Congruence: Attorney-consumer perceptions of marketing mix elements

A study compared attorney and consumer evaluations of the various elements of the marketing mix in terms of each element's bearing on attorney selection. A 4-page questionnaire was mailed to randomly selected Akron, Ohio, residents that were not practicing attorneys, with 180 usable responses obtained. A similar questionnaire was mailed to attorneys, with 136 responses obtained. The findings showed that both consumers and attorneys rank the perceived reputation and experience of an attorney to be the most important evaluative criteria used by consumers. These criteria rated far higher than price and convenience items. Thus, the way that the vast majority of clients choose attorneys has not changed much in the last 10 to 15 years. Further, the much-publicized advertising element has not had a great overall effect. Attorneys as a whole have accurate perceptions about how the public views them and about the relative importance of evaluative criteria in the client's choice of an attorney.