Thought Leader - Managing Partner

Feature

posted 27 Sep 2006 in Volume 9 Issue 5

Thought Leader

By Paul Gilbert

Marketing managers in law firms probably have a tougher job than in most other lines of business…

First, the budget they are given is begrudged, perhaps because those granting it (begrudgingly) know that their own dysfunctional behaviour will ensure most of the money spent on marketing will prove to be a waste of time anyway.

Second, expectations are far too high given the amount of money that is spent. Marketing is always very, very expensive and will usually only work over an extended period of time. Holding your nerve while the ‘creative’ types down the corridor threaten to burn serious amounts of money, is not natural territory for the risk-averse lawyer.

Third, simply agreeing on a marketing plan for the firm can take so much energy that a lot of marketing professionals are developing their personal exit strategies long before they have delivered anything resembling a significant success to their reluctant paymasters.

Does this analysis mean that the whole thing is a waste of time? That law firms should not do any marketing or invest in relationship management strategies? Obviously not, but expectations do need to change.

We need to get back to first principles.

Marketing should reflect the values of a firm, its culture, ambitions and character. Any disconnect will discredit the marketing and the message.

Simple and focused messages are the most powerful tools. ‘Simplify and focus’ might not be the most sophisticated message in the world, but time and again the businesses that succeed are those with the least complication around their proposition and the clearest direction.

Investment in relationships must also be undertaken – thoughtfully, systematically and sensitively. There should be discipline surrounding the processes, with measures of success that reward the right behaviours and, frankly, punish those antagonistic to the process.

I don’t want to make it sound mechanical because there is a very important human element in what must be observed and delivered, but too often firms jump from one strategy to another, from one initiative to the next, with a lack of coordination that undermines confidence in the lawyers and their clients.

So the next time you spend a marketing budget taking a friend to lunch for the umpteenth time, or turn up to a breakfast briefing on the latest legislative change only to find a pile of uneaten croissants, reflect on this thought…

Paul Gilbert is chief executive of LBC Wise Counsel. He can be contacted at pg@lbcwisecounsel.com