Dear Snap-D, We are toying around with the idea of having fewer than 10 people in our 30-person firm responsible for business generation. The others will focus primarily on billing. Have you seen such a business model? What are your thoughts?
A: Yes, I have seen such models. As a matter of fact, many firms operate in such a manner but don’t officially call it their business model.
In every firm, there are rainmakers and your worker bees. We often want our worker bees to become rainmakers, and this usually doesn’t work. I commend your firm in acknowledging that there are only a handful of good rainmakers and placing the resources in those folks.
I believe this is a healthy model and a win-win. It provides proper expectations, and everyone knows their responsibility. I’m assuming compensation will be adjusted accordingly. If not, it should — or else your rainmakers can loose steam and incentive very quickly.
Q: A third-party company has approached us to write articles and prepare a newsletter on our behalf every month. Do you have any experience with these companies?
A: This service is good for the firms that will never get around to writing content and would like to disseminate generic content to prospects. It has been my experience that my clients do not like the form of writing nor do they like the content that is disseminated via these companies.
If you’re looking for ease and don’t really care about exactly what is being sent out, then go for it. If you are like 99 percent of my clients, you will want to send communications less frequently yet have a customized piece that is well-written and targeted.
Q: We are considering hiring a chief marketing officer for our 100-lawyer firm. Until now, we’ve had various marketing folks that were managed by our executive director. Do you have suggestion of where to find a qualified person?
A: If you’re looking for someone who has previously worked in law firms, the Legal Marketing Association is a good place to start. Most legal marketers are members and would most likely look for employment here first. LinkedIn is also a great place to narrow down your search.
If you’re not looking for someone who has a legal marketing background, you might want to search other professional service organizations or use good old fashioned word of mouth. If all else fails, hire a recruiter who will do all the weeding and work for you.