Several weeks ago I was part of a discussion on marketing in the legal industry. In the course of the conversation a successful, respected law firm leader looked around the room and announced, “I just don’t get this whole CMO thing.”
His pronouncement wasn’t argumentative or confrontational. He wasn’t lobbying against marketers. He was giving voice to what scores of law firm leaders wrestle with -- the questions of whether the marketing function (whatever it is labeled) in the legal space, is strategic at any level, and where it belongs in the hierarchy of a firm?
To be pointed -- does marketing belong in the so-called C-Suite in law firms, participating in baseline discussions of direction, profitability and growth? Or is the industry served best by top-flight marketing communication teams, able to respond, react, deliver and facilitate communication, media relations, events and the like?
And while it may be pronounced to an uncomfortable degree for marketing professionals in law firms, the underlying issue is not unique to the legal industry. The fact that in many industries the ultimate office in the Suite -- that of the CEO -- is rarely occupied by one having come through the marketing ranks, is an oft explored issue by senior marketers. And (editorial comment here) far too frequently our response as marketers is defensive...if not indignant.
There are scores of possible causes for this. The creative, polished and often “event-driven” side of marketing -- from high-end production, to the concept of “spin,” to the degree to which “optics” seem to determine so much -- may give rise to the question, How can one engaged in so much “theater” bring appropriate gravity and perspective to an executive’s role?
Whatever the reason, for all marketers aspiring to leadership, here are three ideas that will change the discussions in your organization.
- First, learn and use the language of those with whom you wish to connect / relate. Marketing-speak and Financial-speak are (most often) worlds apart. The verbal shorthand, metaphors, and acronyms of one rarely connect with the other. Want to lead strategic discussions? Speak a language that will connect with and be understood by leadership, whatever their respective discipline.
- Remember the organization’s reason for being. Unless you market an agency or creative shop, it is probably not to win awards for advertising or gain acclaim for design and creative excellence. Focus efforts on initiatives that directly connect to the mission, and watch the nature of your discussions change.
- Synthesize. See the big picture. Avoid (indeed, fight against) the silos that evolve in every organization. The leaders in technology, finance, and human resources are allies and partners of the successful marketing organization. And any perspective on strategy is incomplete if it is not a synthesis of every discipline in the organization.
One reason more marketers don’t have a “seat at the table” just might be that we haven’t found the way to connect with our colleagues in Finance, Technology, HR, Professional Development and Strategic Growth -- or whatever the departments in your organization might be.
A bit ironic that the group charged with connecting with the marketplace outside the organization has such difficulty connecting inside, don't you think? And if we are unable to connect with our colleagues, have we earned the right to an office in the C-Suite? Should we be shocked or dismayed when leaders "don't get the CMO thing?"
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Eric, this is a very good post.
ReplyDeleteThere are many challenges present, not the least of which is that law firms have not operated like traditional business entities, and have shunned the term, for a long time.
When the lack of understanding of what operating like a business means is so prevalent, then the understanding that marketing needs to have a seat at the strategic table is not surprising.
I entered this legal marketing management business, that of helping those who practice their profession help their clients to the best of their ability, from the corporate arena, where the Marketing Department was expected to generate cash flow. We lived and died by numbers that we studied throughout the day, every day. We defined strategy that involved execution by many other departments in the division, and prided ourselves in talking to them to help define that strategy. It all revolved around well-defined goals that we did not leave the starting gate without.
I believe the answer to your question is that the Marketing function in firms, as well as in any organization, company or entity, should do both. They should be an integral part of all strategic discussions that take place, but they should also be well-oiled machines that execute that strategy.
Thanks for the post, and for the discussion.
Eric,
ReplyDeleteOh that all legal marketers could have the uncluttered presence of mind and clarity of your assessment. I myself found it difficult not to get dragged into the negative mindset you describe. Lucid, cognitive reasoning is sometimes hard to maintain while in the midst of an oft combative environment.
Thank you for this great post. I hope others who read it can regroup, reassess and jump back into the fray with a strategic and practical mindset for connecting, engaging and partnering with ALL the key components that make up a law firm. Success and respect will follow.
Onward and upward.
Eric,
ReplyDeleteI continually reiterate these same thoughts and comments about connecting internally within your company as you do with your clients (or students in my case).
It is imperative that, as marketers, we communicate, collaborate, and fully understand all departments within our organization. It is the duty of a marketer to be extremely comprehensive.
Excellent blog post! Thank you for your insight.
Great clarity, indeed. IMO, there's great irony in the fact that marketers who purport to be able to sell external markets on the value of the firm's service-products have struggled so mightily to sell their department's value to the firm's owners/investors.
ReplyDeleteIs this a simple case of the cobbler's kids with no shoes, i.e., that internal marketers have allowed themselves to be too busy to do so, or does this represent a dangerous blind spot and lack of awareness or capability?
Another factor is the relative immaturity of law firms' business awareness and acumen. In our context, it's manifest most visibly by the lack of understanding that marketing and sales are different functions entirely. Interdependent, yes, but distinctly different.
This marketing immaturity isn't surprising. Law firms have just concluded what even the staid ABA Journal described as "a golden age of prosperity unmatched by any other industry." Driven by 20 years of unprecedented sustained demand, law firms grew inordinately profitably without having to worry at all about demand-generation.
Examine the history of law firm marketing. It's largely been driven by a succession of ego-buys:
- "we're great" brochures
- "I'm great" PR
- "we're great" websites
- "we're great" advertising
When everyone was buying, this was harmless fun, although it did naturally retard the development of any marketing function. Marketers frustrated by the lack of respect they felt partners gave them should understand that, to those who think business comes in as a result of them doing great legal work, you're the unnecessary (and expensive) pet project of a benignly misguided managing partner or committee.
IMO, most law firm marketing investments pre-2009 were sales-avoidance strategies. "If we can throw money at [fill in the blank marketing tactic] maybe I won't have to (shudder) go out there and sell this stuff."
The days of marketing activity for its own sake will hopefully be replace by goal-based investment and activity, where the metrics align with the owners' self-interest, which is PPP.
To Eric's point about "reason for being," even an ad shop can't exist simply to win creative awards. No less than David Ogilvy forbade his creative directors to enter ads in creative competitions, arguing that the only competition that matters is already happening in the client's market. "If it doesn't sell, it isn't creative."
Nancy, Michael, Kenneth and Mike -- thanks to each of you for sharing your important perspectives. Dialogue is the seed of change. Let's keep the discussion going -- in our professional communities and with our teams/colleagues.
ReplyDelete