The Power of Positive Feedback

We all love to walk out of a client interview with a zinger: a big relationship problem, a previously hidden opportunity in a new area or a major client challenge we can solve. In fact, some clients don’t think their client feedback programs are effective unless there are big surprises at every turn. The reality is most client interviews uncover a lot of positive feedback rather than major problems. And as the saying goes, “It’s easier to improve 100 things by one percent than to improve just one thing by 100%.” With fierce competition and little realistic differentiation between law firms, the little things can make your service and firm distinctive.

• Consistent praise in specific areas can help you identify best practices to adapt with other clients and adopt as “firm-wide” service standards.
• Broadcasting positive feedback broadly helps raise the service bar across the firm.
• Positive feedback helps you identify loyal clients, understand why they recommend you and uncover “promoters.”
• Specific examples provided by clients about how you add value, help clients succeed and make their lives easier can help you create better proposals and communications.
• Clients who like and trust you are far more candid about how you compare to other firms and frequently share the challenges they are facing in their jobs and organizations, which in turn helps you provide even better service. 

Listen closely for the positive feedback. It provides a roadmap for consistently exceeding client expectations.