Value of Non-Traditonal Marketing Roles

It is unreasonable to expect every lawyer in your firm to market in the same traditional way– acting as a “hunter” and attending events, serving on committees, making speeches, fundraising and teaching continuing professional education.

But that does not mean every lawyer in your firm cannot contribute, and significantly, to business development.

Every lawyer can contribute in a way that is comfortable to them to a law firm marketing plan. Attorney and marketing consultant Stacy West Clark describes this as finding “critically important behind-the-scenes roles” for partners and associates who are unwilling or unable to market publicly. As we all know, many lawyers are disinterested in a book of their own business.

What can those lawyers do? Write articles, blog posts, speeches, seminar presentations; develop prospect databases and contact schedules for working through them; evaluate trade and community groups and activity within each; monitor, evaluate and update your Web site; monitor competitors’ marketing; update and manage client and referral lists. These are critical and mighty contributions to marketing. And, the lawyers who can do them best are (too) often encouraged and given training and support to do other things.

Of course, like the efforts of the traditional rainmaker these “behind-the-scenes” efforts by your less public lawyers needs to recognized in your compensation plan.