Wednesday, June 30, 2010

From Law.com's Small Firm Business: "How Can Law Firms Help Their Lawyers With Marketing?"

"How Can Law Firms Help Their Lawyers With Marketing?" from Law.com's Small Firm Business. We all know it: change is hard. For small firms struggling to maximize the value of their marketing and business development money, time and effort, change can be even harder. This post is written for that crowd, the ones who want to change the way they market the firm and its lawyers, to do those activities that will lead to meaningful results, to move their marketing efforts to the next level. But don't let that stop you from reading it: the lessons it provides are useful for everyone.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

From Lawyerist.com: "Legal Blogging: The G.Y.I. System"

"Legal Blogging: The G.Y.I. System" from Lawyerist.com. If you've read my blog before, you probably already know my views on blogs as marketing channels for lawyers and law firms: they work. But only when they're done right. This post provides practical advice for lawyers on how to effectively use a blog to communicate their message, transmit their knowledge, establish their expertise, and most importantly demonstrate their value.

Friday, June 25, 2010

From Marketing Asia: "Marketing vs Sales in Professional Services: Here we go again!"

"Marketing vs Sales in Professional Services: Here we go again!" from Robert Sawhney's Marketing Asia. If you're not reading Bob Sawhney's blog, you should be. This post shows why. Legal marketing is more than just brochures and websites and PR. A lot more. And firms that relegate marketing to the "nice to have" category will never develop the high-performance, the information-sharing, the marketing culture they must have if they hope to realize the full value of their relationships, of their brand, of their institution. This post articulates the why (and even the how). Read it, and add Marketing Asia to your RSS feed.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

From Law Marketing Blog: "Creative Destruction: How to Get that Great Next Job"

"Creative Destruction: How to Get that Great Next Job" from Law Marketing Blog. Every once in a while you come across a post that reaches out of your computer and smacks you right in the face. This is that post. Rethinking the value proposition, how you provide greater value to your clients and then articulate that value in terms that demonstrate precisely how you can help your client be more successful, sleep better at night, achieve her business objectives? Read this post, and follow Gordon Miller's advice. It's hard to imagine that it won't help you become more successful yourself (and get that great next job, if that's what you're after).

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

From Leading Blog: "12 Leadership Guidelines for Leading through Learning in Turbulent Times"

"12 Leadership Guidelines for Leading through Learning in Turbulent Times" from Leading Blog. You probably won't ever need to rebuild a 53,000-employee, embroiled-in-chaos-after-its-founder-and-chair-resigns-amidst-massive-accounting-fraud company. But Priscilla Nelson and Ed Cohen did. This post captures 12 guidelines they followed as they turned Satyam Computer Services around. Powerful advice for any leader. Want more? Check out their book Riding the Tiger: Leading through Learning in Turbulent Times.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

From The Lawyers Weekly: “Get on headhunters’ radar”

Get on headhunters’ radar” from The Lawyers Weekly. In spite of its title, this post is useful for all lawyers, not just those seeking employment. In answering the “how-can-lawyers-get-noticed-by-headhunters?” question, it provides good, solid advice for lawyers seeking clients, too. You’ll have to read it yourself to find out what the 4 P’s are (hint: there’s no magic, just planning and hard work), but you’ll be glad you did. H/T to Eric Magraken (@erikmagraken) for the link.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

From Legal Business Development: "Another mistake: Overestimating the value of personal relationships"

"Another mistake: Overestimating the value of personal relationships" from Jim Hassett's Legal Business Development. Think your clients are still your clients, day after day, year after year, because you play golf and tell jokes and have great fun together? Think again. Personal relationships no longer drive business. But don't take my word for it. Read this post, and the multiple examples Hassett cites, and you'll agree that value is the new golf.

Monday, June 7, 2010

From Simple Justice: "Simple Justice: Through The Eyes of Scott Greenfield"

"Simple Justice: Through The Eyes of Scott Greenfield" from Simple Justice. If you're not reading Scott Greenfield's blog, you should be. You might not agree with everything he writes. You might think that he's too curmudgeonly, that he's too negative, that he should just lighten up a little bit, for cryin' out loud. But you'll always find passion, conviction and honesty. And you'll be glad he writes more posts before breakfast than most people blog in a week. Like this one.

Friday, June 4, 2010

From Law21.ca: "How to compete on price"

"How to compete on price" from Law21.ca. Jordan Furlong's analyses of current trends in the legal profession, what those trends mean for lawyers and firms, and how they will affect clients and services are always insightful, informative, and instructive. Just like this post. Don't want to compete on price? There might be a better way. Read this post and see if you agree.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

From Adam Smith, Esq: "Report from London"

"Report from London" from Adam Smith, Esq. I've recommended Bruce MacEwen's posts before. His observations on what firms are doing, delivered in a no-nonsense, "identify-the-problem-and-solve-it" style, provide valuable insight into the economics of the legal profession. This post is no exception. Yes, it's written for the AmLaw 100 crowd, but that doesn't mean that other lawyers won't find it useful. This is what is happening right now. How are you going to respond to it?