Thursday, May 05, 2005

The Legal Mind vs. The Marketing Mind

The legal mind is the mind of a hunter. An aggressive, action-seeking, problem solving, pursuer of decisiveness. Though just offering my own opinion from observation, those are the qualities that seem most apparent from the attorneys I know that are enjoying successful careers.

The marketing mind is the mind of a park ranger. A builder with long-sighted visions and a caretaker who does not wish to run towards a goal, but prefers instead to create something to entice and attract the goal to come when called.

Two entirely different mindsets. Two entirely different approaches to success; and different enough that it is almost impossible for one person to possess both sets of skills.

Maybe the correct title for a marketer in a law firm is "Marketing Interpreter". I know a lot of time is spent by marketers managing their internal communications and working with attorneys to accomplish marketing tasks, yet are often are frustrated by lack of understanding by the attorneys about exactly what is being accomplished. To me the lack of understanding makes perfect sense considering the mindset differences between our professions.

The lesson for me is to trust that attorneys are anxious and willing to be good marketers, and to honor their instincts about what they are comfortable accomplishing. And I always remember that my marketing initiatives should offer plenty of opportunities for some serious hunting.

Graphic Artists are Crazy

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