Important Insights and Advice from MPF Client Panel

I recently had the pleasure of attending TR’s Marketing Partner Forum in Florida. It was a great reminder there is truly no substitute for spending quality time with clients. I left incredibly grateful for the relationships we have built and that “work” for us includes collaborating with so many smart and talented people. 

The value and importance of client feedback was a hot topic on almost every panel, and it was wonderful to hear the In-House Counsel/Managing Partner panel reinforce the value of feedback as much as the business development and marketing professionals. 

In the event you were unable to attend, below are some highlights of advice clients shared:

• Fundamentally, clients are looking for someone “to make life easier.” That may include keeping them up to speed, helping them do their jobs more efficiently or providing new insights. We always have time for that kind of call or meeting.
• Until you sit in clients’ seats, you don’t realize how they use your legal advice. Go learn how they use your advice, and you will change how you deliver it.
• Think of client service in the words of Frank Sinatra: “Do it my way, not your way.”
• Relationship partners should be viewed as concierge contacts for the client and law firm. They should know how to get the client to the right people and also check in after to make sure expectations were met.
• Involve the client in team meetings. Why would you have a client team of only law firm lawyers?
• Clients assume a baseline of intelligence and capability in their outside counsel. So don’t sell them on intellect. Tell them how you understand their business, industry and issues and how you are going to make them look good internally. 
• Clients need more law firm lawyers to think like a GC: Be a generalist and understand the bigger picture. It is very frustrating when attorneys are too narrow and can’t see the bigger picture.
• What would you want your clients to say about you? Then ask yourself, “Do your actions support that message?”
• “Value add” means something different for everyone, so ask your clients what value adds they appreciate.
• Succession planning should involve the client.
• The continuous raising of rates is a missed opportunity to have meaningful conversations. You need to understand what your client is solving for and how your work supports the goals. If that aligns and is valuable, the rates are less of an issue, but all work is not high value.