Lawyers and Marketers Don't See Eye-to-Eye
Firm Issues
By Bob Weiss
May 2008
Surveys indicate attorneys have growing dissatisfaction with their internal and external law firm marketing providers. That frustration is equally in place among the ranks of law firm marketers.
This is true despite increased understanding of marketing on both sides, and the successful implementation of increasingly sophisticated results-producing business development programs.
What lawyers and their marketers should understand is that a natural tension will always exist between them.
Here's why:
Lawyers look over shoulder, trained to rely on that which is tested, for precedent. Marketers look in the opposite direction, to that not yet done by competitors, seeking differentiation to obtain promotional advantage.
To become a law firm partner, a lawyer must be a successful project manager, whether they handle disputes or transactions. Legal matters tend to move forward on a broad front with numerous tasks coming together near the end. Marketers handle complex project management, but must proceed linearly, requiring approvals in specific order; approvals subsequently modified require back-tracking, in many cases forcing marketers to start the project anew. This can cause significant delay.
Law firms have multiple owners, flattening the decision hierarchy and generally leave no single lawyer with absolute authority to make a binding decision. Legal services providers, both outside companies and internal departments, have clear hierarchy and in most cases far fewer owners or heads, and commonly vest ultimate decision making in a single person. They commonly struggle to understand the law firm decision process. This is exacerbated because lawyers offer no document or argument absent a tear-down of all angles in a comprehensive search of possible challenges. Marketers must understand the necessity of this-- what's written binds, what is argued cannot be taken back.
This natural tension, if recognized and dealt with constructively, can be successfully managed to everyone's profit.
ALYN-WEISS & ASSOCIATES, INC.
Marketing | Business Development
1331 - 17th Street, Suite 410
Denver, CO 80202
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