Legal Marketing & PR

Love Those Clients - Now More Than Ever

By Tom Kane

Emotion has everything to do with everything we do in life. Yet apparently, the B2B marketplace according to a Gallup Poll doesn't reflect the importance of an emotional connection when it comes to business-to-business dealings. I guess I'm surprised by that, and would think that such is not the case when it comes to the legal industry. Since we are in the personal services business and oftentimes legal issues can get very emotional, it is hard to imagine that emotion doesn't play an important role in the B2B legal world.

I'm not sure why any business, whether B2B or B2C wouldn't think that emotion is an important element in any relationship. Yet, according to that Gallup poll, reported by Ed O'Boyle in the Gallup Management Journal, 65% of B2B customers are either not emotionally engaged or actively disengaged, while only 45% are emotionally attached or fully engaged. If those numbers are even closely mirrored in the legal community, then there are a lot of business clients that could be persuaded to 'engage' another law firm.

Thanks to Mike O'Horo at SalesResults for his discussion of this in his May 19 issue of Results Mail. It got me thinking about a 2005 post of mine where I talked about the "emotion factor" and how any client relationship should contain large doses of making the client feel good about what you and your firm did for them. You might find it worth another (or initial) read.

In this economy, a little love will go a long way in retaining key clients.

Full post as published by Legal Marketing Blog on May 21, 2009 (boomark / email).