 I had a delightful experience last week when I was advising the partners of a litigation boutique law firm. They had called me in to conduct follow-up interviews with partners who had developed individual marketing plans. The idea was to see if they had carried out their plans, check to see if they needed any help and determine if they had gotten any results.
It was a treat to hear that the partners who had worked their plans were having the best years of their careers. One partner told me she was going to break $1 million in billable revenues for the year. All the other partners reported getting record originations and new business from a variety of sources. In fact, the firm as a whole was having its best year ever financially.
The partners who hadn't carried out their plans were having mediocre years.
As a consultant, I felt like a master gardener who had mapped out the strategy for a garden, carefully nurtured the individuals, and lo and behold -- watched them bloom! Frequently I'm called in to fix a specific problem or handle a single aspect of a project, and I don't get to see the overall results of a client's marketing effort. It's very satisfying to see when my advice is taken seriously and gets results.
The lawyers who had the most success:
· Included networking in their individual plans. They wrote down lists of their referral sources, called on them, sent them interesting Web pages and articles, took them out to lunch and dinner and invited them over for barbecues. Deepening relationships with people who send you work always pays off.
· Visited clients in person. When the lawyers were traveling out of town, they'd call the general counsel and assistant general counsel and invited them -- and their spouses -- out to dinner. The in-house lawyers were quite pleased, took them up on the offer and sent the lawyers work.
· Looked for situations where they could be the host. This worked well for the gregarious lawyers who enjoyed being generous with tickets to sports events and dinners. They reveled in having their referral sources and clients as guests, and were repaid with new business.
· Made a point of being active in an organization. One lawyer regularly attended a lawyer organization and volunteered her time amply. She became known in her field and found that lawyers she had gotten to know in the organization sent her work. Other lawyers are a great source of new business. Another lawyer joined the board of an art organization and went to all the evening programs. Not only did he learn a lot about art, but he got to know a whole new crowd of intelligent, successful business people.
Marketing is like any other program. It works it you work it.
5:38:39 PM 
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