At the Law Firm Business Development blog written by Jim Hassett he posted: “Stop marketing, start selling”, after reviewing a study by the ALM and Brand Research. I never like standing in the way of a good healthy airing of an opinion, but when he stated in the article: “…if you’re ever forced to choose between spending 100% of your money on marketing or 100% on sales, pick sales”, I decided his perspective was a bit unbalanced.
Until the mid-1980’s law firms did not ‘market’. Before marketers were added to the mix, law firms did spend 100% of their development dollars on sales ! The phenomenal rise in competition in the legal industry can be directly correlated to the growth of law firms using professional marketing strategies and tactics.
I believe professional sales practices and (sometimes) non-attorney salespeople are vital to the success and survival of a law firm. But to say that sales is all that may be needed is a throwback to a much earlier time and wishful thinking.
And one more thing, the narrow opinion of “marketing” as fussing over brochures, graphics and giving a few speeches tells me the author has not experienced the advantage of working with any of the many marketing professionals that ARE bringing so much growth to the industry.
Technorati Tags: Legal Marketing, Professional Services Marketing, Marketing, Business Development, Sales
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