Professional Marketing for PM Forum membersVolume 22 | Issue 8 | April 2015

Should we be following in Nike’s footsteps?

PlusTelling stories by video,

What professional services can learn from consumer brands like Nike, Audi and Apple

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Want to learn something new in 2015?

The Future Marketing ManagerThursday 16 April / Thursday 22 October - Full day

Negotiating skills and effective conflict resolutionThursday 30 April - Half day

Up to speed in digital marketing and social mediaWednesday 13 May - Half day

Practical and professional skills for marketing and BD assistantsThursday 21 May - Half day

Getting it past the partners – All about buy-inThursday 4 June - Half day

Boosting problem solving, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial skillsThursday 18 June - Half day

Being more strategicWednesday 1 July - Full day

Marketing and BD planning in a nutshell Thursday 10 September - Half day

The Proactive Marketing Executive Wednesday 30 September - Full day

Helping fee earners prepare the perfect pitch Thursday 8 October 2015 - Half day

Find out more on these and other workshops at www.pmforum.co.uk/training

Take a look at PM Forum training workshops:

pm | April 2015 1

Professional Marketing for PM Forum members

04 Cover storyBrand differentiationStephen Quinn believes that profes-sional services and B2B firms cancreate outstanding advertising andbranding campaigns. They just need tothink more like a consumer brand.

07 Telling stories by videoSimon Baker looks at how other B2Bmarketers use corporate storytellingvideos and what the professions canlearn from them.

12 Local and global: thechallengesPhilip Kovacevic asks what kind ofmarketing and business developmentstructure are you working in, and why?

14 Slowing down is not anoptionHerbert Smith Freehills is one of the top15 law firms in the world, partly thanksto a strong reputation in corporate anddisputes. Owen Williams, a London-based head in their BusinessDevelopment and Marketing function,talks to PM.

16 Breaking through to thenext levelLuan de Burgh has some wise wordsfor those who are keen to break throughto the next level of leadership, and wantto know what kind of behaviours toadopt (and avoid) in order to get there.

Plus02 Leader03 Global village06 Network09 Careerwatch10 Case study18 How to…21 Marketing basics23 Technology28 Second opinion

04.15 contents4 7

12 14

CPDReading pm contributes to yourCPD under the CIM’s category 9(private study) to a maximum of 8hours

16

2 pm | April 2015

leader

pm is printed alcohol-free,using vegetable basedinks by Purbrooks, an ISO14001 accreditedcompany.

If a compelling reason were needed forprofessional firms to create effectivemobile websites, it arrived in January.That is when Google started sending

messages to web operators to “fix mobileusability issues.”

Google is already labeling sites thatare ‘mobile friendly’ and penalises siteswith a bad mobile experience. It is clearthat mobile-friendly sites will berewarded with a ranking boost.

This reflects a sea change in the waythat clients communicate. Mobile phoneshave been outselling computers for years.People have shifted from interacting on a22-inch monitor to a 4x5 inch screen,from sending emails to sending texts, andfrom viewing the web on a desktop to ahandheld device.

Website marketing is no small matter.A firm’s website is the top way thatclients find out about a professional firm,more so than referrals from colleagues,according to Hinge Marketing.Accordingly, what a professional firmdisplays on its mobile phone makes a bigdifference.

We all know that people are obsessedwith their phones. Time spent with digitalmedia among US adults has surpassedtime spent with TV – with mobile drivingthe shift, according to eMarketer. We usemobiles to set an alarm, pay for coffee,check the time, use the calculator – andoccasionally make a call.

Test yourself: use your mobile to visityour own firm’s website. Is the text toosmall to read? Are the images too small tosee? Can you make out your logo? This isbad marketing.

Essential elements for a professionalfirm’s mobile site are big, simple buttons.There should be a click-to-call button (no

The compellingcase for mobilemarketingLarry Bodine, US Editorial Consultant,PM Magazine

Smart marketers willpuzzle out what is thetrigger that makesclients contact theirfirm.

need to type the firm’s phone number), aclick-to-message button, and an interac-tive map button.

More than that, your mobile siteshould convey a ‘mobile moment’ or‘brand experience’:• The message should be viewable in one

glance. Infographics work very well.• It should anticipate the needs and

motivations of your clients.• The mobile site should offer something

to act on immediately.• It should offer a giveaway, such as a

printout, checklist or guide.• The site should provide something for

visitors to sign up for, such as yourmarketing list.

For instance, we published a blog post onPersonalinjury.com that asked: “Are YouDriving One of the 19 Deadliest Cars?”Readers could not resist clicking to findout. We published a video interview, “9Questions to Ask Every Lawyer YouInterview.” Potential clients eagerlyplayed it to hear the answers.

Smart marketers will puzzle out whatis the trigger that makes clients contacttheir firm. The more successfully thistrigger is converted into a click-worthymobile experience, the more potentialclients will contact the firm.

Managing editorNadia Cristina pmmagazine@pmint.co.uk

PublisherRichard Chaplin

Editorial consultant in chiefKim Tasso

Regional editorial consultantsAsia – Robert SawhneyAustralia – Dianne DavisCanada – Larry StroudUSA – Larry Bodine

Commercial & membership enquiriesPaul Lemonpaul@pmint.co.uk

Cover designMytton Williams

Join our group on LinkedIn

pm is published ten times a year and distributedby Practice Management International LLP, 422Salisbury House, London Wall, London EC2M5QQ, UK 020 7786 9786 ISSN 0969-1847 www.pmforumglobal.com

© Practice Management International LLP 2014.All rights reserved.Professional Marketing (pm) accepts noresponsibility for loss of or damage, howevercaused, to any material submitted forpublication nor for consequences resulting fromthe use of the information in this magazine, norin any respect for the content of suchinformation. Neither Professional Marketing northe PM Forum endorses the opinions expressedor any products or services advertised in thismagazine or on its website. No part of thispublication may be reproduced or transmitted inany form or by any means, or stored in anyretrieval system of any nature, except forpermitted fair dealing or fair use under applicablelaw, without the prior permission of thepublishers.

pm | April 2015 3

global village

JobsVacancies on the PMForum Global jobboard include…

Digital Marketing andSocial Media Assistant –Accountancy, London,£70,000 to £80,000

BD adviser – Mills &Reeve, Birmingham,Cambridge, Manchester orNorwich, £Competitive

Marketing Team Leader –Allianz, Brentford, up to£40,000

Regional BD Manager –Baker Tilly, North West,£Competitive

Regional Marketing and BDSenior Manager – BakerTilly, Central Region,£Excellent

Client Development & CRMSystems Manager – Law,London, £40,000 to£50,000

Events Executive – Law,London, £26,000 to£30,000

Head of Marketing Productand Propositions –Warrington, £45,000 to£55,000

Bid Manager – Manchester,£35,000 to £45,000

Bid Manager –Accountancy, London,£50,000 to £60,000

Client DevelopmentExecutive – Law, London,£Competitive

Proposition Manager –North Yorkshire, £32,000 to£35,000

For free email alerts, visit jobs.pmforumglobal.com

Competition winnerCongratulations to Sarah Bailey of ERM in London,who wins a copy of Effective Client Management inProfessional Services.

On the move…

Robert Pinheiro

Caroline Tremlett

Wendy Taylor

Gillian Orr has joined McClureNaismith as Sales & MarketingManager. She was previouslywith Maclay Murray & Spens.She takes over from AudreyJohnstone who has moved toCampbell Dallas as MarketingDirector.

Robert Pinheiro has beenpromoted to Senior Marketingand CRM Manager at WithyKing.

Charlotte Waters has joinedCBW as Marketing Manager.She was previously withMacIntyre Hudson.

North west architects, MichaelHyde and Associates haveexpanded their team with theappointment of Hilary Garrett,a marketing specialist whobrings over 25 years’ experi-ence to the firm.

Caroline Tremlett has joinedTaylor Wessing as BusinessDevelopment Manager. Shewas previously with ByfieldConsultancy.

Reed Smith has appointedWendy Taylor as its new ChiefMarketing Officer. She will leadthe firm’s global business devel-opment and marketing opera-tions from its Washington DCoffice. Wendy was previouslychief marketing officer atDechert.

BDOtriumphs atMPFAwardsAccountancy firm BDO wonthree heavyweight categoriesat this year’s MPF Awards –Best strategic leadership,Best financial managementand Best managed nationalfirm.

Law firm Norton RoseFulbright won Best performinglegal brand for the secondyear in succession, as well asBest collaboration across themanagement team.

Baltic law firm Magnussonwon Best managed interna-tional firm, having beenrunner up in the category in2014.

Other winners included:Appleby (Best thought leader-ship); Baker & McKenzie(Best diversity and inclusionprogramme); BLP (Most inno-vative client service); Bird &Bird (Most innovative use ofsocial media & Best use ofsystems and technology);CBRE (Best alignment ofresources); Clyde & Co (Bestcommunity engagement);CMS (Best provision of know-how); DWF (Best managedworkplace + Best leadershipof innovation); FreshfieldsBruckhaus Deringer (Bestsocial mobility programme);Grant Thornton International(Best programme for leader-ship development); Lane4(Best change managementprogramme); Radiant Law(Mould breaking firm).

Find out why they won atwww.mpfglobal.com/awards

Date for your diaryNever too early to mark your calendar for the annual PMForum conference – Thursday 24 September 2015. More details coming soon…

4 pm | April 2015

opinion

Branddifferentiation

Often marketers in the profes-sions look enviously atconsumer brands and wishthat their firm could create

stand out communications too. But how?Many of the best consumer brands

don’t focus on what they do. They focuson why they do it. Simon Sinek, the UKbased author shares a simple but effectivemethod in his book Start with Why. Inhis book he shows that many undifferen-tiated brands focus on their products andservices rather than what they believe.Thus leading to a generic productmessage and more reliance on pricestrategies.

He talks mainly about consumerbrands but how would a typical profes-sional firm express itself? For example:

What do we do? We are a corporate law firm.

How do we do what we do?By having the best people and the higheststandard of integrity and professionalism.

Why do we do what we do? We rarely see why a law firm does whatthey do.

We’ve seen this type of generic messagingon so many professional services firmswebsite and we believe that’s it’s becauseof a reliance on service messages ratherthan a belief based message.

Before we look to how a professionalservice firm can rethink their messaginglet’s look at three consumer brands that

Stephen Quinn believes that professional servicesand B2B firms can create outstanding advertisingand branding campaigns. They just need to thinkmore like a consumer brand.

NikeWhy? Nike believes that anyone can be anathlete.

How?By encouraging people to try new sportsand activities and not let society or theirown fears get in the way.

What? Footwear, apparel and technology prod-ucts that help you get the most from yourchosen activity.

Nike express their ‘why’ in every conceiv-able platform and while their advertisingmessages will change, their core beliefremains constant. You can do it, so ‘justdo it’.

AppleWhy? Apple believes in challenging the statusquo.

How? By creating products that change how weuse/consume the things we love.

What? Mobile phones, computers, musicplayers.

Apple have been disrupting industrieslike music, telecommunications,computing for many years and eventhough their products are often not firstto market they connect with many

It’s in the DNA of amarketer to stand outand in the DNA of apartner to fit in.

operate a Why/How/What rather than aWhat/How/Why model.

AudiWhy? Audi’s tagline is Vorsprung durchTechnik which loosely translated means‘progression through technology’. So their‘why’ is about exploring the future andseeing what’s possible.

How? Through constant research and develop-ment.

What? Cars with the latest technology thatmakes driving easier and safer.

Audi have recently expressed their beliefthrough the launch of their electrichybrid A3 e-tron and a live event wherebyan Audi A7 completed a lap of the famousHokenheim Ring racing track without adriver controlling the car. Yes, Audi areselling cars but they’re selling them topeople who love technology and innova-tion.

pm | April 2015 5

opinion

Stephen Quinn is CreativeDirector of Atomic.www.atomic.ie

3 Committees kill creativityWe’ve all sat through them. And we’llnever get that time back again. Whyshould everyone have an opinion or haveto be consulted? What starts out as aninteresting idea often gets watered downto a bland, inoffensive piece of communi-cation that pleases everyone internallyand excites no one externally. If you’veconvinced the partners on Point 2 thenthe next stage is to take total ownershipand go and make it happen. By all meanskeep a small group in the loop but nottogether and only as a courtesy.

4 Tell one story at a timeThe bigger the campaign, the bigger therisk so why start big and make key peoplein the firm worried? In a world whereprecedence is everything it’s better toshow a series of successes and thenagitate for more budget and resource.Furthermore, starting small and provingcompetency and success means you’ll beleft alone because you’re the expert atwhat you do, not the facilitator for part-ners’ ideas.

5 Let the right people see yourstoryOne of the areas that marketers oftenforget about when creating newcampaigns is promotion. There isn’tmuch point creating an online videoabout a new CSR programme and thenexpecting people to just stumble across it.When consumer brands create campaignsthey buy media, they create events andthey share with their network of fans.Professional firms should do the sameeven if on much smaller budgets.

In summary, we believe that there is a lotto be learnt from consumer brands andhow they express their personality. But inthe consumer space the marketingdepartment and sales department speak asimilar language. In the professions thatlanguage is utterly different. Rather thanconvincing the partners in your firm tospeak your language, why not learntheirs? And then let them trust you to goand do what you are the expert at:building a differentiated brand thatcreates more revenue for the firm.

people’s desire to express their creativityon their terms.

These three brands are some of thebiggest in the world but more importantlythey are some of the most interesting inthe world.

So they all sell products, but theirmessaging starts with what they believe.

What are the implications for themarketing function?We firstly need to realise that marketersand partners within a professional serv-ices firm are built differently. This is agross generalisation but more often thannot it’s in the DNA of a marketer to standout and in the DNA of a partner to fit in.

There are many reasons for this in myopinion:• Training bodies for accountants or

lawyers are broadly similar,• Fee structures for services are generic.• Often competitor firms share clients

(one does tax, another doesconsulting),

• Partners are often employed to mitigaterisks for their clients, not generatesales.

This can result in a collegiate attitudewithin the industries which is admirableon one level but it clearly is a barrier toinnovation and creativity on another.

So if we want to create stand outbranding or advertising we can’tpersuade the internal decision makers onour terms, it must be on theirs.

So how can a marketer actually startthe process of building the ‘why’ for theirfirm and from there a communication

strategy that is authentic to their valuesbut allows for some differentiation?

1 Start with the numbersSo often the marketing and brand func-tion is seen by partners as a ‘nice to have’but not a ‘must have’. Where there’s noneed, there’s no focus. Asking about theprofit centres and growth opportunitieswithin the firm is a key first step to recog-nising the importance of marketingwithin the firm:• Where are we making the most

revenue?• Where are we making the most profit?• Based on research rather than opinion,

which are the areas that show thegreatest opportunity for the future?

• Who is our client in these new growthareas? What age are they? How do theyperceive themselves?

These and other questions are thestarting point for the business case foryour project. To show potential ROIlinked to marketing strategy is a musthave. Otherwise we’re just updating thelanguage on the boilerplate.

2 Focus on new business, notexistingExciting new clients and not alienatingexisting ones are at opposite ends of thecommunications strategy, yet often bothare the desire of the partners. It’s impera-tive to explain that existing clients knowthe partners’ phone numbers, they don’tneed to visit your website and they don’tcare about your latest blog post. So ignorethem, they already like doing businesswith you.

6 pm | April 2015

network

The employer brandhas evolved and itsproven ability todeliver tangible

commercial success andattract quality talent meansit’s becoming front of mindwith CEOs and leadershipteams.

Typically the employerbrand, which has evolvedfrom applying marketingprinciples to people manage-ment, has sat within the remitof HR with a focus on drivingperformance managementand recruitment. However,more often it is brand andmarketing teams who aretaking joint-ownership, recog-nising employer brand as avital tool in the delivery of abrand’s promise. But itdoesn’t stop there: employeeengagement and employerbrand is now front of mindwith CEO and executive teamswho recognise the need to

mobilise their workforcearound their brand in order todrive their competitive advan-tage.

We have seen anincreasing focus and appetitefor organisations to develop asustainable and compellingemployer brand to supportthem in what’s becoming anever diverse and complicatedquest to attract quality talent.Traditional broadcast andadvertising techniques don’tapply anymore; the workforcehas changed in its aspirationsand behaviours. The work-force of today is looking toexperience a personal affinitywith the firm’s brand valuesand culture.

Here are a set of consider-ations and trends that webelieve will impact the wayorganisations approach thedevelopment and manage-ment of their employer brandpropositions.

1 Organisations need to applya content publishing approachto engage with and on-boardquality talentRather than short-term adver-tising and broadcastingcampaigns to recruit talent,successful organisations aredeploying a content-ledpublishing approach toengage future and existingemployees across a multitudeof 21st century social mediaplatforms. Quality of talentwill become the leadingmetric and will replace atraditional cost of talentapproach.

As more organisationsmove towards contentpublishing and developinternal networks of employeepublishers, the managementand resourcing of internalsocial media programmes willbecome an increasing chal-lenge for internal communica-tions departments. Buildingthe right creative platformsand improving accessibility tocontent will become a primaryfocus.

2 Embracing insights and datato understand employeebehaviours and create rele-vant and compelling contentin a segmented wayContent management soft-ware and technologies are fastevolving to meet the growingdemand for this contentpublishing approach. As thesetechnologies become moresophisticated, it will bepossible to measure individualemployee behaviours so thatcommunications can betailored and segmented totheir specific user profiles. Forinternal communicationsprofessionals, it will be lessabout broadcasting or tellingemployees about the firm’svalues but more aboutproviding a layered and highlyaccessible informationresource across multiple plat-forms in multiple formats.

3 Understanding thedynamics and behaviours of anew entrepreneurial workforce

Attractingqualitytalent

In the quest to attract qualitytalent from the pool of brand-savvy Millennials, organisa-tions need to understandmore about the behavioursand attitudes of this genera-tion in order to compete anddifferentiate. A lack of under-standing could be a challengefor Generation X leadershipteams within the organisation.Research suggests 91% ofMillennials (born between1977-1997) expect to stay in ajob for less than threeyears. With this degree oftransience in the workplace,the need to attract, retain anddevelop employees has neverbeen more vital. This high-lights the need to ensure newrecruits are enveloped and on-boarded into the culture andbehaviours that deliver theorganisational brand promiseand drive the businesstowards achieving theirvision.

4 Employer brands build andprotect reputation whilebuilding trustLeadership teams acrossindustry sectors that sufferedmost during the economiccrisis now clearly recognisethe importance of brand forreputation management andregaining trust of their stake-holders. Within the financialservices sector, increasedlegislation and consolidationhas been a clear motivator forleading financial institutionsto invest in the developmentand integrated managementof a sustainable employerbrand. It’s no coincidence thatthe best brands to work forare those that engender trustand loyalty and meet theincreasing appetite fromemployees to feel a personalaffinity with the culture andvalues of their employer.

Fiona Burnett, Brand DesignDirector; Ingrid Brown, Brand &Communications Consultant; ZoëTisdall, Client Director andSusannah Gerner, Client Director atEmperor. www.emperordesign.co.uk

pm | April 2015 7

insight

The story-telling power of videohas long been established as ameans to change perception,behaviour and attitudes. Since

the birth of TV, broadcast news organisa-tions have used video to inform, educateand provide a channel through whichthese stories can be disseminated. 

“Always look for the human dimen-sion when creating any kind of film, astory that the viewer can personally relateto, however dry or difficult the subjectmatter. This helps the message toresonate with the viewer and makes themmore likely to own and share it withothers.” So says Chris Shaw, EditorialDirector at ITN Productions (previouslyProgramme Editor of Channel 4’s Newsat Ten)

In the digital age, companies areincreasingly harnessing the power ofvideo to provide deeper engagement withemployees, customers and shareholders.Platforms such as YouTube make it easierthan ever to ‘Broadcast Yourself’, and asbrands become broadcasters and mediaowners in their own right, it is vital theyare as consistently represented throughthe moving image as in other forms ofcommunication. This is a world of oppor-tunity for professional firms.

According to Grant Fulton, CreativeDirector at ITN Productions: “Businessmessaging such as facts, figures andstatistics can sometimes come across asslightly dry. By connecting with theviewer emotionally we engage their imag-ination and that helps with the absorp-tion of core ideas. It makes it moreeffective.”

Simon Baker looks at how other B2B marketers usecorporate storytelling videos and what theprofessions can learn from them.

Telling storiesby video

We see a wide variety of video briefs,some are simple ‘talking head’ thoughtleadership interviews, some are muchmore creative brand films aimed atattracting the best graduates, or evenanimations explaining the process of alegal deal. All of these video styles aresuitable so long as they are relevant andappropriate to your audience and whereyour audience is in the buying cycle. Themost successful films will be planned andconceived with a clear and defined under-standing of three key factors – relevance,reach and resonance.

RelevanceFocus on creating content that yourtarget audience truly values. By adoptingan insight-led approach to contentcreation, you will ensure that you developsubject matter that is relevant for youraudience. It’s great to produce contentthat is fresh and up to date, but if that isyour strategy then ensure you get tomarket quickly or risk being perceived asoff the pace.

Similarly, it’s important to considerthe desired ‘shelf life’ of your content andstrike the balance between being not so

8 pm | April 2015

insight

topical that it’s out of date next week butneither so anodyne that it can stay onyour homepage all year!

Finally, pick some ‘white space’, awayfrom your competitors’ content. Havesomething truly unique to say, if notabout what you do then how you do it.

ReachPlan the most effective channels to getyour content in front of your target audi-ence.

Integrating your content into emailand search marketing campaigns canhelp your content to be found and viewedby your target audience.

Video should be planned alongside allother forms of content to provide an inte-grated cross platform content plan.Experimentation with ‘long tail’ searchterms should be encouraged in order tofind the prospects currently searching forsolutions to a problem (eg. “How do I...”).

Once viewed by your target audience,you need to make it as easy as possiblefor them to share it with colleagues inter-nally and externally through the integra-tion of ‘share’ functionality across all keysocial media platforms such as LinkedInand Twitter.

YouTube is now the world’s 2nd mostpopular search engine after Google, andeach week over 100 million people take a‘social action’ such as a like, share, orcomment. As well as your own website,establishing a channel on YouTube as thehub of your video content is a commonway for brands to manage their videoassets in a single place.

ResonanceBuild video that has a lasting impact. It’simportant not to embark upon any kindof content marketing journey withouthaving a plan. Consider how video will sitalongside your other content forms andhow it will build over time into a body ofwork.

Defining objective measures ofsuccess will help maintain a focus onreturn on investment. Views and click-throughs are easy to measure, but how farthrough the funnel are you followingthese leads? Where to take them after theend frame? Where do you want yourclient/prospect to go next to harness theengagement and convert into an actionthat moves them further through thesales funnel?

Once you have outlined the above,you can look at some practical ways thatyour video content will integrate into thewider marketing mix and to ensure your

Simon Baker is Head ofBranded Content at ITNProductions. Contact: 020 7430 4511,simon.baker@itn.co.uk orproductions@itn.co.uk.

By connecting withthe vieweremotionally weengage theirimagination and thathelps with theabsorption of coreideas. It makes it moreeffective.

films tie in to each stage of a typicalbuying cycle for your clients. Businessbuyers have different information needsat different stages of the buying cycle,therefore the type of video you produceshould change depending on whether youare building a brand, recruiting talent, orinfluencing someone who is close tomaking a buying decision on a specificservice.

Problem recognitionBuilding content that addresses theproblem faced by your target audiencecan work well in building awareness.Editorial in tone, with minimal ‘sales’messaging, the purpose of this type ofcontent is to demonstrate that you under-stand their business issue and that youhave expertise in this area.

Information searchOver recent years, Google has becomesynonymous with search. Even amongstvery senior ‘C Suite’ audiences, it is thego-to place for information in solvingbusiness related problems. The advent of‘blended search’ (where video featuresalongside text links in search engineresults pages) has made it even moreimportant to have high quality videotagged with key search terms when yourclients are searching for informationonline.

Evaluation of alternativesThis is especially relevant for servicebrands, as video can help bring yourproposition to life by providing a degreeof ‘physical evidence’ of the quality of theservice you provide. For example,allowing the client to ‘virtually’ meet thekey players from your business throughvideo allows you to build rapport early inthe buying process.

Post-purchase evaluationOn-going and value-added communica-tions with your clients that positivelyreinforce their purchase decision. Thismight include a variety of topics, fromupdates on best practice and commentaryon industry developments through tomore formal, research-led ‘thought lead-ership’ and personalised video communi-cations.

pm | April 2015 9

careerwatch

said: “Internal advocacy is incrediblyimportant. It’s essential that businessdevelopers invest time in engaginginternal stakeholders to make sure theyunderstand business development roles,remits and responsibilities. Moreover itneeds to be articulated internally howbusiness development adds value to acompany and therefore the importance ofinvesting in high quality BD profes-sionals. This message should be deliveredtop down and bottom up to ensureengagement and retention.”

Bonuses, therefore, should be basedon partner feedback together with clearKPIs around specific projects, activitiesand clients.

Interestingly, some law firms havesaid they don’t really find employeespush back on discretionary bonuses,which as recruiters we were surprised atgiven that we hear a lot of candidates talkabout disappointment around the levelof, or even lack of bonus. Employers saidthey receive more push back on basicsalary rather than bonus, which is hardlysurprising when bonuses can be littlemore than a token gesture of a fewhundred pounds for a junior executiveburning the midnight oil working onpitches.

Revenue in many firms has increasedsince the end of the recession and as suchmost organisations should be in a posi-tion to invest in their support teams.Without this financial investment, theincreased appetite for BD support frompartners will not realise its potential,which would be a huge shame given theyears it’s taken to get them to this point.

If you’re a line manager in a profes-sional firm who has tried to recruitwithin your BD or marketing teamover the past 12 months, you’ll know

exactly how hard it is to find good people.There is a serious shortage of candidates,and whilst broadening the pool withinwhich you search should be considered,there are other factors hindering thesearch process in the sector – and salaryis a big one.

As a supplier of BD and marketingtalent, we have noticed that salaries forsupport staff have remained fairly staticfor the past five to eight years. Businessdevelopment managers have, on average,been paid £50-65,000 since 2008 andwhilst recent market conditions are ofcourse appreciated, the time has come toreassess remuneration.

Many firms have expressed shock atthe salaries that marketing and BDprofessionals are demanding, but is it anywonder with increased workloads, longhours and ever higher costs of living?

In recent months we have evennoticed that when recruiting roles inContinental Europe, equivalent Europeancandidates earn considerably more thanUK candidates. This indicates that theLondon market has fallen behind the restof Europe with regard to remuneration.In addition, marketing and BD profes-sionals returning from Asia or the US,where salaries have traditionally beenhigher, are now well and truly priced outof the market.

Demand from partners for BDsupport is on the increase, which isfantastic news and demonstrates realprogress in the sector, but unless firmsattract and retain BD staff they won’t beable to achieve their business goals. Inorder to secure the right people, firmsneed to offer candidates a significantincrease to that which they are currently

With revenue in many professional services firms havingincreased since the end of the recession, Frosso Miltiadouasks why marketers are not benefiting.

Hitting the rightremuneration notes

on in order to avoid the dreaded spectreof the counter-offer. Furthermore, inorder to keep their staff, firms should beoffering salary rises that are more thanjust nominal – and frankly derisory – inrecognition of the increased workloadsthat their employees are taking on.

There’s also the matter of bonusesand the part they play. In most firms,they are discretionary and based onvarying combinations of firm/businessarea/individual performance and comeout at around 5-10% of base salary. In arecent survey it transpired nearly a thirdof firms don’t even offer bonuses.

Some of the accountancy firms haveimplemented a more robust bonus struc-ture linked to KPIs and more salesfocused activity. However, when this wasraised at a recent roundtable discussionwe hosted with directors from leadingprofessional services firms, the overallfeeling was that whilst some accountancyfirms employ fee generating sales and BDprofessionals and bonus them accordingto revenue generated, the legal sectorlends itself better to client relationshipmanagement which can be much harderto attach KPIs and targets to.

Bonuses on the softer client relation-ship management and marketing disci-plines tend to be discretionary and oftenit is those who shout the loudest aboutwhat they do who get the bigger bonuses.

Francis Mainoo, Deputy ManagingDirector at consultants Lowendalmasai

In a recent survey ittranspired nearly athird of firms don’teven offer bonuses.

Frosso Miltiadou, director ofProfessional Services andLegal recruitment company,Anthem Consulting.

10 pm | April 2015

case study

Agile, responsive,engagingSimon Rusling believes that Barnett Waddingham’snew website creates the right first impressions andprovides an inspirational catalyst for futuremarketing communications.

Barnett Waddingham is the UK’s largest independentpartnership of actuaries and consultants, with a repu-tation for clear and concise advice. A successful andtrusted firm, it offers a comprehensive range of risk

management services to meet the diverse needs of pensionscheme trustees, employers, private clients and insurance firms.

For a professional services provider such as BarnettWaddingham, our website is the shop window. We have thepeople, knowledge and services to address even the mostcomplex pensions and insurance issues. However, our previoussite was not a fair reflection of this expertise and market leader-ship.

A focus for business developmentThe previous website had been developed several years agotogether with a bespoke content management system that wasno longer fit for purpose. The marketing team had access to thesystem for the basic tasks but had to go to our internal ITdepartment to make any significant changes.

Although IT was as responsive as it could be, the marketingteam’s lack of control meant that the website was not beingutilised to its full potential: too much time was being spent onadministration rather than the campaign planning that wouldmake the website an integral part of the business developmentprocess.

Technical due diligenceTechnology is a key differentiator for Barnett Waddingham: ourexperienced IT team has successfully developed a great deal ofclient-friendly systems and software. As they were focused onthis important part of our service offering I needed externalresource.

I wanted an agency with real knowledge of the professionalservices sector – one that spoke my language and could evidenceexamples of previous work with similar clients. I thereforetalked to agencies’ existing clients about their experiences andensured that they stacked up from a technical perspective.

Equally important was providing a sophisticated web experi-ence for clients and prospects across a range of devices, with arigorous testing phase ensuring the responsive website was fullyoptimised for mobile and tablet use.

Key lessons learned • Do your homework – Choose an agency that has

experience of working in a similar industry, one that canplan the journey and can effectively highlight the bumps inthe road ahead.

• Allocate senior resource – Websites are large andcomplex projects so you should not underestimate theamount of work that you and your marketing team willhave to do. A shorter decision chain helps to save time.

• Communicate frequently – Work done to keep thebusiness abreast of the project development will ensurebuy-in and ultimately save time in unnecessary questions.

• Start the content work early – Work on repurposing thecontent always takes longer than you think and you shouldbegin early in the process.

A catalyst for other communicationsThe web development process also included plans for a moreactive thought leadership programme. I wanted the website toprovide a focal point for the firm, and set the standard to take allour communications forward. Much of the content on the oldwebsite was in PDFs and often difficult to find, so we were obvi-ously missing a trick with SEO.

We also had a number of microsites that had been developedincrementally to meet the individual needs of the business. I waskeen to consolidate these into the main website to maximisetraffic and potential cross-selling opportunities.

Rationalising the architecture around BarnettWaddingham’s four key client groups, rather than its numerousservice offerings, brought clarity to the user journey. Applyingconsistent categories to the content enabled the right articles tobe served to the right audiences at the right time without anymanual coding or intervention, further increasing the visibilityof the quality content that had been produced and improving themarketing team’s productivity.

pm | April 2015 11

case study

Simon Rusling, Associate & Head of Marketing,Barnett Waddingham.

Artistic freedom through creative directionMany of Barnett Waddingham’s larger competitors’ websiteshave a similar look and feel; professional but without clearpersonality or differentiation. I wanted to demonstrate ourincreasingly broad capability, while retaining the personal touchand attention to detail on which the firm is built.

We’d used a cycling motif for a couple of years and, althoughit was not ‘broken’, it was restrictive. After a series of creativeworkshops with Grist we developed a new theme around theconcept of partnership, one of our key client messages. Thisdirection, together with a vibrant colour palette, gave us muchmore freedom to source a wider range of stunning images.

We are increasingly thinking more visually. We are devel-oping a greater variety of content including infographics andvideo, which help to engage our audience effectively by simpli-fying complex issues.

Thinking more visuallyFor an actuarial firm with no shortage of statistics at itsdisposal, the challenge for Barnett Waddingham lies in bringingthose facts and figures to life and effectively communicating thestory behind them.

Infographics help to set the scene and summarise keymessages for white papers and research reports, offering anideal entry point for time-poor readers. And interactive onlineguides bring a richer understanding of the audience’s needs andthe opportunity to deliver bespoke content.

Barnett Waddingham’s previous videos had covered long-form technical presentations. But now we are using video tosupport a range of initiatives, successfully integrating multiplechannels in a virtuous circle.

Integrated videoVideo footage of client views and feedback on hot topics atindustry gatherings is used to enrich partner presentations,while one-to-one video interviews with high-profile speakers atthe firm’s own events help to deliver key insights to a wideraudience of clients and prospects.

We are not afraid to push the boundaries too, seeinganimated video as an ideal vehicle to support the firm’s recentauto-enrolment pensions initiative with Standard Life, and thelaunch of Illuminate, a dynamic online tool providing clarity on

pension scheme strategy fortrustees and corporate spon-sors.

Plans are also in place todevelop video guides forBarnett Waddingham’spensions administrationsystems and membercommunications.

The new website contentmanagement system enablespages with multiformcontent to be assembledquickly and easily, facili-tating a smoother userjourney and integratedapproach.

Effective projectmanagementI have been in marketinglong enough to have over-

seen a number of web development projects and was surprisedat how smooth the process was. Most of the projects I have beeninvolved with were much smaller than this, but invariably tooklonger than expected. To see this happen so quickly was impres-sive.

The team from Grist excelled in project management:providing a clear roadmap for the project, giving advancewarning of when we needed to commit resources and werealways there to offer a guiding hand.

An essential part of the web development process involved acomprehensive audit of existing pages, prioritising, repurposingand optimising to achieve maximum impact on the new site.Mapping this content successfully, including redirecting URLs,takes time but means that nothing is left behind in terms ofsearch engine benefit.

I was particularly pleased with their help on the content sidewith templates, sample writing and editorial direction key tomaking the transition from old to new less painful.

Engagement critical to future successWithout a doubt, the website is raising the profile of the firm.We’ve always produced a lot of quality content, but it has beenless visible in the past. We now have an effective showcase and itis great to see the firm engage, partners contributing more thanever and eager to share more content across social media andother networks.

Previous interaction by visitors was limited, but we haveseen more than 31% of sessions on the new site result in somekind of action by the visitor, such as sharing our content onsocial media, downloading a PDF or contacting one of our part-ners.

I am confident that the new website really leads the way as acritical component of our digital marketing strategy and willplay a significant role in developing ever more innovative waysto deliver quality content to our clients.

12 pm | April 2015

viewpoint

tion to another. They mirror political andcultural development. While they can bedominated by a few publications inyounger or very centralised markets, inothers they might have long traditionsand be very heterogeneous. The differen-tiation of a media market ruled by publicor private media is a factor whenapproaching journalists, not to mentionvery obvious issues such as having astrong network of media contacts.

In brand and digital marketingvarious additional local tasks areinvolved, like websites, tailored e-marketing and advertising campaigns aswell as employer branding. Here, locali-sation is vital if you want to have thedesired effect on the target audience.

In all these cases language is the keyto success – and the most challengingpart when it comes to using translationsin operational matters. All audiencesnaturally feel more at home when theyare addressed in their mother tongue, nomatter how well they speak, say, Englishas a foreign language. It is not just aboutunderstanding content; it is about trust,safety and confidence. These are jeopar-dised when people come face to face witha literal or wooden translation. With thisin mind, let us now have a look atpossible structures for tackling thesechallenges and seizing opportunities.

Two modelsThe local MBD structure has to dovetailwith the firm’s vision, business strategyand all marketing and BD strategies andtactics for the targeted local market. Notwo firms have the same approach totheir local MBD team structuresregarding market penetration.

In a global professional services firmthe local marketing and businessdevelopment (MBD) team takes care ofone office or, in some cases, several

offices in one jurisdiction. In this context,a critical role is played by the locallanguage if it is other than the central orglobal language (usually English).

Local teams are in charge of all themarketing, communications(internal/external) and business develop-ment activities delegated to them by thecentralised team, which can be global orregional. They are the all-important lastmile, giving focused effect to initiativesfrom the centre, making sure the messageis delivered to the local market andclients. They are key stakeholders whosubtly direct efforts through their knowl-edge of market habits, requirements and,above all, the local language and environ-ment. Take them out of the equation, andyou could face a huge barrier tosuccessful market entry.

In some cases this honing processentails seemingly minor changes that endup having a surprisingly asymmetricimpact on outcomes; other times, hugechanges are required merely to avoidnegative consequences.

Local tasks: musts and cans When you speak of ‘musts’ for a localteam, this means the fundamental neces-sities of MBD support for this market, ie.mainly operational business that cannotbe centralised and, in most cases, all locallanguage based activities. In a profes-sional services firm this is a huge part ofBD and marketing, since no products areactually produced; instead there are serv-ices to be described. Examples of basic

Philip Kovacevic asks what kind of marketingand business development structure are youworking in, and why?

Local and global:the challenges

tasks would therefore be all clientcommunications, marketing collateral, onsite event management, local proposals,and submissions for local directories, toname just a few.

With ‘cans’, you think of services thatbenefit the firm by utilising local knowl-edge. These are mostly to be found in theBD and comms spheres. Client develop-ment and penetrating market segmentsto increase local business will achieve thebest results possible only if you have astrong enough footprint in the market.The maturity of the business market,market saturation, the number ofcompetitors, etc, all influence how MBDis done.

Media campaigns – and even internalcommunications – have to be tailored forcarefully targeted audiences. Mediamarkets vary greatly from one jurisdic-

The local MBDstructure has todovetail with thefirm’s vision, businessstrategy and allmarketing and BDstrategies and tacticsfor the targeted localmarket.

pm | April 2015 13

viewpoint

At a conceptual level the local MBDstructure can be thought of in terms ofone continuum of market penetration.The two extremes on the continuum are asatellite team and a localised team. Everyfirm will have its own approach some-where on the continuum between thesetwo models, depending on its strategicand cultural focus. While the satellite hasbasically no varieties, the localised teamcomes in two different subsets.

The SatelliteThe satellite – metaphorically – is a unitsent out by the centre to achieve goalswith minimum engagement. The unitcoordinates what comes from globalMBD leadership and addresses the mostrelevant local requirements. This ishighly efficient, cuts costs and, in the bestcase scenario, helps avoid cardinal fail-ures in local markets. One might tenta-tively suggest this assures qualitystandards, not leaving much room forlocalisation – or local error.

Unfortunately, the satellite team ismuch more hands-on due to the limitedresources available. Therefore it has totap into resources that are extraneous tothe professional MBD team. Hence, fee-earners and secretaries become key toperforming operational tasks (basicallythe ‘musts’). Tasks in most cases have tobe carried out under time pressure, forexample brand compliance in pitches, insubmissions, at events, etc. but they areno longer in the hands of MBD profes-sionals, and compromises inevitably are

made. Moreover, it results in waste asskilled human assets are misallocated:lawyers are re-routed away from clientwork to business services/administrativetasks, which runs counter to client expec-tations.

Understandably, the satellite modelhas a weak position within the globalMBD team and the local administrativestructure. Thus sometimes it is not themost attractive prospect if a firm islooking to utilise the best talents in themarket.

The Localised teamThe localised team model involvesserious investment in the respectivemarket. It delivers the ‘musts’ and the‘cans’ and has a stronger footprint in themarket. The downside: it is less cost-effi-cient than the satellite in the short run.Working very close to the market anddeveloping best practices, this team has amuch better grip on local stakeholderrequirements (eg. clients, employees,market segments and media). In additionto the obvious benefit of achieving moreappropriate communication with localclients, best practices in operational busi-ness are implemented by professionalMBD team members and are constantlyreviewed and reshaped. So in the mediumterm efficiency and quality are greatlyenhanced.

The biggest challenge of the localisedteam model is to avoid a silo scenariowhere disconnected silos act separatelyfrom each other, since the key messages

and the leading role must come from thecentre to ensure consistency and a one-firm message. The silo scenario stillmeets the requirements mentionedabove, but to combat its inherent weak-nesses an integrated localised teammodel would be a preferable way aheadfor a global, one-firm approach.

The integrated version of the localisedteam works more collaboratively, withthe teams taking on regional and globalresponsibilities in addition to local duties.Through strong connection with thecentre, local best practices can be trans-ferred to other regions or to the globallevel. This drives innovation within thefirm, by having local laboratories testingwhat might be successful globally.

ConclusionThe first impression you have whenlooking at what can be achieved by bothmodels is that the satellite is not as ‘good’as the localised team, or that the inte-grated localised team is ‘better’ than thesilo in every thinkable scenario.

This is not the case, as it depends onwhy you are entering a local market.Following clients into new markets doesnot require you to have a strong foot-print, but an efficient way of being onhand for your clients. Here the satellite isthe perfect fit. In cautious market entriesit would work at the initial stage, byreducing risks connected to the growthstrategy. A silo can fit into a professionalfirm culture that rejects any centraladministration and favours anetwork/alliance approach regarding itsglobal presence. Here ‘musts’ and ‘cans’are addressed completely and in a formthat is appropriate to the relevant market.

In contrast to the satellite or silo, theintegrated localised team is designed tosupport a strong market entry and ensuresustainable investment in a market, whilestrengthening the global brand throughits integration from a brand and consis-tency perspective.

Thus a combination or a hybrid solu-tion somewhere on the continuumbetween the two models and their vari-eties might well fit into a firm’s businessstrategy better than going for one modelper se. The critical factors are the purposeand vision adopted by the firm.

Philip Kovačević is BusinessDevelopment and MarketingDirector, Germany at globallaw firm Dentons.

14 pm | April 2015

practice profile

“We are constantly challenging the partners todo things differently,” says Owen Williamswho is head of business development for thecorporate practice throughout the firm’s 24-

office international network and also has a responsibility foroverseeing the work of the function across the London office.“When we recruit we are looking for people who can help drivechange. We are essentially the change function in the firm. Weare the ones who are driving the change.”

So why, if it has been so successful until now, does a 143-year old firm with income of £800m, 460 partners and another4,200 personnel need to put such an emphasis on change? Thatis because the world is developing so fast around it. And itsparticular sector of the marketplace is the pioneering, mostinternational part which is adapting the quickest. “We tend tofocus on the most high profile, complex and challenging transac-tions and cases,” he says.

One of the implications of this is that Herbert SmithFreehills specialises in cross-border work for multi-nationals –and this, in turn, means that, instead of reporting in to oneperson in the client’s team, it is often reporting into several.“You need to work with multiple stakeholders,” says Williams,acknowledging that the days of having one-to-one relationshipswith one lead buyer are being superseded by far more compli-cated networks.

In this context, it is no surprise that this sophisticated firm isworking hard at what sounds like a simple activity – listening.“For law firms, listening was often a tick-box exercise,” says

Slowing down is not an optionHerbert Smith Freehills is one of thetop 15 law firms in the world, partlythanks to a strong reputation incorporate and disputes. OwenWilliams, a London-based head intheir Business Development andMarketing function, tells NeasaMacErlean about the ways in whichhe and the team is driving change.

pm | April 2015 15

practice profile

Williams. But nowadays the practice is trying to become so acuteat listening that it will be able to work out what clients wantbefore they do themselves. So, as well as putting very specificquestions to clients to prompt feedback, the practice is usingdata analysis and other techniques to spot emerging trends.

Listening, of course, is just half of the story. Replying is justas important. The firm – like many others – is concentratinghard on deepening its sector knowledge and communicating itsexpertise in a useful, focused way. “Thought leadership is 100per cent on the radar,” says Williams, talking of the currentpriorities of the 140-strong global BD and Marketing team. “Lawfirms are increasingly going down that path, recognising theneed to provide the client with insight.” Having the informationis just one part of the equation, however. Much time is spentworking out how to present it to clients “in the right way and atthe right time”. So important are the content and delivery ofthought leadership that the firm allocates significant resourcesand uses different routes – developing the messages in-houseand also in alliance with national and international business andtrade media and other outside organisations.

Like most other professional firms, Herbert Smith Freehillshas picked up repeated indications from clients about the levelof fees. “The general counsel is under pressure to reduce costs,”says Williams. The firm is dealing with this issue head on – andparticularly through two international groups, one that dealswith innovation and one that works on pricing.

The Client Development team, located in BusinessDevelopment, works with others in the Business Services

community to develop, package and present innovations thatwill improve efficiency and cut costs for clients. Amongst itsother activities, it has been working on innovation workshops toexamine precise possibilities for individual clients. Borrowing aconcept from the Japanese automotive sector, the firm promisescontinuous improvement to clients. A service office in Belfast,opened in 2011 with the main aim of providing dispute resolu-tion work, has branched out to provide cost-effective support inthe corporate and property areas as well.

The work of the Client Development team feeds into that ofthe pricing specialists. The innovators can help general counselsave costs in some areas of the legal work – an important part ofthe whole equation when looking at the client-law firm relation-ship overall. “The number [on the bill] isn’t the full story,” saysWilliams. “We take a holistic approach.”

For all that Herbert Smith Freehills can trace its roots back143 years, it has yet to reach its third anniversary as a combinedglobal firm. Bedding down the 2012 merger of London-basedHerbert Smith and the Australian Freehills has been the largestsingle project facing the BD and Marketing team since then. Theactivity involved is a demonstration of Williams’s emphasis onchange. The Herbert Smith Freehills merger, at the time thelargest ever by number of lawyers, involved the immediate andfull integration of both firms, whereas other recent significantmergers have seen the use of a Swiss Verein or loose alliance

When we recruit we arelooking for people whocan help drive change. Weare essentially the changefunction in the firm. Weare the ones who aredriving the change.

structure, therefore maintaining many of the pre-merger divi-sions between legacy entities.

BD and Marketing is led by Paul Bonomy, chief marketingofficer, who is based in Sydney, which alongside Melbourne andLondon is a hub for the function, where several of the ‘central’functions (including events, the website and design) are based.A fortnightly video conference meeting keeps the 11 personglobal leadership team in touch. Local BD and marketing teamsbased in Paris, Madrid and other cities play a key role, bothlocally and globally. For instance, when the firm filled in anotherpart of its global jigsaw by opening in Germany in 2013, much ofthe marketing preparation came from London and, crucially,Moscow. Since the merger, Herbert Smith Freehills has beenmaking lateral hires at the rate of about one a month. “Thedriver for the Herbert Smith Freehills merger is to become aglobal elite firm with a single offering for clients,” explains theBD head. As the top law firms compete to open in new locationsand to spot new practice areas, it is clear that practices likeHerbert Smith Freehills are involved in intense competition andcannot permit themselves to slow down.

Having worked at Clifford Chance and Latham & Watkins,Williams has legal blue blood in his veins. But, perhaps, it is theexperience he gained at Deloitte that helps him deliver hismessage of change more palatably to the partners. He says:“Partners often get tired of being told what’s going on at otherlaw firms.” And, in a world where the Big Four accountants aresetting up legal teams, the number of serious competitors isincreasing.

Slowing down is not an option

16 pm | April 2015

management focus

It encourages participation but retainsthe final say which has the effect ofmaking those being led feel engagedand part of a team. The only realdanger is that some people can occa-sionally be less productive but that isoffset against higher quality contribu-tions.

• Delegative or laissez-faire leadershipoffers little guidance and allows deci-sions to be taken by group members. Aproblem with this is that there are oftenpoorly defined roles and a lack of moti-vation and there is an absence ofpersonal responsibility that isextremely important when trying toinspire loyalty.

We have all worked with greatleaders and been inspired bythem and then there havebeen those whose leadership

style can be described at best as beingmodelled on that of Vlad the Impaler.Leadership is about inspiring others tosee what you see and persuading themthat your vision is something of benefit tothem. Understanding those people andwhat drives them is undoubtedly impor-tant but most important of all is under-standing your own style of leadership sothat you can adapt accordingly todifferent situations and events.

In 1939, the psychologist Kurt Lewinidentified three core styles of leadership:

• Authoritative or autocratic leader-ship depends on clear expectations ofwhat needs to be done, when it needs tobe done and how it needs to be done.Decisions are made alone and imple-mented through controlling and dicta-torial channels. It is best suited tosituations where there is little time forgroup decision-making or the leader isacknowledged as the most knowledge-able member of the group. Theinherent danger of this style is that itcan result in a dysfunctional relation-ship between the leader and their teamand that the team can turn against adominant leader.

• Participative or democratic leader-ship offers guidance and allows input.

Breaking through tothe next level ofleadershipLuan de Burgh has some wise words for those who arekeen to break through to the next level of leadership,and want to know what kind of behaviours to adopt(and avoid) in order to get there.

Following on from the differing styles ofleadership, there are a number of deter-mining factors that will indicate whichstyle will work best in given situationsand these are when:

1 A task is specific and needs to beconducted by a team who need explicitmotivation – here a combination ofautocratic strength and assertiveness isrequired but mixed with all-importantclarity of explanation and praise.

2 A task is specific but needs to beconducted by a team who wantautonomy – here the consultativeapproach works best, asking for opin-ions but having the final say. Beingopen to ideas and suggestions, guidingdiscussions and not being dismissive.

3 A task is highly creative and needs to beconducted by a team who don’t wantautonomy – here a combination of theconsultative and the participative withthe all-important insistence of havingthe final say is the preferred approach.

4 A task is highly creative and needs to beconducted by a team who wantautonomy – a consensus laissez-faireapproach will work here but it needs tobe used with care and monitored.

Added into all this comes the levels ofmaturity of the teams in question. Paul

First rule ofleadership –everything is yourfault.

Hopper – A Bug’s Life

pm | April 2015 17

management focus

Hersey and Ken Blanchard talk about‘Situational Leadership’ and that leadersneed to adapt their style according to thematurity levels of individuals and recog-nised four groups:

M1 – Lacking in knowledge and skillsto work on ownM2 – Willing to work on own but don’tpossess all necessary skillsM3 – Ready and willing to work, havethe skills but not the confidenceM4 – Able to work on own, in posses-sion of all skills and necessary confi-dence

Each level requires a different leadershipapproach:

M1 – TellingM2 – CoachingM3 – ParticipatingM4 – Delegating

Leadership is inextricably linked withpower and leaders have power for differentreasons. John French and Bertram Ravenconducted a study of power in 1959 andidentified five power bases:

• Legitimate – the belief that a personhas a formal right to make demands

• Reward – the ability of a person tocompensate for compliance

• Expert – the superior skill or knowl-edge of a person

• Referent – perceived attractiveness orworthiness of respect

• Coercive – the ability of a person topunish for non-compliance

The most effective leaders mainly useexpert and referent power bases to lead.By understanding these bases we canbetter realise how we are influenced byothers. Therefore by understandingwhere our own power bases lie, the levelsof maturity of our teams and our naturalpreferred style of leadership we canbetter appreciate how to adapt accord-ingly when seeking to influence.

So, what distinguishes effectiveleaders from average ones? HarvardProfessor J. Sterling Livingston argued in‘The myth of the well-educated manager’that the effectiveness of a leader is notdependent on their education and thatthere are four key skills, which defineeffective leadership.

1 Effective decision-making. If you face aproblem believing that you have to findthe right answer, you can be settingyourself up for failure. Effective leadersare practical and responsive in theirapproach to decision making and theyknow that they cannot keep waiting tomake a perfect decision. They have theconfidence in situations to make a deci-sion that has a high probability ofsuccess and which is consistent withthe desired outcome. Crucially, theyknow how to make decisions.

2 Problem finding. Effective leaders don’tjust solve problems; they look for themand seek to neutralise them. Theycontinually ask questions and look forpossible solutions. When a problemarises, they will be better equipped todeal with it as they will have asked

‘why’ enough times to get to the sourceof the issue.

3 Opportunity finding. Effective leadersconstantly look for opportunities toredefine and improve direction. Theywill find the right things to do ratherthan always seeking to do things theright way.

4 Natural style. It doesn’t matter howmany opportunities you identify orproblems you solve, if you can’t inspirepeople to take action you will have littlechance of success. There is no onecorrect natural style and strong leadersrecognise this and adapt theirsaccording to the each situation.

Inspirational leaders lead by example,words and vision. They are trustworthy,committed and imaginative and theyaccept responsibility. They keep theirpromises and are very aware that theirreputation is their brand and managethat brand with prodigious attention todetail. They tell the truth and if they arein a position where they can’t shareeverything, they explain that they cannot.They make it easy for people to work withthem; they take the time to see peoplerather then leading through email. Theyare predictable and know how to managetheir mood. They don’t fall victim tohyperbole or hubris and they make theirteams feel safe.

The ability to be enthusiastic andencourage ideas, look for solutions,accept what is unchangeable and be posi-tive is essential. The recognition of theimportance of humility is also extremelyimportant. “You shouldn’t gloat aboutanything you’ve done; you ought to keepgoing and find something better to do.”(David Packard of Hewlett Packard).

Finally, authenticity is fundamental.Great leaders live their values and speakin a language that others understand.They are consistently themselves anddon’t seek approval but rather give mean-ingful praise to others. They have clearlydefined goals and make time to explainand communicate those goals.

In the words of Molière: “It is not onlywhat we do, but also what we do not do,for which we will be accountable.”

Luan de Burgh is theFounding Director of The deBurgh Group and heads ateam who specialise in deliv-ering leading communica-tion, presentation andpersonal impact training tobusinesses of all sizes.

18 pm | April 2015

how to…

Any effective cross-selling programmeneeds to address each of these issues andI’ve outlined my suggestions on how bestto do that below.

ChampionIdeally, one senior partner, who issuccessful at client care, cross-selling andbusiness development, will spearheadyour programme. They should have therespect of their fellow partners. Thechampion needs to be prepared to beconsistent in the message they provideand to invest time in the long-term; Ireckon it takes about 12 months to put allthe systems and processes in place tolaunch a formal client care/cross-sellingprogramme, and that includes changingthe culture and behaviour of thoseinvolved.

InformationToo often fee-earners complain that theydon’t have the information they requireto cross-sell effectively. This informationgenerally falls into three key areas:

• Client/services background informa-tion

• Market intelligence• On-going matter information

As a starting point, I believe you need tocollate all current information you haveon your key clients. This may reside indocument or case management systems,in various partner’s Outlook Inboxfolders, or on a CRM system if you arelucky enough to have one that functionswell and is up-to-date (a big ask it wouldseem in PS firms!). The key is to collate itand produce a short and specific overviewon the key background to the client, thecurrent position and the players involved.

In today’s highly competitive environ-ment, increasing your firm’s share ofthe market must be a priority.Traditionally, professional services

(PS) firms have spent a higher proportionof their marketing time and resourceschasing potential clients rather thantaking steps to retain and grow theirexisting clients.

Many believe that this is not an effi-cient approach. It takes a minimum ofnine ‘effective approaches’ over an 18-month period to win a new client, whilstresearch shows that it is five times easierto retain and sell new services to existingclients, than it is to gain a new client. So,the perceived wisdom is that the vastmajority of new business received byfirms should come from existing clients(known as the 80:20 Pareto law).

In order to achieve this, you will needto adopt a co-ordinated, firm-wideapproach to cross-selling. But, althoughthis is often spoken about in PS firms ofall sizes and denominations, in my expe-rience, very few firms do cross-sellingconsistently and well.

Barriers to cross-sellingMost cross-selling programmes fail forfive key reasons:

• Lack of a champion at an appropriatesenior level;

• Inadequate information about clientsand their potential or risk profile;

• Inadequate trust between partners and‘owners’ of clients not to damage theexisting relationship;

• Inadequate planning and monitoring ofprogress; and

• Lack of a cross-selling culture,including targets and rewards to moti-vate/change behaviour.

Achieve firmwide cross-sellingNicola Webb believes it is possible for a firm to achievethe holy grail of a co-ordinated, firm-wide approach tocross-selling.

I recommend trying to keep this to acouple of sides of A4. I once inherited asystem with 15 pages of densely typedbackground Word notes on each of 50‘top clients’. Needless to say they hadn’tbeen kept up-to-date and both the clientpartner and marketing team confessed tonot having the will to consult the docu-ments any longer, as they had become toounwieldy.

With this base information in place, Irecommend interviewing the clientpartner, as well as other key partners andsenior fee-earners who work closely withthat client. This will be to gain anupdated snapshot of the client’s currentposition.

Working with the client partner, Ithen translate this information into aclient development plan (see box oppo-site).

The market intelligence data thatneeds to be researched, contributes to thedepth of the client development plan. Ifthe client partner doesn’t know, I recom-mend that the marketing team shouldresearch the unknown key decision-makers and influencers in the organisa-tion, what other PS suppliers act for theclient, and the key opportunities andchallenges facing the client and theirsector. This will enable you to createclient development objectives that aretailored and meaningful. The client devel-opment plan, once created, needs to beshared with and made easily accessible tothose partners and senior fee-earnersthat act for the client.

The final piece of information in thepuzzle which helps with cross-selling ison-going information about matters. Irecommend creating new client and newmatter reports (if your management/financial information system allows you

whom they are not the client partner, isto keep the client partner informed. Thisshould cover any substantive issues (eg.the initial scope of work, estimates oftime and fees, fee/WIP milestones andany changes to these).

Speed dating eventsAs part of a launch or relaunch of a clientcare programme, or a specific focus oncross-selling, I have run one hour speed-dating events. These are a fun way toencourage cross-selling and to start tobuild trust between partners.

Before the event I circulate a gridlisting the firm’s top 50 clients, brokendown by department/sector group,naming the client partner, and giving feeincome for the past 12 months by servicetype. Partners are invited to request amaximum of six ‘dates’ with clients theyare interested in pursuing. I then arrangethe dates, ensuring that a client partneronly has to speed date once with all thosepartners who are interested in his/herclient.

pm | April 2015 19

how to…

to) that give a line of narrative for eachnew client and new file opened, showingthe client partner and a brief descriptionof the work. Circulate these to all part-ners monthly and identify cross-sellingopportunities yourself, which youencourage partners to pursue.

Other information that can be usefulis:

• Creating an internal expertise directorythat lists all the esoteric services andcapabilities within the firm and isaccessible to all (via intranet or wiki).Ensure this is updated at least twiceeach year overall and when new joinersstart.

• Publishing simple fact sheets on yourkey services internally that list capabili-ties, and key clients for whom you act.

• Creating online quizzes with fun prizesto test employees’ knowledge of services.

Developing trust between partnersInformation, or the absence of, can alsoplay a part in the lack of trust betweenpartners and the reluctance to allowothers to act for their client, in case theydamage the relationship. There areseveral means of overcoming this.

As part of a client care programme, Irecommend reviewing the role/job specof partners and client partners. Clientpartners should be aware of what work isbeing undertaken for their client,throughout the firm. Checking themonthly matter reports referred to aboveis a starting point in this. No clientshould be approached without firstinforming and consulting with the clientpartner on the best approach to theirclient. In addition, the role of eachpartner working on a client matter for

Achieve firmwide cross-selling

Clientdevelopment planUse a template that prints out into asingle A3 sheet, with graphs andchecklists covering:

• The key players by name (eg.CEO, MD, FD, in-house counseland HR Director), and how theyrate us (advocate, neutral/unknown to us, or not a fan)

• A SWOT analysis of the relation-ship, with a visual ‘relationshipbarometer’

• An overview (in graphic form) ofwhat services (with feesattached) they currently buy

• A list of priorities for what youwish to cross-sell and who willtake the lead

• A detailed 12 month relationshipplan with specific objectivesunder the headings of financial,fees, business development andadded value

• A summary list of prioritisedobjectives.

As creating a salesculture and changingbehaviours to achievethis takes the longest,my advice is to starton this first.

20 pm | April 2015

how to…

• Personal responsibility: If everyonethinks someone else will do it and theydon’t need to, they are less likely tocommit. Demonstrate the role of theindividual, the different ways in whichthey can play a part, and how essentialit is they do.

• Internal motivation is essential: Strongexternal pressure such as threats/sanc-tions or large rewards may produceshort-term changes in behaviour butwill not effect a long-term commitmentto change. People need to be internallymotivated to change.

• Written commitment to act: gettingpeople to commit in writing reinforcesthe commitment and makes them morelikely to act on it.

• Social evidence: People are more likelyto follow the lead of a similar personthan a dissimilar one. They will getcomfort from the fact that many othersare doing the same thing.

• Positive reinforcement works: peoplelike to be liked and respond better topraise than criticism.

• Public celebration works: people aremore likely to commit to act and keeptheir motivation going if they receivepublic recognition and also see thatothers are doing it and their efforts arebeing noted. Publish BD/cross-sellingsuccesses as part of any internalcommunications updates, createawards and offer small prizes forsuccessful BD-ers.

Ideally, you should provide specifictargets such as numbers of visits andpercentage increase in fee income. Youshould build BD and CRM duties into thepartner appraisal system and agree withmanagement what action will result froma partner repeatedly failing to perform.BD/CRM should also count towards anybonus system for partners and associates.

ConclusionI hope you can see from this article that,as with most things in PS, there is noquick fix or ‘magic bullet’ when it comesto effective cross-selling. You will needinformation, planning, processes,toolkits, training and a change of mindset to make it happen. But it can be done,so take heart and seize the challenge!

The list of finalised dates are circu-lated before the event and the client part-ners are asked to review the clientdevelopment plan and prepare for anyquestions they might be asked.

On the night, each date lasts fourminutes. Partners get six ‘speedingtickets’; a single page form on which tocollate information from the date (eg.who to target, the most likely sources ofwork, how best to approach them, etc).The marketing team facilitates the event,seating client partners, ensuring everyonekeeps to time and moving the ‘dates’ on!

Post-event, everyone is chased tocomplete their speeding tickets and asso-ciated ‘planning your approach checklist’for each of the targets they wish to pursueand send them to me. I work out – in thecase of duplicated targets – which serviceline is best to lead the attack and/orwhich partners should work together onan approach.

Other means of developing trustbetween partners include:

• Creating a slot in team meetings forsomeone from another area to talkthrough what they do, work they havebeen involved in recently, how theother teams can help them and viceversa

• Teams can run optional breakfast brief-ings or ‘lunch and learn’ sessions wherepeople can turn up, meet colleaguesand learn about new services

• Creating face-to-face forums where youmix people up from different teams,service lines or practice groups to workon projects.

Planning/monitoring progressAs part of a client care programme, at theoutset (and periodically every two yearsor so) I review the client partners who arealready assigned to ensure they are thebest match in terms of work types,personality match with the client andtheir ability to do what’s required to bestservice the client. Not all partners arenaturally suited to being client partnersand it is advisable that (with the help ofyour partner champion, if needs be) youensure those with the best client careskills are nurturing key clients.

Cross-selling should straddle bothyour client care and business develop-ment programmes. As such, you shouldideally be providing partners withtraining, a cross-selling ‘toolkit’ and ameans of monitoring progress.

The training should cover ‘consulta-tive selling’ techniques, enabling partners

to spot opportunities, get a meeting,conduct the meeting effectively (eg.asking the right questions) and workingtowards handling objections and closingthe sale (which is likely to take muchmore than one meeting).

I provide a business developmenttoolkit, which works equally for cross-selling, with tips and checklists, such as:

• Target attractiveness index (to help youdecide if the target is worth pursuing)

• A checklist of typical ‘triggers’ thatmake companies look for new PSsuppliers

• ‘Planning your approach’ checklist• A typical cold call letter/email

approach• Cold call flowchart (showing how to get

a meeting using the telephone)• Features/benefits of the firm (to help

overcome objections at the meeting)• A questions checklist for handling the

meeting

There are various ways of monitoringprogress. Most often these are done atdepartment/sector group level, whereclient targets are identified and progressdiscussed and updated via regular meet-ings. Actions will also arise from theclient care programme, where clientshave development objectives, to followup.

I recommend capturing all of theseand bringing them together in regularone-to-one meetings with partners. Igenerally use the PACE pipeline systemand work through actions related toabout six targets in different quadrants ofthe pipeline: identifying prospects;promoting – those you are actively ‘massmarketing’ to (with the aim of meeting)them; projecting – targets you arecurrently in one-to-one dialogue with;purchasing – new clients that are beingembedded, with the aim of cross-selling;and protecting/pruning – existing clientsthat you want to retain and grow or onesthat you wish to divest.

Cross-selling cultureI’ve left the hardest barrier to cross-selling to last. If you do anything, myadvice is to start on this first, as creatinga sales culture and changing behavioursto achieve this takes the longest. As astarting point, I recommend you readInfluence: Science and practice byRobert Cialdini. The author providesevidence on what makes people changetheir behaviour, for good. The highlightsof relevance are:

Nicola Webb is PrincipalConsultant at ConsciousConsulting. She wasformerly BD Director atManches LLP, OsborneClarke and DAC Beachcroft.Nicola@conscious.co.uk

pm | April 2015 21

marketing basics

If someone were to ask me what thefour biggest impacts to my life havebeen so far, I would list the following:1. becoming a father, 2. getting

married, 3. the Internet and 4. socialmedia & e-mail. Yes, admittedly socialmedia is part of the internet but itsimpact on how people interact, communi-cate and relate to each other, with busi-nesses and practically every otherinstitution, has been massive.

In the current marketing budgetreview the ongoing viability of many ofthe adverts we have traditionally run inmagazines have been under the micro-scope. We have, of course, always lookedat the effectiveness of our media adver-tising but the rise and rise in the use ofsocial media has really brought into ques-tion the future of some of the moreexpensive printed options.

So, let’s start by looking at what socialmedia is actually doing in terms ofchanging the marketing landscape fromthe marketing side of the equation? Whatare the features of this area which arefuelling its impact on what we do andhow consumers react and communicate?

• It is very easy and cost effective to getinvolved: Very few of the main socialmedia platforms charge for an account,or to use their services. Where else canyou send out a message to hundreds oreven thousands of people with practi-cally no overhead?

• It is easy to utilise in your overall plan:Though some of the lawyers I workwith seem to go out of their way to tryand disprove this theory, the likes oftwitter, LinkedIn and Facebook areremarkably easy to get up and runningvery quickly.

• Reaching prospects is simple: From themoment you sign up you can starttalking to people.

• It’s very quick to communicate amessage or update: Updates are simpleand can be distributed to a lot of peoplevery quickly and with ease.

• Ease of two way communication: Ifsomeone is interested in what you areselling/promoting/saying, they canrespond to you quickly and easily all onone platform.

• Control: As a business, we addresssome quite contentious areas.Sometimes we want to promoteourselves but we don’t necessarily wantto receive unfair negative feedbackfrom those who may have been on the‘pointy end’ of what we have under-taken on behalf of a client. The main

The socialmedialandscapeChris Hunter discusses how socialmedia is shaping the marketinglandscape.

22 pm | April 2015

marketing basics

Chris Hunter is BusinessDevelopment and MarketingManager for rhw SolicitorsLLP, in Guildford, Surrey.

used to being able to respond to an adver-tiser. They expect the organisation tryingto get their business to understand whothey are, where they live and their expec-tations in terms of the product, method ofpayment and ease of delivery. Socialmedia has enabled people to have a voiceand a chance to be heard as much or aslittle as they want. It has become essen-tial for a firm to understand its core audi-ence through open discussion, mediasharing and relationship nurturing. Youneed to show yourself as living in thesame world as the people you are tryingto reach.

Consumers are also increasinglyaware when they are being sold to. To acertain extent the ‘buy thisservice/product because it’s really good’angle is a dead duck. Even with the easeof access to the accounts of thousands,the challenge to find a way to stand outamongst all your competitors remains thesame.

The challenge to marketing depart-ments is to be increasingly more creativewith the content and information theywant to share and the manner in whichthey share it. The golden thread in theuse of social media marketing is to lookfor the need, understand it, and strive tomeet it. Grab the consumer’s attentionand keep it by cultivating a more personalrelationship and developing a positivereputation with them. This was neverpossible before the invention of socialmedia in the way it is now. It takes effortto build and keep your audience but thateffort is easier than before, though theend user will be expecting more tweetsand updates then they would from tradi-tional contact methods. In a way it hasbecome a form of entertainment, ‘adver-tainment’ perhaps!

Former channels of marketing haven’tcome to a sad end just yet. The printedword, TV and radio advertising have theirplace but if you can get your message to aperson’s lap-top, tablet or mobile thenthat is going to be an option you ignore atyour peril. An effective social mediastrategy brings a firm closer to its corefollower base. The value of utilising majorsocial media networks is in their ability tointimately connect to an audience ofcurrent and potential clients. Engage andgrow!

We now have anunprecedented rise inthe individualmarketing manager’sability to make adifference.

social media platforms have more waysto control incoming comments or feed-back then some in the wider mediawould have you believe. For example,we use Facebook to successfullypromote Family Law. Pin down whatyou want to achieve with your accountfrom the start and then set up the secu-rity protocols appropriately.

• No frontiers: There are no boundariesfor how many people see yourmessages. If you have somethingpeople want, you pitch the messagecorrectly and have targeted a receptivegroup of people, with re-posts,favourites, re-tweets, etc you can getwhat you are selling in front of anendless number of people.

• Flexibility: Traditionally, in the pastvarious marketing channels such asprinted adverts, cold calling, mailshots. etc have run parallel to eachother. They may have complementedeach other but it was very difficult tointertwine the various campaigns.Social media changes that landscapetotally. Anything sent out digitally canmention, connect and hyperlink toanything else you are doing on anotherplatform, website, blog or e-mailcampaign. For the first time in thehistory of marketing, campaigns can berun in a way that promotes on oneinterconnected united front.

• Measurement & analysis: Social mediahas provided a means for marketersand advertisers in general to have moretransparency in understanding what isgoing on with their marketing. Newmetrics, measurement tools andmanagement platforms have made iteasier for advertisers to analyse dataand monitor the effectiveness of amarketing campaign. This is muchmore difficult to do with traditionaladvertising means and is harder to ‘see’the return on investment

• The rise of an individual’s power toinfluence: I, like many others readingthis, have spent hours stuffingenvelopes, printing letters andfollowing up on cold call lists. Quiteoften I would need to utilise staff fromother teams to deliver a campaign orlose days to the preparation of just onechannel of influence.

We now have an unprecedented rise inthe individual marketing manager’sability to make a difference. Updates canbe made across many platforms instanta-neously, messages can be set up to gowhen you are out of the office (twitter

deck, Hootsuite), mailing campaigns areeasy to set up, images and videos aresimple to integrate and mailing listsunsubscribe those not interested in whatyou are selling, automatically. I mean,really, what is there not to like from aMarketing and Business Developmentangle? If someone had said to most of thereaders of PM a few years ago, would youlike systems that give you free access tomillions of people, huge control over whoyou want to talk to and an ease of use thatmeans you effectively become 500% moreproductive overnight, after laughing atthem, they would have grabbed theopportunity with both hands. It makesthe resistance to utilise social mediaamongst some stake holders in busi-nesses all the more perverse in myhumble opinion.

From the consumer’s angle, the gamehas changed as well. They are no longerpassive, and with that ability to see thingsquickly and respond as required, comesan expectation of quick gratificationwhen they want to find something rele-vant to their requirements.

Traditional advertising can now seemslightly impersonal. People are getting

pm | April 2015 23

technology

facing law firms, according to a survey werecently carried out at Equal to 3 – withnearly half (45%) of firms saying they areineffective in this area,

The survey asked legal practitionersand marketing professionals from aroundthe UK seven simple questions aboutdigital client relationships. The resultsshow that law firms are increasinglyadapting to a digital world, but highlightsome basic but fundamental questionsthat every firm should be thinking about.Here are just a few.

Winning new clients through yourwebsiteAccording to our survey, firms are rela-tively confident in their websites as ameans to winning new clients, with 69%saying they are effective in doing this.Surprisingly, however, two-thirds (65%)say that their websites are still usedprimarily to communicate services, part-ners and office details. This latter findingseems to suggest that many firms’websites are still glorified onlinebrochures, which is perhaps at odds withrespondents’ confidence in their ability togenerate new business.

These results underline the criticalimportance of aligning business anddigital marketing strategy. This in turnraises questions about what law firms’websites are actually for. For most of oursurvey respondents it seems, they are akey driver of new business – one of theprincipal weapons in both establishing aclearly differentiated value proposition toprospective clients and in the delivery ofrelevant content to engage them.

Most firms have embraced ‘thoughtleadership’ and know-how content as ameans of facilitating conversations withpotential clients and sharing that contentthrough a range of digital channels. Butwebsites are never ‘finished’ – theyshould evolve based on continually devel-oping insight and understanding of clientrequirements, feeding from all channels.

Closer examination of the websites wesurveyed reveals a surprising lack oflinkage between different types of webcontent. While it may be true that manyfirms’ most frequently visited pages areoffice locations and partner profiles, arethey making the most of these pages tocross-sell their know-how? Firms shouldbe asking themselves how they canenhance the user experience whenseeking this type of factual information?Surely there are missed opportunitieshere.

All too often, however, it seems that

Test drivingthe digitalprofessionalfirmHow are firms meeting changing clientexpectations through their websites? SteveSmith and Tim Reed discuss some keychallenges for firms based on recent research.

The growing importance of digitalclient relationships to profes-sional firms is unquestionable.Digital is arguably the single

biggest transformational change thatfirms face.

The sheer volume of informationavailable online has created completelynew client dynamics. Clients want round-the-clock access to advice and knowledge.

Business audiences are increasingly influ-enced by many of the same digitaldynamics affecting retail customers.Firms need to embrace change to keepup.

Our survey says…The ability of firms’ websites to enhanceservices to existing clients is one of thethe biggest digital marketing challenges

24 pm | April 2015

Head of Pricing

Chief

Exec

utive

Hum

an Re

sour

ces E

xecu

tive

Finan

cial C

ontro

ller

Head of Se

rvice

Delivery

Strategy & Corporate Development Assistant

Global Mobility Consultant

Communications Advisor

Client Development Assistant

Executive Assistant

Strategic Project ManagerSenior Risk ManagerSenior Business Analyst

Graduate Recruitment & Development Executive

Head of Diversity & Inclusion

Engagement ManagerHead

of Re

ward

Sales

Man

ager

Busin

ess De

velop

ment M

anag

er

Secret

arial S

ervice

s Man

ager

O�ce ManagerPractice ManagerCRM Systems Manager

Bids Executive

Partnership Secretary

Public Relations Manager

Head of Brand

Chief Operating O�cer

Director of Implementation & Strategy

Director of Analysis

Pro-bono Manager

Finance DirectorProject Manager

Director of Talent

We’re going places. So will you.In March 2015 Totum moved into a new, larger o�ce in Austin Friars. In response to a buoyant market and the continued investment by our clients in our specialist areas, we will be embarking on an exciting period of growth to further consolidate our position as the leading recruiter of business services professionals into law �rms. 

In a slightly revised structure we will have teams which specialise in Business Development/Marketing, Human Resources, Finance, General Management and International roles. Speci�c opportunities exist across all of these areas. We are therefore looking for experienced recruiters in any of these specialist functions. 

This growth will be implemented carefully and thoughtfully and we will be sure to recruit people who are aligned with our approach and ethos, which is all about client service, integrity and in depth knowledge of our market. We care very much about our business, people trust us and we are very proud of that. 

If you would like to learn more about a career with Totum please do get in touch.

Deborah Graydeborah.gray@totumpartners.com

+44 (0)20 7332 6331

Contact

www.totumpartners.com

technology

• What is different about our websitecompared to our competitors?

Ensuring an effective mobile clientexperience Our survey respondents appear moreconfident about their clients’ digital inter-action with firms while on the move, with62% believing this is effective. Howeverour review of participating firms’websites reveals a much lower level ofmobile enablement than these resultswould suggest.

Adopting a ‘mobile first’ approachinvolves another critical mindshift –considering the fastest growing platformsfirst and scaling up to larger formattablets, laptops and desktops.

Also core to a well-managed mobilestrategy is a single source of content,ensuring that the mobile experience isn’ta ‘poor relation’ of the desktop experi-ence. It’s essential that firms considerwhat users want when they’re on themove, how they will use information andhow it will be delivered?

This is not simply a question of re-sizing from the desktop to the tablet ormobile device. App-savy mobile usersrequire and expect an entirely differentuser interface to the traditional website.But as mobile becomes the primarydigital communication device, thenumber of simple functions, such as apartner search or office finder that simplydon’t work on a mobile is worrying.

Key questions to consider:• Are we meeting our clients’ require-

ments as they interact with our firmsvia hand-held devices?

• How will we deliver information toclients and contacts in the future?

Adapt to surviveTo compete and stay ahead, firms mustcontinue to adapt to the digital needs andexpectations of their clients andprospects. This in turn places newdemands on marketing teams, the func-tions they perform and the skills theyrequire. We hope the pointers above haveprovided some useful food for thoughtand would welcome your views.

the website becomes a dumping groundfor information pandering to particularfee earners or practice areas. Instead theyshould follow a meaningful editorialpolicy and form part of an integratedmarketing strategy.

Key questions to consider:• Is our online strategy fully aligned with

our business strategy?• Are we capturing client and prospect

preferences in sufficient depth throughour website?

• Are we making the most of our mostvisited web pages by linking them torich content?

Enhancing services to yourexisting clients through yourwebsiteOur survey suggests that the use ofwebsites by firms as a means to enhanceclient service remains a poor second totheir principal role as new businessgenerators.

While online will and conveyancingservices are now a familiar part of theretail legal market, use of more sophisti-cated digital enhancements to servicedelivery are harder to find. “It’s just nothow we do things” is often the cry.

But like it or not, clients now operatein a digital world. The rules have changedand the opportunities to connect aregreater than ever. This applies to existingclients as much as to newer prospects.Firms need to consider how their contentcan be tailored to clients to facilitatecross-selling of additional services and toencourage satisfied customers to makereferrals – often a firm’s two biggestsources of new business.

However these efforts are oftenhampered by partner resistance and ring-fencing of client relationships. This,combined with the complex taxonomybehind the delivery of truly personaliseddigital communication, can prevent firmsfrom capitalising on these opportunities.

Key questions to consider:• How does our firm’s digital strategy

support business development fromexisting clients?

• What does our firm’s website offer toexisting clients that isn’t available toother users?

Differentiating your firm throughyour websiteAnother surprise from our research is thefact that a third (33%) of respondentssaid that their firms do not clearly differ-

entiate themselves online – perhaps thesingle biggest marketing challenge formost firms in an increasingly competitivelegal market.

Websites are a very versatile mediumto convey a brand personality, but themarket continues to be crowded with ‘metoo’ websites. Even the scantest ofreviews of firms’ online presence suggeststhat they often still struggle to articulatetheir USPs. The familiar platitudes aboutsatisfied clients and strong relationshipsare unlikely to be sufficient in the face ofnew competitive forces and more innova-tive business models that clients are facedwith.

Whether it’s being the market leaderin a region or practice area, focusing on aniche market, providing online servicesor fixed fee arrangements, firms need tofocus on points of difference and buildstrong brand positioning around them,including the effective use of the digitaltechnology. Indeed, the use of digitaltechnology can, in itself, be a key differ-entiator.

Of course, this goes way beyond visualidentity, web design or even functionalityand ease of navigation – crucial thoughthese are. The most successful firms havecreated a distinctive digital presence,tone of voice – some would even say atti-tude – that goes beyond the “our service-our sectors-our partners” formulae tocreate genuine destination digital brands.

The starting point should be thefirm’s strategic aims and how its brand ispositioned to support those aims, basedon a detailed assessment of the needs ofits audiences.

Key questions to consider:• What is our USP? No, really, what is

our USP?• Does our brand positioning support

our business strategy?

What is our USP?

No, really, what is ourUSP?

Steve Smith and Tim Reed are directors of Equalto 3, a strategic partnership between Thirdpersonand Eurisko. Visit: www.equalto3.com

Head of Pricing

Chief

Exec

utive

Hum

an Re

sour

ces E

xecu

tive

Finan

cial C

ontro

ller

Head of Se

rvice

Delivery

Strategy & Corporate Development Assistant

Global Mobility Consultant

Communications Advisor

Client Development Assistant

Executive Assistant

Strategic Project ManagerSenior Risk ManagerSenior Business Analyst

Graduate Recruitment & Development Executive

Head of Diversity & Inclusion

Engagement ManagerHead

of Re

ward

Sales

Man

ager

Busin

ess De

velop

ment M

anag

er

Secret

arial S

ervice

s Man

ager

O�ce ManagerPractice ManagerCRM Systems Manager

Bids Executive

Partnership Secretary

Public Relations Manager

Head of Brand

Chief Operating O�cer

Director of Implementation & Strategy

Director of Analysis

Pro-bono Manager

Finance DirectorProject Manager

Director of Talent

We’re going places. So will you.In March 2015 Totum moved into a new, larger o�ce in Austin Friars. In response to a buoyant market and the continued investment by our clients in our specialist areas, we will be embarking on an exciting period of growth to further consolidate our position as the leading recruiter of business services professionals into law �rms. 

In a slightly revised structure we will have teams which specialise in Business Development/Marketing, Human Resources, Finance, General Management and International roles. Speci�c opportunities exist across all of these areas. We are therefore looking for experienced recruiters in any of these specialist functions. 

This growth will be implemented carefully and thoughtfully and we will be sure to recruit people who are aligned with our approach and ethos, which is all about client service, integrity and in depth knowledge of our market. We care very much about our business, people trust us and we are very proud of that. 

If you would like to learn more about a career with Totum please do get in touch.

Deborah Graydeborah.gray@totumpartners.com

+44 (0)20 7332 6331

Contact

www.totumpartners.com

What does the PM Forum mean to its members?

The goal of the PM Forum is to ensure your professional life is made easierthrough distilling knowledge, insight and resources, needed to help you performyour role and develop your skills, status, career and network.

Knowledge sharing - More confidence in the validity of marketing strategiesthrough awareness of best practice

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28 pm | April 2015

second opinion

Five ways to write less

When it comes to the written word in businesscommunication, you won’t require muchconvincing about the virtues of brevity. In an age when concentration spans have got

shorter, being concise has never been more important. Thereaders’ attention must be captured immediately, if it is to becaptured at all. This affects us in many ways. If for example youare involved in writing bids, you will know that word limits areincreasingly assigned to individual responses. Getting the bestscore depends to a large extent on conveying the richest contentusing the fewest possible words.

And yet you probably have to read and amend a lot of mate-rial which is longer than it needs to be. Indeed, for years youmay have been fighting an editorial guerilla campaign againstyour fee earners’ long-windedness. The roots of this ubiquitousproblem are diverse and deep seated. But if we can identify themost common causes, we will at least know what to be on ourguard against: ‘know thy enemy’ is always good advice.

1 IrrelevanceWe will need to write less if we stick to the point. Obviously. Yetthat is harder to achieve than it looks: according to an informalsurvey among government bid evaluators, the most commonweakness in tender submissions is failure to answer the question.

It happens for a number of reasons. Sometimes authorsanswer the question they would like to have been asked, ratherthan the one in front of them. Sometimes the question itself isambiguous, leading the responder to misinterpret what isrequired. Many authors think they need to write a beginning,middle and end when all the evaluator is interested in is themiddle –you cannot afford the luxury of a preamble. Often thesimplest route to economy is simply to expunge the inessentialor irrelevant.

2 Verbal ticsVerbal tics are words and phrases that get stuck in writers’heads and emerge on the page with wearying frequency. Takeany page of draft text, regardless of topic or context, and it isalmost guaranteed to contain these unwanted repetitions. Arecent example:

“Our innovative approach to working with our clientsfocuses on commercial solutions that enable clients to achievetheir objectives. Over the last two years our client-facing teamshave identified over £15m savings for clients working in highlycompetitive markets.”

Authors don’t know they’re doing it, so it will often take anindependent editor to spot the problem. Usually with the help ofpronouns, sentences can easily be rewritten to cut out theoffending excrescences.

John de Forte is principal of de Forte Associates,which specialises in providing proposal training andconsultancy to fee earners and bid teams. Contact him at jdf@deforte.com

3 Implicit restatement A version of repetition in which the author uses different wordsto say the same thing. A favourite example:

“We have included a likely estimate of approximate costs” A triple-header, as ‘likely’, ‘estimate’ and ‘approximate’ are

all doing the same job. Like verbal tics, examples of implicitrestatement (or tautology) are likely to be found on almost anypage of text which hasn’t been subject to a competent edit. Thecumulative effect is to make readers feel they are getting a poorreturn on their investment of time and effort.

4 CongestionThe tendency to try to make several points simultaneously:

“The dedicated team we will assign to the contract hascarried out a range of projects in your sector though our part-nership based approach”

Taken in isolation, this ought to reduce the number of wordsrequired. It is however a false economy. Compacting severalideas into a single phrase means that none comes across clearly.The author ends up repeating them in different forms in otherplaces. Say one thing at a time, and you will only have to say itonce.

5 Self-importanceGive anyone the task of writing anything official and they willinstinctively feel the need to impress the reader with theirexpertise or authority; perhaps it’s just that we all yearn to betaken seriously. This draws the writer into using convolutedsentence structures and unnecessarily formal vocabulary. Thefollowing example includes both:

“Having given consideration to the revised timetable, ourassessment is that an analysis of the figures can still beconducted shortly after commencement.”

The net effect is an increase in the word count. We need topersuade authors that direct, down to earth speech is more cred-ible – and certain to be better received.

In all these cases, the failure to be concise often results fromauthors not planning what they want to say before they startwriting. In the words of a famous apology: “I’m sorry my letter isso long, but I didn’t have time to write it shorter.”

John de Forte takes a sideways look at the world ofprofessional services marketing. This month: why wetend to write more than we need to.

If you would like to beincluded in this directory,please contact PaulLemon on 020 7786 9786or at paul@pmint.co.uk

De Forte AssociatesWith a successful track recordextending over 20 years, dFAspecialises in advising professionalservices firms on bids and businessdevelopment, written communica-tions of all kinds, presentationcoaching and key client manage-ment. Contact: John de Forte on 020 77545556 or jdf@deforte.comwww.deforte.com

Public RelationsSpadaSpada is a leading insight-led PR andresearch consultancy for complexknow-how businesses. Spada’s serv-ices include reputation and crisismanagement, expertise brandprojection, research, media relations,media training and public affairs. Ourlong-standing professional servicesknowledge has been honed at thecutting edge of the media, businessand political world.Contact: Gavin Ingham Brooke020 7269 1430, gib@spada.co.ukwww.spada.co.uk

PhotographyJohn CunninghamPhotography Experienced photographer andregular contributor to pm, providingan efficient and professional serviceacross the country.Contact: John Cunningham07985 377 509

DigitalCommunicationsVutureImagine, a range of easy to use CRMintegrated marketing tools that makeit very easy and quick to reach moreclients, more often with moretargeted precision across email, web,surveys, print and social all resultingin exceptional business developmentresults and at the same time, signifi-cantly reduced marketing cost.What's more the software evolves asyour business evolves meaning youalways have something that is rele-vant when you need it. That ismarketing technology by Vuture.Contact: 020 7928 6250 andinfo@vuture.co.uk

BusinessIntelligenceTrovusProve the value of your marketing.Save time by working smarter.Identify new cross selling opportuni-ties. These are just some of thebenefits that our clients gain whenworking with Trovus to grow theirfirms by leveraging the power of IPaddress profiling. Contact: Visit www.trovus.co.uk/pmfor call 0207 582 5022.

Printing ServicesPurbrooksHigh quality and environmentallyfriendly litho and digital printing.• 24 hour facilities• ISO 9001 (Quality)• ISO 14001 (Environmental

Management)• FSC Accredited• FM Screening• Printing Alcohol Free• Free Print Buyer’s Guides

The experts in printing for profes-sional services and delighted to beprinting pm magazine.Contact: Martin Stern on 0208 9443200 or at martin@purbrooks.co.ukwww.purbrooks.co.uk

Brand and DesignMytton WilliamsMytton Williams is an independentdesign studio specialising in brandcommunications. We help ambitiousorganisations transform their busi-ness identity and brand, deliveringsuccessful creative solutions that addvalue to their business. We designbrands with intelligent simplicity, wellthought through ideas that aresimple, beautiful and effective.

Contact: 01225 476476, enquiries@myttonwilliams.co.ukVisit: www.myttonwilliams.co.uk

DirectoryConsultantsRedStarKim LtdChange and growth for law, account-ancy and property firms through:strategy and execution; marketingand selling; psychology and relation-ships; and training and writing.

Kim Tasso has over 20 years’management consultancy experiencein the professions and is qualified inpsychology, management, marketingand coach/mentoring. She is authorof books on selling, media relationsand growth strategies and a free-lance journalist. Contact: 07831 687882kim@kimtasso.comwww.kimtasso.com

Meridian WestMeridian West helps the leadingglobal financial institutions andprofessional firms to develop andimplement client-centric strategies.We combine market insight withfinancial and data analytics to provideclients with a deep understanding oftheir client relationships. Contact: Ben Kent on 020 7261 4700or visit www.meridianwest.co.uk

Steve Wright BDAn experienced business develop-ment professional specialised inworking with professional servicefirms on their marketing and businessdevelopment activities. Workingclosely with your existing marketingteams we develop and implementbusiness development pursuit strate-gies in line with the firm’s overall busi-ness strategy. We ‘work on’ thebusiness while you ‘work in’ it.Contact: Steve Wright on07771778287,steve@stevewrightbd.co.ukwww.stevewrightbd.co.uk

Larry Bodine MarketingLaw firms, corporations andconsulting firms turn to Larry Bodinewhen they are looking for a marketingadvisor with experience and perspec-tive. You can seewww.LarryBodine.com for severalsuccess stories. If you need help withyour firm marketing strategy, indi-vidual coaching or a web sitemakeover, call Larry.Contact: +1 630 942 0977 orLbodine@LawMarketing.com

Progress MarketingProgress Marketing helps firms in thelegal and financial sector achievetheir growth plans by working closelywith partners on marketing strategyand by department with fee earnerson business development.

To gain commitment at all levels wealso tackle leadership, HR andtraining head on to ensure that theculture of a firm supports thestrategic objectives.Contact: Lisa Lister on 07879820725 for further information.

Stonehouse MarketingFreelance business development andmarketing consultant with 20+ years’experience of working with profes-sional services firms helping them toraise profile and win new work.Clients include smaller firms where itwould not be viable to employ asenior in-house resource, through toglobal organisations looking for addi-tional resource for specific projects orto cover temporary gaps in the team.Contact: Jo Miners on 07739 515809 @TheJoMiners

The PACE PartnersThe PACE Partners advise, coachand develop clients to win more workfrom the right clients at the rightprice.Helping influence top line growth by:• Winning new business• Developing key clients• Dealing with leadership issuesProfessionals work with PACEbecause our proven approachdelivers increased fee income.Contact: John Ranson on +44(0)1932 260062, john.ranson@thepacepartners.com orvisit www.thepacepartners.com

V Formation LtdV Formation is a Midlands-basedmarketing consultancy that workswith professional services firms andambitious SMEs. We bring together awealth of in-house experience andcombine a clear understanding ofbuyer behaviour with focusedmarketing and business developmenttactics and strategies to take youcloser to your clients and help youfind your competitive edge.Contact: Sue Carr, 07809 727533sue@vformation.bizwww.vformation.biz