If you haven't seen the movie Erin Brockovich yet, certainly you've heard of it: The true story of a single down-and-out mom who dresses provocatively and swears like a sailor, becomes a legal assistant for a small law firm and almost single-handedly wins the largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit in U.S. history.

We cheer for Erin, hiss at the opposing attorneys and empathize with the victims. But if we take the movie just on that level, we really miss a much more profound message -- especially if we are professionals trying to deal with and attract new clients.

In my model of the "5 Ps of Professional Service Business Marketing," the final P is about Performance (the other Ps are Positioning, Packaging, Promotion and Persuasion). Although Performance is possibly the most powerful of the 5 Ps, either we don't pay much attention to it or we take it for granted. Of course we provide great service and go the extra mile for our clients!

Oh, do we really? Watching Erin Brockovich in action proves that most of us do a pretty miserable job. Erin, in my opinion, is the consumate master of the fifth P.

Erin Brockovich does much more than go the extra mile. I'd like to highlight her actions throughout the film so you can see exactly what I mean.

Erin is curious. Even though the case she's been handed is a pro-bono one, Erin is interested enough to pursue a puzzling question: Why are the client's medical records included in a supposed real estate case? No one else in the law office seems to care.

How curious are you about seemingly unrelated facts regarding your client's situation? If you were more curious, what could you learn? Of course, you don't want to step over certain boundaries, but my experience is that most of us don't even go near those boundaries.

Erin asks the right questions. From the very first interview with her client, Erin digs deep, trying to understand what's really going on. And she doesn't stop. She keeps asking the questions that ultimately break the case wide open.

Do you ask the right questions or enough questions or questions that go deep enough? Are you more interested in a quick-fix than you are in discovering what's really going on?

Erin is warm and friendly. In the film, dealing with small-minded, dishonest or unfair people brings out the worst in Erin. However, when she's dealing with her clients, she treats them like close family. People trust her because she likes and care about them and treats them with respect.

Do you make a real personal connection with your clients or are you aloof, unfeeling and "professional" like the stiff-mannered woman attorney in the movie?

Erin is passionate. This quality is communicated more obviously than any other in the film. Of course we expect our heroes to be passionate, to care, to go out on a limb -- to get shot down and get back up again. We forget that this is a rare quality in real life.

How passionate are you about your clients, about your projects, about your results? When was the last time you took an unpopular stand in the face of overwhelming opposition and kept going until you produced the result you were after?

Erin works hard. Very hard. Endless back and forth trips to her clients' town take their toll on her kids and her relationship. But she knows she's on a mission and that what she's doing will make a difference.

How hard do you really work for your clients? Do you keep slugging away until you discover a workable solution or do you settle for just "good enough?"

Erin works smart. Very smart. I think the most moving scene in the film is when Erin is challenged about the facts of the case. Not only does she have a complete grasp of the facts, she has memorized every single phone number of the 660 plaintiffs!

How familiar are you with the intimate details of every client you work for? Do you care enough to dig into the minutia, realizing that without knowing these details you are next to useless?

Erin takes advantage of her best assets. Perhaps the most discussed aspect of the film is how Erin dresses. We're talking cleavage, bare midriffs and short, very tight skirts. In his review, movie critic Roger Ebert thought that this actually ruined the film. I beg to differ. For one, Erin really does dress as portrayed in the film. She knows that one of the biggest things she has going for her are her looks and she uses them to her advantage when she must.

Do you take advantage of your best assets? We all have natural gifts: humor, intelligence, an eye for detail, etc. Are you using them to help your clients succeed?

Erin gives her clients the bad news. No one wanted to hear that the best course of action was to bring the case to binding arbitration instead of to trial. But she and her boss tell it to them "straight" and are so up-front that all of them agree with Erin and her boss's recommendations.

Do you give it straight to your clients when it's not what they really want to hear? Do you build a solid case for your course of action and do it because it's in their best interests?

Erin is approachable. The case finally gets the big break it needs when a rather unsavory character approaches Erin with some vital information. He says, "I feel I could tell you anything." It's not just a pick-up line. People do feel they can tell Erin anything.

Can your clients tell you anything and everything? Are you, like Erin, approachable, open, non-judgmental, caring and sincere? If you're not, you'll never reach the level of trust vital to building a relationship of true collaboration with your clients.

Erin shares the victory. In the final scene of the movie, when she tells her first client in the case about the final, successful outcome, she shares the win with George who took care of her kids all the time she was away or working late. She acknowledges that she couldn't have done it without him.

Do you acknowledge those who support you? Do you thank those who participated in the success of your projects and allow them to share the win?

Besides being an inspiring and highly entertaining movie, Erin Brockovich has a lot to teach us about the 5th P of Performance. If most of us performed at half her level, we'd experience success beyond our wildest dreams. And we wouldn't need to worry so much about the other 4Ps of marketing either!

If you haven't seen Erin Brockovich yet, go! If you've already seen it, go again! It's certainly more fun and less expensive than most marketing workshops!

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