I want to run a seminar” or “I need a nice piece of literature”.
This should never be the start point of a conversation between a marketer and a lawyer. Why? Because it’s an activity that may or may not achieve the outcome that the lawyer wants. Until you understand the ultimate goal, you can’t determine whether what is being asked for is actually what will drive the desired outcome.
Lawyers need their marketers to help them achieve their goals when undertaking marketing activities. Lawyers should expect to have different conversations with their marketers than they may have had in the past. Your marketers are experts in their discipline. Use that expertise and work collaboratively to get better results from your marketing and business development activities.
Expect your marketers to ask questions, to say ‘no’ to some of your requests as they help you do ‘better’ marketing and business development that delivers the desired outcomes.
But … and this is the really important bit … marketers, make sure you are having the right conversations with your lawyers. If they are coming to you with ideas of activities and things they want to do, embrace this. It’s a positive position to be in. They are seeing the need to do things, they are engaging with you to help them.
But change the conversation. Marketers ask your lawyers what they need to achieve. Lawyers explain to your marketers the outcomes you are looking to achieve. And be precise.
For example, not I want to generate some new clients. Instead, I want to generate 5 new opportunities for commercial contract reviews with SME businesses in the XXX sector/region.
This is precise. This is the information you need to do the right marketing things to achieve the outcome you are looking to achieve. You know what a good result looks like. You can now plan and model based on what activities can help you achieve the desired outcome. The plan should incorporate activities plus detail expected time and cost to ensure that the ‘effort’ is justified.
So, marketers and lawyers – let’s change the conversation. An effective marketing team working collaboratively with the lawyers with a common goal is a powerful combination. Two sets of experts working together to get results – imagine that!