Law Firm 4.0 Blog

What law firms can learn from my experience with the strangest dessert in San Francisco (maybe the world)

While In San Francisco to speak at the monthly San Francisco LMA luncheon on Website trends (with Barbara Abulafia, Keker & Van Nest, Jeff Yerkey, Right Hat and Per Casey, Tenrec), my colleague Keith Wewe, another couple and I were hosted by Elizabeth Lampert for dinner at Twenty-Five Lusk. 

This modern and tony restaurant, located in the burgeoning China Basin neighborhood in San Francisco's SOMA (South of Market) district, is led by Executive Chef Matthew Dolan. Its website says this: "...featuring seasonally driven New American cuisine, a dynamic wine program, and expertly crafted cocktails. The design weaves a modern aesthetic through a historic brick and timber  warehouse originally built in 1917 as a meat packing and smokehouse facility."

Bottom line, it's completely worth trying - the food was quite delicious.  However, they had one mis-step that reminded me of the danger law firms can face when they don't have highly focused marketing and business development programs led by serious professionals.

Twenty-Five Lusk features a dessert called "Textures and Chaos" that lists only four ingredients on the menu, but clearly had several more (as you can see by the photo below).  This photo can't begin to communicate the plated disaster that was proudly delivered to our table. 

 

 

Perhaps, in a desire to elevate the participation among his team (and create a sense of inclusion), the chef tried crowd-sourcing to create this dessert - where each member of the kitchen staff added a favorite ingredient - and, voila! - Textures and Chaos was born.  The result was so poorly conceived and executed that I was inspired to write about it.  It's not only seriously ugly, but the tastes were as cacophonous as 5 p.m. rush hour in New York.

What can lawyers learn from this?  With the proliferation of new Internet-based marketing and business development channels, particularly social media outlets, individual lawyers, practice groups and firms have an unprecedented opportunity to jump into the fray.  And indeed they are jumping!  More than ever before, these lawyers, groups and firms need guidance and direction from experienced marketers who can help them define strategy and keep their focus.  Having an Internet presence that isn't well delineated, refined and targeted does the lawyer and firm no good - in fact, it can dilute any reputation you might have that's been developed in more traditional offline media. 

Firm strategy should start back in the kitchen-equivalent (not at the dinner table) and be a thoughtful consideration of audiences, markets, geographic reach, competition, threats and opportunities that are just cresting over the horizon.  This positioning stake in the ground informs what practice and industry teams could do, and what individual lawyers on those teams can do.  When well-intentioned, but overly independent lawyers go off and create their own Internet presence with no regard for their law firm, they miss the most important advantage available to them - leveraging the investments (strategy, time, reputation and money) made by the mother ship.

When many lawyers in a firm do their own thing without regard for the firm and practice group strategies, the result won't be far away from "Textures and Chaos."

 

 

 

 

 

Stuffing v. Dressing - an unnecessary war of words

Thank you for reading my blog!  Truly, I am so grateful. I take your comments to heart, and invite suggestions to improve it and recommendations for future topics. As a thank you, I share a favorite poem about the ubiquitousness of our kitchen tables and my special Cornbread and Sausage "Dressing" recipe.

I grew up in a small town in Minnesota (Willmar) and we called it dressing.  But I have lived in Texas since 1987, and they call it "stuffing."  My Minnesota family uses bread; the South loves cornbread. Native Minnesotans would never put sausage (or frankly nothing more than celery and onion) in their dressing, let alone raisins that had enjoyed a brandy-bath overnight. 

So, I have created a hybrid recipe that combines the best of my Thanksgiving-at-the-kitchen-table memories from the upper Midwest and my adopted home in the Southwest.  Let me know if you have questions about it - and certainly, what you think of it.

First, the poem . . .

Perhaps the World Ends Here

By Joy Harjo

The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live.

The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the table. So it has been since creation, and it will go on.

We chase chickens or dogs away from it. Babies teethe at the corners. They scrape their knees under it.

It is here that children are given instructions on what it means to be human. We make men at it, we make women.

At this table we gossip, recall enemies and the ghosts of lovers.

Our dreams drink coffee with us as they put their arms around our children. They laugh with us at our poor falling-down selves and as we put ourselves back together once again at the table.

This table has been a house in the rain, an umbrella in the sun.

Wars have begun and ended at this table. It is a place to hide in the shadow of terror. A place to celebrate the terrible victory.

We have given birth on this table, and have prepared our parents for burial here.

At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow. We pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks.

Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table, while we are laughing and crying, eating of the last sweet bite.

"Perhaps the World Ends Here" from The Woman Who Fell From the Sky by Joy Harjo. Copyright © 1994 by Joy Harjo. Used by permission of W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Cornbread and Sausage Dressing - serves 8 (doubles easily)

By Deborah McMurray

(Note that I always look for ways to reduce calories and fat [especially at Thanksgiving!], so I have several lower fat substitutions here - such as using 4 egg whites instead of 2 eggs.)

• Make fresh cornbread (2 boxes Jiffy Cornbread or your favorite from-scratch recipe), crumble into a large bowl and set aside.  You can bake it the night before and refrigerate it, or several weeks before and freeze it.
• 1 cup brown or golden raisins, plus pour over 1/2 cup brandy or cognac.  Add enough hot water so the raisins are immersed in liquid.   Soak overnight and reserve the soaking mixture.
• 4 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup skim milk
• 1 pound Jimmy Dean's reduced fat mild pork sausage
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped (I always pull the outside threads off - they are kind of tough and bitter)
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 16-oz can of corn or frozen corn, thawed and drained
• 1 can water chestnuts, drained and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans or pine-nuts (either is delicious)
• 1 tbsp. fresh sage or 1 1/4 tsp dried sage (but crack open a fresh jar if you use dried)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (pour yourself a glass, too, as you watch the raisins plump)
• 1-2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (the heat adds so much to this recipe!)
• Sea salt to taste
• Freshly ground pepper to taste (I use quite a lot, like usual)
• 1 cup chicken or turkey stock (or broth)

Making the dressing: Crumble and fry the sausage in a large non-stick skillet until brown.  Remove it from the pan and add it to the cornbread bowl, leaving a tiny bit of the drippings in the pan. Discard any excess oil. Saute the onion over medium heat until slightly softened, then add the celery.  Cook until the onions are translucent. Add to the sausage/cornbread mixture in the bowl.

Add the skim milk, beaten egg whites, corn, apple, water chestnuts, raisins (including 1/4 cup of the brandy mixture), pine nuts or pecans and other spices.  Add the chicken or turkey stock and the white wine.  Mix all ingredients.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with PAM, pour dressing into the pan, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake another 30 minutes until crunchy and brown.  Remove from the oven and keep warm until serving.

If necessary to reheat, cover with foil, but remove the foil the last few minutes to re-crisp the top.

This dressing is great with turkey, but also wonderful with roast pork.

Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!

 

What law firms can learn from my surprising experience at the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia

I haven't always had a stellar experience at Ritz-Carlton hotels. In fact, in a lifetime of hotel stays, I've had three very disappointing stays at three different Ritz properties.  They stand out in the blur of my business travel, however, because they were aberrant -- Ritz-Carlton personnel are trained to stretch the boundaries of fine customer service.  We expect memorable moments and exceptional service from them.

Blake Davis, one of my Content Pilot colleagues and I stayed at the Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton on a recent business trip.  Blake had a dress-shirt mishap (a brand new shirt from Banana Republic - he's taking it back); the fabric ripped right down the front of his chest.  He didn't have a spare shirt in his suitcase.  Before we had a chance to explore viable options that we could fulfill before our 10 a.m. meeting, a Ritz-Carlton employee quietly brought  two neatly pressed dress shirts - blue or white - to our breakfast table.  Blake chose the blue, quickly changed and we were on our way.

What can law firms learn from this? 

The speed and deftness this employee demonstrated in solving Blake's problem was stunning. This person didn't detail the list of options, which could have included: 

1. Tape applied to the back of the shirt to hold it together (not being a seamstress, this is what I suggested).
2. Convincing Blake that it wasn't that bad.
3. Finding a department store that opened early enough to squeeze in a shopping trip.
4. Wearing yesterday's shirt.

Lawyers are often inclined to search the enormous range of options when a client presents a problem.  This can take hours and days - delaying the solution and resulting in client frustration, fear, anger and budget overruns.

Instead, anticipate client problems so you have some ready solutions in your back-pocket.  Ritz-Carlton sees business travelers all the time.  Sometimes we have wardrobe malfunctions.  So they purchased a few extra shirts, pressed them and they are at the ready - just in case.

Know that the best option - the one that will make your client the happiest - is sometimes very easy for you and will cost almost nothing.  Just solve your client's problem.

 

 

 

Back in America

I've just returned from two weeks touring and cruising Italy, plus other countries that are on the coastlines of the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas.  It was a great immersion in ancient cultures and centuries-old cathedrals and basilicas, combined with the joy of spontaneous, contemporary exploration and choice-making.  But this post isn't about my trip.

The first thing I did when I landed in New York was pick up the Sunday New York Times and read it from cover to cover.  As a news and contemporary culture junkie, I didn't receive enough "news" via iPhone data roaming or at-sea WiFi on my vacation to prevent me from feeling fully out of the know.

So this post encapsulates what I learned that was beyond the traditional world news headlines.  There are lessons for law firms and marketers, too.

1.    One of the more interesting headlines was "The Coffin-Maker Benchmark," a story about the drop in Africa's AIDS deaths and how the U.S. is largely responsible for it because of our foreign aid funding.  The author chatted with "mortality experts" in Africa - the coffin-makers in the street markets. He quotes one as saying, "Before a lot of people were dying of AIDS ... Now there is medication, so fewer people are dying. I'm not very happy because this is my future." 

According to the article, six or so years ago, this coffin-maker sold 20 or more coffins per month.  Now it is down to five or six.  It's an interesting and unique data point to measure the success of this American funding.

Lesson for law firms:  When you are seeking proof of your marketing return on investment (ROI), seek data from multiple sources. Your most compelling arguments for or against success may be supported by data sources that surprise you.

2.    In an article called, "Don't Indulge, Be Happy," the authors report about Gallup data collected by Princeton researchers who found that Americans are NOT happier when they make more money.  They found that $75,000 was the average number that met the "comfortable standard" test, and that more money didn't increase Americans' happiness. 

Many of us might argue with this seemingly low salary ceiling, and this isn't the most interesting part of the article.  The researchers found that Americans were by far the happiest when they shared with others, when they had enough money to give away. "It's pretty simple.  Even children feel better when they share what they have."

Having more money and indulging more -- buying more for ourseslves -- "are ineffective at turning money into happiness.  A decade of research has demonstrated that if you insist on spending money on yourself, you should shift from buying stuff (TVs and cars) to experiences (trips and special evenings out).  Our own recent research shows that in addition to buying more experiences, you're better served in many cases by buying less - and buying for others."

One of the cleverest lines I've read in a long while follows:  "Indulgence is often closely trailed by its chubby sidekick, overindulgence."

Lesson for law firms:  There is a two-fold lesson here --a)  Instead of buying clients gifts this holiday season, design experiences for them - things you can do together or that they can do with their families.  b) Increase your charitable contributions budget, pro bono commitments and civic responsibilities for 2013.  Budget season is soon upon us - be more generous and reap the bountiful emotional (and other) benefits.

3.    Are you secretly shy?  In the Cultural Studies part of the Times, an article titled "The Spotlight Dims and Shyness Sets in" reveals that comedian Chris Rock is "painfully shy."  His wife says, "At a dinner party, you want to sit next to me."

In addition to Chris Rock, the article points to former Britsh Prime Minister Gordon Brown and business leaders like former Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, who could stand up and give speeches and lead groups of people, who could be exuberant and verbose - but who self-identified as shy.

A call-out in the article says, "Some shy people are able to find their voice after a glass of wine or with a lengthy blog post."  Have you ever wondered if the proliferation of bloggers on topics ranging from animal welfare to travel to make-up and fashion - not to mention the thousands of business and law blogs - results from secret shyness in these writers?  Truly un-shy people would rather be surrounded by people than sitting quietly at their computers. In fact, when I speak to lawyers who are naturally gregarious who want to start a blog, I caution them about the solitary nature of this ubiquitous commitment.

The article states, "Social media (with the 'social' part more remote, almost oxymoronic) can be the shy person's best friend, such common respite that it has been dubbed ' electronic extroversion.'"

Lesson for law firms:  Social media isn't for all lawyers, but it can be a remarkable fit - an effective voice - for the secretly (or unsecretly) shy.  And it is likely not a great fit for your biggest extroverts.  They'll have a hard time following through.

4.    "Estate Planning for Savvy Zombies" -- isn't that a great title?  Well, it was inspired by an Iowa Law Review article called "Death and Taxes and Zombies" written by Adam Chodorow of the Arizona State University Law School.  The essay says, "This timely academic work explores the important question of whether zombies should be considered dead for purposes of the estate tax."

"If we relax the assumption that death is, in fact, permanent" . . . (don't you love that?! Relaxing the assumption that death is permanent - ha!) . . ."it turns out that there are a lot of traps for the unwary and planning opportunities for the well-advised.  Under a rule of 'merely undead not really most sincerely dead,' a wealthy person could delay paying the estate tax upon his passing into the zombie realm; those taxes would have to be paid only after a more decisive event, like having his head blown off with a shotgun."

The article continues, "'Those with assets of more than $5 million, [the author] said, should consider becoming a zombie.'"  And, it continues, peppering in advice about vampires and werewolves.

Lesson for law firms:  Scholarly articles don't have to read like ancient treatises unearthed from a Roman crypt.  If you are a lover of contemporary culture, pepper your intellectual offerings with references that keep you and your audience fully engaged.  I am still hunting for a copy of this article and will post a link when I find it.

5.    There were two articles that referenced James Bond as a role model and teacher.  The first one was called, "Why CEOs Need a Dose of James Bond," and was an interview with Joel Babbit, CEO of Mother Nature Network.

I especially liked this next quote - and agree with it.  It's about meetings - and the length of meetings.  ". . . I believe that the majority of meetings could easily be cut to a third of what they are and accomplish much more.  People just lose track after some point, and it doesn't matter what's being said.  If you go into a meeting where somebody's talking more than 15 minutes, 90 percent of the people are looking at their BlackBerrys and not paying attention."  (I'm sure RIM would appreciate that call-out given its plunging market share.)

Babbit continues, "I've also found that the higher up you go in a corporation when you have a meeting, the shorter the meetings are.  So, if you meet with somebody who's an assistant vice president, the meeting will  be two hours.  You meet with a vice president, that's an hour.  You meet with the Chief Financial Officer, it's a half-hour.  You meet with the CEO, it's 10 minutes.  That's how it works.  By the way, you often see the same thing with returning phone calls:  assistant vice president takes four days; vice president takes two days; the CFO in one day; and the CEO calls back in 10 minutes."

So, where does the James Bond role model come in?  Babbit said that he watched "Goldfinger" 100 times, and when James Bond was working on "serious stuff, like saving the world, he always enjoyed himself.  He would have a drink every night and go out on a date and would make witty remarks in the midst of crisis.  I think that's a very good business lesson."

Lesson for law firms:  If you are or want to be viewed as a senior executive, shorten your meetings by half (or more), and return your phone calls half-again faster (or more) than you normally do. 

6.    Finally, in an article called, "Got Milk?  You Don't Need it" by super-chef/author Mark Bittman, he writes about his chronic issues with acid reflux (or GERD) and chronic heartburn.  "Although treating heartburn is a business worth more than $10 billion a year, the solution may be as simple as laying off dairy," which, he notes is free.  He also notes that it is easier to digest cheese and yogurt than it is milk in its liquid form.

Lesson for law firms:  If you suffer from chronic heartburn and you are on prescription meds, it may not be the pizza with anchovies or the Steak Oscar or the screaming senior partner.  As much as I love the "Got Milk?" advertising campaign using celebrities, you might try giving milk or dairy up altogether. 

It's great to be home and back to my blog.

 

Bits and Pieces from James Kane's LMA Keynote Presentation - March 15, 2012

Like nearly 1,000 other LMA members last Thursday morning, I listened to our conference opener keynote, James Kane, speak about "loyalty."

It could be the best keynote I've ever heard in my life.

Thanks to Mark Usellis and Jill Weber, conference co-chairs, and Betsi Roach, LMA Executive Director (plus the conference committee and ACI) for bringing him to LMA.

Loyalty is old news as a topic. But it clearly remains elusive, as evidenced by the 4,346 books that appear in an Amazon book search for "loyalty." We love reading about it (or at least writing about it), and we hope that spending more time thinking and talking about it will move the loyalty needle to us over our personal and professional competitors. We believe we are loyal and we desperately want others to be loyal to us.

But are they? And are we?

Jim Kane described four relationship levels that are theoretically familiar to all of us, but I don't think it's human nature to analyze whether our friends/clients reside on one level or another. The four levels are as follows (and I am likely paraphrasing here, since I was furiously jotting down notes):

1. On the bottom is "antagonistic" - or, "I hate you." Ugh, we all want to avoid that.
2. Next is "transactional." Many lawyer/client and other relationships are like this. Essentially, you are viewed as "fine," but the person isn't loyal to you. They pay you for performing a service and they might be satisfied with you - but they aren't loyal.
3. Next up is "predisposed" - or "neutral." It means the person likes you, but that could change if something bad happens.
4. Finally, on the top is "loyal." People give you opportunities when they are loyal, they are advocates for you and pass positive messages about you on to someone else.

He spoke about the difference between loyalty and satisfaction. Kane said that satisfaction is a mood, and it's about the past. The person is focusing on what you've done for them and whether it satisfied them.

Loyalty, on the other hand, is a behavior and is about the future. It's about what that person can (and will) do for you. Loyalty is anyone saying, "You make my life easier. You make my life better." It is a measurement of what makes up your relationship beyond performing services and receiving money for it. Such as, trust, belonging, purpose and fulfillment.

Trust, Kane said, equals competency, character, consistency and capacity. All four of these elements must be present for someone to really trust you in a business setting. He added, "You get no credit for being trustworthy. It's the expectation." I recall him suggesting that people who say they are trustworthy are clearly missing the point about trust. He used Ford's advertising slogan a few years ago as an example: "Quality is Job 1." We all laughed when Kane admonished Ford for using a basic expectation that we consumers have (that the automobile that I am buying will actually and consistently go) as something special or unique.

He also used certain of Comcast's value statements/promises as poor examples or ineffective ways of engendering trust. They are:

• "We will treat your home with courtesy and respect."
• And, "We are here for you 24/7."

Kane chided Comcast and said, "You don't get credit for these things! You are a cable company! We expect this from you!"

The only way to build trust is to align your expectations with your client's. Trust is simply all about understanding and managing expectations.

Here are a few more snippets from his presentation:

1. When you make a donation to charity, give your clients credit. They are the ones that make it possible for you to make the donation.
2. Recognition - how well do you really know your client? He said at least six times - with heat and passion - how much he hates US Airways. Kane, in his introduction said that he flew nearly 180,000 miles last year on US Airways. Not because he is loyal, but because, in Philadelphia, they hold him hostage.
   
   He noted that he doesn't eat meat or chicken, but that every time he flies (always in first class), the flight attendant asks him, "Mr. Kane, what would you like for lunch/dinner - chicken or chicken?" Every time he tells them he doesn't eat it and asks what else they have. They never make a note of it and never remember.
   
   In contrast, he told a story about Singapore Airlines (a favorite of most experienced global travelers). When the flight attendant approached him about a beverage, he asked if they had Island Chill water. She said they did not. Two days later when he was back on Singapore Airlines for his return flight, the flight attendant brought him (yes, you guessed it) a bottle and said, "Mr. Kane, here is your Island Chill water."
   
   Singapore Airlines completely gets recognition. They care about it and demonstrate it in countless small, but meaningful ways.
   
   That builds trust. That builds loyalty.
3. Lawyers, when you have a client coming to your office, inform your receptionist so your client can be warmly greeted by name. The fact that your client is arriving at your office at the time your appointment is scheduled shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.
4. Be insightful. Look beyond the obvious. It's the most critical thing you can do, Kane says.
5. Be proactive. Don't confuse being courteous with proactivity. Do something that your client never thought he needed. Here is an example: A man who forgot his mother's birthday went into a flower shop. Sheepish, he needed to place a rush order. The flowers were delivered and mother was happy. That was the flower shop doing its job - and being courteous.
   
   Eleven months later, the forgetful man received a postcard from the florist reminding him of his mother's birthday in a few days. That was proactive.
6. Identity. This especially resonates with me. Share things about yourself, and your listeners will find something in you that they like (because it's familiar to them).
   
   Kane started his presentation with a fast-paced series of declarative statements about himself, illustrated with pictures, logos and such. It was stunningly effective and funny, and the audience, one-by-one, bought into Jim Kane because each of us connected to something that he said. He revealed a lot about his childhood, background, sensibilities, likes and dislikes - it felt like the discharge of an automatic weapon in its rapid fire.
   
   He said that if he took an MRI of our brains before he started that introduction, it would look like a flat-line. After it, the MRI would look entirely different -- it would light up like a Christmas tree because of the various hormones that were activated in our brain chemistry. Because we were connecting with him.

The short description on his home page best synthesizes what he does:

Merging the worlds of business, neuroscience, and behavioral psychology, James Kane has been recognized as one of the leading researchers and consultants in the science of loyalty and the role it plays in human relationships and the communities we form.

He has two books: The Loyalty Switch, and a new one, Virtually Loyal (the secret to making your digital relationships loyal). I am buying both.

What law firms can learn from my wonderful experience at Davio's in Philadelphia.

For the second year in a row, I spent Valentine's Day in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. (Appropriate enough on this holiday where "love" is front and center.) And, for the second year in a row, I had dinner at Davio's.

Davio's is billed as a Northern Italian Steakhouse. Last year, I sat at the bar alone having dinner. Given that devoted couples were surrounding me, I felt a bit like I had a giant "L" in the middle of my forehead. But the bartender - and the patrons at the bar - were welcoming, warm and fun.

First point I want to make to law firms: Davio's was certainly defined by its great food and service. But it was also defined by its clientele - not a snooty person in the bunch. How is your firm defined by your clients? Do they represent the best of your firm?

That was last year. For Valentine's Day 2012, I invited a Philadelphia friend, Cheryl Disch, to join me (I was still worried about the "L" carrying over from last year). We sat at the bar, and we agreed it was one of the finest experiences we've had in a long time.

What made it great? Here is a list:

1. I ordered a Pinot Noir and the bartender said that the Merlot was a part of Happy Hour and he thought I might enjoy it. I was game, so he helped me save $10 for each glass of wine I ordered.
2. He brought a signature appetizer as a thank-you for being there (much more generous than the typical amuse bouche) - the Philly Cheese Steak Spring Rolls - Davio's is known for them. They are as extraordinary as they sound.
3. My friend arrived and another bar server recommended a different type of calamari than what she first ordered - giving her another option. She chose what he suggested and was thrilled with it.
4. We lingered a long time - much longer than the loving couples - talking over wine and dinner. They checked on us in a courteous way, but we never felt prodded or rushed.
5. Before our check arrived, we were each given a long-stemmed red rose and a cellophane bag of fresh delights, such as chocolate-dipped strawberries, biscotti and more. It was probably clear that we were business friends, not a "couple" in the Valentine sense of the word, but we appreciated the restaurant's attention and generosity just the same.
6. Then, our check was presented. We turned to each other and were stunned at how reasonable our bill was. My friend double-checked it to ensure all our selections were represented.

What else can law firms learn from our experience?

1. Corporate counsel always say they hate surprises. No, they don't - they just hate the bad kind. Surprise your clients with the service-equivalent of an amuse bouche or lower-priced Merlot (which was excellent, by the way).
2. Surprise your clients by submitting an invoice that is lower than your clients expect. It's not that hard.
3. Be sensitive to the pace of your clients - don't impose your Type-A impatience or Type-B laissez-faire tempo on your relationship. Adapt to their styles and speed.
4. Whether your clients are internal or external, ensure that the experience they have with you is positive start-to-finish. One of my favorite quotes about the lawyer-client relationship was by a general counsel of the European arm of a Fortune 100 company. He said, "My lawyers commit little acts of murder every day."
   
   What does that mean? Unmet expectations, missed deadlines, unreturned phone calls, and otherwise a series of relationship disappointments.
   
   Don't do that.

Last week I blogged about my disappointing experience at Del Frisco's in New York. It's a pleasure to share this Davio's story with you.

What law firms can learn from my disappointing experience at Del Frisco's in New York.

I met LMA friends after work at Del Frisco's last week in New York.  It appeared that most of Manhattan was in the tight surroundings - we were elbow-to-elbow and four or five rows of people back from the bar.  Patience and a booming voice were required.

That isn't the lesson for today's post, though.

We sat down for dinner and I wanted something lighter than traditional steakhouse fare.  I asked our server if I could have a wedge salad cut up with a tenderloin steak sliced on top.  (I convinced myself that this was indeed "daintier.")  Our server paused and said, "Hmmm, I don't know if we can do that.  I don't think the chef will do that."  So I asked her to visit with him about it. 

She never returned with a report from the kitchen, and when we next saw her, she placed a full wedge on one plate and a steak on another plate in front of me - with no reference to my original request.  Here is how I saw this:

1. The chef was too busy or too rigid to take two standard menu items and combine them to make a patron happy.
2. The server had no power or authority to make me happy while she was taking our orders. I can think of countless restaurants where servers would say, "Of course! My pleasure."
3. She forgot to report in about the unsatisfactory conversation in the kitchen, or was embarrassed that she had no power and that he was so unaccommodating.  He, in fact, made her look bad and she wasn't happy about that.  Our service progressively got worse.
4. The food wasn't that great, especially for the price.
5. I am now blogging about it.

Law firm leaders:  Please embrace a client service culture to such a degree that each partner is empowered and accountable to keep clients happy.  Please instill a culture of flexibility, and nimble thought and action on the spot. This proves that management respects and trusts both its lawyers and its clients.  Please encourage your various departments who serve clients --especially finance and billing, IT and all the secretaries and assistants -- to understand that their job is to serve clients, to help clients feel welcome and special (internal and external clients).

And if clients ask you to change how you do something (think: salad + steak = a steak salad), do what you can to adjust to their requirements and desires.  The pay-off will be immediate satisfaction and ultimately, greater loyalty.

 

 

How would you transform the legal industry?

Ayelette Robinson, Director of Knowledge Technology at Littler Mendelson, did a guest post on the 3 Geeks and a Law Blog a couple days ago asking, "How would you transform the legal industry?"  It got me thinking and I thought I'd carry her idea to my blog and pose it to all of you before you start your weekend. 

Here is her original question and my comment on her post. 

How Would You Transform the Legal Industry?

What resource (technological or not) would you invent to transform the legal industry?

This question isn't about what you think will transform the industry, but rather what you would, if you were all-powerful, create to do so.

Share your thoughts. And don't just step outside the box, get so far away from it that you can barely see it with a telescope.

And here's what I think:

How would I transform the legal industry? At some of the toniest restaurants, the kitchens are entirely open and visible. Patrons see all the chefs scurrying about at a dizzying pace, can peer across some specially designed barrier and watch all sorts of food prep, from searing tuna to whipping foam to garnishing a plate.

We have talked around transparency the last few years - buyers of legal services clamor for it. I envision a law firm set up like this kitchen - an entirely open environment, where clients enter the law firm space, work side by side with their lawyers, share resources, experience and intelligence.  Technology projects, at their heart, would be about openness and collaboration.

Everything in today's law firm would require rethinking - not the least of which is the architecture and office design. No more private offices for individuals. This isn't about throwing privacy and confidentiality out the window - it's about balancing transparency and privacy to better serve our clients.

Please share your ideas!

A Toast to Differentiation: What law firms can learn from Blue Hill at Stone Barns

(Guest post by Lise Anne Schwartz)

Regular visitors to this blog know that Deborah is a connoisseur of fine food, wine and restaurants. So when she visited New York last week, the pressure was on to find a unique dining experience for us to share. I took her to Blue Hill at Stone Barns, a restaurant on a working farm 30 miles from New York City.

Blue Hill gets virtually all its produce, meat and poultry from its own four-season farm and other local organic farms. It is among the pioneers of the locavore movement in the Northeast, where food is sold and served as close as possible to its source.

Like top law firms, fine dining establishments sell a pricey product in a crowded and largely undifferentiated market. But some manage to stand out and earn a reputation for adding value to the dining experience. We think Blue Hill’s success in this regard holds a few valuable lessons for law firms.

1. Looks count.  Our first steps into the dining room at Blue Hill told us what to expect. The room is large, with dark beams and trim against a high-peaked ceiling, heavy cream draperies, and a huge wooden farm table showcasing grown-on-the-grounds ingredients. Thick white linens, small votives and white plates dress the tables. Against this clean, elegant backdrop, creative vegetable presentations shine (smoked kale, roasted baby carrots and tiny, jewel-like radishes “growing” on a miniature twig tree, anyone?). The restaurant’s promise is immediately clear—unpretentious, rustic elegance, creativity and appreciation of simple, fresh ingredients.

A law firm often makes its first visual impression through its website. What kind of experience does your firm’s website promise? Does it effectively preview what it’s like to do business with you?  Is the voice consistent – do you sound like “one firm?” Can visitors easily navigate where they want to go? Does your design showcase important content or overwhelm it?

2. Get personal.  Blue Hill has no set menu; rather, the chef writes an individual menu for each table (and sometimes each diner) based on your food preferences and what’s fresh on the farm. All you have to do is answer a few questions and then decide whether to order five, eight or 12 (yes, 12!) courses. We diners feel like we are eating food thoughtfully prepared by a personal chef, not generic dishes the kitchen puts out on autopilot – day after day, week after week.

Good legal service is the same way. Sophisticated law firm clients, like sophisticated diners, come in with an idea of what they do and don’t want.  If I tell you I don’t want sweetbreads, I won’t be happy if you serve them to me, no matter how well-prepared they are.

On the other hand, if you give me a meal I could have created at home, I’ll feel like I didn’t get my money’s worth. Successful lawyers really hear what the client wants—and then use it as a jumping off point to provide better service and results than expected. That’s the kind of value-add that makes clients line up to pay premium prices.

Deborah adds:  Speaking of getting personal, let’s talk about written proposals and pitches.  The volume of requests in 2011 as reported by marketing and business development professionals was up two to four times over 2009.  This upward trajectory is expected to continue.

Creating a “one-size-fits-most” pitch packet is not getting personal.  You can bet that it will not make your prospect feel special, important or well served by your firm.  Marketers know this, of course; the key is convincing your lawyers to step back and design a presentation effective and tailored enough for the prospect to say, “You understand me.  I’d like to hear/see more.”  There are technology tools that automate the process so you can focus your time and attention on being the right strategic fit for your prospect.

3. Give a little bit.  Before we began our parade of courses (we chose five), the chef treated us to three separate amuse bouches—small appetizers meant to welcome diners and awaken palates. A particular favorite was tiny beet and goat cheese sliders served on top of a tall crystal stem filled with sesame seeds. The presentation was wonderfully simple and elegant.  We felt like valued guests, not people the restaurant was trying to milk for money.

What can you give away, either through your website or face-to-face? A training course? A quarterly status meeting? A set of form documents?  Everything you give away should preview what it’s like to do business with you.  Set the stage for what’s to come—awaken the palates of your prospects and clients.

4. Educated cross-selling.  Cross-selling is the oat bran of today—the magic bullet, the cure-all for hard-to-grow law firm business.  Everyone struggles with it, and sadly, it is frequently ineffective.

Blue Hill had something to cross-sell us, too: a series of wines perfectly paired to each of our five courses. But unlike most law-firm cross-selling, the server who artfully pitched us the pairings knew a lot about what she was selling. She had visited the vineyards (from France and Germany to Italy and California), seen the growing methods, tasted the products and talked with chefs and sommeliers about how the wines would enhance the sum of all the flavors. (Are you familiar with biodynamic wine growing methods?) 

We know a good bit about wines, but because of her soft-handed style, she enhanced what we knew.  She didn't make us feel like neophytes, yet we felt smarter at the meal's conclusion than when we arrived.

Imagine if lawyers knew this much about their partners’ practices before trying to cross-sell them. You’d have a trusted source actively participating in the sale instead of just saying, “You should meet my partner so-and-so; she really knows real estate.” Building—and using—an experience database for your firm can make this kind of cross-selling raw material a lot easier to come by.

As you can tell by the photo above, the educated cross-selling worked. We ordered, and loved, the wine pairings.

Differentiation works, whether at Blue Hill at Stone Barns or in your law firm.  It just takes care and diligence to make it pay off.

Lise Anne Schwartz is a New York-based copywriter and the President of Bold Language.  She is a former SEC lawyer and pastry chef.

Perfect Mashed Potatoes

I am thankful for everyone who reads my blog and all who care enough about it to pass it on to others.  As I sit in the Philadelphia Admiral's Club waiting for my delayed flight to take off in this driving rain, I write this as a sincere thank you. 

I have two things to share with you - a recipe (the title gives it away, but there is a story) and a Thanksgiving poem.

My mother's last Christmas was in 2007, and I spent more than a week with her that year in frosty Minnesota.  I love mashed potatoes - they are my favorite comfort food.  My mother, while extraordinary in so many ways, wasn't a stand-out cook.  My love to cook came from some other remote family gene. All my adult years, I experimented with mashed potatoes, trying to find the perfect balance of fluffy and creamy.  This final holiday I had with mom, I prepared these and she named them, "Perfect Mashed Potatoes."

There are several winning secrets to this recipe, but I think the one thing that ensures that people will rave is using the ricer.

PERFECT MASHED POTATOES
By Deborah McMurray

4 lbs. potatoes - Yukon Gold or Russets
3 tsp. sea salt (divided use)
1 1/3 cup whole milk (I use skim milk for everything, but not for these)
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper (really, use white pepper)
Special equipment:  the potato ricer or food mill

Peel the potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Transfer to a Dutch oven or other large cast iron pan, add enough cold water to cover, add 2 teaspoons salt, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered,10 to 20 minutes, until potatoes are very fork tender. 

Drain potatoes in a colander, then return to pan and cook over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes, shaking the pan until it and the potatoes are dry.  Transfer potatoes to a bowl and keep hot, covered.

At the same time the potatoes are cooking, heat the milk, butter, white pepper and remaining 1 teaspoon salt in saucepan over medium heat until the butter is melted. Set aside until after the potatoes are riced (in the next step).

Force the potatoes through ricer or food mill into a large, clean pan. Using a heatproof rubber spatula or wooden spoon, gently stir in half the milk mixture, stir, then add as much of the rest of the milk mixture as you desire for the perfect consistency. Stir just until combined. Serves 8

______

My dear friend and literally world-famous legal marketing consultant, Leigh Dance, sent me this poem from the Writers Almanac. 

TURKEYS
By Mary Mackey

One November
a week before Thanksgiving
the Ohio river froze
and my great uncles
put on their coats
and drove the turkeys
across the ice
to Rosiclare
where they sold them
for enough to buy
my grandmother
a Christmas doll
with blue china eyes

I like to think
of the sound of
two hundred turkey feet
running across to Illinois
on their way
to the platter
the scrape of their nails
and my great uncles
in their homespun leggings
calling out gee and haw and git
to them as if they
were mules

I like to think of the Ohio
at that moment
the clear cold sky
the green river sleeping
under the ice
before the land got stripped
and the farm got sold
and the water turned the color
of whiskey
and all the uncles
lay down
and never got up again

I like to think of the world
before some genius invented
turkeys with pop-up plastic
thermometers
in their breasts
idiot birds
with no wildness left in them
turkeys that couldn't run the river
to save their souls

"Turkeys" by Mary Mackey, from Breaking the Fever. © Marsh Hawk Press, 2006. Reprinted with permission by the Writers Almanac.

Happy Thanksgiving!