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How to use your firm’s top customers to improve business, draw in new interest

By: WISCONSIN LAW JOURNAL STAFF//May 25, 2012//

How to use your firm’s top customers to improve business, draw in new interest

By: WISCONSIN LAW JOURNAL STAFF//May 25, 2012//

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By Jenna Weber

Jenna Weber

In order to be successful, firms must be capable of two things: retain clients and gain new ones.

What many don’t realize is those existing clients are an untapped resource that can help land new ones. One of the best ways to maximize those resources is by forming a client council, or feedback group of top customers.

How a firm selects its top 10 to 15 clients to be members of the council will vary. For example, firms may choose clients based on the amount of revenue they generate for the firm or the strength of their influence on the targeted demographic.

The council then meets two to four times per year to discuss a wide range of topics, from website design to invoice options. The group provides ongoing feedback and new ideas while offering the firm a chance to strengthen business relationships with top clients — who will, in turn, become stronger referral sources.

By creating a council, firms demonstrate they value their clients’ opinions and are willing to make changes to ensure they have the best possible experience and receive maximum benefits.

Interested in forming a client council? Here’s how to get started:

Pre-meeting planning

The best way to plan for the initial meeting is to select a date and work backward. Planning should begin approximately two months before the first meeting. The time needed to prepare will decrease as you become more familiar with the process and have template materials created.

It is important to pick a time and date conducive to client availability. At SVA, we have found that mid-week lunch meetings are well received.

Issues to sort out during pre-meeting planning include:

  • Choosing a venue
  • Determining your budget
  • Planning a communication strategy for members
  • Creating a look and feel (including logo) for client council communications and marketing
  • Creating an agenda and deciding topics
  •  Choosing a third-party facilitator

Acquiring members

After pre-planning details are finalized, the next step is to identify approximately 15 of your firm’s top clients. As stated earlier, you can choose clients based on a variety of criteria beyond revenue. A great candidate could be someone who actively refers business to the firm or someone who is an influential community member.

After these clients are chosen, a personal phone call should be made to inform them of their selection. Creating talking points about the client council for these calls will ensure consistency in your message and set reasonable expectations for potential members.

Once the clients have verbally agreed to become members, an official invitation letter with more details including the date, time and place for the first meeting can be mailed.  One to two weeks prior to the client council meeting, send the members your agenda and discussion topics so they can plan their comments around the topics in advance.

First meeting

The first meeting is a critical time to show council members your commitment to hearing their suggestions. Ideally, the meeting should be approximately two hours. This timeframe is usually feasible within the schedules of most professionals and also allows time for networking, lunch and a thorough discussion of the topics.

Plan to have three to four members of your firm at the meeting to greet guests and remain with them through lunch.

After lunch, however, when assigned topics are being discussed, members of the firm should depart in order to allow unbiased conversation between the client council members.

The layout of the room should allow for small group discussions early on and larger group discussions toward the end of the meeting. I recommend setting up tables of six: room for five client council members and one table host from your firm to join them during lunch.

Supplies should include notepads and pens, name tags for all attendees and a flip chart to help visually summarize member ideas and suggestions.

Follow up

Timely follow-up is essential for success. Within 24 hours of the first meeting, send a handwritten thank-you note sent to each member. Within a week, make sure to send the meeting minutes as well as a survey to allow council members to rate how things went.

As client council ideas and suggestions are implemented, it is important to update members on the actions that are being taken.  Clients are likely to become far more engaged in the group when they realize that their opinions can lead to substantive changes in the firm.

After your client council is formed, one of the most effective tactics for success is how and when you communicate about the group. Sharing the council’s successes and changes made takes the benefits from that small group to your entire client base.  Client council news can be shared through a special page on your website, a blog, an e-newsletter, at firm events or even in conversations with individual clients.

By demonstrating the changes you have made to your practice through client council recommendations, you are giving them the most visible proof of your firm’s strong commitment to exceptional service.

Jenna Weber is a business development coordinator at SVA Professional Services. She is responsible for the creation and implementation of business development strategies and awareness campaigns that drive business growth.

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