Client Growth vs. Retention: Taking a Sabbatical from Professional Relationships

I’m Melissa Shanahan, and this is The Law Firm Owner Podcast Episode #280.

Welcome to The Law Firm Owner Podcast, powered by Velocity Work, for owners who want to grow a firm that gives them the life they want. Get crystal clear on where you're going, take planning seriously, and honor your plan like a pro. This is the work that creates Velocity.

Hi everyone, welcome to this week's episode. So glad you're here.

This is such a cool season. I can't believe we're almost at the end of October. But man, what a new season! It's fall now and there's a chill in the air. I just love this time of year. I love this time of year so much.

We have Halloween decorations for the first time in my entire life. I grew up with having pumpkins on the porch that you carved. But now my husband got a ghost that hangs in our driveway and orange lights for our bushes. Okay, here we go. He's the fun one between the two of us, I would say. My kid thinks it's the coolest thing ever. So that's a new thing for us this season.

But guys, just the whole thing. When I leave my house for my workouts in the morning I need a thick sweatshirt. I kind of love that. I need to turn the seat heaters on. I kind of love that. So I'm really enjoying it.

But not just the turn of the season… This is my whole point. Yes, it's a turn of the season with the weather. But also inside of Velocity Work. Man, as you all likely have heard at this point, we have our own space now.

We've been working with a designer. The furniture is being ordered and delivered in the weeks that this is airing. And we’re already hosting clients in there. We had some stage furniture in there just until we got our own stuff.

And just the wave of new that has come with this space, and making this decision to have this space for clients and members, has been nothing short of remarkable. I am just in awe. It feels fresh. It feels good. It feels like a new season for us.

The clients that we have the opportunity to work with right now are incredible. I mean, we are so in tune with them, and the work that we're producing for them is higher level than ever. And the kinds of clients that are coming to us are higher level than ever. People who are looking to optimize.

And yep, there are some things to clean up internally, but what I love about who's coming to Velocity Work, especially in the last year, it's not clients and/or members of Mastery Group, of desperation. It is of a genuine desire to dig in and have a look. Get the business even healthier than what it is and wake up to things that they weren't awake to before.

So it's really about optimizing and shaping the firm in ways that will really serve everyone, clients, team owners, etc. And man, it's just been a blast.

And the same... So many of you know, I said it here, we sent out emails and we introduced this eight-week, hands-on experience for Mastery Group members that were coming in, so that they could really get their hands around the data, make sure that their trackers were completely filled out, and answer the prep questions before we host the annual Strategic Planning Retreat for them in December.

And so the level of members that are coming in… Not the level in terms of their level of business. Everybody in Mastery Group is under $1 million, right? Some people are $200K, some people are $500K, $700K, $1 million. And it's not about that. I don't mean that level of business. I mean the level of the owner, and the willingness of the owner, to roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty and figure out some things that no one else is going to figure out for them.

And we help facilitate that. So it's way more fun, I guess is what I'm saying. It's so much fun to work with clients who are willing to roll up their sleeves and dig in and learn. Learn about their business. Learn what needs to shift. Learn about what they really want. Learn where the optimization needs to be.

It's just a blast. Anyway, we are definitely having a wonderful time over here with clients and members, and helping people prepare for their next level. And the retreats that we have coming up, whether for private or for group, we are stoked for. We have everything we need to be able to do the best job we've ever been able to do, and that feels really, really good.

New seasons all around. I wonder what your new season's like. I think about this a lot for the listeners. You know, some of you I get to talk to, some of you I don't. What season are you in? What is shifting for you? Every business has seasons. Where are you right now?

And this really is a perfect segue into what we are going to be talking about today. I've been wanting to do this episode for a while, and it took me a bit to make sure that my outline was coherent enough and good enough, and I would be able to make the points I really wanted to make.

So let me just start by saying that one thing that becomes very clear, and you can feel it in business, is when a business tries to hang on to clients. And when I say, “hang on”, I mean they're squeezing it… In my head, it's like they're squeezing them in, they're holding them in. And they're trying to keep them retained at all costs, really.

I can feel that with people around me, other professionals who also serve law firm owners. I can feel that in some law firms, them doing this with their clients. Less so there, but I feel it. You can feel it in the world.

If you have ever taken part in a program or been a client of a company for some reason, you can feel when they're trying to hang on to you at all costs, and that does not feel good to anyone. To me, it is very clear that that's not the healthiest way to run a business.

So from the get go, and this has been true for a long time, I've just not articulated it this way, but I think it's important to let you know our philosophy and where we stand on this topic. And for you to maybe question the business relationships that you have in your world.

I guess this could also go to personal relationships, but we're going to stick with business today, business relationships that you are a part of, whether you are the business or whether you are the client. There tends to be a model that's more competitive, that you will feel in businesses, of pure capitalism, that prioritizes retention. Some organizations focus on keeping you inside no matter what.

And that is not what we believe. At Velocity Work our goal is not to hold our clients inside of our programs at all costs. And the reason why this is the case is because I am very clear, and always have been, that I seek truth.

This is why I talk about facts, not feelings. Not that feelings don't matter, but we're not going to just sit around with our feelings. We're going to actually have data, as well and facts and information. And so there is this source of truth that really matters to me.

And if I don't have a source of truth as I'm working with someone, or as I'm working with myself in my own business, or anything for that matter, that's just core to who I am, I have to have truth as a guiding principle for myself. And frankly, I am unwilling to work with anyone unless it's centered around some truth. This is why we are very data heavy inside of Velocity Work.

I have noticed that there are many other programs out there that don't have a heavy emphasis on data. And because of that, the conversations are not as directed as they could be or should be. That ends up wasting time for the client. Maybe no one really realizes that, but that's what happens.

If you aren't centered around some truth, and if you aren't anchored around data, then the conversations are a little more amorphous and all over the place than they need to be, and it doesn't serve anyone. So when I'm working with people, it has to be centered around truth. When I'm working with myself, I have to have a truth as a guide.

And you could sort of look to certain things to figure out what is the source of truth here, but it's obvious to me when I'm working with clients, it's obvious what the source of truth is, and we center ourselves around it. And a huge piece of it is data.

Now, in that work with clients that is centered around truth, what ends up happening is that the relationship that's built between the client and us, Velocity Work, is very trust based. There's no squirrelliness. We are really anchored around truth, and we navigate the barriers, the opportunities, all of it. We navigate that together, but it's all centered around the truth.

And that creates a ton of trust between the client and Velocity Work. And with that trust, because of that trust, there are times, there are certain seasons that the business is going through or that the owner is going through, that stepping away from Velocity Work is what feels like the right thing to do.

I can always tell if it is the right thing because of the way that the client is presenting. If they're presenting in a frantic way, or a way that feels unclear, I know that they aren't clear enough yet. We don't really know what the right decision is, and I'm totally willing to help them think through it and figure it out.

And this is important, because most of the time I do not experience owners who are going to take a step back from Velocity Work, this is not the way I experience them. The way that I experience them is, when there is a transition, and I'm going to give some examples of transitions where it may make sense to step back from the engagement that you're in. And by the way, no one does…

They carry out their engagement. They fulfill their obligation, right? They show up through it. But when it's time to consider, are we going to go again, are we going to renew? That is when it's a perfect time to have a bit of a check-in. How are we feeling? Do you want to continue?

And when we navigate the circumstances, the facts of what they're dealing with, there are times where the owner can just… it feels right to take a step back so that they can focus in a different way for a bit. Then they can always come back to us, should they want to, once they're through that period that they know that they're entering.

So I'm going to give some examples of what that looks like. But I want to make sure that I'm making it very clear. We consider it growth, not a break in the relationship when a client steps away. When there's clarity, I have a lot of trust; when I'm working with clients, and more and more of these days with members. And so when they step away, I know that it's actually growth.

Now there are certain businesses out there that do not feel that way. They do not have that trust in their clients. I operate with the assumption that the client always knows what's best for them. Deep down they always know. They may act out against it sometimes because of fear or whatever, but they always know.

And if I think I know what is best for my clients, that is pure arrogance and ignorance. Even in the name of love, like when you feel like you're coming from a good place, I cannot know what is best for my clients. I am a great coach. I am a great facilitator and so is my team. But our job is not to tell someone what they should do in terms of a decision like this.

Our job is to trust our clients to make the right decision for themselves and for their businesses. And there will be periods, there will be stretches of time, where it makes sense to take a step back. And to actually acknowledge that, and have some confidence about that, is growth.

Our job is to develop the people that we work with. Our job is to be partners with those people we work with. But not a codependent relationship. It is to be a partner for as long as it makes sense for that client. And then there may be a time where it makes sense to step to the side or step back, and our job is to let them fly.

Let them apply even more deeply what they have been learning. Let them apply on their own and spread their wings and see what level they're at when they're working truly on their own. When there is no partner, so to speak, there's no accountability. There's no guidance. There's no facilitation. But how do we do with that? Where do we struggle? Where are the weak spots?

All of this is learning, and it can be very healthy. Some of the reasons, and good reasons, that a client may decide to step back, it feels right inside to take a step back from Velocity Work or from coaching… You guys, I have been at this, I'm saying Velocity Work, I have been in coaching relationships where I decided to take a step back and really go at it in a way that I can do now.

Because of what I learned, and the experience and the learning that I have under my belt, I want to fly. I want to see how this goes. And that's been some of the healthiest growth periods for my company and for me as a human.

Now, those periods couldn't have happened had I not plugged into something that was really fueling me. But when I did decide to take a step back, I knew to do that because of there was a very specific feeling inside. Like, “This is the right thing to do.” I knew that it was.

And if you can't hear with that level of clarity, it's probably not the right time to step back. But if you can, if you do have that sense of deep knowing and clarity about taking a step back, then you should.

Okay, so some of the reasons: One, refocusing on implementing more deeply. You've implemented… I mean, no one's not implementing with us. There's accountability in place here, folks, we're not just here for entertainment. We're getting stuff done. So of course, implementation happens.

But there's this call for them to implement more deeply, and they trust themselves to do that. So it's like hunkering down. You have clear direction, you have the plan, you've done such good work in terms of execution, but now it's time to hunker down and really finesse and finalize the work that you've been working on.

And so this is especially relevant when a firm is really growing, but the owner needs space to focus on internal processes and systems that require attention without any additional input, without facilitation, without partnership, without accountability. Then there's a time where you will know. It will just feel right to step back and go.

Another reason, valid reason why it may be the right time to step back from a coaching relationship, or from Velocity Work, is what I'm talking about here. You may need to reallocate your resources. There may be seasons where finances or other resources need to be directed toward different business priorities. That could be because you're expanding the team, or you're investing in new technology or legal infrastructure.

And so when you're looking at the budget for the year, and you're really weighing it out, and you are not in a place where it makes sense to afford Velocity Work and the necessary things, the investments, that you need to make into your firm, you may decide, “Okay, I'm going to take a step back. I'm going to make these investments in my business. I'm going to level out and we're going to come back to Velocity Work. And then we're going to reengage and go again.”

Resource reallocation. If that is necessary for the health of the business, then by all means.

Another really good reason is personal life or wellbeing. There are times when the owner needs to take a step back to handle life events, or to recharge mentally and emotionally. It could be family changes, health concerns, or any other major life event where stepping away from the day to day and the focus that you have held is actually restorative and needed for the long game.

And then, likely, there'll be a day where a lot of that lifts and you can return to the business and to Velocity Work, clearer and ready, really feeling ready.

We were just talking about transitions and navigating some major things in your personal life, but the same is also true in business. There are times where you may encounter transitions that are very intense and take a lot out of you. There are times you just don't need the external commitments on top of it.

It requires such deep focus for that one thing that you don't have the bandwidth to take part in something that's going to have accountability for you, and is going to not just ask one thing of you. It's going to ask for checks and balances on many things for the health of the business.

And if you're not in a place to do that, you're in, instead, a place where there's something that is requiring your entire energy, then yeah, it’s probably a great time to take a step back so that you can, in the future, recalibrate when you are ready.

The other kinds of things that come to mind when I'm talking about this are, if firms are preparing for any significant changes, opening a new location, moments with significant, and I'm talking tectonic plate shifts for the business, those can require full attention and strategy. But then returning to Velocity Work afterward can provide fresh insights for the next phase.

And the last thing that came to mind that could be a possibility, that could happen… I haven't had a current client go through this. But I have had someone who is talking to us on a consult call, who's considering being a client, and they are in the midst of reevaluating their entire firm’s direction. I mean, really switching practice areas, or greatly reducing one and then lifting a new one off the ground. And they feel a little lost in that.

That, to me, is not a great time to work with us. I have certainly turned a handful of people away from a place of knowing that it's not going to be fruitful for them to work together in that time when they feel a little lost. There's no amount of facilitation, when it's that kind of re-evaluation of the firm’s direction, there is no amount of facilitation that I can do that's automatically going to give them this light bulb of clarity. This is something that they need to get to.

Now, if they wanted to evaluate data, if they had data on a few different practice areas and they want to figure out which one to really push out and to grow, that's different. But what I'm talking about is changing the direction of the firm and not having data to support or help that decision. That's not a great time to work with us.

For example, if someone you know, they're doing family law and some estate planning, but they don't really have a strong estate planning practice, but they do have family law and it's really strong, but they just don't enjoy it, they don't want to do it anymore. And they are genuinely thinking of switching to get rid of or shut down the family law side of their practice. And if they do that, they're not going to have much revenue.

This is identity shifting decisions that will not be easy. But they aren't sure, they're not certain about what they want to do. Essentially it means that they'd be lifting a new firm off the ground. I know they have the firm already, but they would have to build up again a stream of income that they don't currently have if they get rid of something.

So in those moments, it's not a great time to work with someone for strategic planning, because you kind of need to treat it as a startup. And if you haven't even decided that you're going to treat it like you're going to start it up, it's just too all over the place. It's impossible to have the level of clarity that you probably want in those moments. It's too early. There's more required before you should step into a coaching relationship like that.

Again, I haven't had a current client feel that need, but if I did, I would suggest a step back because it's not going to be fruitful. Our work together is not going to be fruitful because it revolves around truth, and we don't have a source of truth to center around. It's all just starting something up and shutting something down, and it's not what we focus on here.

So if someone felt like that… Actually, as I'm saying that, there was a time. Many of you know Joey Vitale. Joey Vitale and I worked together five and a half, six years ago, something like that. And about a year after we started working together… He made amazing progress. It was super fun to get to partner with him on his journey with that… but he made a decision to switch up his business model.

It was unclear. It was almost like a new area that he was going to be lifting up. There's not clarity about what marketing is going to work, about what's possible in the near term, in terms of revenue. And because of all of the uncertainty, and there is no data to lean on yet, it really is like a startup.

That is not the time to work with Velocity Work. We work with businesses that are established, right? And if it's not an established business, and they don't have revenue coming in already, it's very difficult to do this work.

So I guess that is an example of someone I have, that just dawned on me as I was talking here, that is the one example I have of a client where it just made sense to pause. Because there wasn't enough certainty, and the deep transition that was taking place required a step back by him, as the owner, to really just lift that puppy off the ground and see what works.

And then, once he could validate that area that he was lifting off the ground and having some data around it, then you can get more strategic. It makes sense to step back in.

So here's what I hope you take away from some of the examples I just gave. Stepping away at the right moment can be a strategic move. It very well may benefit the owner so that they can better prepare for the next stage of growth. And these seasons are part of the journey. Velocity Work understands that, and understands the value of returning with fresh energy and focus when the time is right.

Another thing that I do think is important is to share. I've talked a lot about what this could look like and why at certain points it may make sense. So there's two things I want to say. Number one, this is not true for everyone. I have clients I have been working with through deep transitions, through the various stages of growth, and it's never felt necessary to them to step away. They haven't felt that need.

But there are clients that sometimes do, and it's a really deep feeling. And so when we talk about it, I check in with them. What are their reasons? Do they like their reasons for wanting to step away? And we talk about it. There's never been a time that I have had that conversation with a client that in the end I am thinking in my head, “They're making a mistake. They shouldn't step away.”

No, when I am talking to them… and remember, I said at the beginning, these relationships are formed on trust. These are trust-based relationships that have been built, and we really are a partner. Not just a partner when it's convenient for us because you're paying us. No, I care about, and I have the best interest of the owner and the firm in mind at all times.

And if I can see that what is best for the owner in this phase or in this season is to take a step back and to hunker down, or to take a step back and focus on something in their personal life that needs you, or to deal with all the logistics and the crap of having a new location, and all the things that you have to do in getting all that squared away… Listen, then I can feel it.

It is right, they should take a step back. I am all for that. I send them out with all the good vibes, and they know that when the time is right, and I know when a time is right, they will likely come back and say, “Okay, let's go.” And we can do it again.

I've had these conversations. I've had people come back. It's all healthy. And honestly, even if they don't come back, it's healthy. This is a healthy trust-based relationship. And if in conversation it's very clear this is what's best for them, then they should go.

And if they never come back, that doesn't mean anything about the relationship other than it served for a season in an amazing way. And they're released to the world, and too, what's next for them. That's healthy.

But not everybody feels that way in these transitions. People will stay with us and use us as a resource in those transitions, and that's what feels really right to them. So everybody's different. And it really does make a difference to tune into the individual and to the firm so that there can be an honest conversation about what is right as we move forward. And no matter what the answer is, we are open to that.

On your way from wherever you're starting to wherever you ultimately are trying to end up... Let's just say on your way from $250,000 to $2 million, you may leave and rejoin us a couple of times. And that's okay. We are prepared for that. We are structured to support clients through early, mid, and late stages.

We welcome them back as their needs change. And it helps to look at this as a bit of a sabbatical. Sabbaticals are a positive action. No one looks at a sabbatical as negative, and this is no different. Sometimes that is what is right for the client, and honoring that is very important.

So taking a sabbatical from Velocity Work isn't a knife in the relationship. It's an acknowledgement of where you are in your journey. And so our promise, Velocity Work’s promise, is to be your partner. Not in a codependent type of way, this relationship is trust-based.

It is not predicated on you paying us. And if you're not paying us, then bye. You're out. You're dead to us. That's not how we do things. We care about you and we care about the health of your firm. And if we see, and if you feel, that taking a step back is the best thing for you and for your firm, then we will lovingly send you out into the world. Fly on your own. Do your thing.

And there will be a time where you'll feel ready again for some sense of structure that we provide, and accountability and partnership. When you're there, we will welcome you back with open arms. This has everything to do with the deep trust, respect, and desire for long-term growth for clients, and for our company and for Velocity Work.

I should mention one thing that's in the back of my mind as I'm talking about this, it probably doesn't need to be said, but it's in the back of my mind and I feel like I need to give it a little airtime. The reason we can do this is because of how well we vet the people who come into our company, the clients and the members that come in.

And the more hands on we can be, or the more insight we can have before they come in, gives us a read on if it's a good fit. If you go schedule a consult, you will see in the consult notes “Looking forward to talking. Let's see if this is a right fit.” I mean that.

I think a lot of times people think, “Well, this is the consult, they're going to try to sell me no matter what.” Nope. I do not just want anyone in here. It's not about how organized or… Some people come in and they feel like a complete mess, a complete disaster behind the scenes. That's not a problem.

What is, and what I'm looking for, is are you someone we can be a good partner to? If you are not, if I can feel or straight up hear that you just hop from consultant to consultant, to coach, to coach, to coach, to coach, this is not going to work. I'm not really interested in being a partner there, unless the person acknowledges that they're done with it. They’ve said they're done with it. They can see that they are the common denominator. Then that would be another thing.

But the reason I'm saying this is, I think we can honor things the way that I've shared on this episode, and we can have that philosophy, because we do not let just anyone in. I trust the people coming in. I get to trust them more as I get to work with them more, for sure. But we do not just let anyone in. Absolutely not.

I'm glad I'm saying this, because for those of you that have worked with us, I am just wondering if you, maybe you didn't know that, right? You were invited in; I did send your proposal if you're a private client… I don't do that for everyone.

I'm telling you there are times that I can tell there is something off about the way that person is showing up. There's something dishonest, even if they're not meaning to be dishonest. There's just something that's not in alignment. I can tell that their commitment to showing up and doing what is required, in order to become a better business owner and to build the business that they want, it's going to be difficult in a way that it is unnecessary.

And I will not carry the load for that kind of a person, or for a person who's in that chapter of life… because everybody can shift. So again, I think in order to be able to have this philosophy that we have, where we let people go and trust them that that is the best move for them, that's because the trust is built from the very beginning, from the consult, from the first pieces of work together.

I think that's why I love our clients and members so much. They are right fits for our company. And if they're not, they're not invited in. Yeah, so moral of the story is at Velocity Work, we prioritize your growth. If you are a client or member, we prioritize your growth over locking you into a program.

We are here for you in the chapters that partnership with us makes sense and utilizing us makes sense. And when there's a chapter where you need to step back, yes. And we welcome you back with open arms at the next stage that it does make sense for you and for your firm.

I hope that this causes reflection, for everyone listening, with any professional relationship you're in. Where are you needing to engage in a professional relationship? It is time, you do need to do this. Or where are you in a professional relationship where you know, deep down, you need to step back?

That it's not the right time. You're not going to show up in the ways that you could in other phases. And get honest about that. Even if that means finishing out your contract. I'm not saying go cut a bunch of contracts short. Just be very intentional with what it looks like to renew, and make sure you're honoring yourself and where you are and where your firm is, and you're being honest.

All right, everybody. I hope this is helpful. I hope it helps you get to understand us as a company more deeply than maybe you did before. This is core to us, and it feels good to be able to have an episode to share it with you.

Have a great week, everyone. I'll see you here next Tuesday.

Hey, you may not know this, but there's a free guide for a process I teach called Monday Map/Friday Wrap. If you go to VelocityWork.com, it's all yours. It's about how to plan your time and honor your plans. So, that week over week, more work that moves the needle is getting done in less time. Go to VelocityWork.com to get your free copy.

Thank you for listening to The Law Firm Owner Podcast. If you're ready to get clearer on your vision, data, and mindset, then head over to VelocityWork.com where you can plug in to Quarterly Strategic Planning, with accountability and coaching in between. This is the work that creates Velocity.