Attorney at Law Regional Edition Inaugural : Page 10giving them some new information, to wit: “I can understand why you might want to see that gentleman’s head hanging from a pike at 44th & Camelback, but what you may not know is that several years ago the state legislature passed an obscure statute – and I grant you, it may have occurred in the closing hours of a long session when our lawmakers weren’t thinking clearly – that makes that outcome pretty unlikely.” You dispel any notion that you’re “just another lawyer.” Instead, you’re a sensitive, caring, thorough professional who values the client relationship as much as the billable time. You learn enough about your clients to tailor your services to them, rather than make them conform to your standard procedures. You can avoid wasting time and effort on niceties that mean nothing to the client; instead, you can concentrate on the things that mean a lot. Learning about your clients’ business and other affairs helps you anticipate problems they hadn’t considered, and it helps you cross-sell other services. Finally, initial feedback sets the table for more feedback conversations down the road – conversations that might help you salvage a rocky relationship. By working these issues into an early conversation, you accomplish some very important things: By discussing your clients’ expectations and your ability to live up to them, both parties can leave the consultation with more or less realistic views of how the relationship should progress. If you know you can’t satisfy their expectations, it’s better to tell them up front – even if it means losing them – than to have disappointed clients telling their friends what a jerk you are because you didn’t do what you didn’t say you couldn’t do. (Note: There are good and bad ways to tell a client that their expectations are a little out of line. Saying “Get real,” “Ain’t gonna happen” or “What, are you on drugs?” will not win you a guest chapter in the next update of How to Win Friends and Influence People. Instead, finesse them a little bit. Honor their viewpoint – twisted as it may be – and help them save face by 10 | Attorney at Law Magazine ® June 2012 Follow-Up If you had a good discussion of your client’s expectations at the outset, it will be fairly easy to revisit those expectations later on and keep yourself on track. There is no magic point in the relationship at which you should solicit feedback, but after you’ve done enough work to make an impression on your client, it’s time to find out if you’re living up to the promise. It can happen over lunch or at the end of a meeting or phone call: “Loretta, when you hired me we talked about the kind of personal service and attention you expect, and you told me that (fill in the blank) is very important to you. What I’d like to know is, how am I doing? Is there anything I’m not doing that you wish I would? Is there anything I am doing that you wish I wouldn’t? If there’s anything you could change about me or our firm, what Publication List Using a screen reader? Click Here |
