alleviate or remove the trauma. Report all findings and results in the context of this trauma. Your billed time is not inherently valuable - it is truly valuable only as it resolves this urgent trauma. A patient in pain doesn’t want the best-researched pill; a patient wants to get rid of the pain.

• Mistake #2: Attorneys mistakenly think technical competence equates to great client service

Problem: Clients already assume that your work will be technically proficient

Solution: Focus on interpersonal service and building personal chemistry

Clients care about results, good advice, a relationship of trust, and good treatment in the service delivery process. Instead, attorneys often see the quality of their service as being defined by their technical proficiency and the quality of the work product. Get in tune with clients. Ask them HOW they want to work together. What will it take for them to be thoroughly satisfied with your service?

• Mistake #3: Attorneys fail to communicate with clients in the form, frequency and face-to-face fashion they value

Problem: Attorneys often communicate in the form that is most comfortable and convenient for THEM

Solution: Ask clients how to best communicate with them in the course of the work

If there is one dire complaint that we hear over and over again from clients, it basically boils down to communication. Clients complain that the communication with attorneys is 1) impersonal (i.e. letters, e-mail), 2) infrequent, 3) legally dense/jargon-filled, 4) process-related rather than results oriented. So be in touch regularly, not just at work meetings, but in person or by phone to take stock of how things are going. Keep testing for the client’s satisfaction.

Most billing problems, for example, are communication mishaps – either the fees billed are higher than expected or the value of the work (as perceived by the client) is not related to the investment in fees. Don’t wait till concluding a matter (when it may be too late) to discover any gaps here.

• Mistake #4: Attorneys lose touch when there is no active work and let the romance fade from their client relationships

Problem: Attorneys tend to be transactional, moving on to the next billable matter and next client

Solution: Realize that 1) your best clients are likely your competitor’s best prospects for the next matter; and 2) when you solve a client’s trauma, you are a “hero” and can take the initiative

There are two imperatives. First, strike while the iron is hot. Meet with the client to explore ways to either sell follow-on work or expand the working relationship in the future. Remind clients that you appreciate referrals and describe the types of clients you are seeking. Next, for those clients who warrant ongoing contact based on their service potential, write down 3-4 reasons for staying in touch and "book it" - set dates in your calendar.

• Mistake #5: They don't understand their client’s business

Problem: Clients only value advice from advisors who have an in-depth knowledge of their business

Solution: Invest in achieving a substantial expertise in your client’s business

Your goal is to know your top clients' business as well as they do. Know their senior management agenda, business drives and top priorities. Get to know senior executives outside your direct contacts. Join industry associations, read periodicals and go to meetings focused on their business. Make sure you know the other senior advisors to the client such as their accountant or banker. Review your client with other partners and allies who serve the same client. Here’s an easy one. Simply set up a meeting with your client once a quarter where you simply listen to what is going on in their business.

• Mistake #6: Attorneys fail to achieve the status of true counselor, or business advisor

Problem: Most attorneys are seen as either subject matter experts or a transactional resource

Solution: Have a plan to become an indispensable business advisor with your top clients

You can't become an indispensable business advisor by accident. You need a plan with the following 5 components:

1. Develop ideas on how you can add business value to this client
2. List all individuals that can either hire you, or influence the buying decision or be a good source of information on what is happening in the business
3. Make a contact plan: how/when you will keep in touch with these people
4. Firm up a calendar of informational/marketing materials that you will send along with a personalized, handwritten note
5. Gear up for cross marketing/selling: make a list of experts, either inside your firm or within in an ally, who can help you to add value to this client.

• Mistake #7: Attorneys wait for the phone to ring rather than anticipating client’s needs

Problem: Most attorneys fail to proactively go to clients with ideas, test potential service needs or qualify the degree of their clients "trauma" and commitment to act on these ideas

Solution: Learn to "sell" like an indispensable business advisor

You can't become an indispensable business advisor if you wait by the phone for your clients to call. You must leverage your knowledge of their business and priorities, anticipate the legal solutions they will need and "sell" these ideas BEFORE they call you or your competitors. This means that you must routinely and systematically ask questions that surface potential "pain/aches/hurts/risk/trauma"; get the client to see the impact of ignoring this pain; and convert these discussions into active work. Even if your client doesn't buy right away, you have started to think and act like an advisor - and to warm the client up for future ideas. (See The SAGE Sales Mastery Training Program to learn how to sell like a business advisor http://www.sagelawmarketing.com/salesmastery.html)

What is the net result of these mistakes?

Attorneys lose business they should win, fail to find all the ways they can serve clients and waste opportunities for referrals, additional matters and follow-on work.