It's been a while coming, but we've just completing the exec report of the 2013 Managing Client Relationships 2013 "Truth in professional services" benchmark study, done in conjunction with Managing Partner Forum and PM Forum.



Some of the headlines are:

• the necessity of an effective vision, strategy and metrics is becoming even clearer
• the rankings of performance of consultants and systems have changed since 2011
• "early adopters" are looking at how…

Anyone with an input into their firm’s efforts to build revenue may want to access “Managing Client Relationships – the truth in professional services”, the benchmark study we undertake together with Managing Partners Forum. 151 law firms took part the last time the study was run in 2011, and the 2013 version has just gone live. It is unique in tracking the effort and processes used by professional firms to manage client relationships, identifying those with the greatest correlation with…

At a networking breakfast recently, I was struck by the different approaches taken by the accountants and lawyers attending.

A “board-table” discussion was generated about the prospects for the economy in 2013, how banks and others could help generate growth, and how companies can plan and forecast to put themselves in a better position.

During the informal networking the lawyers and accountants behaved similarly. But in the discussion they were very different. The accountants…

Managing Partner’s Forum, together with the FT, recently published the results of a study into effective client-advisor relationships.



One of the questions asked “Which of these tools or services would you actively encourage firms to invest in as a priority over the next three years?"



Perhaps surprisingly, the gathering of regular, independent client feedback was the activity chosen by more clients than any other. The research also reviews the gaps between law firm…