Building Enduring Client Loyalty

Building Enduring Client Loyalty distills a host of best practices and insights that teach us that client loyalty is less about what clients give to us than what we give to them.

• Acknowledgements 7Part 1. Introduction 9Part 2. The loyal client framework 11I. ‘Loyalty’ as defined by clients 11II. Clients as loyalists 17III. The competitive landscape and how to stay differentiated 22IV. The loyal client life cycle 27V. Customer experience – going beyond exceptional service to earn loyalty 30Part 3. A roadmap: getting started on the right foot with new clients 35I. Building the foundation of being trustworthy and trusted 35II. Understanding clients 39III. Onboarding new clients – establishing mutual expectations and protocols 45IV. Seeking client feedback and insights to improve long-term loyalty 49Part 4. Developing loyal client relationships 55I. From expert to trusted partner and business adviser55II. Developing and nurturing long-term relationships 60III. Maintaining and deepening client relationships remotely 65IV. Addressing challenging or difficult clients 69V. Client account management and key client teams 73VI. Succession planning – retaining clients over the long term 84Part 5. Earning loyalty through value, innovation and collaboration 89I. Adding value for clients 89II. Initiating innovation and aligning value 93III. Client convergence and preferred provider panels 102IV. Cross-serving clients (aka cross-selling) 106V. The role of collaboration 116VI. Committing to diversity to earn loyalty 120Part 6. Interviews with industry leaders and innovators 125I. Jeff Carr, former senior vice president and general counsel of Univar Solutions and FMC Technologies, and inventor of the ACES Model 125II. Mark Chandler, executive vice president, chief legal officer and chief compliance officer, Cisco Systems, Inc 131III. Vincent Cordo, former central legal operations officer and global sourcing officer, Shell Oil Co; now chief client development and relationship officer, Holland & Knight 138IV. Christopher Marston, founder and CEO, Exemplar Companies 144Part 7. ConclusionI. Healthy client roadmap: 25 tips to keep clients happy, satisfied and loyal 147Part 8. AppendicesAppendix I. Covenant with counsel 155Appendix II. Guidelines and procedures for outside counsel 157Appendix III. Steps to conducting effective client interviews 160Appendix IV. Sample client relationship and feedback questions 165Appendix V. American Bar Association Resolution 113 to help promote diversity in the legal profession survey 170Appendix VI. Case study: Kristen Cook, associate general counsel, 7-Eleven, Inc and SEI Fuel Services, Inc; and winner of two ACC Value Champion Awards 171Notes 173About the author 175About Globe Law and Business 176