The increasing competition in the legal industry highlights the importance of differentiation and adding value beyond the work product. Face-to-face interactions with clients are a critical component in differentiation because they provide the opportunity to understand better the nuances of clients' businesses, develop deeper relationships, and drive productive collaboration.
Years ago, when trying to improve some of my snacking habits, I stopped buying cookies, candy and savory chips. Magically (and perhaps obviously), I quickly found that I ate less junk food. In effort to find a few more minutes a day for marketing, I recently applied this same basic, but effective, technique to my time management and the results have been just as immediate.
Anyone who has so much as dabbled in marketing or consulted a PR firm has been told they “need to get their name out there.” But it's not that simple. It's not just getting your name out there that will reap results — it's getting your name out there in the right places.
As firms turn their focus to revenue generation, some of the more progressive firms look to their clients to help them create their strategic priorities. In some cases, they even ask their clients to be involved in the planning process.
At the ALA annual conference in Denver, I was speaking on how law firms could provide better administrative support for their attorneys and how alternative strategies were being deployed by some law firms to achieve those goals. After my session, the discussion continued with a group of participants and the hat trick metaphor was born.
The idea that law firms should seek client feedback is hardly an innovative concept. So why does anecdotal evidence, as well as industry research, continue to show that many firms are not actively and routinely engaged in capturing this meaningful information?
Discussion of a survey that highlights what the client is really thinking, and how law firms can effectively respond.
One aspect of law firms that is becoming increasingly of interest to clients — and an area that might offer opportunities for differentiation — is law firm commitment to increasing and sustaining diversity.
The art of speaking, understanding, asking and developing dialogue has been eliminated in this fast-paced, quick-reply, "do it now" universe we now live in. Sure, we can communicate around the world in seconds, and conduct business at extraordinary speed; however we have lost the "human" elements of conversation. And it matters!
How to Leverage Technology to Showcase Them
From following up more effectively to communicating with greater frequency, the elements of distinction are well known, but often poorly executed. Those who embrace them, even imperfectly, are likely to rise above their peers.
