In the day-to-day life of a legal marketer there always seems to be a battle to fight. Some are worthy of our blood, sweat and frustrations, while others are not. At the end of the day whether or not we go with Pantone 419u or 425u; engrave or off-set print; serve chicken or fish; include a client extranet button or not on the home page won’t make a difference in expanding the firm’s business.
However, fighting battles that don’t need to be fought can and will weaken my credibility (trust) with my lawyers. It’s simple client relations, yet time and again I see legal marketers duking it out over trivial matters: serif or san serif, is it period space, or period space space? (AP Style says one, but was happy to let that one go … for now).
I listen to my clients, guide them, and recommend actions that they can take. I listen some more, make alterations to my plan, and then move the ball forward a few yards. The more my clients trust and respect me, the more likely they are to accept my recommendations. It’s that simple.
That’s when the fun starts. We get to introduce client service interviews, client teams, strategic planning, CRM, SEO, blogs, and maybe some re-branding and a new website.
I have found that respect needs to be earned, and then earned again, and once again after that. I get to build on my successes. There is rarely a second chance to rebuild credibility, especially in a law firm. Once it is lost, it is gone.