In a post yesterday, I listed the five biggest legal marketing mistakes according to Jim Calloway that were included in an article that appeared in Lawyers Weekly USA (subscription required) by Nora Tooher. Today, I am covering from the same article Gerry Riskin’s five biggest marketing mistakes.
They are:
1.Being firm-focused vs. client-centric (better to form client teams consisting of lawyers from various practices resulting in more of a focus on the client),
2.Not enough interaction with clients and prospects (don’t rely on brochures, support of charitable events or other hands-off activities in the hopes of raising your profile so clients beat their way to your door. Better to have a “high-touch” factor, according to Gerry.),
3.Failure to use or listen to your marketing professionals (rather than trying new things, lawyers want to know if other firms have utilized a particular marketing tactic successfully – sorta a follow-the-herd mentality which will definitely keep a firm from standing out among the crowd),
4.Over-lawyering and under-marketing (especially when it comes to new ideas. Gerry cites the example of Clifford Chance purchasing a liquor license in order to be able to serve liquor after hours to clients.),
5.Lack of accountability or follow-up when it comes to marketing (the “embarrassment factor” of not accomplishing a promised goal is a real lawyer motivator, and comes into play when there are regular (at least monthly) lawyer marketing sessions to check on the marketing plan’s progress.)
Good advice, Gerry, and thanks. Next time, we’ll look at Larry Bodine’s biggest marketing mistakes.