Your valued client is somebody else's target prospect and you need to defend your relationship from any outside threat. Keeping a watching brief on what the client is thinking and how you are performing will inform how secure the relationship is and often point out the vunerable areas that require bolstering.

In fact it’s difficult to think of a more valuable exercise than asking your clients about how they see you; how they view your team, your culture, your expertise and your approach.  It’s an opportunity to get answers to all those questions that provoke so much internal discussion.  It’s a chance to get an objective view of the firm, the problems clients perceive and how they want them to be fixed.

Clients are better positioned than anyone else to provide perspective and a realistic appraisal of where your firm is and so a client insight study acts as the cornerstone from which all competitive strategy can then flow.

Other options to gain client feedback include independent reviews by partners or the business development team, post transaction feedback or post tender debriefs.