FREE ESSAY ON MAINTAINING GOOD CLIENT RELATIONS

MAINTAINING GOOD CLIENT RELATIONS

Establishing and Maintaining Good Client Relations
by Scott Hunter
Total Quality Management, customer satisfaction index, zero defects, client service - all
are
buzzwords of management in the 1990s. Yet what is all this about anyway? After all,
lawyers and
law firms successfully made it through the '80s without all the commotion about quality
and service.
Why all the fuss now? Is this just another fad, some passing fancy that will come and go
like
Hula-Hoops, disco dancing or designer jeans? Hardly. While the jargon may change over
the
balance of the decade, a fundamental change is taking place in client service, and the
attorneys who
realize this and change with it will be the attorneys who will be successful in the '90s
and beyond. 
All structures are built upon a foundation. A high-rise is built upon a foundation of
concrete and steel.
The taller the building, the deeper and stronger the foundation required to support it.
Similarly, a legal
practice is built upon a foundation, specifically upon the foundation of relationships
with people. Like
the high-rise, the greater the intended accomplishment and productivity of the firm, the
deeper and
stronger these bedrock relationships must be. In fact, the limits of accomplishment,
productivity and
satisfaction within the firm are all a function of the nature and quality of the
relationships the members
of the firm have developed with the firm's clients. 
Jimmy Johnson, the only coach in football history to win both the National Collegiate
Championship
and the Super Bowl, understood the critical importance of personal relationships when he
grabbed
the reins of the Dallas Cowboys' franchise. In just three years, he took the league's
worst team to the
pinnacle of professional success. In the locker room following the team's stunning Super
Bowl
victory, Johnson poignantly told his team that, more than anything else about the day,
they would
remember the love they had for each other. The team's success was built upon a foundation
of strong
relationships, deep appreciation for one another and, yes, even love. 
Likewise, truly successful lawyers have always built their practices upon a foundation of
strong client
relationships. However, during the '80s, when a seller's market existed for legal
practitioners, many
lawyers were able to build successful practices without this fundamental component. The
tide has
turned though, and purchasers of legal services can now afford to be much more selective
in their
choice of attorneys. 
As with every other purchase decision, individuals prefer to do business with people they
like, with
people who seem genuinely interested in them and with people who really care about their
concerns.
Today, it is more important than ever that lawyers recognize and appreciate that they
must build rich,
quality relationships with their clients and must orient their firms around assuring
outstanding client
service. 
This process starts with the initial interview. The worst mistake an attorney can make is
to get right
down to business when first meeting a prospective client. The most critical result to be
produced
during the first meeting is to begin to build a strong relationship of trust. The
attorney should thank
the individual for coming to the firm and to out of his or her way to be warm and
friendly. The lawyer
should never sit behind a desk. Instead, the attorney and potential clients should meet
in a
comfortable neutral area and spend 10 to 15 minutes just getting to know one another.
Business
shouldn't be discussed until the attorney is satisfied that he or she is comfortable with
the prospective
client and, more importantly, that the client is comfortable with the attorney and the
firm. 
As the particular case is discussed, counsel must be sensitive to the developing
relationship with the
potential client. If during the initial conversation the attorney doesn't feel that he or
she will enjoy
working with this individual, if a sense of mutual admiration, respect and trust is
absent, the attorney
should refer the client to a colleague. This may sound crazy, but should the client
retain this attorney,
everyone will regret it later. 
Consider your experience. Every really disgruntled client, every client you later
regretted having
worked with, you suspected from the very beginning. Don't do it to yourself or the firm.
Life is too
short. Only when both parties are satisfied that they enjoy working together and that the
firm is
appropriate to handle the matter should an offer of representation be extended. 
The importance of personal relationships is also true of requests for proposals. In-house
counsel
sends the same RFP to many law firms, and everyone sends back pieces of paper.
Unfortunately,
this prevents your firm's attorneys from demonstrating their warmth, friendliness and
genuine care
and concern for the client, limiting your competitive advantage to your reputation and
perhaps you
pricing structure. Before a proposal is ever requested or sent, research your potential
clients and
begin to develop relationships with them in advance. Telephone counsel and find out what
he or she
might be looking for in a firm. The call presents a great opportunity to begin building a
long-term
relationship. 
Even better, schedule a personal appointment or invite counsel to lunch. Nothing makes a
stronger
impression than a face-to-face meeting. The smart lawyer knows this. Don't rely solely on
paper. Go
see counsel and ask lots of questions. Then, authentically look to see what would be in
the client's
best interest and make recommendations based upon it. Even recommend a member of another
firm
if it's appropriate. One successful Seattle lawyer always directs clients to attorneys
whom he feels
are best-suited to the particular client and circumstances of the case. As a result, he
is one of the
most highly respected attorneys in the city and consistently receives referrals in his
own specialty. 
Finally, throughout your firm's representation, don't forget to work on what built the
relationship in
the first place. Maintain frequent communication with the client and continue to check on
how he or
she is doing. This is the essence of service. Rather than assuming you're doing a good
job taking care
of the client, ask the client if you are. Find out if he or she is getting what was
expected. It's my
experience that most lawyers specifically don't ask the client if everything is
satisfactory because they
don't want to find out that it isn't. This is a mistake. If the client is indeed
dissatisfied, it's far better
that you know about it so you can at least have a chance to do something about it. If you
don't ask,
on the other hand, the client will eventually let you know anyway, either by leaving, not
paying their
bill or complaining about you to others. None of these alternatives are very desireable.
Periodically,
ask the client if anything additional can be done for him or her. No customer
satisfaction survey can
take the place of personal contact, old-fashioned courtesy and genuine concern. 
No matter what you've heard, clients don't hire law firms or even lawyers, they hire
people. Though
important, quality work and a result favorable to the client are no guarantee of
continued client
loyalty, repeat business or the referral of friends and family. What makes clients come
back and sent
their friends to you is that they like you, and only you can see to that. 
SUMMARY 
As with every other purchase decision, individuals prefer to do business with people they
like, with
people who seem genuinely interested in them and with people who really care about their
concerns.
Today, it is more important than ever that lawyers recognize and appreciate that they
must build rich,
quality relationships with their clients and must orient their firms around assuring
outstanding client
service.