Do you ever ask your clients how you’re doing?  What they like?  What they’d like to see improved?  What other work they may have with which you could help?

At a recent Legal Marketing Association – Dallas City Group event, a panel of both current and former General Counsel told the audience of attorneys and marketers that they had never been asked for feedback regarding the performance of their outside counsel.

If you do ask questions about your service performance, as you can see, you’re already one step ahead of many of your competitors.

However, even if you already solicit client feedback, you should take it one step further.  It’s human nature to tread softly or even completely ignore some problem areas rather than directly deliver negative feedback.  Many people will do whatever possible to avoid any type of conflict.

To get the complete story on what your clients think, it’s important to enlist a neutral third party.  And, the panelists at the Dallas City Group event agreed that the use of an outside consultant skilled at conducting client surveys is the best way to ensure you obtain the full picture.

The most important thing to recognize in obtaining performance feedback from your clients is that you will receive constructive and, even, outright criticism.  You have to be prepared to make improvements.  You have everything to lose if you don’t make those changes.

On the other hands, if you don’t solicit the feedback and implement changes when necessary, your client is going to go away – probably quietly – and you will never really understand what jeopardized the relationship.

Consultants who are experienced at eliciting client feedback should go the extra mile in order to determine other existing projects and those in the works.

Client surveys are a winning tool for increasing your business.  Your clients know their business is important to you, the feedback shows what is being done right and what can be improved, and you learn more about upcoming opportunities.

Author: cm2marketing