Legal Sales & Service: Voice of the Client: CRANK IT UP!

Focusing on the Client

Firms still claim to be 'client focused.' Some even boldly make this statement on their marketing materials. Law firms say they are engaged in client interviews and satisfaction surveys. While this may be the case, a huge gap remains between how law firms and their clients define 'client focus' and sometimes, clients are not aware that they are being asked by firms for satisfaction feedback.

In LSSO's Women Lawyers Survey: Sales and Business Development Issues, female partners who recognize the power of client service reported 26.2% to 31.6% higher annual originations. Imagine how much higher those numbers will be when firms actually start 'walking the walk' on client service rather than just 'talking the talk.'

Moreover, the voice of the client still appears in few places in law firms' marketing, sales, service or organizational development initiatives. Consider how many law firms you know that have any one person who is responsible for strategy, process improvement and organizational development. In our clients' companies, these responsibilities are so important that they are a top-level professional's job. This is one of the reasons that LSSO's annual RainDance Conference features speakers from other industries. Those of us in the legal industry lag behind our clients and have much to learn from them.

Web Sites

One example of where to crank up the volume on the voice of the client is law firm Web sites. They can be powerful marketing, sales and service tools. Yet, law firms are falling far short of this potential. Content Pilot's study, 2007 AmLaw 100 Web Sites: Ten Foundational Best Practices, evaluated the AmLaw 100's Web sites to determine foundational best practices. Why? Because Web sites are the largest marketing expenditure in most firms, they are the most accessible/visible communications tool and they wanted to determine whether top firms are meeting visitors' needs.

Out of the AmLaw 100, only 1% of law firms' Web sites were ranked excellent. Examples of percentages of law firms that were found to be 'excellent' in specific categories were appallingly low:

Area
Excellent Evauated

________________________________

6% Communicating their messages

19% Biographies

2% Interactivity and outreach

All these may be contributing factors for the conclusions of BTI Consulting's research, just 31.2% of corporate counsels recommend their primary law firm.

Conclusion

When marketing and sales work hand in hand and when law firms get serious and systematic about asking and really listening to their clients ' and then doing something with that information ' we are going to see that number increase. Until then, one primary firm's client is another firm's very likely prospect.

Catherine Alman MacDonagh is the COO and a Co-Founder of the Legal Sales and Service Organization. LSSO is exclusively focused on sales, service excellence and quality issues facing the legal industry. Catherine co-authored the book and trainer's manual for 'The Law Firm Associate's Guide to Personal Marketing and Selling Skills' published in 2007 by the American Bar Association. She is a certified Six Sigma Greenbelt, a former corporate counsel, and has more than 15 years of professional services marketing and sales experience. Contact: LSSO Web site: http://www.legalsales.org/welcome/about.cfm.

The articles that the Legal Sales and Service Organization (LSSO) has published in a regular column for MLF the past year have focused on a variety of specific topics, like planning, alignment, and how to lead successful initiatives. But they all have one important thing in common. It is the need for law firms to really listen to their clients in order to elevate their service.

We are at a point in the industry where more firms say they want to pursue the business development course. While we have seen the disturbing trend of marketing staff 'becoming' business development staff, sometimes without any formal training or experience, we have also seen an influx of top-notch, experienced sales people from other industries into firms. LSSO's membership numbers are reflective of this growth. In our first year (2003-2004), membership increased by 59%, our second year (2004-2005), the increase held steady at 58% and during 2005-2006/2007 to mid-December, membership increased by 42%.

More lawyers, law firm leaders and teams are being trained and coached than ever before as they recognize the need to learn and try new ways to sell to sophisticated clients. We all know that the industry is more competitive than it ever has been, yet the basics still aren't quite there.

Focusing on the Client

Firms still claim to be 'client focused.' Some even boldly make this statement on their marketing materials. Law firms say they are engaged in client interviews and satisfaction surveys. While this may be the case, a huge gap remains between how law firms and their clients define 'client focus' and sometimes, clients are not aware that they are being asked by firms for satisfaction feedback.

In LSSO's Women Lawyers Survey: Sales and Business Development Issues, female partners who recognize the power of client service reported 26.2% to 31.6% higher annual originations. Imagine how much higher those numbers will be when firms actually start 'walking the walk' on client service rather than just 'talking the talk.'

Moreover, the voice of the client still appears in few places in law firms' marketing, sales, service or organizational development initiatives. Consider how many law firms you know that have any one person who is responsible for strategy, process improvement and organizational development. In our clients' companies, these responsibilities are so important that they are a top-level professional's job. This is one of the reasons that LSSO's annual RainDance Conference features speakers from other industries. Those of us in the legal industry lag behind our clients and have much to learn from them.

Web Sites

One example of where to crank up the volume on the voice of the client is law firm Web sites. They can be powerful marketing, sales and service tools. Yet, law firms are falling far short of this potential. Content Pilot's study, 2007 AmLaw 100 Web Sites: Ten Foundational Best Practices, evaluated the AmLaw 100's Web sites to determine foundational best practices. Why? Because Web sites are the largest marketing expenditure in most firms, they are the most accessible/visible communications tool and they wanted to determine whether top firms are meeting visitors' needs.

Out of the AmLaw 100, only 1% of law firms' Web sites were ranked excellent. Examples of percentages of law firms that were found to be 'excellent' in specific categories were appallingly low:

Area
Excellent Evauated

________________________________

6% Communicating their messages

19% Biographies

2% Interactivity and outreach

All these may be contributing factors for the conclusions of BTI Consulting's research, just 31.2% of corporate counsels recommend their primary law firm.

Conclusion

When marketing and sales work hand in hand and when law firms get serious and systematic about asking and really listening to their clients ' and then doing something with that information ' we are going to see that number increase. Until then, one primary firm's client is another firm's very likely prospect.

Catherine Alman MacDonagh is the COO and a Co-Founder of the Legal Sales and Service Organization. LSSO is exclusively focused on sales, service excellence and quality issues facing the legal industry. Catherine co-authored the book and trainer's manual for 'The Law Firm Associate's Guide to Personal Marketing and Selling Skills' published in 2007 by the American Bar Association. She is a certified Six Sigma Greenbelt, a former corporate counsel, and has more than 15 years of professional services marketing and sales experience. Contact: LSSO Web site: http://www.legalsales.org/welcome/about.cfm.