Page 36 - Law Society of Hong Kong MPMC Manual v8 - With checklists (1 March 2018)

Practice Management Course | Unit 4
Client Development

Employing behaviours likely to encourage ‘repeat business’
20. There are various ways you can improve your conversational skills to make new
business a natural progression of the client relationship.

21. You can increase the perception that you are helpful and understanding by adopting
a reflective listening approach when talking to your clients. A reflective listening
approach requires you to:

• Focus actively on the conversation and avoid distractions.
• Genuinely embrace the speaker’s perspective, without necessarily agreeing with
it. Adopting a non-judgmental and empathetic approach will encourage them to
speak freely.
• Mirror the speaker’s mood, reflecting the emotional state with words and
nonverbal communication. To do this you must quiet your mind and focus fully
upon the speaker’s mood, which will become apparent not just in the words
used, but in the tone of voice, posture and other nonverbal cues. You should
look for congruence between words and mood.
• Summarise what the speaker says, using your own words (rather than
paraphrasing what the speaker has said), to mirror the speaker’s essential
concepts.
• Respond to the speaker's specific point, without digressing to other subjects.
• Repeat the procedure for each matter and switch from listener to speaker, when
needed.

22. What you say and how you ask questions are important. You should always be
thinking about what reflective listening phrases you could use during a client phone
call or interview. Using this approach will give you a better understanding of the
client’s issues, a clearer understanding of how to help and add value, and a more
satisfied client. Below are some examples using a reflective listening approach:

• After a speaker has told you something, recap it in your own words, by saying,
“Let me see if I understand so far, you’re saying XYZ…” This ensures you have
correctly understood what has been said.
• Use reflective listening expressions such as, “so you feel…?”, “It sound like
you…?” and “So you’re wondering…?”
• Always ask open questions - those that start with who, what, where, when,
why, and how?
• Give affirmations through gestures or statements. For example, “You handled
yourself really well in that situation.” After recapping something in your own
words say, “That’s interesting… What’s behind that? Tell me more.”

23. You can manage and communicate costs by having very transparent discussions
with the client about costs. Adopt a more detailed matter scoping process (refer to
Unit 2) that includes discussing costs and managing expectations so that there are
no surprises or overruns.

24. Although paragraph 6 (b) of the Solicitors’ Practice Promotion Code (“the Code”),
prohibits making claims or implying that you or your practice is an expert in any
field of practice or generally, you can promote yourself and demonstrate your
experience in a number of ways. Stay current with industry trends and news; give
seminars or organise conferences in related topics; and consider opportunities or

© The Law Society of Hong Kong (2018) Page 32