Lawyers, You’re Wasting Your Marketing Team. And Here’s How to Fix It!
Business law firms invest in marketing and business development teams, yet too many lawyers barely scratch the surface of what these professionals can do to help grow their practice. Law firm marketing and biz dev have come a long way in the past twenty years, but most lawyers have no idea how much talent their firm has inside the organization.
I’ve spent years speaking to law firms and coaching partners and senior associates on business development strategies. One thing is clear: most attorneys don’t fully utilize the resources sitting right down the hall (or on the other end of an email). The law firm marketing team you have is more qualified to impact your practice that you know. The time has come for most lawyers to invest the time to utilize their resources and grow the bottom line for the whole firm.
If your law firm marketing and business development teams are not being used, and you’re still struggling to build a strong book of business, chances are you’re making one or more of these mistakes:
1. You Treat Marketing Like an Order-Taking Service
Many lawyers view their law firm’s marketing team as an on-demand brochure factory… someone to update their bio, throw together a pitch deck, or send out a generic client alert. But real business development requires strategy, not just execution.
Your marketing team knows what works. They’ve seen which initiatives bring in clients and which fall flat. Instead of just requesting tasks, sit down with them to discuss your personal brand, thought leadership opportunities, and how you can proactively market yourself beyond just showing up to the firm’s events.
2. You Ignore The Law Firm Marketing Team’s Competitive Insights
Your business development professionals track market trends, competitor strategies, and industry shifts. They know where your competitors are winning business, which industries are growing, and what your potential clients are looking for in outside counsel.
If you aren’t having regular conversations with your inside law firm marketing and business development staff about how to position yourself in the market, you’re leaving opportunities on the table. Ask them for insights, competitive intelligence, and areas where you can differentiate your practice.
3. You Don’t Schedule One-on-One Strategy Sessions
One of the biggest mistakes lawyers make is assuming their law firm marketing team’s efforts will automatically support their individual practice. The reality? If you aren’t actively engaging with your marketing or business development manager, they aren’t focusing on you. These talented people are over worked and have to choose where to put their attention. If they do not know you and understand your goals, they will not be working on you.
Make it a priority to sit down quarterly with your practice group’s business development professional (or the one assigned to your office). Talk through your client pipeline, discuss upcoming conferences or speaking opportunities, and develop a game plan for targeted relationship-building.
Take Action
Your law firm marketing and business development professionals aren’t just there to make things look good… they’re there to help you grow your practice. Engage with them strategically, leverage their insights, and treat them like business partners rather than service providers. If you refer to the staff at your firm as “Lawyers and Non-Lawyers”… you are dropping the ball. These people on your payroll are not “Non-Lawyers”… the are your PROFESSIONAL STAFF. Treat them as such and you will have better results.
If you’re not sure where to start, book that first one-on-one meeting today. You might be surprised by how much untapped value is waiting for you.
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Thom Singer, CSP, is a professional keynote speaker and coach (who specializes in law firms) who spent many years working for two AMLAW 100 firms in the rold of marketing and business development manager. He is also the CEO at the Austin Technology Council.