In the mid-80s an advertisement for The Guardian newspaper featured a skinhead who appeared to be wrestling a man’s briefcase from his hands. He did not create the best first impression!
The camera then cuts and viewers can see that he is, in fact, trying to rescue the man from falling bricks.
This highlights the importance to not make assumptions. We are all guilty of making assumptions because we make judgements based on how we see the world (and that takes us back to being able to create the best first impression).
The issue for law firms, accountancy practices, intellectual property attorneys and barristers chambers is that if you don’t check your assumptions by asking your clients for feedback, you might not be delivering quite the high level of client care you think you are.
So, what can you do to mitigate risk of making assumptions about your clients and improve the quality of client service? Here are 5 ideas you can put into practice immediately:
1. Meet your clients informally outside specific matters/cases to build closer ties – both in the office and socially
2. Take the trouble to understand the sectors in which your clients operate by reading the relevant trade publications
3. Ask for post-transaction feedback by telephone research or questionnaire
4. When it comes to your key clients, commission an independent third party to interview your clients in more depth face-to-face
5. Communicate with your clients using their preferred medium – email, telephone, face to face, Skype or WhatsApp
If you’d like to find out more please drop us a line and we can find a convenient time to talk.
Or, pick up some tips to help you do better BD from home.