Law Firm 4.0 Blog

What law firms can learn from my surprising experience at the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia

I haven't always had a stellar experience at Ritz-Carlton hotels. In fact, in a lifetime of hotel stays, I've had three very disappointing stays at three different Ritz properties.  They stand out in the blur of my business travel, however, because they were aberrant -- Ritz-Carlton personnel are trained to stretch the boundaries of fine customer service.  We expect memorable moments and exceptional service from them.

Blake Davis, one of my Content Pilot colleagues and I stayed at the Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton on a recent business trip.  Blake had a dress-shirt mishap (a brand new shirt from Banana Republic - he's taking it back); the fabric ripped right down the front of his chest.  He didn't have a spare shirt in his suitcase.  Before we had a chance to explore viable options that we could fulfill before our 10 a.m. meeting, a Ritz-Carlton employee quietly brought  two neatly pressed dress shirts - blue or white - to our breakfast table.  Blake chose the blue, quickly changed and we were on our way.

What can law firms learn from this? 

The speed and deftness this employee demonstrated in solving Blake's problem was stunning. This person didn't detail the list of options, which could have included: 

1. Tape applied to the back of the shirt to hold it together (not being a seamstress, this is what I suggested).
2. Convincing Blake that it wasn't that bad.
3. Finding a department store that opened early enough to squeeze in a shopping trip.
4. Wearing yesterday's shirt.

Lawyers are often inclined to search the enormous range of options when a client presents a problem.  This can take hours and days - delaying the solution and resulting in client frustration, fear, anger and budget overruns.

Instead, anticipate client problems so you have some ready solutions in your back-pocket.  Ritz-Carlton sees business travelers all the time.  Sometimes we have wardrobe malfunctions.  So they purchased a few extra shirts, pressed them and they are at the ready - just in case.

Know that the best option - the one that will make your client the happiest - is sometimes very easy for you and will cost almost nothing.  Just solve your client's problem.

 

 

 

5 Tech tips to increase your productivity - Courtesy of Attorney at Work Blog

David King Keller surveyed a few of us at the Legal Marketing Association's Tech Conference in San Francisco on October 10-11, 2012 and published an article on the Attorney at Work Blog.  The focus of the conference was for speakers to share big and little ideas that "can increase your visibility, your productivity and, ultimately, your revenue." 

In a separate post, I'll share the website biography trends and best practices that I presented in a panel at this conference called, "LMA Top Chefs."  Burkey Belser, Jeff Yerkey, Kalev Peekna and I donned white aprons and chef hats and presented our recipe for a perfectly crafted section of a website.  Moderated by able chef Maggie Watkins, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer of Best, Best, Krieger, we all worked diligently to present the smartest and most cohesive combination of website ingredients.

Here are David King Keller's favorite top five tech tips:

1. Add slide sharing to your online marketing. Sheenika Shah, Business Development Coordinator for Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP, suggests giving SlideShare a try. It’s a nifty online tool for sharing presentations, documents and PDFs—which you can link to your website, send individually via email, and share on your social media channels, too. SlideShare is a free service, with a fee-based Pro option that allows you to track analytics. “This method of sharing information” Shah says, “is in line with the trend toward media-rich content, which is great for SEO efforts.”

2. Use Reeder to get through your news feeds—fast. Jeff Yerkey, Web + Interactive Director for Right Hat, says, “The single biggest workflow saver I use is the ‘lash-up’ between Google Reader and an iPhone/iPad app called Reeder.” Here’s how he works it in three steps: “I configure all of my news RSS feeds into folders through Google Reader. Then, in Reeder, I scan and read all my news feeds in record time. When I find a really long article, I send [it] to Instapaper to read it later on my computer, iPad, iPhone or Android phone.”

3. Add a poll with a quick “doodle.” Jacqueline Madarang, Marketing Technology Manager at Best, Best, Krieger LLP, and Jay Walsh of Ligature legal printing, love Doodle. “Doodle is free and radically simplifies the process of scheduling meetings and events,” Madarang says. “Whether it’s a partner, client or practice group meeting—or dinner with friends—you can easily poll a number of people on different meeting time options.” Doodle is simple, quick and requires no registration. “Simply set up a poll and send a link to all those whose input is required,” adds Walsh.

4. Try e-learning for better business development skills.
How about a coaching program delivered straight to your computer screen? Two options presented at the LMA conference come from Mike O’Horo of RainmakerVT and David Ackert of Practice Boomers. Both programs provide 24-7 access to business development training and deliver performance metrics to law firm marketing and development professionals. O’Horo describes his as “a game-like simulation and virtual coach that teaches you practice growth strategies from your computer.”
Ackert offers a compatible program that uses a combination of video, podcast and group conference calls to ensure implementation. You can see samples of the two approaches here and here.

5. Turn online lawyer bios into mini-sites. Ready to ditch those staid old bios? Deborah McMurray, CEO and Strategy Architect for Content Pilot LLC, recommends “using your IT resources to create website bios that offer an interactive experience for your visitors. Rather than the standard bio on one long page, when a visitor clicks your name a mini-website appears with tabs to view various aspects of your skill sets, experience and personal interests, allowing you to showcase what’s best and most unique about you in a clean elegant fashion.” Check out an example here.

Bonus fun-fact: Event Co-Chair Adam Stock, of Allen Matkins, opened the conference with a humorous texting video that other meeting planners may want to borrow.

David King Keller is author of two books on how to grow law firm revenue, titled 100 Ways to Grow a Thriving Law Practice and the ABA book The Associate As Rainmaker: Building Your Business Brain. He is CEO of Keller Business Development Advisory Group, which provides law firm business development training, 1:1 attorney biz dev coaching and MCLE instruction on various topics. Contact him at [email protected].

 

Love your law firm marketing job more - Part 2

I intended to share the skeletal Smart-Work Matrix worksheet that Allen Fuqua uses in my last post.  Here it is.  This is an example of how Allen and his marketing team plot their tasks and projects at Winstead.

 

Love your law firm marketing job more (or the "Smart-Work Matrix") - Guest post by Allen Fuqua

I spoke about project management and how it can be used in business development at the LMA SE Mini-Conference in New Orleans last Friday.  After having a glass of Pinot Noir with Allen Fuqua last week, I decided I had to include more about his Smart-Work Matrix in my presentation.  In my last blog post, the LA LMA TED summary, I promised that I would write about it here, but after sitting down with him, I insisted he go into more detail. 

Allen's material was quickly embraced by the SE LMA crowd, too.  And I hope it helps you rethink your work-day/work-week, too.

In my next post, I'll share ideas for lawyers to improve project management processes - and use them as a law firm differentiator in beauty contests and proposals. 

Guest Post by Allen Fuqua, CMO, Winstead

Every organization has a long and varied list of projects,processes, programs and coverage areas that require team members to coordinate and support.  We often see team members becoming frustrated with various projects based on any number of experiences:

1. The unwillingness of attorneys or leaders to listen to us and/or cooperate with us.
2. Being treated badly by an attorney or leader.
3. We do not know how to move a project forward and we feel vulnerable.
4. We feel that the project is wasteful of their time. 
5. We believe a project should be done differently, but can't get buy-in from attorneys.
6. We believe that the project is being led badly or incompetently by an attorney leader and we don’t know what to do.

        And the list goes on and on.

However, the reality, more often than not, is that many coordinators, managers and directors use the same orientation and execution process for everything they do.  This inability to adjust output and commitment to the nature of the different projects, and to know what a winning orientation for each project is likely to be, produces levels of stress and frustration that can lead to failure and professional anxiety.

If we can evaluate these projects, jobs and programs on an individual basis and come to a simple understanding of the make-up of each and what a winning plan would look like, I think we can increase our performance, satisfaction, and make our results more consistent and minimize our angst.

So here's my suggestion:

Use the matrix below and fill in your projects and tasks where you think they should go. Use this as your measuring stick:

Potential Value - consider the assignment based on its ability to contribute revenue to the firm and/or build important relationship(s). 

Your ability (that is, will you be allowed) to drive (a/k/a/ control) the project or provide innovation to the project.  If you are new to the firm, you may not know this -- a lot depends on culture, how lawyers and staff collaborate on things, etc.  

Once you plot your projects, use the matrix to identify the following three areas associated with any task, project or program in the associated quadrant:

               1.  What should your orientation for that project be?

2.  What defines your process for execution?

3.  What is the central success factor for the project?

As you put your various projects on the matrix, consider the recommended approach we use.  Let me review each quadrant's framework:

The Northwest Quadrant

The projects, tasks and activities in this quadrant are characterized by the potential for better than average ability to generate either new revenue or build relationships, while having a very limited ability for the marketing team to drive/control them or provide any innovation to them.

The appropriate orientation for these is:

1.  Your entire focus should be on execution; not adding value, not forcing it in a direction.  Most likely, the attorneys and leadership just want it done and aren't looking for anything other than the project getting done.

2.  Your execution process will center around a formal performance plan.  For our team, we have execution plans based on a planning model that we use to set up projects.  Once those are in place, all the associated work flows out of that plan.  We don't deviate from it and we spend no time trying to add to it.  That would be a waste of time.

3.  The success and quality of these projects in the NE quadrant is a function of your experience.  If you've done many of these, you know the game, you've seen it before and understand how it will go.  If you don't have the experience, then recruit a team member who has.  Ask them to meet with you on a regular basis (weekly at first) to review how the project is going and what execution steps you should take.  Your more experienced colleague will help you stay
disciplined.

The Northeast Quadrant

These projects are often what every marketing person dreams about.  It has great potential value and you have a sense that you will be a valuable part of the project.  However, you need to be quite sober around that second expectation.  The orientation below should help you with it.

1.  Your orientation should be aggressive and you should be trying to think one step ahead so that you can add value along the way – so you can lead.

2.  Your execution process revolves around the attorney champion of the project.  Whatever he/she says (or you convince them of) is how you move.  You suggest a process and plan, then wait for them to consider, edit and/or approve.

3.  The quality and success of this project is dependent on the trust and partnership you have with the attorney champion.  Ask questions that will reveal the lawyer’s viewpoints, objectives, concerns for the project and then provide solutions around each of those.  Note:  your ideas should be based on the words/orientations of the attorney champion.  Do not start with your opinions and experiences; always start with Q/A of the lawyers and then offer responses, feedback and opinions that are relevant to the discussion.

The Southwest Quadrant

Here the tasks offer minimal hope for significant value for the shareholders.  Additionally, no one is looking for you to do anything but make it happen or make it go away. So then:

1.  Your orientation should be first to see if you can delegate this project to a more appropriate person or department.  If you can outsource, do. If it’s a survey, see if HR or some other admin group has the majority of the data and send it to them.  Additionally, be passive in your efforts here.  Only act when you are asked to act or when timing dictates that you act.  As you know, all projects are subject to change from the attorneys, so minimize the amount of opportunities for those changes, since there is little chancefor them to turn a low value project into a high value project.  Don’t let any of these tasks be a time or energy drain.

2. Your execution process is to get attorney input and then do it.  Don't interpret, embellish or take it to the next level (save that for the Northeast Quadrant).

3. The success of these tasks will be based on your ability to get attorney input at the appropriate time and no sooner.  If you don't know what they want and you need to act, ask and do whatever they say.

The Southeast Quadrant

These are your worst nightmares.  Nobody cares about those and has any idea what they want.  They expect you to figure everything out, and when/if it gets done they won't care that it got done.

1.  Your initial orientation should be to ask a leader if in fact these task/project justifies using firm resources.  See if they will nix it.  If the project has to go forward then,

2.  Your execution orientation should be to get it done with a minimal amount of effort and resources.  Do not waste your extra efforts / creativity on these (save yourself for anything in the Northern quadrants).

3.  The project success will be dependent on an execution which is simple and speedy.  If you are challenged to figure this out, seek help from your supervisor or a senior member of your team.

Here is a sample of how we break things down at Winstead.  Contact me at [email protected] if you have questions about this.

 

 

A TED Conference LMA-style - Part 1. Guest post by Allen Fuqua.

If you aren't a TED-head yet, it's time you become one.  TED Conferences are described by attendees as "The ultimate brain spa" and "A 4-day journey into the future, in the company of those creating it." 

TED stands for technology, entertainment and design - three huge subject areas that are shaping our future.  A typical TED offering is a 4-day conference, which includes more than 50 speakers and topics - a flurry of new and ground-breaking ideas in a concentrated time and space. 

The planning group for the Legal Marketing Association's Los Angeles chapter conference determined that the TED format would be more engaging and inspiring than a typical LMA conference format, and, according to Winstead CMO Allen Fuqua (who spoke at the LMA TED conference), it was.  This post from Allen is a short recap of this conference, and Part 2 will be a summary of his presentation, "The Smart Work Matrix: Helping You and Your Staff Work Smarter, Better and With Less Pain/Stress."

Guest Post by Allen Fuqua

True innovation in the law firm industry is a rarity.  And I was fortunate to witness and be a participant in it on September 28, 2012 at the Legal Marketing Association's Los Angeles CME event.

The LA group hosted a Continuing Marketing Education event based on the TED big idea format. 23 speakers spoke for 20 minutes each on a big idea about which they felt passionate.  Actually it was 17 solo speakers and 2 panels of 3 speakers each.

With an LMA Los Angeles membership of some 110 professionals, the event was at capacity with 110 people registered for attendance.  The quality of the program may have been best represented by the fact that even for the last two sessions of the day-long event, the crowd remained entranced and enthusiastic.  I had the privilege to be the last solo speaker of the day and I was impressed by the numbers, the engagement and participation of that audience that endured.

The speaker's ideas came fast and furious.  Burkey Belser launched the program by providing a different take on elevator speeches, emphasizing story, personality and personal connection. Then, speaker after speaker brought insight and application to new ideas, as well as clear thoughts around issues that needed them. Too many highlights to list them all, but they included:

1. Austin Holian - talked about membership mentality and the opportunity to bring clients closer to the law firm.
2. A great group of global law firm marketing executives discussed everything from how they define success, to the importance of progress measures, to their personal approach to managing their groups and themselves.  Truly an impressive panel to aspire to emulate. 
3. Carol Schiro Greenwald explained how our communications must be defined and limited to how the brain takes in information and how it really processes the data.  Certainly it helps explain why some things work and many others are useless.
4. Jeff Gottschalk brought the latest applications of QR codes to light transforming the idea from useless flash to potential real value.  
5. Dr.Silvia Hodges challenged the crowd to consider building relationships with company procurement personnel and to get serious about using metrics.

And on and on it went. 

The entire conference was videotaped – I encourage you to find it online at the LMA LA site once it's finally posted.

Other highlights for me included Peter Ozolin, founder and CEO of Manzama, who walked attendees through the importance of identifying content and public information without ever mentioning his own product.  Weird vendor is he.

David Freeman presented different leadership styles in a succinct manner.

Nat Slavin, Partner, Wicker Park Group, and David Fish, Business Development and Communications Manager at Jones Day, producers and directors of the event, provided energy and leadership for their panels and the overall quality of the conference.

Jonathan Fitzgarrald, CMO at Greenberg Glusker and president of the LMA LA chapter started off the event with the seminal, ground-zero story of how law firm marketing began. 

And seriously, I’m not even covering half of the content highlights.

Point is, this high velocity, big idea approach produced an experience for the Los Angeles audience, which may have set a new standard for these type of events.  I do hope other LMA chapters consider this format.  Great bang for the buck and time invested.  It keeps speakers focused, makes them less inclined to talk about themselves and provides audience members a vast array of content from which to find new opportunities for their teams and their own personal work.

Once again, kudos to Nat, David, Jonathan and the rest of the organizing committee.  Certainly time well spent.