Recently I was listening to an encore episode of Season 2 of Scott McKain’s Project Distinct podcast on how to analysis your current client situation. In the podcast Scott suggests applying what he calls his ‘cub reporter’ questions to any stress test you undertake on the strength of your current client relationship, by asking:

• How?
• Why?
• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?

Applying Scott’s approach to law firm client relations has me asking some of the following foundation questions:

1. How did the client hear about you?
2. How well did you do when you first talk to the client about their problem?
3. How serious are you about investing in this relationship?
4. Why did your client need your services in the first place?
5. Why did the client chose you?
6. Why would they stay with you [over the competition]?
7. Who [at the client] decides to send work to you?
8. Who [from your firm] talks to that person?
9. Who, from your firm, should be talking to that person [and is not]?
10. What services [at your firm] are they using?
11. What other services [at your firm] should they be using? 
12. What would cause the client to change firms?
13. When did you last talk to the client?
14. When did the client last use your services?
15. When is the client’s busy season (secondment opportunities?)?
16. Where does your clients use your services (Their office? Your office? The internet? All of the above?)?
17. Where can you improve the client experience?
18. Where else could your clients use your services?

Hopefully a useful starting list and if you have not previously listened to Scott’s Project Distinct – a daily podcast that runs for a relatively short 10 minutes, I would like to strongly suggest you do.

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