Are You Providing the Direction Your Clients Crave?

To a client, the legal world is fraught with uncertainty, risk and expense. Clients are looking for direction on how to navigate this minefield. Both prior to hiring you and in the course of your representation of them, clients want clear recommendations, not a buffet of undifferentiated alternatives. The importance of providing direction was made clear to me a few weeks ago when I had contrasting experiences with two service providers. I hired a project manager to handle the myriad details of taking my book from manuscript to publication. (You would be amazed at the number of decisions, large and small, that have to be made to take a book from loose pages to hardcover.) I hired this project manager for more or less the same reason your clients hire you: I felt I did not have the expertise to navigate this process on my own. I was looking for someone to guide me.

The person I hired for this task is a seasoned professional to whom I paid a substantial fee. And yet, when the time came to make book-related decisions like those involving font size, paper weight, or the dimensions of the book, my book consultant generally presented the options without a strong recommendation. This left me feeling anxious and frustrated. For example, he gave me four paper samples to select from but made no suggestion about which he thought would be appropriate. Since I had absolutely no experience in this arena, I was not confident in my decision making. His failure to provide me with clear direction left me feeling uneasy.

In contrast, the same day I was struggling with the paper decision, I went to my hair stylist for a haircut. I mentioned that I was thinking I'd like to have my hair cut in a different style. In response, she said, "That's not a good idea. You're not going to like how much effort it would take to maintain that style." Look at the differences in their approaches. My hair stylist was willing to draw on her years of experience and her familiarity with me to provide a clear direction about what I should do, even though it ran contrary to what I'd said I wanted.

Because of her willingness to take charge, my trust in her was reinforced and I was reminded of why I have followed her from salon to salon over the years and have recommended her to many others. In contrast, the project manager was not willing to provide the direction that I craved. As a result, I have much less confidence in him, am less satisfied with the services he provides and am less likely to refer him.

The next time you are asked for your thoughts on a matter-- whether it is during a pitch or in the course of representing a client--remember that what clients want is clear advice based on your years of experience and expertise. Leave the "on the one hand, on the other hand" analysis in the law school classroom and provide your prospects and clients with the direction they crave.

What do you think? Did I make the right choice on the paper? Take a look for yourself in my new book, "Bringin' in the Rain," available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/0981814034/