31 Practice Habits That Build Reputation and Loyalty

1. Your #1 task is delivering your professional services on time; just do it.

2. Emails and phone messages should be responded to promptly.

3. Always Be On Time – are you ready to pay them for the time you’ve kept people waiting? Can you afford the loss in trust because of tardiness?

4. Plan every conversation, email and meeting as if your reputation depended on your thoroughness.

5. Your client should see a copy of everything you send or say to a 3rd party on their behalf.

6. Listen carefully, with real interest, even when the client’s conversation doesn’t seem relevant. They are your client because they trust you; it’s all about the relationship.

7. When your engagement is wrapping up, a management letter should consider additional benefits if you are considering additional costs.

8. Any question asked of you, when you in the role of a lawyer, should be answered. If not immediately, get then the answer or refer to someone who can answer it.

9. Don’t keep people waiting in your reception area. Imagine every minute they wait reduces their trust by 5%.

10. Telephone on-hold buttons are a necessary evil. Promise to call people back promptly if you can’t talk with them within 30 seconds.

11. If your client’s accountant authorizes payment, get to know them. Part of their job is to reduce costs: make sure they know the value of your services.

12. The process of your engagement should be understood in terms of time for each stage and what’s required from the client to ensure smooth delivery of services. Do they know all the approval steps?

13. If you are making progress with the client’s project, let them know; regularly.

14. When you see that a client’s ideas or methods could use improvement, don’t tell their staff person who can’t authorize improvements.

15. Before submitting a final report to your client, ensure they have seen the drafts and approved them.

16. Surprises are not appropriate in a report; discuss these items before completion of the project.

17. If your client is rude, you will lose if tact isn’t used well. If it’s an ongoing problem, you can politely suggest their work isn’t appropriate for your firm.

18. Never answer a personal call during a client meeting: use voice mail when you can.

19. Treat the person who has given you a referral as a valuable friend; they have the power to repeat it.

20. Each contact you have in a client’s office is valuable; they can raise or lower your reputation when you aren’t present, during the engagement and years into the future.

21. If you think you have a new client, let them know you are making room on your schedule to deliver full service and attention.

22. Seminars and speeches help retain current clients while attracting new clients.

23. Keep your service in top shape by keeping up on your professional development.

24.Let current and potential clients know you and your people are up to date and able to deliver professional services.

25. If you have to increase fees, tell clients right away and what benefit it will have on the work they receive. Tell them in written form, and don’t hide it.

26. If you are very busy, don’t tell your clients unless you want them to know your services will be reduced.

27. If you can’t deliver on a service request, tell the client right away so they can take alternative measures to solve it.

28. Have a file available to all your staff when you require additional information: who needs to know what? Then you can achieve multiple goals with only one interruption.

29. Ensure all your people involved with a single client know about each other’s goals, roles and needs.

30. There are many ways to communicate; ensure all your staff record all communications on a client’s situation and project in a file accessible and used by all concerned.

31. Changing market conditions create changing needs, within your firm and with all clients’ businesses. Find the needs, consider your possible solutions and communicate.

Copyright 2009

Francis Waller works with small law and accounting firms in the Metro Vancouver region. The focus of Gap Management is to enable single practitioners and small firms to build their practice affordably. His background includes creating advertising, developing training programs and performing research for clients. For further information, visit www.gapmanagement.org

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/ethics-articles/31-habits-that-build-a-professional-services-firm-890978.html

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