How to retain clients

My friend Srinath Sridevan — a lawyer of thirty years — wrote this list of six principles for retaining clients. It’s spot on for any profession, and it’s a terrific, articulate list. I’m reposting it here with his kind permission, and I’ve added a coach’s addendum at the end.

How to retain clients — by Srinath Sridevan

Getting a client is only half the job. Once you get a client, you have to retain them. In thirty years, I have learnt six cardinal principles.

1. Prioritization

There are two things to prioritise: the client, and her problem. The first is self-evident — respond to texts and emails quickly and accurately, and give them the use of the best resources. The second is nuanced. Nearly every client believes the problem they bring you is unique. You must recognise this. Although it may be the Nth time you are seeing this particular problem, you must acknowledge the client’s problem’s uniqueness, and make the client feel that her problem is unique.

2. Excellence

It is not enough to be good. You must be excellent. When I studied at NYU Law, I used to walk past the Washington Square Monument every day, and George Washington’s saying there had a profound effect on me. You must raise a standard of excellence and competence. That will be the differentiating factor between you and your peers. That is what will make clients stay with you, and what they will talk about to their friends. Raise the standard. The outcome is in God’s hands.

3. The fee

This is the big ‘F’-word. You must charge a fair fee. You must not view the client as a treasure chest to dip into at will. Consciously examine the value of your contribution and the effort it took, and calibrate it against the means of the client. Be fair in your dealings. A client who feels unfairly dealt with will not stay on for long.

4. Handling mistakes

From time to time you will make mistakes. You should be able to explain them with candour, along with a plan for how you propose to fix it. Reassure the client that you will not only fix it but that it won’t recur. There is another side to this: committing a mistake is a gut-wrenching, soul-searching experience — I’ve been there, and I know how it feels. But take care of the client’s interest first. He is the first priority.

5. Don’t sell your soul

You don’t need to compromise on your values. It may seem that doing anything a client asks ‘above and beyond the call of duty’ is your differentiating factor. But that is a very low hurdle. Holding a client at the cost of your reputation is too high a price to pay.

6. Never speak ill of other lawyers

Your clients will, from time to time, mention other lawyers to you. A young and immature lawyer will want to rubbish the other lawyer. Maturity teaches you that this never works. Clients have brains too; they understand professional jealousy, and they expect you to talk ill of other lawyers. Never play into that expectation. Always compliment the other lawyer’s skills, then smoothly change the topic to something you are superb at. Clients should always come away from meetings with you feeling positive.

A coach’s addendum

The excellence part really rings true. A Walt Disney line comes to mind:

Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again, and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.

And for fitness, I’d add one more point. Take your job as seriously as a very good lawyer, engineer or doctor would. Bring an intensity, ferocity, intellect and depth to it that makes people appreciate the effort, attention and time it takes to be an effective, well-read coach. Be aware of what’s happening in the industry and in academia. Embrace what makes sense and ignore what’s fashionable — while being clear about why you choose to buck a trend.

As a coach you are often dragging reluctant clients along for a bumpy, uncomfortable ride. This requires levity and clear communication. You have to remind people why the effort and the choices matter — that the outcomes you are training for were picked, not defaulted into, and that getting to them needs constant attention. You spent time and energy picking the exercises, the dosages, the cues, and curating the training hour. The adaptations are a result of coaching choices.

Your demeanour should lend gravitas to training and coaching, while still being approachable enough to tailor things to the person in front of you. As Srinath alludes to, while your solutions and knowledge base might not vary dramatically between clients, making sure they feel heard — and that you have considered their context and constraints — matters enormously.

And leave something on the table for clients. The ride is uncomfortable by design, and they should still feel like they are getting value, and a genuinely good time, for what they are paying you. Holding both of those at once is most of the job. It’s Srinath’s point about the fee, seen from the coach’s side.

---