Building Long-Term Client Relationships

Lawyers love words like "ipso facto". Clients don’t. ⛔ Newsflash: Most of them don't know Latin. 🤣 They want clarity, not complexity. Connection, not cold professionalism. Want to be the lawyer they trust and rave about? Here’s what they wish YOU knew: 1/ Speak Human, Not Legalese ↳ “If they leave confused, they leave frustrated.” ↳ Simplify. Use analogies. Add visuals. 2/ Ask Better Questions ↳ “What’s keeping you up at night?” gets you closer to the real issue than “What’s the matter?” 3/ Learn Their World ↳ Tailored advice > textbook advice. ↳ Know their business. Speak their language. 4/ Set Expectations Early ↳ No one likes surprise bills or radio silence. ↳ Map the process. Flag risks upfront. 5/ Be Accessible (Without Burnout) ↳ Boundaries matter. But so does communication. ↳ Tools like case dashboards help. 6/ Acknowledge Their Emotions ↳ A little empathy goes a long way. Legal issues are personal—even in business. 7/ Celebrate Wins ↳ A simple “Congrats! So happy for you!” builds trust faster than a 30-page opinion. 👉 Final Thought: Clients may never say it out loud, but they notice the small things. Show you get them, and you’ll be the one they recommend. What’s one lesson you’ve learnt from your clients? Drop it below. 👇 ♻️ Repost to help lawyers. 🔔 And follow Shulin Lee for more.

16 years of dealing with all types of interior design clients taught me how to communicate without being rude. In interior design, the difference between a good designer and a great one often lies in communication skills. After countless client meetings and team discussions, I've learned that being direct doesn't mean being difficult. Recently, during a high-stakes project review, I needed to address timeline delays with a client. So instead of saying, "Constant changes on your end are causing delays," I said: "I'm concerned about meeting our completion date. When we receive design changes mid-execution, it impacts our schedule by X days. What if we set a specific milestone to consolidate any changes?" This structure transformed a potentially tense conversation into productive problem-solving. The magic lies in the method: 1. Start with context. Frame the conversation around shared goals. "I'm bringing this up because I want to ensure we deliver on time." 2. Listen first, respond second. Understanding others' perspectives often reveals solutions you hadn't considered. 3. The most powerful phrase I've ever come across is "What if we..." It can turn any criticism into collaboration. These techniques have saved many projects and client relationships. Even deliver exceptional results. That's why I tell my team to always remember: In design, as in life, it's not what you say – it's how you say it. What's your communication strategy with clients? #communication #professional #clients

“It’s not enough to just win,” an old boss of mine used to explain. “The other side has to lose, badly.” Nothing gave him more satisfaction than eating his rivals’ lunch - and his competitive nature was contagious. When I started my first business I adopted his approach. But I soon also learned that I had to ally that competitive spirit with a more nuanced approach if I was to retain clients rather than just churn through them. Unlike winning deals, retention isn't just about having the best product — it's about creating value and a level of reliability that rivals can't match. 1. Retain on value, not price: Competitors will use price to try and attract your customers. It’s tempting to drop your yield accordingly, but that’s a race to the bottom. Instead take time to make sure your client can see how much they get for every pound or dollar they invest. Adding extra value will always be more profitable than reducing your fee. 2. Add features before you’re asked to: Write a customer engagement strategy that involves adding useful new services or features for your existing customers at least once or twice a year. Use these to upsell, build loyalty and increase their pain of moving suppliers. 3. Build trust through relentless delivery: Unreliability is one of the top reasons clients will look elsewhere. Meet key clients on a regular basis to understand how their needs are evolving and pivot your offering accordingly. And always keep your promises. 4. Outmanoeuvre your competitors: Never underestimate how determined your competitors will be to knock you off your perch. Devote adequate time to learning from their approach so you know the threat you face. Match your instinct to win new business with an equal determination to retain customers. Crack that and not only will you eat your competitors’ lunch today but you’ll have it every day.

The #1 mistake I see in client relationships? (It took me years to learn this) Confusing contact with connection. Most professionals think staying “top of mind” means constant contact. So they: ❌ Send generic check-ins. ❌ Ask for meetings without clear value. ❌ Share the same articles everyone else does. Then wonder why response rates keep dropping. 20+ years in client relationships has taught me: The best way to stay memorable? Show up as someone who genuinely cares about them  (and their success). Instead of asking: ❌ “How do I stay visible?” Ask: ✅ “How do I show I care?” Here are my favorite 6 ways to show you care: 1. Spot Opportunities They Might Miss ↳ Share competitor moves and market shifts before  they hear it elsewhere. 2. Be Their Connector ↳ Introduce them to people who can help them grow. 3. Offer Insights They Can Use Immediately ↳ Send relevant research they can apply right now. 4. Celebrate Their Successes ↳ Spotlight their wins like they’re your own. 5. Invite Them Into Your World ↳ Include them in events and conversations that matter. 6. Check In With a Personal Touch ↳ Reach out with no agenda, just genuine care. Here’s the truth: Most people only show up when they want something. Top performers show up because they genuinely care. Because they know when someone’s ready to buy, they don’t research who’s available. They call those who’ve already proven they care. Agree? Disagree? I’d love to hear your take on it in the comments below. ♻️ Valuable? Repost to help someone in your network. 📌 Follow Mo Bunnell for client-growth strategies that don’t feel like selling. Want the full cheat sheet? Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/e3qRVJRf 

Legal firms spending budget on 'LinkedIn influencers' fundamentally misunderstand platform mechanics. Here's what 18 years of marketing experience and the Algorithm Research shows: Your own employees deliver superior reach and authenticity than any external influencer arrangement. The data is definitive. Company pages reach 2-3% of followers. Employee posts? 10-15% baseline reach that doubles with coordinated team engagement. In my training we call this the Team Boosting Strategy. Instead of outsourcing influence, activate your systematic employee advocacy framework. Have one attorney post valuable industry insight (the 'Hero Post'), while 3-5 colleagues provide substantive comments within the critical 60-minute algorithm window, engaging the 'Hero' in a conversation. This amplifies reach 300-400% while building authentic professional relationships. Your clients want insights from practicing attorneys, not hired voices. LinkedIn is a business platform for professional authority which means you need to treat it accordingly. Strategic implementation: Designate weekly hero rotation, provide comment frameworks, measure profile views and meaningful conversations. Delegate this systematically and you'll outperform any influencer investment. The military taught me that coordinated systematic execution defeats individual heroics every time. Same principle applies here.

How often do you introduce your team members to your clients? A while back, I was leading a project for a major client. Things were going smoothly, but I noticed there was a bit of a gap in communication between our team and the client. It wasn't a major issue, but I knew it could be better. So, I decided to set up a meeting where I brought our key team members face-to-face with the client. The impact was immediate. Seeing our team's expertise and dedication firsthand, the client gained a deeper trust in us. They appreciated knowing the faces behind the emails and reports. Moreover, our team felt more valued and motivated, knowing that their contributions were recognized and respected. It's not just for formality; it's a strategic move that can strengthen relationships and drive success. But do not make the mistake of having this introductory call on a random Tuesday: - Before the meeting, ensure your team is briefed on the client's needs, expectations, and any relevant background information. This will help them feel confident and ready to engage. - During the introduction, encourage team members to share a bit about themselves, their roles, and their passion for the project. This personal touch goes a long way in building rapport. - Showcase each team member's expertise and how it contributes to the project's success. This not only reassures the client but also boosts team morale. - Foster an environment where both the team and the client feel comfortable asking questions, sharing insights, and addressing concerns. Transparent communication is the key to build that trust. It's a small investment of time that yields significant returns in terms of trust, loyalty, and overall project success. Do you practice this with your team members and clients? #teambuilding #entrepreneur

I spent 6 weeks trying to figure out what to do with my AI agents. I connected them to our CRM. Built n8n workflows in the back to standardise workflows. Tried automating email sequences. Tested half a dozen orchestration tools. Each one solved a narrow problem and created two new ones. The workflows were brittle. The automations broke when context changed. Nothing compounded. Then I came back to the simple Claude pattern: skills. Not tools. Not workflows. Not automations. Skills: packaged units of domain logic that connect to data, understand context, and produce a complete work product. One runtime, many skills. Each one purpose-built for how we actually operate. A simple MD, plus some examples, scripts and templates. Once I had the pattern, I built 10 skills in one week. A morning briefing that synthesizes meeting transcripts, CRM, and the web search into executive briefs by 6 AM. I walk into every call knowing what the client said 4 months ago, what's open, what's at risk. A pipeline dashboard scoring all deals on health and velocity. An account mapping skill that builds full strategic intelligence on any client in minutes. A content pipeline that mines our transcripts for publishable moments I would have missed. And many more. Each skill is 500 to 1,500 lines of domain logic on top of a single agent runtime. The runtime is interchangeable. The skills are not. They're built on 14 years of client relationships, our design system, our voice profiles, our deal history. No vendor will ever sell you that. Here's why this is structural, not incremental: every meeting transcript makes the briefings smarter. Every deal update sharpens the pipeline scoring. Every correction I make feeds back into the next draft. The system compounds in a way that standalone tools never will. I tried the other path first. Orchestration platforms. Workflow builders. Horizontal AI tools with 200 integrations. They solve generic problems generically. Skills solve your problems specifically. Six weeks of wrong turns taught me the right question: what are the key skills my business needs, built on data I have and packaged in the how-to only I know? #AI #AIAgent #Skills #Workflows #Work #Future

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 Recruitment is known as a fast paced industry, but there’s one part of our role as recruiters that can’t be rushed; building relationships. In my experience, creating long-term relationships with our clients, candidates, and colleagues is invaluable. Not only does this approach lead to better hiring decisions, but it also shapes careers, fuels business growth, and creates networks of trust that last for years. Here’s why long-term relationships should be the foundation of any great recruitment strategy: 𝟏. 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞  The best partnerships – whether with clients or candidates – aren’t built in a single conversation. They develop over time, through consistency, honesty, and delivering results. When businesses work with recruiters they trust, they gain a true partner, not just a service provider. The same applies to candidates. Many of the strongest hires come from professionals we’ve known for years and placed more than once. 𝟐. 𝐀 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐞 𝐚 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 One of the most rewarding aspects of long-term relationship-building is seeing how careers evolve. Many candidates we’ve placed early in their careers have gone on to become hiring managers or senior leaders, and when they need to build their own teams, they often return to the recruiters they trust. A single placement can turn into a lifelong professional partnership. 𝟑. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬  Understanding a company’s culture, leadership style, and long-term growth strategy takes time. The deeper that understanding, the better the hires. Clients who treat recruiters as strategic partners rather than short-term vendors see the biggest return on investment – not just in speed to hire, but in quality and retention. 𝟒. 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬  In today’s job market, candidates expect a personal, transparent process – one where they feel valued beyond a single application. A recruiter who stays in touch, offers advice, and provides genuine career guidance builds relationships that last. And when candidates have a great experience, they refer others, expanding the recruiter’s network even further. 𝟓. 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧  The recruitment industry is built on trust and reputation. The most successful recruiters are the ones known for honest, long-standing relationships that create value for both businesses and professionals over time. At the end of the day, recruitment is about people, not transactions. The strongest partnerships aren’t measured in placements but rather in careers built, businesses grown, and trust earned.

Law firms are hiring a non-billable role that’s quietly increasing revenue. 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁-𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 are being hired at an accelerating pace - and not as reactive support, but as revenue drivers. Titles vary (Client Relationship Director, Client Account Executive, Client Development Manager), but their mandate is consistent: grow key clients, expand relationships, and capture and nurture new opportunities in certain practices and industries. The market signals are clear: - A top Am Law firm is hiring client and business development professionals focused on expanding existing relationships and cross-selling. - Others are building a dedicated client relationship function for financial institutions and private equity to deepen wallet share across practices. - Another is hiring a litigation-focused BD leader to expand client relationships and drive revenue growth. - A global firm is investing in client account executives as part of its global client program. Why now? The BTI Consulting Group reports that 87% of firms are increasing BD budgets. The shift is not just more spend; it is how firms are deploying it: toward dedicated, client-facing revenue and relationship roles. BTI’s research shows that law firm clients love these dedicated client executives, they deliver results, and (key) the law firms with these roles outperform those without them. What these professionals actually do: ☑️ Accelerate organic revenue growth: identify needs early and convert them into proposals before an RFP is issued. ☑️ Expand relationships: conduct structured, proactive engagement with key clients and prospects beyond what busy partners can sustain. ☑️ Maintain pipeline discipline: turn annual plans into active pipelines with clear ownership, follow-up, and accountability. ☑️ Improve win rates: coordinate and participate in pitches, capture feedback, and apply lessons to future pursuits. ☑️ Increase ROI visibility: track, report, and improve ROI on the firm’s BD and marketing investments. This is not a new model. Accounting and consulting firms professionalized their sales functions decades ago. Today, PE-backed firms, ALSPs, AI-native firms, and the Big 4 are competing for legal spend with fully built client development infrastructure already in place. This is no longer innovation - it is catch-up. Firms that still treat these roles as overhead will lose to those that treat them as revenue multipliers. Law firms do not have a talent gap. They have a role design gap. If your firm is considering piloting or formalizing this role, I am happy to share sample position descriptions and market insight. This is also the type of role I excel at and am actively pursuing. #lawfirms #clientdevelopment #businessdevelopment

A lot of the value of attending or speaking at a conference doesn’t come from being there. It comes from what you do afterwards. How many times have you come back from a conference or event and thought, “I should’ve done more to maximize that experience”? Not just attending the sessions or showing up at the networking receptions, but turning it into something meaningful for your visibility, your relationships and your business development efforts. Me too 🙋🏼♀️ It’s easy to get caught up in our busy lives, especially after returning from a conference and then move on to the next thing without following up. What you proactively do after the event is what can turn conversations into relationships and visibility into opportunity. Here are some ways to make the most of attending your next conference: ✔️ Prioritize the people you met and follow up with context on LinkedIn or by email, referencing your conversation and suggesting a clear next step ✔️ Follow up with organizers to share feedback and express interest in speaking or getting involved in future programming ✔️ Turn your conference notes into key takeaways and share them as content (LinkedIn post, blog post or short video) connected to your work, your clients or what you’re seeing in the market ✔️ Host your own webinar to recap key themes and extend the conversation ✔️ Interview speakers or attendees whose perspectives stood out and use that content in a webinar, blog post or on social media ✔️ Host an internal recap to share key insights and connect them to your team’s work ✔️ Turn questions or conversations from the event into content or targeted outreach ✔️ Share insights from the event in an email newsletter ✔️ Add relevant new contacts to your email list so you can stay visible with them ✔️ Create a simple system to stay in touch with the people who matter most ✔️ Review the attendee list and reach out to people you didn’t meet ✔️ Follow up with speakers you admired, even if you didn’t connect in person ✔️ Identify one trend or theme you kept hearing across conversations and proactively share that perspective with clients or colleagues You already put in the time and energy to be there. This is how you carry that momentum forward. Which of these ideas resonated most with you? #LegalMarketing #ClientDevelopment #LinkedInTips #BusinessDevelopment #PersonalBrandingTips