A recent article about the Pernod Ricard CEO's habit of secretly visiting bars to assess drinkers' tastes reminds me of a story a senior executive once told me of his early career at a global consumer goods company. He arrived with a freshly minted MBA and his first assignment was to stand in the local supermarket for hours and talk to customers about washing powder. When he reminded his supervisor on his return to the office that he had an MBA (implying that he expected more challenging tasks), the response was to send him to a different supermarket with the same task. This was told in the spirit of humility but it is also a great reminder of the enormous value of first hand, contemporary consumer insights.
Perhaps corporate law firms could learn from Pernod Ricard and others that go the extra mile, to systematically understand their clients' needs, not in a tick the box way ("yes I made the annual account call") but by walking in the shoes of the in house client. This can be difficult, (confidentiality must always be respected, of course) but not impossible - for example, secondments are a wonderful opportunity, not only to cement relations with a client, but to learn about the client's current business in depth and to better understand the client's needs and counsel selection process. A formalised process around secondments - briefing and debriefing - with specific objectives will help to capture invaluable and current client insights to drive continued success and a mutually beneficial relationship.
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