A Customer Care Seminar...For You!

There's nothing like a little professional development exercise to get ready for the weekend! Courtesy of David Brent (Ricky Gervais), from the original series the office, we'll learn some of the finer points of how to handle customer complaints. Have a wonderful weekend and don't forget that on June 1st, I'll be thanking those who generously offered their comments during the month of May with one of the few social media currencies available - links. (hint, hint)

How Would You Define 5-Star Service?

It's a great question that was just posted on Linkedin by Becky Carroll who writes a terrific blog called Customers Rock.

I encourage you to read the answers and to visit Becky's blog, as she plans a deeper dive on the subject very soon. Here was my two cents:

I really enjoyed reading the answers to your very good question. They support the fact that client service excellence, just as beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. For that reason, 5-star service is more of a frame of mind aimed at the individual than a ubiquitous goal for the masses. As Frances X. Frei suggested in a recent HBR article, it's not about being all things to all people, but being specific things to specific people.

Well Meaning

This post is not about meaning well. It's about clearly defining terms you commonly share with your clients or employees. It's about caring enough to assure that others interpret your communication as you intend.

Let me explain what I mean. Take the word empowerment for example. If you ask employees if they feel empowered in the workplace, you will likely get a range of answers - not because the circumstances for the individuals are necessarily different, but because one person's definition of empowerment may not square with another's interpretation. Some may define empowerment as having individual freedom and flexibility to make decisions, while others may regard it as having open access to the vast resources of their employer to get their jobs done. Both are certainly versions of empowerment, but they don't mean the same thing, and the circumstances that may create one form of empowerment do not necessarily facilitate the other.

Collaboration is another example. It comes in all shapes and sizes and unless you're specific about what you mean, the likelihood of miscommunication and misunderstanding with your audiences is high.

Dr. Karl M. Soehnlein (one of my Seton Hall University professors) was kind enough to share a resource that supports this idea. In the book Understanding & Sharing: An Introduction to Speech Communication, by Pearson & Nelson (1994) the authors define communication as "the process of understanding and sharing meaning."

So what are we to do? It's a little ridiculous to try and negotiate the specific meanings of the words we use, but as communication professionals, we must be attuned to our audiences both in terms of how they interpret our meaning and how we process theirs. Whether you're direct or more subtle, make sure you and your clients/employees are on the same page. It won't just show you mean well, it will demonstrate you actually care.

Good Answers, Best Answer

From time to time, I'll ask a question on Linkedin to extend the conversation or get different points of view on various client service related topics. Most recently, I used the forum to ask a question based on a post by Edward Boches at Mullen's new team blog relentlessPR. (A blog for which I also write). The question was: "Is An Ad Agency The Best Place To Practice PR?"

As usual in this forum, I received some very thoughtful answers. While the question is closed, you can visit Linkedin to read how people responded. On Linkedin, when you close a question you're asked to rate the answers. This time, I only marked the Good Answers but did not select a Best Answer. A cope out? Maybe, but in their own way each of the good answers was excellent and there was no reason to arbitrarily distinguish one over the others.

The fact is, the more I thought about it and based on re-reading Edward's post, I could have asked a better question. I should have asked: "As a PR Professional, can you better serve your client's needs working from an integrated agency or a traditional PR firm? (If anyone has any thoughts on that, feel free to weigh in).

In the meantime, I just want to thank everyone who takes time to offer their insights to the questions on Linkedin and who takes time to leave comments on blogs. It's not always easy, but without you there is no conversation. I learn from you all every day. Don't worry about leaving the best answer; just add your individual perspective to the fabric of the conversation. We'll all be richer for it.

How Far Will You Go?

Well, CSI/Season 2 went to Australia (online) to discover the secrets of client service excellence. The NSW Department of State and Regional Development says it means business and is showing it by distributing a Client Service Guide.

Here are just a few of the success factors the department shares with its readers:

Provide a complete experience: Step back and make sure that all your customer needs are met from the beginning to the end of the sales process. Make the customer feel valued, even after the sales process is complete, e.g. by offering after-sales help such as installation.

Reliable service: Deliver your products and services on time and as requested.

Accountability: Take full responsibility for providing high-quality products and services. Make sure you honour guarantees/warranties on your products.

Efficiency: Deliver your product/service with minimum hassle for your customers.

Assurance: Create customer confidence in you through your professional approach and demonstrated knowledge of your product/service. Customers must be able to trust your word so always act on your promises.

Attention to detail: Attend to even the smaller details. Show you care and that you are prepared to provide individual attention to every customer.

Appearance: Make sure your image and appearance reinforce customer confidence in your services.

Keep in touch: Keep customers regularly informed on progress and developments - but make sure this is welcomed by the customer.

Recovery strategies: Put processes in place to allow you to recognise problems when they arise and take action to fix them.

Value adding: Explore how you can offer that little bit extra, such as supplying complimentary products or services after the initial sale, or providing valuable follow-up information.

Be sure to pick up the complete guide. It's worth a read!

Two Takes On A Familiar Scenario

Either way, the dude's still been in a paper outfit for an hour!  Have a great long weekend!

What WILL Happen If Client Service Isn't Your Top Priority

Chris Brogan offered a more lengthy post today than the one I referenced yesterday that noted some predictions for the future. It inspired me to write a post I've been thinking about for a long time based on the premise that the communication firms that attain the preeminent position for client service excellence between now and 2020 will carry the day. They will be the ones that thrive in this changing world, leaving the others in their wake.

First, let me share some of Chris's predictions, "I believe we’re going to shift back to thinking customer service and community management are the core and not the fringe. I believe we’re going to move our communications practices back in-house for lots of what is currently pushed out to agencies and organizations. I believe that integrity, reputation, skills, and personality are going to trump some of our previous measures of professional ability. I believe the web and our devices will continue to move into tighter friendships, and that we will continue to train our devices to interpret more of the world around us on our behalf."

Chris offers other predictions as well including a growing trend toward working remotely, which I completely agree with, but I'll save for another time. That said, let's consider his predictions. In short, it's about client service, outsourcing, integrity, and relationships. They are all interrelated.

Jonathan Tisch and others talk about the importance of customization and personalization. Frances X. Frei asks, "Are you trying to be all things to all people or specific things to specific people?" Without personalized, customized client service that's delivered with integrity and fosters trusted relationships, most clients WILL bring their work in-house as Chris suggests. The agencies with whom clients will work in our hyper-competitive, flat world are the ones who are truly committed to client service excellence. Clients (of all sizes) won't settle for less, and they shouldn't have to.

Offer just satisfactory client service and you WILL lose clients. You WILL lose top people, and you WILL lose money. Not even the new business pipeline will save you because there won't be much of one. The best of the best employees won't want to work for you because they'll want to work for the best client service oriented firms that attract only the best clients. And why would clients trust outsourcing anything to firms other than the ones with the best people? If you're not committed to client service excellence now, your revenues are dropping as we speak; you just don't realize it yet.

Be Helpful?

What kind of advice is that?   The other day Chris Brogan posted Be Helpful First.  It will take you about 10 seconds to read, and he couldn't be more correct.  Great client service is all about helping.

I've spent years as a United Way volunteer.  I think the organization does amazing work, and I know it well.  The national United Way produced a video several years ago that cleverly poked fun at itself, while at the same time making a powerful point.  The scene was set in an elementary school classroom where a student brought her Dad (A United Way Exec) to class to talk about what he does for living. As Dad launches into his "United Way speak," the kids quickly look confused and bored.  The daughter immediately senses the problem, stands up, and proclaims, "He helps people!" Fortunately, Dad picked up on the cue and began engaging the class.  The confusion and boredom quickly gave way to comprehension and smiles.

For all the issues I cover about client service here at CSI Season 2, in the end, it's all about being helpful first.   Let's never lose sight of that.  Thanks Chris.  

Client Service Sweet Spot

In the April 2008 issue of Harvard Business Review, there's a terrific article by David J. Collis and Michael G. Rukstad titled: Can You Say What Your Strategy Is?  While I'm sure you can guess what the article is about, I was struck by a chart that wasn't specific to client service but on point with regard to what we experience in the professional services business.

At the intersection of three circles labeled Company's Capabilities, Competitors' Offerings, and Customers' Needs, you'll notice that the sweet spot isn't located at the center of where the circles intersect, but right between customer and company. I've always believed we should pay close attention to our competitors and learn from them, but we shouldn't let preoccupation with our competitors interfere with the fundamental relationship we share with our clients.   This chart is a great reminder of that point - that the sweet spot is not always located in the center.

Pitching And Catching

As you all know, the PR biz has been catching quite a bit of flak lately for the way at least some PR pros are pitching media and bloggers. The point is well taken. PR professionals are not only stewards of their own brands, but of their client reputations as well. They should act accordingly.

That said, note to journalists and bloggers: "Despite our best efforts, you will likely continue to receive pitches that may not be relevant to your particular journalistic sensibilities. It's part of the business and the small price you pay for the many great stories you receive on a silver platter each and every day. Blacklisting and public chastising individuals is equally bad behavior. You're stewards of your own brands also don't forget."

Todd Defren has been weighing in on this issue and has a recent post titled: The PR Professionals Credo: 7 Promises which is worth a read. We can all do better.

Fast Fifty

Well, I've been back blogging since late March, and CSI Season 2 now includes 50 posts.  It's beginning to stand on its own two feet, and I have you to thank for it.  I appreciate the warm welcome upon my return with Season 2 and want to assure you we're just getting started.

That said, I'd appreciate your input regarding future client service topics and any ideas you have for delivering content in a manner that will further fuel our dialogue.   Please send your suggestions to me as a comment or by e-mail if you prefer.  I'll soon be announcing the name of our next special guest and with your help look forward to offering other innovations to presenting client service related content you care about.  

I'll be taking a long weekend starting tomorrow, but on Monday I look forward to returning to CSI Season 2 and helping launch our new team blog at Mullen called relentlessPR.   If you have a minute, please visit and add to your RSS feed so you receive the very first true post from our chief creative officer Edward Boches.   Do you want traditional PR or relentlessPR? See you on Monday!

Alltop Adds CSI/Season 2!

Alltop just added CSI Season 2 to its heralded list of marketing blogs. If you haven't visited Alltop or the Alltop blog, you should. Here's a description of the site in their words:

You can think of an Alltop site as a “digital magazine rack” of the Internet. To be clear, Alltop sites are starting points—they are not destinations per se. The bottom line is that we are trying to enhance your online reading by both displaying stories from the sites that you’re already visiting and helping you discover sites that you didn’t know existed. In other words, our goal is the “cessation of Internet stagnation” by providing “aggregation without aggravation.”

For the list of marketing blogs and recent posts, you can also click on the badge in the sidebar. Yes, I chose one of the more politically correct versions!

Client Service And Crisis Communication

Yesterday, I met with a new business prospect who wants to update the company's crisis communication plan - not in response to a recent crisis that was poorly handled, but an actual proactive initiative aimed at being better prepared before a crisis occurs.

To get ready for the meeting, I reviewed its extensive web site and got a great feel for the priorities and the values that drive this company. My initial impression was reinforced during my meeting with the senior leadership team. The customer service focus is truly impressive and serves as a great reminder about the power of a client service oriented culture and what it can mean both to avoiding and responding to crisis situations.

Consider the number of customer interactions that evolve into crisis nightmares because of an indecision or a bad decision that shortchanged a customer. I would say 99 times out of 100, if a company responded to a customer properly at the time of the incident, then it would never have escalated into a crisis. There would be no need for a customer to run to the news media to gain satisfaction. And today, you don't have to run to the news media, because we can create our own content and cause our own headaches for companies. Not servicing customers/clients properly is riskier than ever.

The fact that the leadership team is proactively seeking help with this assignment is quite telling in and of itself. I told them point blank that if the leaders are as committed to its people and customers as they appear, then they are already a long way down the path of developing a successful plan for protecting victims of crisis and, by doing so, keeping the client service oriented brand promise it espouses.

I'm hope I'm fortunate enough to work with them.

Quality Versus Quantity

Nearly two weeks ago, David Maister posted on the topic Pricing Consulting Services, and as part of his post he shared this: "When it comes to premium-price firms and what sets them apart, it is not their size, the amount of repeat business they are able to get, or the region of the country in which they are located.  As a matter of fact, none of these had an effect on the firm's ability to charge premium fees.  The factors that matter most to premium price firms are how valuable their work will be to the client upon completion, and whether or not the firm can deliver superior results over other providers - 36% find this "extremely important."

When considering how to price a project, you should consider not only the number of hours it may take to complete the assignment, but also how to pack those hours with true client value. Premium price firms charge clients based on the quality of the hours, not just the quantity.

As always David, thank you for your insights.   

Relentless

In the 300 or so posts I've written about client service (combining Season 1 and Season 2), I've mentioned a number of key concepts that are crucial to achieving client service excellence. They include trust, communication, leadership, relationship, etc.

Today, I want to talk about being relentless - as in relentless advocates for your clients. It's not only a great word with a terrific onomatopoeia quality to it, but also a concept that's important for your clients to know regarding your commitment as an agency. That in addition to being a highly skilled, trusted partner, you're absolutely relentless about being successful on their behalf. Ask yourself whether you believe your clients would describe you as relentless. And if not, why not?

When I was interviewing with Mullen, I noted its tagline which included the words "Relentless Creativity." At the conclusion of the first major agency presentation with which I was involved, our CEO Joe Grimaldi ended it by saying (and I'm paraphrasing), "You'll never find an agency partner who cares more than we will about your business."

After having been at Mullen for several months now, I can tell you that I suspect he's right. I see how the act of being relentless simply comes from caring enough. They're two sides of the same coin. If you care enough about the work, one another, and your clients, you won't give up trying to be better or more successful. You won't relent. Show clients you care, and you're likely to keep them for a very long time.

Starting Monday May 19th, our PR team is getting together to launch relentlessPR. It's a team blog covering a broad range of topics that will illustrate the integrated lens with which we see our business and the way we approach our work. Even though we don't start officially until next week, feel free to visit, read our introductory post and About page, and add it to your RSS feed!

In the meantime, think about the words relentless and caring and what they mean in your agency.

Disclaimer

Last month, I wrote a post titled Satisfaction Guaranteed where I described a policy that's been used by David Maister and adopted at Valorem Law Group. Make sense?

Now today I read Michelle Golden's post Creative and Edgy Attracts only to find another reference to Valorem Law Group. I didn't think I could like anything better than satisfaction guaranteed until I read the firm's disclaimer. It's not what you might expect from a Chicago law firm. Let me just say I laughed out loud at #4 which begins by stating: "We are normal people, which means we don't do tax law."

The disclaimer is an important reminder. Great client service is all about relationships, and relationships are very much about personalities. The people at Valorem Law Group not only show they have personality, but they showcase it in everything they do - even the disclaimer.

I'll tell you this, if I ever need an attorney for anything but tax law, I'm calling Valorem Law Group.

The Saturday Morning Post

I don't want to make a habit of it, but a Norman Rockwell inspired Saturday Morning Post can be enjoyable from time to time. For this installment, I want to showcase a blog entry by Sherrilynne Starkie at Strive Notes titled An Adventure in PR. It's a quick post, and I'd like you to read it for yourself, but it's an inspiring look at how a small change has made a big difference in her life. Yes, it's client service related to be sure and a solid track for all of us to consider.

Next, I'd like to thank Kelli Matthews for introducing me to PROpenMic. In just about a month's time I believe, PROpenMic as more than 700 members worldwide and describes itself this way:

PROpenMic is for public relations students and faculty from around the world. We welcome practitioners, too. The focus is on preparing the next generation of PR practitioners by enabling interaction with people from around the world in this community network. We already have members from 70+ colleges & universities from over 30 countries. Glad you're here! Have fun and learn from one another.

I encourage practitioners to have an active presence in this environment. What a great way to share and learn from one another. Off for my Saturday morning run now!

A Client Service Parody?

Earlier this week, Todd Andrlik posted The 50 Greatest Commercial Parodies of All Time which he discovered at Nerve.com. Todd notes that his favorite, and #3 on the top 50 list, is the SNL parody for Old Glory Insurance from 1995 featuring Law & Order's Sam Waterston.

While I'm pretty sure SNL didn't set out to showcase Old Glory's commitment to client service excellence, one can't help admire the company's forward thinking approach and its willingness to provide an option to seniors that its competitors clearly failed to do. I hadn't seen it in years, but it's just as funny today as it was over a decade ago. Enjoy!

More Conversations About Values

In addition to this blog, I've engaged Linkedin, Spinthicket, and Twitter as forums for extending the conversation about values and their importance to client service and how an organization behaves in general.

The conversation has sparked some interesting responses on these forums and through e-mails I've received privately. The comments have ranged from careful articulation of the differences between mission, vision, and values and their importance to any organization to downright cynicism - that in the end, statements of core values are meaningless.

Based on the organization and the commitment of its leadership, both extremes are correct. For example, Michael Dell understood the importance of values to the company's future and effectively reset the organization by demonstrating to his employees that how one achieves objectives is just as important as achieving them. Dell wanted his people to know he was serious about ethics and values. The company's values were not only codified in a document called The Soul of Dell which was written in 2002, but integrated into the employees’ everyday work life.

Conversely, a Harvard Business Review article by Patrick M. Lencioni begins with a list of corporate values: Communication. Respect. Integrity. Excellence. Lencioni writes, "They sound pretty good, don't they? Strong, concise, meaningful. Maybe they even resemble your own company's values, the ones you spent so much time writing, debating, and revising. If so, you should be nervous. These are the corporate values of Enron, as stated in the company's 2000 annual report. And as events have shown, they're not meaningful, they're meaningless."

As part of our conversation on Linkedin, David Kinard described core values this way: "Core values are those "behaviors in action" that are aspired to, recognized when demonstrated, and provide a framework for the interactivity of people and teams within the organization. They also inform the ways that employees will interact with customers and other external constituents."

The challenge as I see it for most companies is this: Can they live their core values during bad times as well as good times? Staying true to your values during good times is fine, but great organizations show their mettle when they remain committed to their convictions during tough times. These are the companies we truly revere - the ones that provide us with the best client service longterm.

Reflection

Chris Brogan drafted a post today titled, Saying No. It could have just as easily been called Reflection. The post speaks to the difficulty many of us have in saying no and facing the realization that we only have so much bandwidth - that saying yes to everyone doesn't help anyone if we can't devote the time and energy necessary to doing a great job. But his post goes further than that, and it's a fitting follow-up to yesterday's entry on core values.

Chris doesn't stop at saying no, but walks us through a reassessment of his priorities and values. It's not only something we should contemplate as organizations, as I suggested yesterday, but it's a powerful individual exercise that can help us achieve true balance, even harmony, in our personal and professional lives.

Thanks for the reminder!

It's Your Values That Matter

Many organizations have mission and vision statements. Fewer have values statements. From a client service perspective, it's values that matter. It's great to know why you exist (mission) and where you want to go (vision), but it's defining who you are (values) that may mean the difference between delivering excellent client service or not.

Now what do we mean by values statements? In the July 2002 issue of Harvard Business Review, Patrick M. Lencioni shared an interesting story: "I once asked the CEO of a Fortune 500 networking company to tell me one of his firm's core values. 'A sense of urgency!' he replied without hesitation. 'So,' I asked, 'your employees take quick action and hit all their deadlines?' 'No,' he replied, 'they are complacent as hell, which is why we need to make urgency one of our core values.'"

Lencioni added, "That response reveals the confusion underlying many values initiatives. Far from being a core value, a sense of urgency didn't even exist in the organization. It was just an aspiration - a goal for the future."

If you have a core values statement, it may be time to revisit it to determine whether your core values are truly engrained in the organization or still aspirational. If you don't have a core values statement, then drafting one that truly reflects the current state with an eye toward success for the future can be a gratifying and important exercise. Your employees and your clients will be the big winners.

Both my current and my previous employer had core values statements, and each in their own way serves the organization well. One is more memorable; the other more inspirational. Both have a measure of aspiration to them - as well they should. It's all about trying to be better.

Client Acquisition Versus Retention

You hear a wide range of numbers tossed around regarding the costs associated with acquiring new clients versus retaining and growing the ones you have. In a blog post at Profitable Marketing where the author challenged the commonly quoted 5 to 1 ratio, I actually found a comment that explained this familiar axiom.

Jim Novo noted, "The general truism 'it costs 5x more to acquire a customer than retain one' is from Fred Reichheld's (yes, he of NPS fame) earlier book, The Loyalty Effect (1996). It's based on his study of 25 different companies across many different industries - State Farm, Toyota, John Deere, Leo Burnett, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, MBNA, Chic-Fil-A, etc. when he was at Bain & Co. This book is also the source of the '5-point increase in retention lifts per-customer profit by more than 125 percent' type of idea.

"To clarify, this '5 to 1' phrase has been hacked up and taken out of context for more than a decade. The original meaning is the yield on a dollar spent is 5x higher for retention than acquisition; the ROI is 5x higher for retention than acquisition..." (Visit either link above for the complete comment).

Consider how much time, effort, and expense it takes to pitch a prospect. Depending on how elaborate the review process, even if you win the business, it can take months to achieve a breakeven position. So if it's more profitable to retain clients than find new ones, then why aren't we as a profession focusing more of our efforts on retention? On client service excellence.

I answered a question on Linkedin today regarding industry practices for rewarding agency employees who bring in new business. Here's my paraphrased response:

Your employee should be well compensated for the myriad services to be delivered here, but I would not set a precedent for rewarding employees for bringing in new business. I think you should reward the team based on overall agency growth rather than try to compensate individuals for specific new client wins.

What do you think?

Client Service And The Economy

PRWeek was kind enough to run a piece I wrote about the importance of client service in the PR business and the way this is revealed in a down economy. Staying One Step Ahead of the Lion wrestles with the question: What does it tell us about our value as a business partner that when times get tough, our budgets either get cut or we get dismissed altogether?

The point is that our clients should believe they stand a better chance surviving, and even thriving, during down times with us than without us. A greater focus on client service excellence is a first step to helping us get there. If nothing else, it's a great conversation topic to start the week.

Three Key Practices

During Dr. Kent M. Keith's interview with CSI Season 2, he outlined three key practices gleaned from understanding servant leadership that can help us better serve our clients. These practices are worth highlighting:

1. "One key practice of servant leadership is comprehensive listening—gathering a wide range of in-depth information about customers or clients to make sure the organization understands what people need. It is hard to meet people’s needs if you don’t know what those needs are!
2. "Another practice is changing the traditional hierarchical pyramid, so that the chief at the top is not isolated but is part of a team, and people in the organization look out at the customer as well as looking up at their bosses.
3. Servant-leaders also pay attention to developing their colleagues, coaching instead of controlling, and unleashing the energy and potential of others. They know that when you take care of your colleagues, they will be able to take care of your customers. These and other practices make it possible to provide superlative service to customers and clients.
   

For more information on servant leadership, visit The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership.

TalentZoo.com Meets The Client Relationship Autopsy

The great people at TalentZoo.com were kind enough to ask me to submit some byline articles for their site. They asked for topics that had a bit of an edge and would be provocative for their readership. They posted my first submission last week titled, The Client Relationship Autopsy. Given that this blog's title includes the initials CSI, it seemed only fitting.

The article expands on a post I wrote during Season 1 and is based on the simple premise that learning from the failed relationships of the past will provide us guidance to seek and build better ones in the future. Client acquisition costs are enormous, yet when agencies lose clients (and we all do), most don't take the time investigate the loss. It's a missed opportunity.

I would encourage agency leaders to review the client relationship autopsy procedure outlined in the article, adapt it to their agencies as they see fit, and implement the practice as soon as possible. Over time, you'll find the results will be invaluable.

Advanced Client Service Excellence

The quality of the video isn't great, but nothing can obscure the clarity of excellent client service. Have a great weekend!

Client Service Blogs For You!

In January 2007, JD Hull posted a list of links to blogs dedicated exclusively or in large part to the topic of client service. (JD was kind enough to add CSI to the list at the time as well). I posted it a month later during Season 1, and I recently checked on each of these blogs. With rare exception they are all quite active. As I mentioned over a year ago, for those of us who are passionate about client service, it's invaluable to get a broad perspective. These should keep you busy for awhile!

I plan to add these links to my sidebar under the special heading of Client Service Blogs. If you would like me to add others to the list, please let me know.

More Partner Income, Tom Collins

In Search of Perfect Client Service, Patrick J. Lamb

Jim Calloway's Law Practice Tips Blog

The Adventure of Strategy, Rob Millard

Amazing Firms, Amazing Practices, Gerry Riskin

CBA Practice Link (Canada)

Church of the Customer Blog, Ben McConnell & Jackie Huba

CustomersAreAlways, Maria Palma

David Jacobson’s External Insights, David Jacobson

Gladwell.com Blog, Malcolm Gladwell

Golden Practices, Michelle Golden

The Greatest American Lawyer

Gruntled Employees, Jay Shepherd

How to Make it Rain, Rjon Robins

Howling Point, Chuck Hartley and Pongo

Human Law, Justin Patten

Infamy or Praise, Colin Samuels

lawfirmblogging.com, Nathan Burke

Leadership for Lawyers, Mark Beese

Legal Business Development, James Hassett

Legal Ease Blog, Allison Shields

Legal Marketing Blog, Tom Kane

Legal Sanity, Arnie Herz

How To Change The World, Guy Kawasaki

Management Craft, Lisa Haneberg

May It Please The Court, J. Craig Williams

Minor Wisdom, Raymond Ward

My Shingle, Carolyn Elefant and Mark Sindler

the [non]billable hour, Matt Homann

Passion, People and Principles, David Maister

LawMarketing Blog, Larry Bodine

Rainmaker Best Practices, Patrick McEvoy

Real Lawyers Have Blogs, Kevin O'Keefe

Rob Hyndman