Hello. I'm Sue Edwards, the M d of law hound on. For the past 25 years, I've been helping professional service providers improve their client attraction and client retention rates. Was an employment law specialist. I understand the challenges leak providers face and take share the techniques I have used in creating an online business model with others. I don't welcome to another gene client expectations. So what? We represent a client. It requires it's detective responsibilities, which are all about meeting the needs of the client, you know, only required to carry out a service for them to represent into understand the situation and circumstances. You're also required to paint a very clear picture of your professional relationship with them. I was a standard that she'd applied to every profession in all fields of expertise. But when it comes to personally delivered services, setting up and maintaining client expectations is often the most difficult. There's a thin line between what a client needs on what they want. Mac, you mean clients expectations are often seen as unreasonable, unlikely and need to be reset. So how do you do this? Why continuing to maintain the relationship well, we professionals come face the dilemma of a great outcome, but with an unhappy client at the ends. And the course here aims to help you keep things on track and provide some help in direction to follow, to manage expectations and avoid client disappointment. Breaking this down into five steps, which work for Megan Half worked for me for years. When dealing with clients and I know work for others. Most of you will know about them already. And Nana difficult. The thing is, if there no embedded into every process that you use with clients, the likely outcome is a lack of consistency on that leads to areas being missed, lack of trust, resulting in and happiness. To put simply a client working with you without a framework or structure agreed Milestones and clarity it's going to it sometimes feel insecure, and insecurity always promotes complaints and more frequent interaction than is needed or wanted by you. So let's jump into the five steps. It's a step wall under promise, counter intuitive, bit of a cliche, I know. But setting expectations are so very well within your capacity and can be achieved time after time impresses in reassures clients so could aside all the best results that you've achieved on won awards for and focus first on some easy wing promises that you'll deliver and you'll know you deliver thumb with ease. So under promising and over delivering against those simple promises will create just very early on in any new relationship. There's a lot to be sent in the simplicity of saying what you do and doing it, particularly in those early days. So digging deep into that initial consultation and has lots of questions. So your plan from the client's first impression of you in your work is that you are both interested and switched on. If they're comparing you, either that's still at this stage and in depth listening approach will be well above what the majority offer and single you out for the work if the client has and reasonable expectations or misplaced expectations is looking for cast iron guarantees, watertight guarantees or mentions. Others have promised outcomes. Passel their instructions. Just they're not for you. Seriously, save yourself the hassle. What you making fees will be outweighed by the client demands and numbers of contact points. If you're ready to proceed and you're a good fit with the client on these early assurances could be a simple and quick to do is ensuring that what he said in that initial cordial meeting gets done in the time frame that you set. So a client who's told to expect a written communication within three working days will be delighted to get it within two. I'm very be well impressed. Just with that, the client will be less impressed when a promise for the same day isn't delivered old. So save yourself some time and just really give yourself something that's going to be easy. Todo Andi simple. So form or complex work. You need to obviously set out a plan for some of that work, that which is known and could buy, identified from the start with deadlines. Who is doing what what is expected from them on by when that this might include every few even know what we do next section so you can assess what's received from them on right the next part of the plan. Don't ever think that your plans to simple most people respond very well to being taken and being led by the nose to something that's unfamiliar to them, so building a contingency buffer for each step. So you manage your time with this one client against the needs and plans for all of the others who will also be on their own agendas on deadlines, ensure what is to be handled by phone. Written communications were expected and face to face meetings all laid out. So that's essential for a client working with you on a fixed cost well within a fixed budget. This map of work within costs agreed, means your billing stays on target. They know what needs to be paid when on what outcome then you can expect at each stage. And there is a strong correlation between billing disputes and lack of clarity in this planning stage within the plant, adding. What happens if something changes? There were lack of activity must vacated for this insures that declined to expect you to do everything on time but rarely provides anything for you within the time scale. That promise sees upfront how this will impact on them. It might be an additional call, which adds to the costs for chasing them or an explanation of the greater impact on their case or project. So the implications here, for example, could be you having to apply to the court traditional time, the costs and uncertainty of that or something. A simple that was a recalibration of the various deadlines previously set, which another undermines the original plan on what they were hoping to achieve with inspector deadline. So, in essence, Step one is a very simple, clear plant. Simple, but not easy, because it requires you to to be really cautious about what you're putting in there to present to the client and also requires to be realistic right at the start about what's needed and what each step costs with details of what will happen or could happen if there are changes to that step two. Keep your billing crystal clear and simple. If you've not moved to fix cost, which means fixe menu, then look at your billing itemization. Keep it clear and easy to understand and regular so clients compare can compare your time recording with their plant on. No, it that it's all on track. So getting a sign off often against time and plan reduces considerably the chances of a disputed the end of the matter and also where things are easy to an isolated. Understand what those abbreviations actually mean on? It's all very simple. The likelihood is that is going to be greater acceptance as well as that laying out clear invoicing expectations in the planet. Review the way that your bill looks and is presented so clarity. And he's all the way to read quickly, ensuring prompt payment with little or no discussion and arrange for a variety of ways to pay. So whether that started debit or a credit card link or whatever, make it a seamless, frictionless process. Step three. So creativity and how you handle matters for your clients and how you approach the relationship moves you from a commodity purchased on price alone service to a desirable, desired service provider. The reloads of benefits to this Not only do you need to do less hunter gather work to bring in fees each month and clients on a regularly basis. Those clients you are attract are coming to you so you're prepared to work, are prepared to work already within your requirements. There's a feeling that they're getting something really good and that there's an aspirational level towards your service. It's a bidding known for excellence means a higher premium for services, of course, but the main benefits come from being able to work with clients in a way which is natural unpleasant for you. And that means using the steps. Using these five steps as a route to get rid of the hat very high makes in its clients whose calls and visits make your heart plummet. Those who want things always on their terms, always over contact you in or ignoring any structure or process that you have are often loud, demanding attention at all. Levels of interaction. A very rude or abrasive with your staff demanding always to get through to you. And you can, by using the managing client expectations, steps past those sorts of clients onto another service provider as soon as possible. So step for pivotal reminders and processes. Being friends of mind is cool to managing clients. Expectations. Resurgence That one. We got very clear at the outset of the client relationship. What the client needed on outlined this in the original plan. But as the relationship in the case progresses, it's easy to think if she clear on things and plans already in place. That's all good on the clients being well managed, you need to do a little bit more every time you hit a road bump in the case, or the client needs to make a major decision. You need to go back to your step one on remind them of the process that you use. These sort of road bumps or major decisions were very often and see to client from the plan. They will start to look a something else because they will become very focused just on that one thing that's happened, so you need to prepare for that in advance. Keep notes throughout so you can remind the clients of the journey that you've been on together. Refresh their memory of the times and dates that the event was discussed that you know, you look plan for it. You have prepared them for it. So you jobs throughout is to prepare the client to make the best decision in their case and support them through it. And all the steps provide for this, and by now you're in a position of trust and congratulated them. The Step five keep in touch, even when there's nothing to say. Emails great in summer case management systems plans processes where you can update the client even when there's actually nothing happening. When the client has a question, they need to be able to get an answer without derailing your plans. Another client work on be frictionless in terms of how they obtained information. When really it's business as usual for you that might be delivered via voice for phone etcetera. Violence destined to a secretary but with good systems and education of the client from day one, you should be able to put with them. Want to want using your system. And that might be the use of a mobile mobile number where they can leave a message. One which is always going to require them to leave a message of the separate SIM card for that. Or another mobile phone if you choose. Or a free one of thes switch, which would redo them a number where they can just go straight to an answering machine or an email where they get to response. Acknowledging the email on auto and updating them is to want to expect a response from you president. I find the email mobile combination works well in my clients work with me and am educated from day one that they need to give the detail that they're expecting to get answers on. And I will answer them via email or text or call. If it's important and complex. It will always be cool from the time scared in hours in trouble. Do. That's so I reduce the surprises, ensuring that the client always always knows what they can expect. So that's a reduction in friction possibilities within the relationship. So if the response is due in a week, I suggest providing the date to the client on on that date. Inform that the client is that no, there is no there is no response on what impact, if any, that house on what you're doing about it. So by keeping on top of being proactive of all those deadlines, the clients know they will get the service promised, and you will always take the action required. It's bean. My experience with what's been seen by many as over communicating is called to how the client feels about the relationship. So knowing you have their back or on top of their case amongst all the others that you have is always reassuringly professional. You cannot over report in my experience. So the human step side of staying in touch and keeping track of all that's needed is appreciated and valued. We focus on solving problems, so it's a silent society, were maybe too focused on targets, and figures on the same very much goes for the legal professions there. Instead of focusing purely on hitting deadlines and ensuring the clients that party to a certain amount of data at any given time, you should instead, I think, be focusing on solving the problems that you're in your way. So by using the strategy are discussed here, in line with Under promising is discussed, you'll be able to produce an end result that's been driven and defined by your want to solve the client's needs. This will not only inspire confidence, but will also impact positively upon your reputation as the client leaves you and goes to discuss at their case with others. So in summary, it's essential to make your clients aware of what it is that they're paying you for. That much is true of every professional relationship. It's also incredibly tempting to lead with an invoice or inaction plant that it's far reaching and full of promises. So in practice over promising simply doesn't work. At least a disappointment may even lead to client disengaging completely. You're going to need to ascertain all of the basic facts and eats from your client's situation on gonna need to offer a simple plan of action. One, which explores avenues were, rather than initially, one which finds results instantly so you can work together, communicating regularly to find resolutions which genuinely work and develop as their case develops. Your clients are ultimately going to want to find resolutions to their problems. There'll be less concerned about targets on the whole, although it's important to remember that no two clients have those same leads or personalities. If you consider every aspect of the case by listening deeply by asking questions and sewing, showing that you care on by keeping in touch on a very regular basis from costs to projected resolutions, potential avenues that you've considered on much more. Besides setting clients expectations from a legal standpoint, it's crucial the benefit of all of this. In the long run, it should be rewarded with a portfolio of friendly nor clients, he will always be a pleasure to work with. That should always being a girl and it's likely over the course of anybody's career is that many of those clients will be with you for the duration. They will. You will be their first point of call with every piece of work that they have toe hand your way, and that's incredibly valuable on the lifetime value of the clients. It's very often immeasurable that completes this data loss session and thank you for joining us.
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