As you try to get me talking about my problems, demonstrate your sensitivity. I do not respond well to someone who asks me right up front “What are your problems?” That’s too assertive and you haven’t yet earned the right to an answer. Similarly, don’t ask “What’s not going well?” I’m not going to answer … Read more

One or two of the activities listed deserve some elaboration. “Volunteering to attend client’s internal meetings” is a particularly powerful tactic. As an illustration, suppose that a client service team learns that its client is holding a national meeting of, say, all of its branch managers, on a topic that is not covered by the … Read more

If existing clients offer such attractions, why is it that so many professional firms devote the vast bulk of their non-billable marketing time (and budget) to the pursuit of new clients? Part of the answer, of course, is that a steady flow of new clients is important to any professional firm. New clients are needed … Read more

Number of Words: 538 In many firms, there may be a need for training programs in client-contact skills. These should include training in classic client situations such as “How do you tell a client he is wrong?” and “What do you do if the client doesn’t like your ideas?” Accumulated wisdom in the firm on … Read more

Number of words: 817 A mailed questionnaire, such as that shown at the end of the passage, when used as a supplement (not a substitute) for other means of obtaining feedback, has the virtue that it is systematic. Its importance is that it not only obtains the feedback but, more importantly, it introduces an accountability … Read more

The importance of good relationship management (in the sense intended here) is borne out by another question in the study referred to above, in which we asked corporate executives about referrals. Only 10 percent of all referrals were found to be cases where technical considerations or “results” were given as the reason for the referral. … Read more

Number of words: 598 In a large-scale study I supervised for a major international professional service firm, corporate purchasers of a broad range of professional services (including audit, actuarial, consulting, legal, and marketing communications services) were asked, among other things, to rate their experience with professional firms on two key dimensions. First, we asked them … Read more

Number of Words: 676 There is a danger that in a vigorous attempt to win new clients, excessive promises may be made, creating expectations that cannot be fulfilled. One professional I know describes the syndrome this way: The most depressing day in the office is the day after we have won a new client. We … Read more

Number of words: 844 Much of the previous discussion can be summarized by what I have come to call “The First Law of Service,” expressed as a formula: SATISFACTION equals PERCEPTION minus EXPECTATION If the client perceives service at a certain level, but expected something more (or different), then he or she will be dissatisfied. … Read more

Number of words: 535 Consider the following scenario: You have had your car repaired at a new local garage. A week or two later, your neighbor, curious about whether she should also use this new garage, asks, “Did they fix the car?” “I think so,” you reply. “It seems to be running smoothly, so I … Read more