Accelerate Law Firm Sales Leadership
“Leadership is Not Management” is the topic of an article written by Mark Beese and Suzanne Lowe for the October, 2009 issue of Marketing the Law Firm. Lowe expands on the topic in her new book, The Integration Imperative by saying, “. . . today’s professional firms aren’t effectively integrating their marketing and selling functions.”
In part, this is the result of the “old guard” of management’s unwillingness to transition their work and provide more active training and more opportunities for younger partners and associates. Rather than leading by example, they continue to focus on management – simply telling those under them how it will be.
This is a major obstacle that I and many of my business development consulting colleagues find when we start working with a new firm.
The single greatest asset a services firm has is its people. A common vision and objective needs to be stated and followed. Integrating not only marketing and business development, but also human assets – including team members from tech services and forward-focused paralegals – is essential. A greater emphasis needs to be placed on co-marketing and cross marketing which have the byproduct of vastly increasing an individual attorney’s knowledge of each others’ skills and how to relate them to clients.
How can marketing partners better lead others in the firm?
- Bring younger associates to pitches.
- Include associates on client service teams.
- Have paralegals and new associates draft proposals.
- Require attorneys in the firm to become active in pro bono or charity organizations.
- Invite attorneys and staff who are new to the firm to critique and refine marketing materials.
- Ensure that younger partners and associates are getting into second chairs.
Remember that a leader must demonstrate that legal sales are the way to a strong future and that future success counts on the firm’s primary asset – the attorneys and staff who are committed to that success.
