May Event Recap: Top CMOs and Directors Divulge Their Secrets for Success
On May 19, 2011, LMA MPC was fortunate to have four of the top legal marketing minds converge on the monthly lunch meeting. Moderator Julie Meyers, CMO at Schnader Harrison Segal and Lewis in Philadelphia led the panel discussion that also featured:Jeanne Hammerstrom, CMO at Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff in Cleveland; Mark Young, CMO at SNR Denton in New York; and Ellen Musante, Global Director of Marketing and Business Development at Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy in New York. All of the panelists were eager to share and discussed not only what marketing and business development efforts they are spearheading for their firms, but how they got where they are today.
Ellen, who has been with Milbank for less than a year, shared her experiences in searching for a new position. She was very strategic and didn’t just rush into finding a new job. She reviewed her extensive contact list and determined who would be best suited to help her find a new position. In essence, Ellen created her own personal Board of Directors or Advisory Council, asking them to list her strengths and weaknesses. She used this information to analyze which position and firm she would be best suited for and let the trusted advisors in her network know she was on the job hunt.
Mark called himself an “accidental CMO.” He was a lawyer for 15 years, working in the areas of marketing and advertising. He withdrew from the law firm partnership to go in-house at a traditional advertising firm. Mark is now CMO of SNR Denton, a law firm with 60 offices in 49 countries. It’s a tremendous challenge, as all of the marketing is done from the headquarters in New York.
Jeanne, who is also 2011 President of the Legal Marketing Association, referred to herself has a “fixer.” She has worked at five firms, all of which had “broken” or non-existing marketing departments. She left the previous four firms on good terms and discussed the importance of building relationships along the way. In her current firm, Jeanne has built a staff of eight. She did this by developing strategic partnerships with other departments to expand the role of marketing. Jeanne talked about the importance of marketing, accounting, IT and HR working together.
The panel went on to talk about some secrets to success. Mark talked about surrounding yourself with good, smart people and realizing that everyone plays a role and brings a different skill set, no matter how junior their position may be. Ellen talked about understanding the culture of the firm and knowing how you can effect change, whether it be by practice group, client team, etc. Jeanne realized early on in her career that you can’t be everything to everyone. If you have the resources, hire consultants to manage some of the work you can’t do, such as coaching. She also recommended bringing key partners to conferences so they can see and hear firsthand the challenges that legal marketers face.
While all of the panelists realized the growing importance of social media as a tool for developing relationships, none of them felt that their respective firms had robust social media plans and could point to any successes. This is an area that keeps evolving and it will be a long time before law firms truly grasp it.
The panel was asked for one last piece of parting advice:
Jeanne: 1) Build your network, get involved in LMA leadership. 2) Be your own cheerleader. Share the wins and let the firm know what you’re doing.
Ellen: Do what you say you’re going to do. Don’t assume you can rely on anyone else. Understand your resources.
Mark: Be prepared!