7 Client Interaction Blunders That Blow It Every Time
I am asked frequently why some lawyers create such amazing rapport with their clients. Much of this stems from the art of the first impression . The first client interaction is more about not making a bad impression than it is making a good one.
Here are 7 first client interaction blunders that virtually guarantee you won’t develop healthy client rapport:
- Talking only about yourself
- Revealing too much
- Not listening
- Not looking your best
- Trying to be cool or aloof
- Not being yourself
- Not listening to your gut
CONFESSION: I stole these! …from genius (he denies it) Brad Isaac who invented Achieve-IT software, known as the Breakthrough Goal Setting Method.
He actually posted 10 First Date Blunders That Blow It Every Time on his Achieve-IT blog and I thought, hmmm, can we learn (transpose from one context to another).
You will note that there were 10 in his post and seven in mine – as for the three I left out, I thought two were not relevant and thought better of including the third, they were:
- Going someplace where you can’t talk
- Bringing friends along
- Having sex or being too sexual
By the way, Brad's blog has some very interesting posts - check it out!
Comments / Questions (2) | Permalink
New Blog: Brains on Purpose
What happens when a JD and a Psychiatrist join forces to explore the connection between neuroscience and conflict resolution?
You get Brains on Purpose which according to Stephanie West Allen, will look at how the field of neuroscience can inform the practice of conflict resolution.
You may already be familiar with Stephanie West Allen from her blog: Idealawg.
For more information about the collaborators for Brains on Purpose, click on their pictures.
Also, check out their schedule of events to see when they may be in your neck of the woods.
Posted In Synergies (with other disciplines)
Comments / Questions (0) | Permalink
Suggestica is launched - Your synergy may have just begun
As a Managing Partner (or other member of the senior management of your firm), it is extremely important that you look beyond the incestuous offerings from inside the legal profession. Internal thinking sometimes has us gazing at our own navels. If you want a glimpse of the outside world but in a way that is extremely time efficient, suggestica may be the answer.
Today at 8:00 AM PST, suggestica launched both the suggestics web site and the suggestica blog.
You can sign up for a newsletter at the web site and if you do not have an RSS aggregator you can sign up for an email alert at the blog.
Knowing the genius of the people who are behind this site, (including Rajesh Setty), I am optimistic that the "suggestions" from "suggestica" will be highly valuable to you as a thought leader in the legal profession.
You might start with Rajesh Setty's blog post called Paradox of Choice for Books which will link you to a fabulous free pdf download containing fascinating research by Barry Schwartz.
The other people you see referenced at suggestica will either be people you have heard of (like Oprah Winfrey) or people whom you should know, if you don't already (like New York Times Columnist and prolific author, Thomas L. Friedman).
Punchline: Look outside our legal profession for catalysts for thought and the learnings that can be translated back into our profession for great benefit. As a leader you want to keep it fresh and keep it powerful.
Comments / Questions (0) | Permalink
Larry Bodine + Hospital = Creative
Metaphors and analogies help us understand and apply principles. In his post, "Market as Hospitals Do", Larry Bodine demonstrates the art.
Punchline: Transcending our context ignites our imagination - use this phenomenon with your colleagues and watch them find the magic that tries so hard to hide inside them.
Thank you, Larry Bodine, for the reminder.
Comments / Questions (0) | Permalink
Seth Godin takes us to 1827: Brownian Motion
Take a look; Seth may be onto something - he may have indeed offered us a way of referring to the behavior of some of the members of most law firms. Besides, I love physics and the use of its principles as metaphors for things that are otherwise extremely hard to describe.
Posted In Synergies (with other disciplines)Comments / Questions (0) | Permalink