Law Firm Business Development: The Voice of the Client

During the last 12 years, we have conducted thousands of client feedback interviews. In preparing for those interviews, we talk to the relationship attorneys about, well, the relationship with the client. We ask about goals, successes, the people they work with and the teams that supports them. Inevitably, the conversation shifts to how we can use client feedback to grow the relationship. We always caution that we never want to turn a feedback interview into a pitch for work.

But listening to the client and spending time with a client always leads to new opportunities with that client. Sometimes it’s immediate, short-term work. Other times it’s about identifying previously unknown client needs. But there are always opportunities.

As our business has evolved and as we have deepened our own relationships with clients, we have supported firms’ client service and client growth goals. We like to call it client loyalty. If you listen to the voice of the client, clients will tell you exactly what they want, and then it’s easy (relatively speaking) to deliver.

In the last five or six years, we have taken that concept of the Voice of the Client to train hundreds of lawyers on how to turn that voice into opportunities and client loyalty—in essence business development.

So, this fall, we are excited to announce that we have launched the Wicker Park Group Client Loyalty Institute. These all-day programs are content rich, practical and based extensively on our years of experience leveraging the Voice of the Client for business development.

During the fall all-day workshops, we will dive deep in the essential skills that lead to the best business development opportunities. Among these are:

• How to differentiate the value of various networks in your personal and professional networks
• Why understanding communication styles leads to more impactful client and prospect meetings
• The six keys to effective meetings
• How to sell and grow relationships by adding value
• Active listening skills, stories and the essential questions that lead to opportunities
• The pitch: how to be best positioned to make the ask

Who should attend? We have trained groups of lawyers in firms ranging from 50 lawyers to 1,000. This program is open to any lawyers at any size firms, from solos to the largest firms, who want to shift their approach and accelerate their business development skills. This includes relationship partners, new partners, senior associates and managing and marketing partners.

We look forward to seeing you this fall in D.C., Atlanta and Philadelphia.

Visit our website for more information about the WPG Client Loyalty Institute.