<b><i>Voice of the Client:</i></b> Trusted Adviser?

I work with law firms and lawyers to gauge their clients' levels of satisfaction and lack thereof. Over many years, I've been involved in thousands of in-person interviews with in-house legal counsel and business executives on behalf of law firms, Big Four accounting firms and other professional services organizations. During these interviews, clients have shared their observations about the professionals who serve them ' and what makes the good ones really good.

So, what is a Trusted Adviser and how do you become one, thereby deepening and strengthening a relationship? Many of the definitions I've found in print and online seem to be a bit vague, such as having “practical judgment” or being able to “influence and advocate.” But, I haven't heard these terms used very often in interviews and I'm not sure how helpful they might be. Instead, I will share with you a few of the more instructional vignettes that I have gleaned from listening to clients enthuse about their own Trusted Advisers:

Heroes Come in Many Sizes

The conventional image of a Trusted Adviser is that of a superhero. For example, a law firm might house only a few of them. They are the Big Kahunas who by virtue of their capabilities and personal styles have clients falling all over them and are big rainmakers. True, but … there are other mere-mortal types of lawyers who also function as Trusted Advisers. “Jennifer [an associate] periodically asks what issues, challenges and concerns might be coming up for me, so I can always count on her to be prepared when my issues turn into crises down the road.”

The Fighting Fiduciary

According to Wikipedia, “In a fiduciary relationship, one person, in a position of vulnerability, justifiably vests confidence, good faith, reliance, and trust in another whose aid, advice or protection is sought in some matter.” Clients say that their Trusted Advisers are always looking out for ways to maximize the client's well-being, even when at times it puts the provider against his or her own firm's immediate financial interests, such as spending more than budgeted hours on a fixed-fee project just to make sure the product is first rate. Accordingly, Trusted Advisers solve problems, resolve conflicts and help clients plan for the future. The owner of a middle market company was confident that, “Steve always has our best interests at heart.”

Not Just Insights, But Foresights

Hindsight reports facts, events or developments, but without substantive opinion or prediction. Insights, on the other hand, take hindsight a step further by including information that is tailored to specific situations, companies or industries, and that provide a degree of unique analysis. Foresights typically result from the analysis of a collection of indicators, trends or developments which, when taken together, reasonably suggest a future development. You guessed it, Trusted Advisers provide all three of the above, but especially the most highly valued ' foresights. [These definitions are provided by law firm business development trainer and coach, Eric Dewey, of Group Dewey Consulting.]

Discussions That Go Beyond Legal Issues

The test that shows that you've really made the grade is when you are asked for opinions on subjects that are beyond your immediate professional specialty. For example, one CEO felt that his lawyer was so business knowledgeable and street smart, that he invited the lawyer to join him and other executives in brainstorming sessions about the company's overall business strategy, not just the legal ramifications.

Make Me Look Good, No, Make Me Shine!

Apparently, Trusted Advisers take actions that forward the advisees' careers ' and, possibly even more critical, keep it from sinking if disaster strikes. For example: stopping the client before he/she does something misguided; suggesting damage-control actions after he/she went ahead and did it anyway; providing ideas that might impress the client's boss and help him/her continue to move up the career ladder. “Rachael is a very good advocate and sounding board for me with regard to my career.”

Technical Expertise Is Not a 'Given'

Many of the charts showing competency levels for professionals portray technical expertise as something that will not distinguish ' everyone must have it. But clients are able to discern the differences. For example, a General Counsel told me, “That's why we use Mike ' he knows more about [technical specialty] than anyone on the planet!”

Your Own Personal Junkyard Dog

Some of us were bullied as kids and dreamed of a tough big brother to come and punch out the bully. Now that we're grownups, we call on our Trusted Advisers to do this dirty work for us. So many clients have bragged to me, ” … aggressive lawyering … with him, we win … A-Team … we'll put our guy against their guy any day … he's our number one ally outside of the company ' .” It's human nature.

First Call

This is probably the single most discriminating test for whether a professional has reached the status of Trusted Adviser. Just like in the movie Ghost Busters, the big question when faced with a calamity is, “Who you gonna call?” In these cases, if you're in the client's speed dial list and you get the first call, then you know you have arrived.

How Likely to Be Recommended

Toward the end of my in-person interviews, I ask the client, “Would you recommend [the firm] to others for similar types of work?” If necessary, I probe the interviewee's response to compel him or her to go beyond just a simple Yes or No. Based upon their explanations, it's easy to discern whether the law firm ' either as an institution or because it has a particular lawyer on the client-serving team ' is considered a Trusted Adviser. In these cases, the client trusts the lawyer and the firm enough such that the client will risk his/her personal and professional reputation by recommending the firm to others. That is priceless!

Thinks About You Offline

When I reflect on whom I might consider to be my own personal Trusted Advisers, what stands out is when one of them has said, “Bruce, I was thinking about you the other day, and I had this idea ' .” This tells me that I'm more to them than just billable hours. As a result, I feel that they really care about me and that they are in it for the long-term relationship, not just a short-term transaction.

I Love Him!

Don't laugh, I hear this fairly often. Of course, it's not a reference to any romantic leanings, but possibly represents the ultimate testimony to the person being referred to ' the Trusted Adviser.

Conclusion

Obviously, there are other attributes in addition to what I've described that lawyers and other professional services providers do to earn the right to be a Trusted Adviser. But one of my points worth emphasizing is that it takes more than just getting the boxes checked on a list of stated traits, such as, has “Integrity.” Instead, being a Trusted Adviser often manifests itself in the form of higher-order configurations of sometimes-subtle behaviors ' in particular, ones that change and improve the advisee's fortunes and, therefore, are highly valued.

During all my interviewing, it's a rare occasion that a client actually uses the term, “Trusted Adviser.” Instead, as client interviewees describe some of the situations like I've shared above, both interviewer and interviewee know almost instantly what's being talked about. I'm not entirely sure how to interpret this, but it suggests to me that the term, “Trusted Adviser,” as vaunted a position as it suggests, is not good enough to describe that wonderful person who has been so valuable to you, the advisee.

Therefore, I leave you with the question: Have any of your clients said “I love you” today?

Bruce D. Heintz heads Heintz Consulting LLC, specializing in client satisfaction and loyalty assessments. Reach him at 781-891-6850 or via e-mail at [email protected].

I work with law firms and lawyers to gauge their clients' levels of satisfaction and lack thereof. Over many years, I've been involved in thousands of in-person interviews with in-house legal counsel and business executives on behalf of law firms, Big Four accounting firms and other professional services organizations. During these interviews, clients have shared their observations about the professionals who serve them ' and what makes the good ones really good.

So, what is a Trusted Adviser and how do you become one, thereby deepening and strengthening a relationship? Many of the definitions I've found in print and online seem to be a bit vague, such as having “practical judgment” or being able to “influence and advocate.” But, I haven't heard these terms used very often in interviews and I'm not sure how helpful they might be. Instead, I will share with you a few of the more instructional vignettes that I have gleaned from listening to clients enthuse about their own Trusted Advisers:

Heroes Come in Many Sizes

The conventional image of a Trusted Adviser is that of a superhero. For example, a law firm might house only a few of them. They are the Big Kahunas who by virtue of their capabilities and personal styles have clients falling all over them and are big rainmakers. True, but … there are other mere-mortal types of lawyers who also function as Trusted Advisers. “Jennifer [an associate] periodically asks what issues, challenges and concerns might be coming up for me, so I can always count on her to be prepared when my issues turn into crises down the road.”

The Fighting Fiduciary

According to Wikipedia, “In a fiduciary relationship, one person, in a position of vulnerability, justifiably vests confidence, good faith, reliance, and trust in another whose aid, advice or protection is sought in some matter.” Clients say that their Trusted Advisers are always looking out for ways to maximize the client's well-being, even when at times it puts the provider against his or her own firm's immediate financial interests, such as spending more than budgeted hours on a fixed-fee project just to make sure the product is first rate. Accordingly, Trusted Advisers solve problems, resolve conflicts and help clients plan for the future. The owner of a middle market company was confident that, “Steve always has our best interests at heart.”

Not Just Insights, But Foresights

Hindsight reports facts, events or developments, but without substantive opinion or prediction. Insights, on the other hand, take hindsight a step further by including information that is tailored to specific situations, companies or industries, and that provide a degree of unique analysis. Foresights typically result from the analysis of a collection of indicators, trends or developments which, when taken together, reasonably suggest a future development. You guessed it, Trusted Advisers provide all three of the above, but especially the most highly valued ' foresights. [These definitions are provided by law firm business development trainer and coach, Eric Dewey, of Group Dewey Consulting.]

Discussions That Go Beyond Legal Issues

The test that shows that you've really made the grade is when you are asked for opinions on subjects that are beyond your immediate professional specialty. For example, one CEO felt that his lawyer was so business knowledgeable and street smart, that he invited the lawyer to join him and other executives in brainstorming sessions about the company's overall business strategy, not just the legal ramifications.

Make Me Look Good, No, Make Me Shine!

Apparently, Trusted Advisers take actions that forward the advisees' careers ' and, possibly even more critical, keep it from sinking if disaster strikes. For example: stopping the client before he/she does something misguided; suggesting damage-control actions after he/she went ahead and did it anyway; providing ideas that might impress the client's boss and help him/her continue to move up the career ladder. “Rachael is a very good advocate and sounding board for me with regard to my career.”

Technical Expertise Is Not a 'Given'

Many of the charts showing competency levels for professionals portray technical expertise as something that will not distinguish ' everyone must have it. But clients are able to discern the differences. For example, a General Counsel told me, “That's why we use Mike ' he knows more about [technical specialty] than anyone on the planet!”

Your Own Personal Junkyard Dog

Some of us were bullied as kids and dreamed of a tough big brother to come and punch out the bully. Now that we're grownups, we call on our Trusted Advisers to do this dirty work for us. So many clients have bragged to me, ” … aggressive lawyering … with him, we win … A-Team … we'll put our guy against their guy any day … he's our number one ally outside of the company ' .” It's human nature.

First Call

This is probably the single most discriminating test for whether a professional has reached the status of Trusted Adviser. Just like in the movie Ghost Busters, the big question when faced with a calamity is, “Who you gonna call?” In these cases, if you're in the client's speed dial list and you get the first call, then you know you have arrived.

How Likely to Be Recommended

Toward the end of my in-person interviews, I ask the client, “Would you recommend [the firm] to others for similar types of work?” If necessary, I probe the interviewee's response to compel him or her to go beyond just a simple Yes or No. Based upon their explanations, it's easy to discern whether the law firm ' either as an institution or because it has a particular lawyer on the client-serving team ' is considered a Trusted Adviser. In these cases, the client trusts the lawyer and the firm enough such that the client will risk his/her personal and professional reputation by recommending the firm to others. That is priceless!

Thinks About You Offline

When I reflect on whom I might consider to be my own personal Trusted Advisers, what stands out is when one of them has said, “Bruce, I was thinking about you the other day, and I had this idea ' .” This tells me that I'm more to them than just billable hours. As a result, I feel that they really care about me and that they are in it for the long-term relationship, not just a short-term transaction.

I Love Him!

Don't laugh, I hear this fairly often. Of course, it's not a reference to any romantic leanings, but possibly represents the ultimate testimony to the person being referred to ' the Trusted Adviser.

Conclusion

Obviously, there are other attributes in addition to what I've described that lawyers and other professional services providers do to earn the right to be a Trusted Adviser. But one of my points worth emphasizing is that it takes more than just getting the boxes checked on a list of stated traits, such as, has “Integrity.” Instead, being a Trusted Adviser often manifests itself in the form of higher-order configurations of sometimes-subtle behaviors ' in particular, ones that change and improve the advisee's fortunes and, therefore, are highly valued.

During all my interviewing, it's a rare occasion that a client actually uses the term, “Trusted Adviser.” Instead, as client interviewees describe some of the situations like I've shared above, both interviewer and interviewee know almost instantly what's being talked about. I'm not entirely sure how to interpret this, but it suggests to me that the term, “Trusted Adviser,” as vaunted a position as it suggests, is not good enough to describe that wonderful person who has been so valuable to you, the advisee.

Therefore, I leave you with the question: Have any of your clients said “I love you” today?

Bruce D. Heintz heads Heintz Consulting LLC, specializing in client satisfaction and loyalty assessments. Reach him at 781-891-6850 or via e-mail at [email protected].