Who Knows What the Clients Want?Who Knows What the Clients Want?The Lawyers or the Marketers?The Lawyers or the Marketers?

Who Knows What the Clients Want?Who Knows What the Clients Want?The Lawyers or the Marketers?The Lawyers or the Marketers?

Dona Stohler

Melissa Proffitt Reese

Dona Stohler

Melissa Proffitt Reese

Dona StohlerDona StohlerDona StohlerDona Stohler

Been with Ice Miller 6 years. 17 years of experience in service marketing 10

of which were in health care marketing. Undergraduate degree in business administration

and MBA.

Where We StartWhere We StartWhere We StartWhere We Start Marketing Person

Tends to be an extrovert Big picture Can party all night Understands colors, images

and sounds Prefers to never be in the

office Casual dress means jeans, flip

flops, and a t-shirt

Lawyer Tends to be an introvert Loves the details Frequently works all night Understands words no one

else can pronounce Is often stuck in the office Casual dress means no tie for

a man and a tailored pant suit for a woman

In The Big Divide

The Work That Needs To Be Done:

Keeping the Client Happy and

Bringing in New Clients

Layer on ThisLayer on ThisLayer on ThisLayer on This

Clients

CEO

GC CFO

V.P. HR

Who Knows What the Client Wants?Who Knows What the Client Wants?Who Knows What the Client Wants?Who Knows What the Client Wants?

Our Mantra Ask the clients!

How We Got ThereHow We Got ThereHow We Got ThereHow We Got There

September 2001

Attorney: We don’t need to askour clients what they want.They don’t know what they want.

December 2001Advisory Board

Attorney: Who said that!!??

January 2002Presentation onPositioning

Attorney:That’s the first timeI’ve been comparedto a hamburger. But Iknow now that I want to be a steakburger.

How We Got ThereHow We Got ThereHow We Got ThereHow We Got There

February 2002First time focus groupsused to test ad concepts

Attorney: I liked the one with the cartoons, but the clients likedthe other one better, so I guessthat is O.K. with me.

June 2002First in-houseclient panel

Attorney:We need to dothis more often.

November 2002Web site re-design

Attorney:I think of you as the“pain lady.”

How We Got ThereHow We Got ThereHow We Got ThereHow We Got There

September 2003Client interviewpilot begins

Attorney:How did you findout about all this?

Process entrenched

Attorney:Did we ask the client?What research did we do?Can we get a group of clientstogether and talk about this?

Repeat it all again and again.

How We Work TogetherHow We Work TogetherHow We Work TogetherHow We Work Together

Marketing/Bus. Dev. Know how to talk about

it Know how to focus on

the clients perceptions Know what is “news

worthy” Can spin it to make it

unique Loads the gun and fires

Attorneys Know the legal work Know the clients’

personalities and organization

Know what is “new” Can speak the truth Identifies targets

Melissa Proffitt ReeseMelissa Proffitt ReeseMelissa Proffitt ReeseMelissa Proffitt Reese

Served as the firm’s managing partner from 2004 to 2006.

Chair of practice development and a member of the firm’s strategic planning committee and personnel committee.

Co-chair and partner in the firm’s employee benefit practice area.

Examples of Collaboration Between Attorneys and Examples of Collaboration Between Attorneys and Marketing/Business Development ProfessionalsMarketing/Business Development ProfessionalsExamples of Collaboration Between Attorneys and Examples of Collaboration Between Attorneys and Marketing/Business Development ProfessionalsMarketing/Business Development Professionals

MarketingCommunicationsAnd Branding

Business ExpansionAnd Prospecting

Client Service

DiversityAttorneys can speak the truth. Marketing can spin It to make it interesting.

Industry RoundtablesAttorneys identify the targets.Business Development loadsand fires the gun.

Client InterviewsAttorneys know the client’sorganization. ClientService focuses on client perceptions.

Client Interviews (Client Service)Client Interviews (Client Service)Client Interviews (Client Service)Client Interviews (Client Service)

Collaborative Work Meet as an internal team to review relationship and

identify issues Business Development: Does the interviews with

the clients Reports back – Action plan developed

DiversityDiversity (Marketing/Public Relations)(Marketing/Public Relations)DiversityDiversity (Marketing/Public Relations)(Marketing/Public Relations)

Collaborative Work What do we have in place? What will make this news? Where and how can we communicate it?

Strategic PlacementsStrategic PlacementsStrategic PlacementsStrategic Placements

Article on commitment to diversity Working Mother: Best Places for Women Minority Law Journal Scorecard Diversity Ad Diversity information on Web site along with

video Included in RFPs and marketing materials for

prospects

Roundtables (Business Development)Roundtables (Business Development)Roundtables (Business Development)Roundtables (Business Development)

Collaborative Work What are the industries where we want to grow? What is the right mix of clients and prospects? What do we hope to learn? What are the follow up items? What are the next steps? Did we get additional new work?

Advice From the JourneyAdvice From the JourneyAdvice From the JourneyAdvice From the Journey

Hope is not a strategy. This takes work, commitment, and mutual respect.

It doesn’t happen quickly. Start with small pilots and gradually move into the firm mainstream.

Supportive firm leadership can never hurt, but also no one will argue with success if you can prove it. Get someone to support something and get going!

Dona’s Best AnalogyDona’s Best AnalogyFrom a USLFG ColleagueFrom a USLFG ColleagueDona’s Best AnalogyDona’s Best AnalogyFrom a USLFG ColleagueFrom a USLFG Colleague

“We must all be people who have an unusual desirefor a challenge, or we all come from dysfunctional familiesand we think this is normal.”

QuestionsQuestionsQuestionsQuestions