While
many
of
the
education
sessions
at
the
LMA’s
annual
conference
centered
on
technology
—
AI,
Google
Analytics
and
more
—
two
key
panels
took
a
more
analog
approach,
focusing
on
problem-solving
and
client
service.
There’s
a
key
reason
for
it:
Without
systems
for
diagnosing
firm
issues
or
cultivating
client
relationships,
marketing
technology
solutions
are
just
tactics
in
search
of
strategy.
To
go
“all
in,”
as
the
conference
theme
emphasized,
legal
marketers
must
nail
the
fundamentals.
Here
are
select
takeaways
for
law
firm
marketers
from
the
panels
I
attended.
Learn
to
Speak
Non-Marketer
During
the
session
titled
“Navigating
the
Marketing
Maze:
An
Open
Exchange
Program
for
Small
to
Midsize
Firms,”
presenters
guided
the
audience
through
some
pitfalls
of
small-firm
marketing.
The
panel
facilitated
some
group
work
(and
a
little
group
therapy),
as
attendees
broke
into
small
groups
to
share
their
struggles
and
success
stories,
before
reconvening
to
report
back.
One
breakout
group
noted
that
lawyers
do
not
often
speak
marketing
jargon;
they
are
unlikely
to
value
metrics
like
“engagement”
or
“click-through
rate.”
Instead,
marketers
should
speak
with
attention-getting
language
and
metaphors
that
help
to
put
the
tactics
into
context.
One
small-firm
marketer
said
she
launched
an
internal
campaign
at
the
firm
to
“feed
the
beast”
of
content
creation;
her
lawyers
now
regularly
cite
the
motto
back
to
her
when
they
submit
blog
posts
and
social
media
ideas.
Set
Up
Clear
Metrics
Consistency
counts
—
especially
when
metrics
are
being
tracked
by
different
humans,
different
practice
areas,
potentially
different
offices.
Kate
Schenkel
of
Pond
Lehocky
Giordano
LLP
shared
that
she
struggled
to
generate
a
report
of
matters
directly
tied
to
marketing
efforts.
The
number
felt
low,
but
it
wasn’t
until
she
investigated
the
data
entry
itself
that
she
found
the
issue:
At
the
intake
stage,
one
team
was
using
a
different
tracking
field
than
the
rest
of
the
firm.
“Because
I
didn’t
have
standard
set
metrics
across
the
firm,
we
weren’t
looking
at
accurate
clean
data,”
she
said.
“Set
up
clear
metrics
across
the
firm,
what
every
department
will
use.
That
solved
the
issue.”
Drum
Up
the
Data
Moderator
Wayne
Pollock
of
Copo
Strategies
and
the
Law
Firm
Editorial
Service
encouraged
small
and
midsize
firms
not
to
be
daunted
by
the
concept
of
“competitive
intelligence.”
Instead,
he
said,
they
should
look
for
straightforward
and
objective
data
that
could
inform
marketing
decisions
(and
prove
or
disprove
lawyer
assumptions).
For
example,
he
said,
if
the
firm
has
seen
a
drop
in
work
for
a
particular
type
of
suit,
resist
the
urge
to
conclude,
“We’re
not
getting
the
cases.”
That
need
not
be
Big
Data;
courtroom
records
can
show
what’s
happening.
“Are
you
not
getting
cases
because
your
competitors
are
getting
them,
or
is
the
volume
down?”
he
said.
“Did
the
law
change?
It
may
not
be
marketing’s
fault.
What’s
going
on?”
Learn
From
the
Restaurateurs
A
more
Biglaw-focused
panel,
“From
Key
Account
Management
to
Client
Teams
—
Insights
for
Stronger
Client
Relationships,”
was
all
about
deepening
relationships
with
key
clients.
The
panel
focused
on
practical
tips
for
creating
and
deploying
client
teams
—
groups
of
lawyers
and
other
professionals,
sometimes
across
practice
areas,
focused
on
one
major
client.
One
general
theme
that
emerged:
begin
with
small
victories.
While
there
are
complicated
account
planning
templates
in
the
marketing
ecosystem,
start
your
client
teams
out
with
straightforward
plans.
“Let’s
track
some
goals
and
action
items,
and
measure
what
matters,”
said
Kelly
Harbour,
chief
business
development
officer
at
Goulston
&
Storrs
PC.
She
emphasized
that
“what
matters”
will
vary
from
client
to
client.
For
example,
one
of
her
firm’s
clients
was
a
real
estate
company
that
only
operated
in
one
major
city.
While
the
firm
tracked
matters
that
originated
from
various
offices
for
other
client
teams,
it
made
no
sense
for
this
one.
Some
other
helpful
guidance
comes
from
the
food
service
industry.
Just
as
restaurants
do
“soft
openings,”
if
your
law
firm
does
not
yet
have
client
teams
in
place,
start
slowly
and
quietly
with
a
few
test
cases.
“If
it
fails,
it
should
be
like
the
tree
falling
in
the
forest
that
no
one
hears,”
Harbour
said.
“Then
pivot
and
reboot.”
Raise
the
Army
of
the
Willing
Similarly,
it’s
essential
to
choose
relationship
partners
who
are
friendly
to
the
concept
when
building
and
deploying
a
client
team.
“Even
if
it
goes
well,
you
may
have
to
climb
some
difficult
mountains,”
Harbour
said.
“For
the
first
foray,
swim
with
the
current,
choose
an
anthill,
and
save
the
mountains
for
later.”
Look
for
partners
who
already
collaborate
with
other
practice
areas
or
offices
–
the
lawyers
who
already
show
the
behavior
needed
for
successful
client
teams.
Client
teams
will
only
be
successful
in
law
firms
with
cultures
that
support
them,
noted
Linda
Sanders,
the
director
of
client
experience
at
Troutman
Pepper.
Compensation
structures
are
one
key
element;
client
teams
work
best
when
relationship
partners
share
credit
with
team
members.
Put
Your
Focus
Squarely
on
the
Client
While
client
teams
are
a
law
firm
initiative,
marketers
should
remember
that
a
key
account
program
should
not
be
done
to
the
client,
but
with
the
client.
Mark
Young
of
Vox
Actio,
the
session’s
moderator,
emphasized
the
theme
of
“collaborative
planning”:
“Let
them
have
a
voice
and
feel
some
ownership.”
The
clients
identified
as
“key
accounts”
should
also
be
those
that
advance
the
firm’s
strategic
plan.
Give
oxygen
to
the
clients
that
complement
the
firm’s
priorities,
whether
that’s
market
share
in
a
given
industry,
expansion
into
a
new
region,
or
so
forth.
Once
a
team
is
established,
it’s
important
to
anticipate
challenges
—
succession
planning
chief
among
them.
Goulston
&
Storrs’
Harbour
said
she
likes
to
prompt
the
teams
with
questions
like:
“What
happens
if
the
general
counsel
wins
the
lottery?
What
does
our
relationship
look
like?”
Client
teams
should
also
focus
on
client
pain
points.
Young,
the
session
moderator,
shared
five
trending
areas
of
insights
from
his
recent
client
feedback
interviews.
Consider
what
your
firm
can
do
to
improve
on:
-
Knowing
the
business,
including
the
culture. -
Defining
(and
tracking!)
value. -
Getting
ahead
of
succession
planning. -
Using
legal
technology
effectively. -
Listening
well.
Bonus
Takeaway:
A
Draft
Agenda
So
you
have
a
team
up-and-running.
What
now?
Sanders
shared
a
typical
meeting
agenda.
This
includes:
-
Recent
interactions
with
the
client. -
Personnel
changes
at
the
client;
are
there
opportunities
to
help
during
departures
or
leaves? -
Meaningful
touch
points
on
the
radar
(example:
inviting
clients
to
partner
retreat). -
Significant
matter
updates. -
Analysis
of
engagement;
who
from
the
client
is
reading
and
interacting
with
firm
marketing? -
Potential
introductions.
Katherine
(Katie)
Hollar
Barnard
is
the
managing
partner
of
Firesign
|
Enlightened
Legal
Marketing,
a
communications
agency
for
law
firms
and
legal
service
providers.
She
also
serves
as
co-chair
of
the
LMA’s
Strategies
&
Voices
editorial
committee.