A CX Unicorn: World-Class Hospitality Law Firm, Plus Much More…
One of the Most Important New Books to Come Out
Having three young adult sons and seeing how different and complicated their lives are compared to my life at the same 
age, I am really excited about this new book. My favorite podcaster, Scott Galloway, has just released a timely new book,Notes on Being a Man. Boys and men are in crisis. Boys are less likely to graduate from high school or college than girls. One in seven men reports having no friends, and men account for three of every four deaths of despair in America. Even worse, the lack of attention to these problems has created a vacuum filled by voices espousing misogyny, the demonization of others, and a toxic vision of masculinity. But this is not just a male issue: Women and children can’t flourish if men aren’t doing well. And as we know from spates of violence, there is nothing more dangerous than a lonely, broke young man. Check out his interview on the Today Show.
*Register for the Class of 2026 Customer Experience Executive Academy starting in January
This week’s Customer Experience Microlearning
How to keep the focus on the person you are talking to. Share with your team
The Experience Revolution Membership 
Don’t miss our Q4 virtual livestream workshop. Create an Onboarding Experience. Build excitement, loyalty, and pride from day one with a world-class onboarding process. On December 1, 2025, from 12 noon to 2 pm EST.
CX + AI
A great way to utilize AI is to streamline and automate operational processes for customers, while also enhancing their convenience. For instance, at a growing number of hotel chains today, a guest can bypass the front desk upon arrival. Now, at places like Hilton or Marriott, customers can use their app to check in, set the room’s temperature, have ESPN playing on their TV, and enter their room with a digital key upon arrival.
How can you streamline and automate operational processes for customers, while also enhancing their convenience? Let’s talk!
A CX Unicorn: World-Class Hospitality Law Firm
If I told you about a business that has the following: The client experience action statement is to be the best part of a client’s day. They collect customer intelligence at every touchpoint and track it, enabling multiple team members to make a connection whenever they interact with a client. Every client receives a return call the same day, or they are treated to lunch. This company has a client bill of rights and client non-negotiable standards. The majority of their new clients come from word-of-mouth referrals. Suppose I gave you ten guesses on what type of business they were. I bet you wouldn’t have guessed a law firm, much less a law firm that specializes in personal injury.
Carter Mario Law Firm (CMLF), headquartered in Milford, Connecticut, is not your typical law firm. With seven locations throughout Connecticut, they primarily focus on personal injury clients. Which means they don’t get many repeat 
customers. So, they have two ways to compete: 1) advertise more than any other injury law firm in their markets, or 2) word of mouth referrals. They chose option 2, to provide such an incredible client experience that word of mouth and referrals would produce more new clients than the most expensive advertising campaign could ever do on its own.
CMLF began working with The DiJulius Group in the early 2000s. That is about the time Carter Mario, CEO and President, a person who is passionate about service, decided to buy out his partners in the law firm. “Our service culture had to change for us to differentiate from the rest of the pack and to survive,” says Mario. “We adopted a service culture that has enabled us to become one of the fastest-growing law firms in the state. Most law firms still do not understand the service-oriented nature of our business and often fail to realize that people have a choice. We have identified all the traditional problems within our profession from a service perspective and have successfully branded ourselves as a firm that cares for our clients.”
Today, the CMLF revenues have grown 2000% since they became customer-obsessed.
*Related: The Customer Service Revolution Podcast Episode 229: The Answer is Yes
Return Client’s Calls Same Day or Lunch is on Carter
One of the single biggest complaints in any professional industry, especially the legal industry, from clients is the lack of communication between clients and lawyers. “We made this the number one priority in our office: client contact. We guarantee we will return the client’s call the same day, or lunch is on me. It is a nonnegotiable part of everyone’s job here,” says Mario.
Accountability = Execution
As a result, client calls get returned the same day. The brilliance of this client promise is that their lunch is not on CMLF; it is on Carter himself. So, he knows when someone on his team did not return a client’s call the same day. I love this accountability. Why don’t more businesses incorporate this practice?
Making it Personal
They’ve built a culture of really paying attention to clients by picking up on the small details and preferences that matter. They have systems in place to reference their clients’ information. The primary goal is to foster a stronger relationship, both for their staff and clients, which makes them a person, not just a number to the insurance company. This means that anyone on the team can connect with each client the moment they walk in or call. The Carter Mario Law Firm team naturally gathers meaningful insights during every client interaction: it’s who they are and what they do. Everyone on the team makes it a point to learn about the clients they meet genuinely, so no matter who a client talks to next, they’re greeted by someone who already knows and understands them, just like a family member would. They prioritize truly getting to know the people they serve, and this shared knowledge helps every member of the team build strong, personal relationships with each client.
It is not uncommon for a Carter Mario employee to leave the building and go to the deli to get their client their favorite drink. “We have continuously received great responses from our clients, and a collateral benefit has been that our staff members really enjoy the responses they’ve received, and it pumps them up,” says Mario.
Survey Fatigue
Businesses that only measure Net Promoter Score (NPS) or Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) survey results are falling significantly behind. Today, customers have survey fatigue. Customer surveys are a dinosaur and broken. As I write this blog, I have six surveys sitting in my email inbox and three other surveys sitting in my text message, none of which I will respond to, from brands asking me to share my feedback on my recent experience. Today, survey response rates have never been lower.
Earned Sales Growth
The problem with NPS is that it asks the question, “How likely are you to recommend us?” The challenge with that question is that you are trying to measure the customer’s intent. I don’t care about their intentions; I care about their action. Did they actually refer us? The best measure of a brand’s customer experience is Earned Sales Growth. ESG measures recurring revenue—the revenue growth generated by returning loyal customers and their referrals. Your revenue comes from two places: 1) Bought sales (advertising) and 2) Earned Sales (repeat and referrals).
The following represents CMLF’s earned sales growth over the past seven years. You can see that in the first few years, CMLF had an ESG of 30%, meaning that 70% of their new clients came from advertising (i.e., bought sales). Which, believe it or not, is an excellent ESG for injury attorneys. However, as CMLF became client-obsessed, its ESG grew to nearly 65% by year seven. This is a massive decrease in advertising dollars. ESG is significantly more profitable.
What is stopping your brand from doing the same?
Make 2026 the year you make your customer experience your single biggest competitive advantage. Become the brand customers can’t live without and make price irrelevant.
Book a complimentary advisory call with a DiJulius Group expert today. You’ll learn how to empower your team, consistently create exceptional experiences, and, ultimately, build a culture that keeps top talent and loyal customers coming back.
