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Marketing

Are You a Proactive Marketer?

by Anne Parys

August 2006

Marketing is most successful when it is proactive rather than reactive. Here is a short quiz to gauge how proactively you are serving your clients and prospects:

  1. After a networking event, I take the business cards I gathered and:
    1. follow up within a week with a phone call
    2. add them to the firm's database
    3. throw them in the back of my drawer

    2.  

  2. When the firm sponsors an event, I:
    1. ask for a copy of the attendee list so I can identify prospects and clients that I want to be sure to meet
    2. attend the event and enjoy the free food and drink
    3. don't get involved

    3.  

  3. I monitor newstories relating to my clients/industry/practice:
    1. daily
    2. weekly
    3. not at all

    4.  

  4. If I do monitor the news, I use the information to:
    1. bring new and timely ideas to my clients
    2. forward articles of interest to my clients
    3. check the sports pages

    5.  

  5. When I have a speaking engagement, I always:
    1. stick around to answer questions and personally follow up with potential clients
    2. have my contact information on my materials and circulate a sign up sheet for firm newsletters
    3. get back to my office (and more important stuff) ASAP

    6.  

  6. When a client or colleague refers a case to me, I:
    1. immediately call to thank him or her, and in some instances, send a gift
    2. thank him or her the next time we run into each other
    3. don't keep track

    7.  

  7. I think about marketing:
    1. all the time
    2. here and there
    3. never

If you answered mainly "a", congratulations - you're doing some great marketing. If most of your answers are "b", you're off to a good start but there is plenty of room for improvement. If you have a lot of "c" answers, you need to evaluate what is holding you back. You may be tempted to argue that you are an attorney, not a salesperson, but keep in mind that many marketing techniques can go a long way to making you a better attorney. At the heart of marketing is understanding your clients, the issues that they face, and building a proactive relationship.

You'd be hard pressed to find a client who doesn't want a lawyer who is knowledgeable, responsive, and looking out for them. Doing your homework demonstrates that you are searching for solutions to their problems. Being accessible and courteous shows that your time isn't only about billable hours. The extra effort you make will be apparent - and may be the deciding factor the next time a client or prospect needs to engage an attorney.

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About the Author

is the Director of Marketing for Rothman Gordon, P.C., a Pittsburgh-based law firm.