A Double Anniversary

Today marks two anniversaries for me. Anniversary One -- I have been the CMO at Rutan & Tucker for two years. Considering that the expected lifespan of the first CMO for law firm is 18 months I am pleased to report, I am still here!

Anniversary Two -- I've been blogging for eight years. WOW! Eight years! When I started in 1999 I was just whining out loud about the state of legal marketing -- I am glad the state of marketing for law firms has changed for the better, AND, that I've stopped whining.

The MC blog has been incredibly productive for me. I share ideas, people respond, and I hope, we all learn along the way.

Happy anniversaries to me!

What Do You Do? Think Fast, Answer Quickly!

If someone asks you "what do you do" the best way to respond is QUICKLY -- short and succinct. Entrepreneurs call it the "elevator pitch". Essentially the idea is to deliver an idea for a product or service in about thirty seconds. But as an attorney you are not talking about an idea, you are talking about you. An even BETTER reason for being brief. Remember that the best conversation, for you, is allowing the other person to do most of the talking.

Here is an idea that might help you boil your "what do you do" statement down to a minimum. Answer the question with only one breath. For most of us that means about 10 - 15 seconds. Anything more is too much. If your listener needs more information, they will ask. If you make your answer interesting, your listener will definitely ask for more.

During the dot com boom days I worked with a securities attorney whom, if asked, "What do you do?" could have responded with a whole lot of information about M&A, venture finance, alliance agreements, etc. Instead he always responded, "I am a business attorney and I specialize in making millionaires." Of course his audience would always be intrigued and ask, "How do you do that?" His response was, "It depends on what my business clients need to succeed. Tell me about where you are right now." Ingenious! By asking the right questions he only needed to talk about the specific areas of expertise that would be of interest to his audience.

Remember -- one breath. Let your audience lead the rest of the discovery process.

Tips for Building a Professional Services Career

Thank you to the Maryland Association of CPAs for picking up my series on networking tips. Maybe better for me than the link is finding a blog stuffed full of ideas for building a professional services practice. Their "about me" statement states a ton about their refreshed style of thinking: "Stuffed shirts and bean-counters? Not Maryland's CPAs! The state's most trusted business advisers break the mold. Sure, they know how to crunch numbers -- but they know how to do a lot more, too. They're world travelers, authors, politicians, rock stars, tech gurus, innovators and business leaders -- and they've got some great stories to tell."

AND, in line with their purpose -- KUDOs for tracking the Second Life activities of CPA firms on CPA Island in the SL virtual world.

Turn Practice Development into a Peer Experience

A common question from associates is, "How can I promote my practice to other lawyers at our firm?" A fair question. The logical and sound thinking is that a young lawyer might get more referrals internally if lawyers in other practice areas knew of the skills they could leverage for clients. Here are a few ways you can accomplish the task of internal networking, and one method I recommend above the others.

• Ask and give a five minute presentation at practice group meetings (other than your own) about how your expertise could benefit their clients if the need arises.
• Schedule one-on-one meetings with partners and associates in other practice groups.
• Schedule one-on-one meetings with relationship partners representing specific clients that you've determined have great need for your expertise.

And, my preferred method:

• Schedule meetings (one-on-one or as a group) with your peer attorneys in other practice areas. A peer attorney is one whom shares significant affinity to you. If you are a fifth-year -- seek out other fifth-year's. If you are being considered for partner track -- seek out others on the same track. You're a single parent -- seek out other single parents, etc.
  

The people most open to helping you build your network and business pipeline are those that can most relate to your situation. Inside a firm these sort of bonded alliances can be your greatest resource for growth.

Marketing Catalyst Blog Featured in The Reporter

Today MC blog was featured in an article "A Blog of Their Own" published by The Recorder. Thank you to writer Pam Smith!

Creating Buzz Tip #5: Get Your Name in Print

Creating personal buzz is about consistent recognition. If your name is in print readers will assign you heightened importance. It does not matter where your name is printed as long as it was put there ‘by someone else’ -- it can be as simple as your name listed as a committee member in a program guide. There are SO MANY ways to get your name printed.

• You can be quoted in a news article
• Named as the person orchestrating a transaction or deal
  
• Listed on web and letterhead of a corporate or non-profit board
• Write and publish an article (NOT an advertorial)
• Be listed as a speaker or panelist
• Collaborate on a project that is published

An important part of getting your name printed is having a PR (public relations) specialist on retainer. It is definitely worth the investment. The right PR person has the connections and savvy to create print opportunities. And, whenever possible, have your picture included when your name is printed (you do have a good editorial picture, right?).

Creating Buzz Tip #4: Hug Your Network

Here we enter an area of personal choice -- but if I might let me suggest a personal habit that will REALLY resonates positively with the people in your network. Give hugs.

People love to be hugged even though most will profess it makes them uncomfortable, but the discomfort does not come from being hugged. Most people I know agree that getting a hug (professional and appropriate) leaves them feeling special and individually appreciated. Most times the people I know state that their discomfort comes from not knowing how to receive a hug in business.

There is nothing that seals a bond between people faster than physical touch. In business, hugs ARE appropriate (in my opinion) if you have met with someone more than a few times, and of course, the friendship is coming along nicely. Maybe you are thinking that hugging is too personal. Well, I agree with part of that; It is personal. Or you might be thinking, there are some folks I am not ever going to hug. Period. OK… so don’t.

I can say from my own experience as an ‘on again-off again’ buzzed about person in my community that I shake a lot hands that turn into hugs. I have a lot of great, warm and caring business friendships. I don’t hug to get attention. I give hugs because it feels good. It turns out that hugs are very good for my buzz (people know you care = people buzz about those they care about).

I think the best example of how much this one thing works is when I meet with a group of business people, one or two that I know well, and one or more that I do not. Here is how it goes almost every time: I shake a hand, shake another, hug another, and shake the last hand. Almost EVERY time someone will comment, "How come I didn't get a hug!?"

Enough said.