Many of you may have missed it, but those fortunate few who had the opportunity to take part in SMORS on Wednesday, March 14 were in luck. Not only was there a full day of six great sessions focusing on the needs of those with limited budgets or limited staff (or both), but there was the added bonus of a smaller, more intimate crowd of legal marketers. It was a great lead-in to the overall conference that kicked off on Thursday and provided proven solutions that marketers at any size firm can employ.
Moderators Emily Krause, Director of Marketing at Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen and Tom Helm, Business Development Director at Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers, LLP started the day off by presenting the "Top Ten Ingredients you will need for success" such as:
1. Manage your time well.
2. Find your allies in the firm.
3. Know the business and the clients.
4. Be over-prepared.
5. Don't be an expense (show ROI).
6. Make it easy (for each attorney with whom you interact).
7. Be accountable.
8. Deliver top-notch customer service at all times.
9. Think strategically.
10. Follow the trends.
Each of the day's sessions incorporated at least one of the ingredients in their presentations. They all delivered practical and executable advice that could be tailored to nearly every situation. There were three that resonated particularly well with me given the nature of my sole-marketer department.
"Managing your Staff and the Workload - Inside Secrets to Getting it All Done" featured best practices from two seasoned legal marketers covering everything from managing priorities and attorney expectations to convincing your firm to focus time and money on high-value activities and more. It was a great refresher on the basics, as well as new ways to tackle old issues facing legal marketers.
"Building a Strategic Planning Process that can be Sold, Sustained and Scaled" examined how to facilitate and implement a strategic plan on a shoestring while engaging attorneys in the process. The two presenters - one of whom was the Capital Chapter's own Ezra Crawford - sometimes had extremely different approaches to addressing strategy based on their particular firm's culture. This made for a very thorough approach to what can be a touchy subject for marketers.
Finally, "Unlock the Talent Within: How to Create a Dynamic, In-House Business Development Mentoring Program" was an excellent case study of how one legal marketer implemented a cost-effective business development mentoring program that leveraged internal resources and required a minimal budget. I particularly enjoyed that other more scaled-back options were presented, laying out mentoring program templates that anyone could immediately use.
SMORS packed a lot of goodness into a compact space, not unlike the delicious campfire treat. I mentally dusted off some of my old tools, got rid of the broken ones and am looking forward to developing some new after attending. It helped me ease into the full conference and make the most of my session selections during the rest of my time in Grapevine.
And the biggest take-away? Legal marketers are a unique bunch that face the exact same problems albeit in different guises. No matter your level or experience, there will always be a peer in LMA you can turn to for advice, ideas or even a shoulder to cry on (figuratively or literally). Take advantage of all the benefits membership offers.
By Kristin Keen, Director of Marketing/Business Development at Watt, Tieder, Hoffar & Fitzgerald, LLP, a 96-attorney construction law boutique headquartered in McLean, VA and with offices in Irvine, San Francisco, Seattle, Las Vegas, and Miami (She is currently a department of one, but hopes to change that soon) for the March/April 2012 Issue of the Capital Ideas Newsletter.