Good summary on Traits Clients Seek
Fascinating post by James Hassett of Law Firm Business Development summarizing a presentation by Paul Clifford at a recent New England Legal Marketing Association meeting. Clifford is a former managing partner at a mid-size Boston law firm. Clifford's thesis is that the market for legal services is becoming more and more competitive. Writes Hassett:
Many of the trends Paul discussed are driven by a single indisputable fact: "The market for legal services is becoming more and more competitive." It's a buyer's market. As large clients continue to merge and industries continue to consolidate over the next few years, this will become even more true.
Hassett goes on to discuss Clifford's comments on the importance of listening, how critical client satisfaction interviews have become and how few firms actually do them, the speed of service, and the accessibility and responsiveness of the lawyers. He also emphasized the importance of understanding the client's business. I've discussed each of these traits in prior posts.
But here is Clifford's winning line: "The biggest challenge is to get lawyers away from thinking like lawyers, and to start thinking like business people."