Can We Make People Participate?

There seems to be, among some marketing professionals, an attitude of cynicism toward any attorney that does not listen to a marketers suggestions. A mantra among them is, "Let ME tell YOU how things are!" PLEASE, don't be one of THOSE people.

In a recent string of replies on a listserve, one question about helping an attorney develop a business development skill quickly degenerated into cynical rants about attorney attitudes, poor skills, bad habits and aptitude. The tone of language and cynicism in these comments… suggestions that some attorneys can at best be taught to “fake it”.

Do we (marketers) really know better, or do we know different?

Wth regard to the question of what to do in a situation when not all attorneys are willing to participate in marketing goals, or even seem to be (with or without knowledge) working against well laid plans, here is my own way that works for me. It may not work for others.

Being new at my current firm I am still meeting many of the attorneys for the first time and outlining some of my ideas for going forward. With every attorney I assure her/him that it is not my goal to change anyone; It’s my goal to discover all I can about each individual (the many parts of the firm I cannot “make” into something different) and then find the combinations of those many “parts” to form an message I can market.

There are attorneys that ask for help and mentoring… and there are those that want nothing to do with anything I can do or represent. Even the least of them (with regard to a desire to participate) will play a part in what happens next. It seems silly that any planning I do would not include every attorney. Whether they are participating or not they will all impact the brand of the firm and plans for the future.

It feels healthy to me to accept people for exactly whom they are, without judgment, and work with the parts that are there; Not the ones I wish I had. So, this is what works for me. I am always open to other ideas.

On Becoming a Star Attorney

Fast Company released an article so packed with great ideas I giggled the whole way through it. The article, titled "Are You a Star at Work", could very well be named, "The Fast Track to Business Development for Attorneys".

Much of this article revolves around building a foundation of quality relationships as the accelerant for everything else you'll hope to accomplish. As an attorney looking for mentoring on building a practice, simply replace the word "company" (as this particular article is based on building an internal reputation) with "business community". Everything works perfect.

I especially enjoyed the "back of the t-shirt" theory. "...it's not what people bring to the party that makes them a star - it's what they do with what they bring." That one line could be a mantra. How many attorneys lean too heavily on their bio's, education statistics, etc. and are confused that prospective clients and relationships don't leap into the fold.

I am ecstatic that Fast Company can get so much great information into such a short article, and yet sad to see so much blogging material revealed all at once. So... how many "star's" will be born today?

Friday Morning Rant

This morning my computer informed me that it was riddled yet again with several bits of malicious malware. Actually, it was two of the three security programs installed on the computer that were doing the talking. Both programs had just self-updated in the last few days so I hope what they found was the leftovers from the attack on my system a few weeks back. It’s odd though that neither program found the same things. I wonder how that can be if both claim to accomplish the same task?

Speaking of unwanted things that get on my computer, has anyone noticed the rash of emails from people claiming that with a little help from me (cash) they can free up a fortune currently trapped in some legal hole in a country far, far away? Do people still fall for this stuff?

Power-Points

Can there ever be too many tips, ideas, or new thinking on how to improve PowerPoint presentation. I think NOT. Yesterday I sat in on a lunch session by an software company pitching an online tool to event planners. 90 minutes of a presenter reading from his slides so packed with words that in order to say anything not already on the screen he was explaining meanings of words. He lost me pretty early when he felt he needed to explain to his audience what a hyperlink on a web page is (I think my ears and nose started to bleed).

This countdown clock trick that Tom Kane links to in his post of tips and tricks is particularly slick. Of course there is always Cliff Atkinson over at Beyond Bullet Points.... Yesterday he offered some interesting ideas on presentation innovation in the courtroom.

I did like the software product and may give it a trial run. I'm going to trust that the software company's software writing strengths are as strong as their presentation skills are weak.

Capturing Life...

In the business of being a marketer I am constantly looking for inspiration; A vision. Something that pushes me to drive harder at creating new ideas and thoughts.

Here is one of the people that does that for me. Enjoy.

Spyware Doctor

Starting at about noon on Sunday I went to battle against some sort of malware that hijacked my computer; I must have been speeding on the internet highway. So let the battle begin....

I have McAfee and Microsoft Antispyware running at all times on my system.. and in most instances I run Firefox as my browser. For just one or two sites from time to time I run Internet Explorer because not all is yet perfect in the Firefox window. Oops.

Suddenly my internet blocking warnings are firing off like fireworks on the Fourth of July. I met the enemy and we fought. Down we tumbled through fire and ice (last line borrowed from the Lord of the Rings) until I smote him....

The key to my victory; Spyware Doctor. I ran multiple system scans; sweeps and purges. I journeyed into my registry and deleted away at the advise of many a bulletin board guru, but none prevailed until I ran Spyware Doctor.

Somewhere in the darkness a band of software warriors labor away to bring freedom to the helpless and hapless among us. They wage a war without end but they only call themselves Doctors. Thank you. March on to freedom.

Seeing the Whole Battlefield

The legal marketing competitive landscape in Orange County... and Southern California, is about to get a bit hotter.

First, the regions largest law firm (yet the one with the lowest profile) hires me. What is significant about that move is not whom they hired, but that they hired someone at a perceived level... a CMO (I do hope I fulfill their greatest expectations!).

Next, in a few weeks we will add another very experienced and savvy marketing person to the Rutan roster (a team is formed). And, without disclosing the exact initiative, we've launched a program that will capture a particular legal vertical for the firm. GOSH THIS FUN! So much to do and never enough time!

Being new at a firm has an inherent marketing advantage. Without bias or prejudice I can see the entire marketplace with the eyes of the "unknowing without opinion". This is important because once anyone gets too deep within the "forest" it's extremely difficult to be originally creative.

Right now I enjoy the advantage of "vision" over any competitor in my marketplace. My job is to work my advantage as quickly as I can while everyone is watching and wondering what I will do.

This ride is going to be a HOOT! I encourage you to check in here from time to time and read about the ride. I don't believe you'll be disappointed.

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