Over on Law.com, Bruce Marcus has an interesting article titled The Difference Between Doing and Managing Marketing (link no longer available). In this article, Mr. Marcus describes some of the progression of the marketing function in law firms and some of the common downfalls that firms have experienced from this approach. One of my favorite quotes from the article addresses the issues we professionals sometimes have with turning control over to others:
“And if you think you’re smart enough to manage a marketing program, you’re smart enough to trust the marketing professional you hired to do it.”
The article gives advice on how professionals can become better managers – better at managing in general as well as managing the marketing function.
I often talk about the importance of writing down your marketing plan. In fact, I tell my clients they don’t have a plan if it is not written down. I believe that the points Mr. Marcus makes in his article support the need for a written plan. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say I don’t believe a firm can be successful in implementing Mr. Marcus’ advice without a written plan.
Mr. Marcus has this to say about managing:
“Essentially, managing — all managing — boils down to three major things:
• Having a vision for the firm or the department;
• Being able to communicate that vision to the people who have to make it a reality; and
• Being able to inspire staff to make that vision a reality.”
Having a written plan, including a vision for the firm, is a key step in clarifying the vision and sharing it with others.
The article goes on to list the key components of managing the marketing function in a law firm. I’ll summarize his points as follows:
- Have a clear vision
- Have goals to reach the vision
- Have clear expectations of everyone’s role
- Have the ability to measure results, hold people accountable for results, and adjust the plan as necessary.
- Clearly communicate 1-4 to the firm
In my opinion, having a written plan is the foundation professional service firms need as a starting point to meet these objectives.
A written marketing plan doesn’t have to be a hundred page manual that sits on a shelf collecting dust after it is written. Some of the most useful marketing plans that I have seen consist of 1 or 2 sheets of paper.
I often hear professional service firm partners lament about their struggles to “get everyone on the same page”. The first step to getting everyone on the same page is to create the page.
