"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." - Aristotle
What is the most important factor in branding Collaborative Divorce? Bottom line, a positive client experience is key to creating and maintaining a strong brand for Collaborative Divorce. No matter how much CDT markets to and educates the public, clients must have good experiences with Collaborative Divorce for it to grow and thrive. And that job rests solely with you.
What determines whether a client has a positive experience during one of the worst periods of his or her life? There is no one size fits all answer. People are too complex. Nevertheless, effectively managing the intense client emotions, the difficult behaviors that result from these intense emotions, and client expectations of the process and the outcome are crucial to creating the positive client experience which supports a strong brand for Collaborative Divorce. Cost is also a factor in a positive client experience; however, the relationship between cost and client experience is not linear. A case can be expensive and create a positive or negative experience. Check out Carol Mapp and Harry Munsinger’s article Factors Associated with Collaborative Divorce Costs on the relationship of certain client, case and process characteristics and the cost of a collaborative case. You may be surprised at some of their findings.
Impasse is highly likely to lead to a negative client experience. The clients are stuck. Their conflicts seem unresolvable. The team is out of ideas. The threat of the courtroom unspoken but palpable in the room. Stress levels rise even more. Often the case terminates, drags on unproductively increasing costs and difficult emotions, or gets pushed into “evaluative” high pressure mediation. None of these outcomes are what our clients signed up for. Impasse is where a lot of our clients feel let down by the collaborative process. Our clients and our brand suffer as a result.
This month CDT is bringing in a fantastic multidisciplinary team of trainers from Washington, D.C. to address the problem of impasse. Our Advanced Interdisciplinary Training program “Delving into the Heart of Conflict: Breaking Barriers in the Midst of Impasse” is designed to help us help our clients move out of “stuck” and into resolution.
The training is Friday, June 23 in Dallas. It starts a bit later (10:00 a.m.) to allow those of you who need to fly in to avoid the cost of a hotel on Thursday night. I know it’s summer; you’re busy. It is difficult to take time away from work for training and squeeze in a summer vacation. Nevertheless, I encourage you to attend. CDT listened to our community when they asked for high quality training from people other than our local resources. Now it’s up to you. Take advantage of this opportunity in your own backyard to learn from national speakers. Effectively handling impasse significantly increases the likelihood of a positive client experience which strengthens your professional brand and the Collaborative Divorce brand.
I hope to see you in Dallas on June 23.
"Just remember, in choosing, that we often resist what we most need." - Julie Cameron
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