Tom Kane of the Legal Marketing Blog posted yesterday (once again) about exceeding clients' expectations. It refers to an earlier post, wherein Kane opines that exceeding clients' expectations is a good idea from a marketing standpoint - by under-promising and over-delivering, law firms can increase their bottom line and improve the reputation of lawyers in general.
The original post prompted a comment from Georgi Mammen Mullasserry, a marketing officer from Sony who had written a blog post with the opposite viewpoint - that exceeding clients' expectations is a "stupid strategy." This opinion was based on the premise that exceeding clients' expectations offers more value to a customer than the customer wants, and cuts down on profitability.
I have join Tom Kane in disagreeing with Mr. Mullasserry. Underpromising and overdelivering doesn't mean providing additional value to the client in such a way that it hurts the firm's profits. On the contrary, it creates increased profits by increasing client loyalty.
Often, exceeding clients' expectations does not require additional expenditures of money or time, and can be accomplished simply and effectively. Seemingly small changes can make a big impact. Some good examples include communicating with clients on a timely basis, ensuring that each contact the client has with the firm is pleasant and courteous, and making clients feel as if the firm cares about the client and her business.
Mr. Mullasserry advocates determining the client's wants, and then delivering exactly that and nothing more. In my opinion, this is not only short-sighted, but is a disservice to clients. Clients hire lawyers for their expertise, advice and experience. Sometimes what the client 'thinks' they want is, upon further reflection or exploration, not in the client's best interests. Often, the lawyer is able to suggest different alternatives that would better meet the client's needs, or more effectively accomplish the client's goals.
Creativity and innovation in the approach to a client's problems may be the best value a firm delivers. A mindset that places a premium on the client's stated wants and disregards the firm's ability to assess the situation and suggest alternatives, is a huge loss for clients and de-values the importance of hiring an attorney. It's this kind of thinking that leads people to the conclusion that legal services are a mere commodity.
As Tom Kane's post indicates, exceeding clients' expectations is an excellent strategy. It is the essence of good service.
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