Books by Sally Dyson

"e;Client listening is the single most important marketing activity."e; - Paul Amit, Head of Sector and Client Marketing, DLA Piper. Forward-thinking firms know that listening effectively to their clients is crucial for improving client service, value, retention, and, ultimately, profitability. It can also help future-proof your firm by embedding client relationships, and anticipating client needs. Client Listening: Why It Pays and How to Do it, will show you how to design and implement effective client listening programmes and act on the intelligence gleaned to secure these critical benefits for your firm. It highlights the important factors that must be considered before launching a client listening programme, and offers practical advice to ensure its success. Topics include how to: * Identify the role of client listening within your firm's broader CRM and BD initiatives; * Overcome typical objections from individual lawyers to engaging in client listening; * Determine the type of client listening activities which best fit your firm's culture, budget, timetable, and purposes; * Design and conduct effective client questionnaires and interviews (how-to guide included); and * Ensure client feedback is reported, shared, absorbed, and converted into action appropriately. Real-life case studies from DLA Piper, Ashurst, CMS Cameron McKenna, K&L Gates, and KPMG reveal how firms are currently using client listening as a means to deepen client relationships and develop more responsive, value-added services. Useful appendices are also included to assist you with the design, launch, and fine-tuning of your own client listening programmes. These include: * A client listening planner; * A sample client invitation; and * A sample discussion guide for a client service review.

With legal fees coming under increasing scrutiny, all law firms, whether they charge by the hour or operate alternative fee arrangements (AFAs) will need to negotiate fees; be it a discount to an hourly rate or a year-long fixed retainer. Budgeting and negotiating skills will be needed by all fee earners with responsibility for agreeing any fees or discounts. The more a firm uses AFAs, the more important budgeting and negotiating becomes. Budgeting and Negotiating Fees with Clients: A Lawyer's Guide is a must-have handbook for individual lawyers, firm leaders and directors of support services who are looking to tackle these challenges head on at both an operational and a strategic level. It provides: * Clear analysis of the increasing importance of budgeting and negotiating fees for all firms whether they have adopted AFAs or rely on hourly rates; * A step-by-step guide for improving individual behaviour and firm-wide processes; and * Practical tools for generating consistently profitable fee structures. Supported by case studies from law firms and law firm clients, along with input from other management consultants, this report covers topics including: * Fee models adopted by law firms; * How AFAs are intensifying the need for budgeting and negotiating skills; * Alternative fees - risks and how to avoid them; * Understanding law firm financial data - a prerequisite for successful budgeting and negotiation; * Creating a realistic matter budget; * An introduction to legal project management; * Overcoming obstacles to negotiating fees effectively; * Managing the negotiation process effectively; * Obtaining the desired fees and structures; * Tips, tactics and tricks for negotiating; * Developing a strategy for better budgeting and negotiating; * Implementing change and embedding best practice; * Business tools for budgeting, negotiating and client communication; * How to operate value billing; and * Best practice law firm negotiation from a client's perspective. This invaluable resource also includes supporting checklists and templates to allow readers to start putting the lessons learnt throughout the report into practice immediately.