We’re seeing signs that some firms, and in particular law firms, are moving away from thinking about differentiation as being “lets change our logo and the colours on our website”.
A mystery shopping exercise we recently performed across a small set of firms showed that:
- Two firms had genuinely determined an “offer” which was distinctive and provided something materially different to competing firms
- One firm talked about undertaking work in a different way, but it appeared “skin deep” as lawyers could not articulate how they did this
- For one firm, there was a huge gap between what it said it was like, and the experience of a prospective client in dealing with them.There was a gulf between the “verbiage” in brochures and the website, and the reality. It was also a matter of chance as to whether the enquirer was put through to the right person.
What do you think your firm would look like to a prospective client?
Do you know how your proposition stacks up?