Your First Impression Is Your Phone

I recently worked with a firm that had someone answering their phones with the personality of a doorknob. In addition to the stunning personality, the receptionist's fuse took about 2.1 milli-seconds to burn. He had no patience with anyone calling in and populated his monosyllabic responses with deep sighs and a lot of eye-rolls and hand gestures (I even saw him mimic putting a gun to his head and pulling the trigger). Now, I understand he isn't on a videophone, but trust me, the callers could see these gestures nonetheless.

What's particularly ironic about this story is that we were hired to help this firm retain more clients. As we progressed through the audit and planning process, I realized that no amount of planning or marketing materials would compensate for the client's point of first contact - the person I'll call Deadly Dan.

Deadly Dan's issue is that he HATES answering the phones. He loathes it with a passion unequalled by anything else in his life. However, part of his job when signing on with the firm was to provide this service, and there's no getting out of it, or around it. My point to the managing partner was that unless this phone issue was addressed, nothing we could do would offset the damage. The managing partner wanted all clients to feel like they were exceedingly important (which they are!). Most felt like they were simply annoying and bothersome. Deadly Dan was killing any good will or relationship building the attorneys had worked so hard to accomplish.

If you're curious how your clients feel, have a good friend call up your firm. Give them some talking points so they can ask your receptionist a few questions about the firm and how to get additional information. Ask them for their honest feedback. Good receptionists can be the backbone of a firm. Bad ones can do a lot more damage than disconnecting clients from voicemail.

The Power of Research

Recently we've run into a lot of clients who, for whatever reason, woke up one morning and decided they needed a new identity, a new tagline, a new logo or a new service to promote to their clients. Our first question always is, "Why?"

Before you rush out to change your image, it is essential to determine the reasons why you want to do this. It's true that logos can get old, stale or outdated, but often companies react to what their perceptions of what their clients want rather than the reality of what they want. This misperception has severely impacted, and in some cases, bankrupted companies that don't find out the truth of what their client's really want.

Right Angle recently published an article on this subject. You can read the full version here. The short version is easily summarized. Before embarking on any new endeavor that changes the way your clients will perceive you:

1. Find out, and write down, the reasons you feel this change is necessary. If possible, discuss with other members in your firm
2. Do some primary research. This means asking your clients or prospects what they think of your idea. Find out how they perceive you currently. Ask them what types of services they associate with your firm. If you've built a solid reputation as a business law firm, changing your focus drastically and without warning may drive your bread and butter away.
3. Ask the experts. Talk to a marketing consultant or strategist about your ideas and solicit feedback.
4. Use professional research before embarking on any large-scale marketing campaign. For example, before you decide to spend $15,000 on a new website, find out if your clients and prospects currently use your website and for what purpose.

We realize this can all sound very basic, but you'd be amazed how often firms just jump into new campaigns hoping they'll be the magic bullet to the ailment of the day.