It’s that time of year again – time for legal marketers from all over the world to gather together to network, get inspired, and learn from each other. That’s right, it’s the Legal Marketing Association’s Annual Conference!
In between networking and meetings, I’ll be attending a number of conference sessions and sharing my reviews
So yesterday, we had the chance to take a look at some of the higlights from the Superbowl commercials of 2012. Now, it’s time to see which spots failed, why, and what lessons law firms can take from them.
We’ll start with my pick for the worst commercial of the night…Go Daddy’s Body Painting Commercial (which is pretty much tied with their Cloud commercial for worst in my book).
https://youtube.com/watch?v=NG2qU7x4DjoContinue Reading Superbowl Commercials – The Bad & The Ugly 2012
While I know that most people watch the Superbowl for the sports (myself included, I do like the game!), the biggest football game of the year is also the Superbowl for marketers – because of the commercials.
I’ve heard mixed reviews of last night’s spots from people via my social networks, but I have to say that unlike recent years, I was very pleased with this year’s ads. As I did last year, I’ll give you my thoughts on the good, the bad and the ugly, starting with the good…
Overall, I’d say that humor won out this year. To me, the commercials that did "funny" right were the real winners…and also the most memorable. However, one funny, expensive ad spot doesn’t change a lot, but it’s fun to see where they went right and the lessons that law firms can take from them.
Continue Reading Are you ready for some FOOTBALL….Commercials? (The Good)
During this holiday season, we can easily get caught up in the hustle and bustle of trying to find the right gift, baking as many cookies as possible, and saying yes to every party invitation we receive. But recently, I’ve seen a lot of posts about gratitude and how to spend the holiday season helping others, and that reminds me of what I like best about Christmas (which is what I celebrate; for you, it may be something else!) – slowing down and thinking about what I’m really thankful for as this year winds up.
Of course, there are many things in my personal life that I’m thankful for – the birth of my newest niece, and becoming her godmother, getting to spend so much time with my nieces that the oldest one gives me hugs for no reason, welcoming a new puppy into my home, which had the extra effect of calming my older dog’s anxiety, having a roof over my head, food in my home, and a job to go to every day.
But there are also some professional blessings I’d like to take a moment to share with you today – and I’d love to hear about your gratitude lists in the comments! Continue Reading What are you Thankful For?
This week’s Ask Friday! is a special one because it’s my first video blog post! I hope there will be many more to come…
This week’s question comes from Barry Camson, who wanted to know five tips for building relationships. So without further ado….
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ikZWq8L2gro
Recently, when I was seeking out Ask Friday! questions, Cordell Parvin suggested that I answer the question of "What would you recommend busy lawyers be reading on business development and what will they get from it?"
Nothing immediately popped into my mind, and Cordell was nice enough to share his list with me, as well as what’s on his Kindle. Then, coincidentally, the same question appeared on the Legal Marketing Association’s listserv. Those who responded were gracious enough to be included in my post, so without further ado, here is the recommended reading straight from legal marketers and business development coaches!Continue Reading Ask Friday! The Business Development Books Edition
For this week’s Ask Friday! we welcome guest poster, Cordell Parvin. I’ve gotten to know Cordell through Twitter, and have been fortunate to see the excellent advice he has for lawyers through webinars and his upcoming video coaching series.
According to his website, "Cordell Parvin has practiced law for more than 36 years. He has developed a highly successful national construction law practice. During his career, Cordell has been a rainmaker and taught, mentored and coached young lawyers on their careers, work-life balance and rainmaking. Cordell also has been a Practice Group Leader and worked with other Practice Groups helping them to develop their business plans and strategies."
Today’s Ask Friday! question is "What separates super achievers from achievers?" Huge thanks to Cordell for guest posting this week!
"A few weeks ago I spoke to a group of first year lawyers during their orientation. As I neared completion of my presentation I asked for questions. One young lawyer asked a thought provoking question: “What is the difference between lawyers who are superstars compared to lawyers who are stars?”
"In my career I have been blessed to work with some really outstanding lawyers. I have also had the opportunity to witness differences between the super achieving lawyers and those successful lawyers who do not reach that status. Here’s my take on the differences.
Continue Reading Ask Friday! Superstars Edition by Cordell Parvin
Today’s Ask Friday! question comes from legal client/business development coach and teacher, Cordell Parvin, who suggested today’s post focus on "How to ask for business."
To answer this, I went back into our archives to find LegalBizDev’sJim Hassett’s thoughts on this very subject. Since Jim’s an expert in this, I’ll give you his suggestions for how to ask for business from our 2009 webinar series with links to some resources on his site (we’ll start with some planning tips):
Meet the Right People: Jim suggests that the attorneys start with a plan, which should include defining their niche, defining their ideal clients, meeting the right people, and then qualifying the prospects into who will buy, who will buy soon, and who will buy from them.
Once you have your plan in place, you can start working on getting that new business.
With our Annual Meeting coming up in just a few short weeks, I wanted to dedicate this week’s "Ask Friday" to the question of "how can I make the most out of attending a conference?" You might think that just showing up and attending the events is enough, but with a little bit of strategy, your pre, during and post conference activities can really make a difference in your experience.
Pre-Conference
Before heading to the conference, take a few minutes to look over the agenda and the attendee list (if it’s available). The agenda can give you an idea of what topics will be discussed and where you can contribute – when you contribute to a discussion (especially in a conference like ours where the main purpose is to develop relationships), it can help people to identify you with a certain area of expertise, and make you a thought leader who is sought out for later conversations. It also makes you easier to remember.
Review the attendee list and identify who you’d like to build relationships with. This can seem a bit "icky," but you know where your clients are doing business, so it’s a good idea to connect with possible referral partners so that you start to build that level of trust necessary for referring work. You may even see someone on the list that seems to have a cool job, or a unique value proposition – meet these people just to expand your horizons if nothing else. When we stretch our comfort zones, that’s when we really learn and grow.
Here at Zen I’ve decided to start a weekly post called "Ask Friday!" where I’ll take a reader question and answer it. You can leave your questions in the comments for any post, if you’d like, or message me on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.
Today’s question comes from Larry Bodine, of Larry Bodine Marketing, who asks "What tips do you have to motivate lawyers to do business development?"
My number one tip to motivate lawyers is to share success stories. I’ve found that showing how other lawyers have gotten business through various types of business development activities give attorneys the comfort that someone has tried it before, and they’ve been successful.
But it’s not always enough for me to be the one sharing these stories – it’s often more helpful to get the attorney who’s been successful to do the sharing. For example, as you know I’m a big fan of social media. I give presentations to our attorneys at each of our Annual & Regional Conferences, and recently, my presentations have focused on social media.Continue Reading Ask Friday!