Client Retention Strategies: Become Indispensable
by Allan Colman
If your firm is wringing its collective hands on how to extend relationships and expand engagements, then here’s a news flash: It’s time to step from behind the desk and into your client’s boardroom. When you become indispensable, client retention efforts become a redundant term. The key to building strong relationships and enhancing client retention is to become a true business partner with a thorough understanding of your client’s goals, challenges and concerns. One vehicle for achieving that kind of closeness is through what I call Top Client Relationship Offerings.
Here are a few:
Analyze Your Client’s Business: Do you have a good understanding to your client’s corporate positioning, who their competitors are and their overall reputation? This is priority Number One. Have a 360-degree view of how your client operates. Doing so builds your firm’s credibility and builds trust.
In-House Training, On the House: As an added bonus for engagement, offer the client specialized training courses for employees on key aspects affecting their business. For example, an intellectual property attorney can conduct a seminar on international legislation that may impact their business, free of charge. Accordingly, training courses for human resources employees on new developments in legislation is a value-added bonus to the client.
Brainstorming Meetings: Help your clients tackle challenges and increase their bottom line by facilitating brainstorming meetings with C-Suite executives and the firm’s managing partners. Periodic brainstorm meetings are a true client-centric approach through which your firm can provide services beyond legal work and litigation to co-visioning the future success of your client.
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Allan Colman is the managing partner of The Closers Group, a legal marketing firm that helps law firms with marketing, improving business development initiatives and strategies for retaining and growing client relationships.
