Golden Practices Blog

Under-delegation Hurts Retention, Profitability and Marketing

Professionals understand delegation is beneficial, yet few are compelled to do enough of it. Let's see if some of the thoughts below help create more movement toward delegation behaviors.

In my previous post entitled "The Profitability Problem" I touched on several factors that deserve much deeper discussion. Leverage aka "delegation" is one.

In a comment to that post, David Maister suggested that I skated over the topic of delegation (or leverage)--that I "gave up" and suggested firms just won't get better at this. And he is right, it deserves deeper discussion. I promptly sketched out some thoughts right then and there, but I didn't finish constructing the post until I saw David's post today (which I cite below).

My thoughts fall into 3 major categories:

1. delegation & profitability
2. delegation & marketing, and
3. delegation & personnel retention

Needed: WordPress Experts Large and Small

Hereby putting out a public call for some potential vendors who are very handy with WordPress. We seek people who are interested in helping my firm with projects from small tweaks as needed to possible development of blogs from scratch.

These blogs are for b2b professionals so they have to be clean-looking and highly functional.

Interested parties may e-mail me at michelle at goldenmarketinginc dot com. Please include:

• name & full contact information
• some links to samples of your work
• your rates

Accepting info until May 31. Thank you!

A Good Eye for Customer Service

A great customer service tip was posted by Matt Homann over at the[non]billablehour.

He shares:

Ever have clients come by your office who need to read documents?  Get a load of this tip (for waiters and waitresses) from Tricks of the Trade:

Keep a pair of reading glasses at hand. At least once every few days you'll get a customer who forgot their glasses and are unable to read the menu. Produce your spare pair and a good tip is secure.

Reading glasses are cheap at Wal-Mart, Target, etc.  Grab a few pairs...

It doesn't get any better than making your customers more comfortable any way you can!

When and How to Request Referrals

Over at Duct Tape Marketing, John Jantsch had a good post on How to Frame a Referral Request.

First addressing the barrier of why more referrals aren't requested, Jantsch says:

...I often find people are reluctant to ask straight up for referrals out of a fear of looking needy or infringing in some manner upon the relationship with the client. I think the reason that this fear exists is because of the improper way most people have learned to ask for referrals.

I agree and would like to add that there is also another very major reason professionals are reluctant to ask a customer to refer them: they know the customer realizes they're not presently getting optimal service.

Little slips such as late deliveries, less than desired communication, unexpected billings, etc. add up and without openly addressing and correcting these problems, we know in our hearts that it's not the right time to ask that customer to point a friend our way.

First, face and fix these problems. Though one instance may seem small to you and you might think the client understands or forgives without your asking for it, that isn't necessarily so.

Second, never hesitate to build on the moment a customer offers an unsolicited compliment. "Great work! We really appreciate the way you handled that."  to which a perfectly acceptable response might be: "Well, thank you. It's our pleasure. We're glad that you're pleased and hope you will tell others about your positive experience."

Third, employ Jantsch's advice about how to frame an out-of-the-blue referral request (but only if you know the client is very happy with your services!). Here's what he says:

Most business owners position the asking of referrals as a favor to the asker. Kind of like, we need your help. As much as people like to help, there's really no benefit in that kind of ask.

Here's what I mean:
Many businesses try to rationalize asking for referrals by suggesting that they need more clients just like you - this is how I work or if you provide me with referrals I can spend more time working with you. The problem with both of these ways to frame referrals is that they are all about you. I need your help. I work like this.

One of the keys to becoming a referral magnet (actually the key to any marketing message) is to frame it as a benefit. When you are talking to an existing client the benefit of a referral is the opportunity to help that person help a friend or raise their value with a colleague.

So, how could referring you make your client's life better? That's the proper way to start thinking about referrals. Do that, and you will never be afraid to ask a client again.

Now you are not asking your clients for help - you are offering to help them get more of what they want. Use your expertise to make them look good, add value and enhance their status - now that's a winning proposition.

St Louis Bloggers Meet Again!

Had a wonderful lunch with locals yesterday--St. Louisans who blog.

Pictured from left to right:
George Lenard, attorney at Harris Dowell Fischer & Harris hosts George's Employment Blawg

Michelle Golden (me), pres/ceo of Golden Marketing Inc, hosting this blog and our CPA firm website reviews

Marianne Richmond, pres of Resonance Partnership, a communications consultancy, hosts and co-hosts several blogs including Media-Slaves.

Matt Homann, recovering attorney and co-creator of LexThink and the infamous host of the[non]billablehour blog.

Evan Schaeffer, attorney at Schaeffer & Lamere and long-time blogger hosts Legal Underground, The Illinois Personal Injury Weblog and St. Louis Personal Injury Weblog.

Scott Ginsberg, author and speaker on "approachability" (that guy with the nametag) with a fun and interesting blog called Hello My Name is Scott

Dennis Kennedy, lawyer, speaker, writer and consultant with several blogs: Dennis Kennedy, Between Lawyers, LexThink (with Matt Homann)

Randy Holloway, works for Microsoft Corp focusing on Windows Server System, client operating systems, and developer platform. He is the author of Randy Holloway Unfiltered, his personal blog.

It was a great time -- if you live near St. Louis and have or are interested in beginning a blog, consider joining us! Just email any of us and let us know. We'll loop you in on the next event (date not yet set).

What's Behind Exemplar's Approach?

For anybody wondering "what is the deal?" with the rebel firm, Exemplar Law Partners, the Adam Smith Esq. blog features an OUTSTANDING post getting to the heart of it all.

ELP is the law firm that has completely re-engineered the traditional law firm operating and pricing models. Bruce MacEwen interviewed ELP CEO Chris Marston and he tells the story beautifully.

I think MacEwen summarizes it well:

Is Exemplar the most unorthodox law firm I've ever encountered?  Are a passel of the ills besieging our profession to be laid directly at the doorstep of the billable hour?  Do a large cohort of clients prefer fixed fees?  Can, in fact, high-end legal services be priced that way?  Has Chris Marston drawn a line in the sand?   Yes, in spades, to all.

Adventure of Strategy

I bring to your attention a truly outstanding blog: Adventure of Strategy by Rob Millard. He has a fascinating background and is a principal with Edge International.

I've been thoroughly enjoying his writing since I came upon it a couple months ago. I am delighted to add Rob to my Great Blogs list as a high-quality, thought-provoking resource for professional service firms.

Thank you for your excellent insights, Rob.

How Many Non-Professionals in Your Firm?

An interesting post on the Professional Marketing Blog talks about how, in law firms, there are the lawyers and then there is "everybody else."

I disagree with Larry Bodine, though, who says:

No other profession makes this derogatory distinction. Accounting firms don't have "non-accountants" -- they call them "team members." Same goes for consulting, architectural and engineering firms.

I find that in CPA firms, there is what may be an even more derogatory distinction. Some firms do actually use the term "team members" which was significantly popularized by the good folks of Results Accountants' Systems in their famous Bootcamps.

But many CPA firms refer to their accountants as "professionals" and openly refer to everyone else as "non-professionals."

Pretty unfortunate to that the CPAs are, apparently, the only professionals in those offices...

If your firm is still one of those that uses the "non-professionals" label, please replace it with something (like "non-accountant"?) that appropriately credits everyone in your professional service firm as a "professional" of one sort or another.

Golden Practices One of 12 "Strongest Links" by ABA Law Practice Today

We're pretty excited to be listed among the twelve featured by Tom Mighell this year in his Strongest Links column on Law Practice Today, an excellent web publication by ABA's Law Practice Management Section. Mighell addresses the evolution of web-based marketing resources for attorneys and identifies "a new crop of marketing and client service blogs" aimed at lawyers that he identifies as "some of the most useful."

It's really an honor to be in the company of eleven great bloggers including Gerry Riskin and David Maister. Thanks for the attention, Tom. I'll try hard to live up to the mention!

New CPA Blog -- And it's From a Major Firm

Congrats to Citrin Cooperman and Mike Rhodes, Partner-in-Charge of their Corporate Governance Practice. Mike has launched their "Corporate Governance Blog." The new blog features Corporate Governance and Sarbanes-Oxley as its two categories, so far.

This is pretty big news because other than PKF Texas with their From Greg's Head blog (on technology), I know of no other big firm blogs out there in the CPA world.

Perhaps not so coincidentally, I notice that both great-looking blogs were developed by Lex Blog--a smart choice for firms wanting very professional blogs. I've met Kevin O'Keefe who started Lex Blog for law firms...gotta be hundreds of them that he's done by now. I'm not surprised to see CPA top firms tapping into what he knows about professional service firm blogging.

Highly Effective Marketing Strategy Can Cost Almost Nothing

I've been sitting on this post for awhile. It's quite good:

I have this new marketing strategy that costs next to nothing and:

• Will bring you a substantial increase in search engine traffic
• Will greatly enhance your ability to communicate with your market
• Will increase your odds of being interviewed by the media
• Will allow you (or someone you designate) to instantly post news updates to your web site
• Willl guarantee that your web site has fresh reasons for people to come back
• Will allow you to be seen as a thought leader in your industry and
• Will give you a tool to help cement strategic partner relationships

Above are the words of John Jantsch in his Duct Tape Marketing post: "I'm Just Going to Stop Using the 'B' Word."

He's talking about blogging, of course. A powerful marketing weapon tool many firms (from massive firms to sole practitioners) are curious but tentative about--a problem compounded by the silly name. 

So, forget the name, and familiarize yourself with the tool.

Quick!  Before your competitors do it.

Technorati set-up - disregard

Technorati Profile

New Marketers Should Set Appropriate Expectations

David Maister provides good advice for the new in-house marketer asked to speak to the firm about what he or she can and cannot do to help the firm's professionals with their marketing efforts.

While seasoned marketers are more equipped to do some of the things David suggests this fictitious marketer would not, a rookie marketer (new, at least, to professional service firms) is well advised to take this realistic approach.

These are certainly truths that will come to be apparent over time no matter what the original expectation. Hopefully, this approach will be apparent to the marketer's boss in the interviews, though, or at least in advance of the meeting! For the boss to learn/hear this the first time in the first big pow-wow might not be such a good move...

Here are some snippets (I have consolidated some):

• As your new marketing director, my job is to support YOUR efforts to attract, win and retain clients. I cannot do that for you; I can only help you do it better.
  
• It's not my job to tell you to get involved in business development. -- If you are energized and motivated to want to get involved in developing your practice, I will be available to offer advice customized to your practice, your personal situation and your ambitions.
• I can offer advice and execution assistance on a wide variety of marketing activities...However, I will not give blanket recommendations about which of these tactics to use, nor how each of them can best be used. In all cases, the best technique will be one that both fits you and will appeal to your clients. We will discover what these specifics are through personal discussions, or not at all.
• Part of my job will be to help you understand what it will take to accomplish the goals you say you want to achieve. --  Occasionally, this will mean that me pointing out that you are aiming for unreachable goals, or that the amount of effort and resources you are willing to dedicate will not get you where you say you want to go. While I will do my best to help you achieve your goals, I will not encourage you to launch half-measures if I don't think they will work.
• In order to serve you well, I will need the privilege of giving my opinion and sharing my knowledge about what works. I will be your advisor, dedicated to your success. I will not just do what you tell me to do if I think you will be wasting your time.

Visit David's blog for the whole post: The New Marketing Director Speech.