In our recent “Marketing Hope” survey of plans for 2009 and 2010 (stay tuned for a full write-up on those findings), 64% of Am Law 200 marketers indicated they will be investing in client loyalty interviews. That’s a smart move in any economy. But how do you extract the most value from those interviews? The answer lies not only in the questions you ask, but how your interviewer asks them.

“How are you doing, Mark?”
“Just fine, couldn’t be better.”

We all have that kind of conversation almost everyday with our friends, family and co-workers. The question really doesn’t want an answer; it’s just a convention around greeting. (If you ever doubt that, probe your teenage daughter for details and see how far you get.) In order to get a thoughtful, engaged answer, we ask the question differently. And not only form but tone makes a difference. For example, my partner will give a very different response if I say “HONEY, WOULD YOU TAKE OUT THE GARBAGE!!” versus “Honey, would you please take out the garbage?”

When firms are looking to survey their clients, they spend a huge amount of time and resources designing the questions they want to ask. They want to be able to draw statistically valid conclusions about their client base, therefore eliminating any chance of “interviewer bias.” Certainly, having objective feedback is important. But when the client and the service provider really need to form a relationship, when the people matter as much, or more, than the end product, then the manner and method of the interview far outweigh the questions that are asked!

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