People that wait on restaurant customers are essentially where the rubber meets the road. Their tip will depend on how well they listen to (and serve) their patrons. So, the question is: how well do you listen to your clients?

Seth Godin in a recent article entitled "What waiters can teach marketers” tells us in his usual succinct fashion that when a customer (read “client”)

“…tells you something, there’s probably a reason.”

It may be more subtle than “I don’t want ice with my water.” For example, “gee, I seem to have trouble reaching you this week.”

Listen! What the client is really saying is that communication between the two of you needs to improve. Working on becoming a better listener might just be the best lawyer-marketing resolution you could make for 2007.