Did
you ever go to a restaurant where the food was good, but the overall dining
experience was not? Perhaps the waiter was inattentive, the hostess pretentious
or the noise level too high. Most likely, you never went back, and discouraged
others from eating there.
The
chef probably believes he's providing a good experience because his food is
great. He doesn't realize that because of poor service, his restaurant falls
short. Small but negative experiences often cause an unidentified drag on
businesses-and law practices are no exception.
The
"lone ranger syndrome" is one major reason.
Lone
Rangers Cause Problems
The
"lone ranger" syndrome is the belief held by many attorneys that they should do
most things themselves. They believe they can do it better and faster than
anyone else on their team. Additionally, they believe their actions alone
determine whether a client or referral source is satisfied with the firm's
service.
For
example, an estate planning attorney recently mentioned that he handles all the
marketing and client contact for his firm. In his mind this was true. Upon
further discussion, however, he admitted that someone else answers the phone,
takes messages, sets up appointments, and interacts with the clients when they
arrive at his office. He was completely discounting the affect his team
membershave on a client's experience of
his firm.
In
reality, the total experience that a client or a referral source has with your
firm is the aggregate of all their dealings with the different people in the
firm-from the receptionist to the most senior partner. The quality of the
overall experience determines the frequency and enthusiasm of your clients'
referrals.
Two
Problems Result From The Lone Ranger Syndrome
Often
in law practices two problems exist that may damage referrals, which are the
lifeblood of any marketing effort: failure to assess your clients' or referral
sources' overall experience with your firm; and failure to involve other
members of your team appropriately. Both these failures can have powerful
consequences.
Let's
address the second problem first. The principle of leverage demands that you
allocate your time according to your most important priorities. As partner, you
should not spend your time making appointments, sending gifts, making
reservations for marketing dinners, buying tickets to give to referral sources
or addressing thank-you notes. Designate someone on the team to handle this
kind of work and make everyone on the team aware of how he or she contributes
to the overall experience and ultimately to the image clients have of your
firm.
As
for the first problem, there are a number of ways to assess how clients or
referral sources feel about your practice. The methods involve careful
interviewing techniques that exceed the scope of this article. However, if you
agree that everyone who comes in contact with a client or a referral source is
in some way marketing, you can pre-empt problems and proactively build a
service oriented team.
Four
Ways To Create A Service-Based Team
First,
enroll the firm's members in the marketing effort. To do this, you need
to:
Explain
the difference between commitment and compliance
Understanding
the concept of commitment vs. compliance is critical if you want to develop a
service-based team in your office. If
someone has to be told what to do, and doesn't extend herself much beyond her
expressed duties, then she is compliant.
To
transform a compliant person into a committed member of the team, she needs to
understand the impact that her actions have on the firm as a whole. You also
need to elicit her opinions on how to handle certain situations, and focus her
on the objectives. Establishing shared and clear objectives is a key step in
leadership, and leadership is all about building commitment in your people. The
lone ranger does not take the time to do these things.
You
also need to close the gap between espoused ideas and reality. By espoused
ideas, I mean what is being said. If what you say doesn't correspond to the
reality as your co-workers understand it, then those on your team will become
chronic cynics who tend to ignore you and act in a manner consistent with the
way they see you act. If you talk about client service and fail to return calls
in a timely manner, you are sending the wrong message and will actually be
encouraging the wrong behaviors. Walk your talk if you want company on the
journey.
Next,
designate someone or hire someone to be your marketing assistant. Some
attorneys use virtual assistants who do not work in the office, but perform the
required functions remotely. They can arrange luncheon appointments with
referrals, keep track of when to contact people, send out information to key
referral sources, buy and send gifts, coordinate marketing events, and perform
all the other functions required of a sustainable referral marketing system.
Lastly,
the most effective approach to ending the lone ranger syndrome and focusing
your firm on marketing and client service is to hold an annual marketing
retreat . There are a number of important steps to make these events successful,
but just scheduling one with everyone involved helps send the message that you
want the whole firm to participate in a significant way to provide the best
possible experience for your clients and referral sources. These efforts and
experiences become part of the referral marketing equation that will help your
firm grow and prosper.
End
the lone ranger syndrome and you are absolved from sin #5!
