What will your clients need five or ten years from now?
Do you know? Have you ever asked?
Don’t be too ashamed if you haven’t asked you clients to look ahead five — even ten — years. Sometimes, in the hyperactive markets for legal services in which many of us practice law today, just understanding what clients will need next year can be a challenge, for you and for them.
Moreover, surveys and interviews conducted by Walker Clark LLC demonstrate that most lawyers and law firms do a very good job of responding to current needs of their clients. We listen reasonably well, try hard to understand our clients' businesses, and respond quickly.
We have no choice in this. If we fail in any of these three basic tasks, we will lose clients to competitors.
However…
As legal markets become more competitive than ever before, responding to today's client needs is no longer enough. The most successful law firms today, in our experience and observation, are those that are already anticipating and planning to respond to changing client needs and expectations three, five, even ten years from now.
It’s not to late to start this critical conversation with your clients. We can help.