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COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY AND ENJOYABLY WITH CORPORATE CLIENTS

By Allan Colman, the Closers Group, www.closersgroup.com
March 12, 2008

COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY AND ENJOYABLY WITH CORPORATE CLIENTS – Continuing with our series on really getting to know your clients and your prospects, and assuming you do want to discover what makes them and their companies work, what's next? You and your marketing support team must make time to organize pursue and hopefully close opportunities if you do find out. Lawyers are excellent at talking, good at asking questions and only so-so at listening. Yet it is the latter two skills that are the ultimate determinants of ongoing success. According to KLS/Gates “Top of Mind” survey of senior in-house counsel, conducted in the summer of 2005, “communicating effectively” and “enjoyable attorneys” are two of the top three attributes for outside counsel selection.For any lawyer who wants to “communicate effectively and enjoyably” the 60/40 rule that served IBM so splendidly for decades still applies. Client talks 60% of the time, you talk 40%. Demonstrate the knowledge you have obtained by asking strategic questions and getting them to discus operational and management challenges.

COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY AND ENJOYABLY WITH CORPORATE CLIENTS – Continuing with our series on really getting to know your clients and your prospects, and assuming you do want to discover what makes them and their companies work, what's next? You and your marketing support team must make time to organize pursue and hopefully close opportunities if you do find out. Lawyers are excellent at talking, good at asking questions and only so-so at listening. Yet it is the latter two skills that are the ultimate determinants of ongoing success. According to KLS/Gates “Top of Mind” survey of senior in-house counsel, conducted in the summer of 2005, “communicating effectively” and “enjoyable attorneys” are two of the top three attributes for outside counsel selection.For any lawyer who wants to “communicate effectively and enjoyably” the 60/40 rule that served IBM so splendidly for decades still applies. Client talks 60% of the time, you talk 40%. Demonstrate the knowledge you have obtained by asking strategic questions and getting them to discus operational and management challenges.

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