Proprioception: A Client Service Superpower

Harness a client service super skill.

Proprioception is the body's ability to sense it's own movements in space. (Credit Cleveland Clinic for that succinct definition.)

It's how you know where the light switch is even when you can't see it in a dark room. It's how you can reach backwards in yoga for an ankle you can't see and grasp it on the first try. (Hello dancer pose!)

Proprioception is also a stunning tool to help marketers provide better client service to lawyers. (And for lawyers with clients!) How? Combine proprioception with a healthy dash of empathy and the path is quite clear.

Know Where You Stand

Marketers should always know where they stand in relation to the lawyers they serve--even when they can't see the lawyer in the moment. One of the best ways to know this is to be proactive.

Example: I encourage marketers to pre-communicate and over-communicate to lawyers. Why? Because the moment a lawyer asks for an update, the marketer is already behind. (For the lawyers reading, you see this with certain clients, right?)

By asking for an update, a lawyer signals that they don't know where they stand, or you, in relation to the project or product desired. This lack of proprioception is uncomfortable. Is my project in the works? Will it be done on time (and to satisfaction)? Has it been forgotten?

No matter the underlying worry, marketers fare poorly when lawyers lack information. Knowing where you stand in relation to the lawyer(s) you serve is critical.

In this example, when you can anticipate a lawyer's discomfort and take steps proactively to ease that, you demonstrate a very elegant mastery of client service. You know where you stand, the lawyer knows where you stand, and they know where they stand in relation to you. You affirm their proprioception as you assert yours. And all it takes is a timely update. 

Try it and see what happens.