Category: Management

Building customer relationships is the key to success

"Whatever you do for a living, never forget that you are always in a relationship business. Those darn customers might cause you headaches from time to time, but you ain’t got nuthin’ without them. Work to build stronger relationships with your customers every day. Work to add more value every day to your customers. Think both in terms of the big picture and the smallest details. Think both in terms of the quality of your products and service and in terms of how the person feels when they are interacting with you. If you make a mistake, admit it and truly make up for it. If you can do something extra for a customer that would really make a difference, do it."

These are the words (emphasis is mine) of Dan Coughlin, in his Business Acceleration Newsletter this month.  He cites specific examples of what to do and what not to do in building customers relationships.
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Disaster Preparedness & Recovery Planning for Law Firms

We’re at the printer! Our book, Disaster Preparedness & Recovery Planning for Law Firms, will be released and ready for shipment by the middle of July!

The book has received great acclaim from those who’ve seen the Advanced Readers Copy (what used to be call the "blueline").

There are only a few days left to take advantage of our pre-publication price … ends June 30th.


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Coaching receives more support

Tom Kane discusses my article about coaching that appears in Law Practice Today, the American Bar Association’s electronic magazine. The coaching concept is getting greater attention. Read Tom’s comments about what the coach can do and what to look for. The importance and duration of the process has been noted in many sports stories. Here is a post about the use of coaching in sports that I wrote earlier, as well as other posts on the topic of coaching including the ROI and the business case for coaching!


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Receptionists can make or break the day

A receptionist can cause great damage to a law firm! Or, a receptionist can be a shining light that clients look forward to talking to when they call. Such goodwill cannot be purchased! Such a staff-client is one of the best marketing tools available to a law firm. Too few lawyers understand this. (more…)


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Recycling computers

Russ Ruffolo discussed recycling computers and related equipment in our podcast.  The Wall Street Journal, in its April 11th edition, also discussed equipment manufacturers’ offers to recycle their own equipment. Check Dell, Lenovo, HP and others. If these don’t work for you, listen to Russ.


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Leadership is a missing element in today’s world

I wrote about Lee Iacocca’s new book on leadership. (See my last blog.)

Serendipity how some things come together. Just after writing that blog post, I was asked to read John Gardner’s book, On Leadership. He wrote the book in 1990 with a paperback edition in 1993. I recommend this book very highly – especially the paperback version with his new preface.

Iacocca created his list of 9 C’s.  Gardner’s list consists of the following:

1.  Physical vitality and stamina
2.  Intelligence and judgment-in-action
3.  Eagerness to accept responsibilities
4.  Competence
5.  Understanding of followers’ and their needs
6.  Skill in dealing with people
7.  Need to achieve
8.  Capacity to motivate
9.  Courage, resolution, steadiness
10. Capacity to win and hold trust
11. Capacity to manage, decide, set priorities
12. Confidence
13.Assertiveness
14. Flexibility of approach

Gardner suggests that not all leaders have all these qualities. But, the better leaders will have many of them. Another point he makes that resonated well for me is that "leaders" is not defined solely as our politicians, but rather "ordinary folks placed in extraordianry circumstances."

Another aspect of his writing concerned "power."  We all have it … dependent on the circumstances. And how we use that power is a significant element of great leadership.

This is a classic work in the leadership field and I highly recommnd it to you.


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Law firm leadership

Lee Iacocca suggests in his new book, Where Have All the Leaders Gone? that there are factors that can be used to predict whether someone will be a good leader. After chastising both the President of the United States and presidents of many American companies, he sets forth his list of 9 C’s: (more…)


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What makes a good managing partner?

The question seems appropos at this time. I was just interviewed by a leading legal publication, asking me the question, "How do lawyers become good managers of other lawyers?"  Since law schools frown on providing this type of information — and, in fact, generally refuse to provide law practice management courses, how DO lawyers become skill practice management leaders?

Edge International recently conducted a survey. Adam Smith, Esq. discusses some of the qualities valued by respondents in that survey:

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