Dominguez & Guiu

Strategy has no value, without a good quality service, especially as it is precisely this aspect that the client will base their decision. The quality of the service is a concept which is based on the ability to manage the emotions of the client. If we manage them well the client will hire our services and will stay with us.

The quality of service is the ability to provide the service that each client needs accurately, and in the manner required by each client. It is not a standard concept, as what may be sufficient for one client for another it is not. Quality is giving each one what they expect. There is no good or bad quality. Quality must be understood as a good concept per se. The so-called "bad quality" should really be called a bad service experience or bad service.

Quite often to deliver what the client wants requires change and there is much resistance to change because it implies that one does not recognise that something is not being done well and therefore, correct it. There are those who prefer not to move and continue as they are, which in turn means that their market share does not move. To win you have to take a controlled risk; to change, without losing the essence of who you are.

The improvement in all aspects (fees, clients, etc.), relies on controlled change without fear. If we have a goal and we want to get there we must begin to walk, if we don't, we should not complain because it is obvious that the target will not come to us. Who aims for their goal, reaches it. Who does not, stays where they are.

Technical capabilities are not the crux of the matter. Specialist knowledge about any subject does not mean being able to adapt to each client's needs. Technical excellence is a condition sine qua non. The misconception is that this is a merit. We live in a country where there is the belief that we should reward the things that are done well, when it should be an obligation. It is unforgivable for a professional to do things badly.

Another traditional belief is that professionals must focus on those cases that come to them, not to look for cases that they would like to have. As we have said many times, those who are at the mercy of the market have to deal with the consequences.

Having bad clients is a choice. And we must learn to say NO. When there is a quality service, bad clients are discarded naturally.

It is important to consider the following: If I was a client, I would want the best service, as a professional I am obliged to offer it.

© 2011 Iolanda Guiu, consultant on organisation and communication, Dominguez & Guiu partner

Note:  Iolanda Guiu is co-author of the book Legal Marketing: What the client actually hires from the lawyer, available on Amazon.

Question by  Jennifer Losada, Ex-Chairwoman of the Group of Young Lawyers of the Barcelona Bar Association  

Experience
Talent does not distinguish between ages. Youth can be a fountain of opportunities. The main opportunity for young lawyers is that they do not usually have as many prejudices as some older ones. Preconceived opinions are a limitation in the business world.What is experience? It is the ability to learn from life, from each client case. This capacity depends on the actual person rather than on their age. Thinking that a veteran lawyer is an expert just because he is older is absurd, and mentally self-limits young lawyers.

Question by Juan Gónzalez-Blázquez, lawyer, partner of González-Blázquez & Barrenechea (Mexico City, Federal District)

The main benefit of advertising in the short term is brand awareness, which does not necessarily mean recall.

If your practice decides to invest in advertising (ads) it should do so with professional rigour, defining first of all the concept of what the practice is, framing the advertising campaign within a marketing and communication plan.

Question by Gunter Zimmer, lawyer, executive partner of ZIMMERs (London, United Kingdom; and Cologne, Germany)

A brand should have visibility. The printed press, and in general the mass media, are a platform for gaining awareness, brand prestige and attracting the type of clients and cases that a law practice wants to have.

Any law practice, from the one-man outfit to the large practice, should communicate their identity and skills to society: who they are and what they offer. They should back up their claims with information, data and proven arguments. The aim is to inform, not to “advertise the company”. If you want to advertise, use ads.

Question by Rubén Castillo, lawyer, founding partner of Mendoza, Arias, Valle & Castillo (Panama City, Panama)

Publish if you wish to be an expert. Publishing in prestigious media (local, national or international) affords prestige and visibility. Publish if you wish to be perceived, as the case may be, as a lawyer and assessor of reference investments.

Naturally, I am talking about publishing quality contents, targeting specific clients, communicated with efficacy.

Question by Petri Nevalainen, a Lawyer from Procopé & Hornborg (Finland)

The client values the “what part” of the service (i.e. the legal service), and “how” it is provided. Often, the service experience is just as important as the actual legal service. The way we deal with clients can make or break our relationship with them.