Old is New & New is Old

There are new ways to deliver marketing messages, mostly made possible by evolving technology… but can we get one thing clear? There is NO “NEW MARKETING”! Enough with the seminars, articles and manifestos declaring the end of “marketing as we’ve ever know it”. One such seminar declared; “It’s not just the “four P’s” of marketing anymore. It’s not just “brand” anymore. Over the last ten years, marketing has been inundated with new ideas...blah, blah, blah.” AAARRRGHH!

Some people will point to cell and wireless technologies that soon will deliver personal messages specific to a store as you drive or walk by. In a smaller time a storekeep would stand in his door and greet you by name as you strolled by, “We’ve just received the latest shipment of hats from Sear Roebuck if you care to stop by later.”

Some will point at “one-to-one” marketing as evidence for “new marketing”. Marketers in a smaller time knew that EVERYTHING was one-to-one. In a smaller time marketing had to be about truth, trust, and surviving in a closed loop (the village).



I can tell you what I do believe is changing, and it’s not marketing. It’s the village. The village is getting small again (thanks once more to technology). People are shaping new villages linked by some common thread without geographic boundaries. And these new villages have all of the characteristics of their older, geographically confined cousins. Circles of familiarity; First-hand knowledge of the other people in their village, and a distrust of people from “the outside”.

I say again, there is no “new marketing” to learn. Marketing, on a timeline of “what works when” is simply repeating itself. Throw open your history books… it’s all there.
Technorati Tags: Legal Marketing, Professional Services Marketing, Marketing, Business Development, Sales

Esprit de Corps

Esprit de Corps is the result of individual and group effort toward a common goal. In the Marines it was expressed in the credo, “every Marine is a rifleman first”, meaning that no matter what specific job a Marine is trained to do, every Marine is trained to accomplish the primary mission of the Corps; To meet the enemy face-to-face in combat.

This same unity of purpose is expressed in successful businesses, corporations, non-profits, schools, and in families. Wherever I see failure I also find a weak or dysfunctional esprit de corp.

For law firms the ability to bring this spirit into the culture of the firm can be especially challenging. Because much of what a partner is measured/compensated by is individual results without regard for the success of the firm overall, the partners are not encouraged in spirit to cheer for the firm. And their focus in transmitted to the people they work most closely with, which in turn creates factions within a firm competitively seeking an environment that best serves the interests of the partners practice.

When everything is measured by, “is it good for me?” the results are predictable and ultimately undesirable.

I support any firm in bringing their people together with a single, greater goal and in fighting old practices and barriers that continue to enforce separatism.

Peter Jennings 1937 - 2005

There are people in public life we become attached to... Those that capture moments and make them something we can believe. Peter Jennings was one of those people. His job was to sit in front of a camera and read the news. What he did for me was make the news a personal experience. I work with and for a lot of similar people and every one of them will be such a loss. God's speed to you Peter. You'll be missed.

On the Ownership of Ideas

Taking ownership of what I believe my firm should be doing is essential to my success. Taking too much ownership could also be my downfall.

Having an opinion is important when it comes to developing marketing ideas and programs for a law firm. Add to that the necessity to state an opinion with a business case deeper than just gut feelings (strategic thinking). And of course, add to this mix; passion.

Sometimes, I, or the attorneys, can become so married to our specific idea that it destroys the ability to measure any other idea. Since my idea is perfect what possible reason do I have to consider any other idea if the means exist to go forward with mine. If people stand firm on their ideas too many times they become a barrier to progress. Soon what others wish to do is remove the barrier.

What has helped me is remembering that, in marketing, there are dozens of roads that lead to the same destination. I may desire to travel one specific road (my idea) but there is so much more to the journey than the start. If I only got paid to have the ideas but never made the trip that would be incredibly unfulfilling.

But to make the journey surrounded by others with equal passion for the destination? Now that’s fun!

Counter Offer Syndrome

When I joined Rutan & Tucker it was high on my list to bring along a marketing coordinator from my previous firm. She is smart, talented, and a joy to work around. We made a team. AND, our last firm was changing in ways that made staying difficult. She was ready to jump. When partners at the last firm found out she intended to leave they pulled out all the stops; made promises; told her everything is going to be great from here on out. She stayed.

Not too many days later I've heard from her and now she is MEGA unhappy. The partners may have wanted things to transform, but the people she actually reports to are still the same. The hassles, the politics; overworked and left to the wolves (with a little more money).

An amazing statistic is that 89% of people accepting counter offers are gone in 6 months. 89 PERCENT! I remain hopeful.

What does this have to do with marketing? Everything! People want to leave because they are beyond unhappy. Clients do the same thing!

If the relationship is not transformed, money and platitudes will not change a thing. A huge discount (or a raise in the case of my teammate) changes nothing about why someone is unhappy.

If you believe you have an unhappy client about to move to a new firm your only hope is to change the relationship. Your only hope is to do the hard, gut-wrenching work to change a relationship. If you don't make the effort, you don't get to keep the business. Period.

Lessons from the Design Profession

I've found a great new voice on visual design and the profession of designing... or should I say he found me (he linked to one of my posts) and I followed his tracks back to his blog. It was worth the trip. Andy Rutledge of Male Design offers some great insight and ideas for his profession, and for the rest of us. Start by reading his manifesto on design. His conclusion below is right on... but the story is in how he arrived at his conclusion. Read IT!

- good design = good stuff
- bad design = bad stuff
- business + good design = coo success
- design is supercritical in just about everything anymore
- design = power
- power + responsibility = good
- power + apathy = go stand in the corner
- future + designers = brighter

Technorati Tags: Legal Marketing, Professional Services Marketing, Marketing, Business Development, Sales

Ego as a Target Market

In business one of the most commonly displayed trophies is the list of "who I know". The better my list, the better I must appear to be to all that know my connections. We produce our own aura fueled by the aura of importance we assign to others.

Marketing for a law firm, at least to me, is about the marketing of people to people; Or, in different words, it's about creating an aura about my attorneys that lures the egos of the audiences I'm targeting. For that reason I do not believe any marketing strategy for a law firm can succeed unless it includes heavy doses of increasing the perceived aura of individual attorneys. How can I get them higher on "A" lists? Who are they seen with and where do they hang out?

There are a lot of parts in the reputation of my firm that are complimentary and great to have; Things like being known for fair pricing, good advise, excellent lawyering skills. Without these complementary parts my firm would fail. BUT, to really succeed, I need people out there proclaiming, "I need THAT attorney!" Words coming from an ego state-of-mind. The aura of association.

So, my marketing goal is to target the ego of my audience by building a positive and powerful aura around my attorneys. That shouldn't be too hard... should it?

By the way, thanks to Seth Godin for his discourse on the mistaken belief by marketers (or anyone making strategic and tactical marketing/business development decisions) that money equals motivation. His thoughts about ego is what got me writing tonight.