Speak to be Heard: Getting Your Partners on the Speaking Circuit

Bay Area Chapter

Legal Marketing Association

May 26, 2004

Finding Outside Counsel The most popular ways corporations find new attorneys are*:

Bet the Company **

Specialized Issue

New Market Run of the mill

Seminars/Conferences 30% 65% 55% 10%

Articles/Publications 20% 35% 25% 10%

Directories & Rankings 12% 30% 20% 15%

General Editorial 6% 12% 8% 8%

*Based on Lex Mundi Survey and Thomson-FindLaw Internal Research (2003)

** Based on Thomson-FindLaw research session involving 100 corporate counsel.

Law Firm Seminar Spend

• Larger firms spend millions per year on Seminars

• Event Planning and Attorney Presentations are #1 and #2

• Important part of large firm’s marketing activities

Minimum Median Maximum

AttyPresentations

Civic Events

Event Planning

All Seminar Related Expenditures*

(Amount spent per firm)

$10.9M

$141K $0

*Harris Interactive Report on Law Firm Marketing Budgets

Speaking as Part of a PR Campaign:

Nothing scattershot Choose participants wisely Cycle partners through a program Leverage content

FIRM (PARTNER) Speaking

FeaturesByline Articles PROSPECT/

CLIENT

3rd Party

An Example: InfoWeek Security Conference NetSec 2004 Conference Testimony in front of FCC Forbes CFO Conference Forbes “Securing the Corporation” Conference Features in CSO Magazine & Business Insurance Regional ACC-A Meeting 2 bylined articles in Optimize Magazine Monthly Column, CIO Magazine Lots of third-party (AP, NYT, WSJ, etc.)

Business Continuity and Security Lawyer

Results:• Regional Pres. of Infraguard (FBI)• 26 solid Business Inquires• 9 Closed clients (so far)

Why is Speaking so Valuable?

Live contact with prospects An opportunity/excuse to follow-up Grouped with an eminent faculty Identified as a practice leader Marketing exposure (leverage)

Targeting: What to Want

The right audience (It’s all about demographics)

Banner-level attention (…without sponsoring!?)

To add your issue to the agenda To stimulate attendees so they want to

keep talking

What Do Organizers Look For? Topical content/fresh perspectives Recognized authority (resume) Teaching ability (past references) Commitment (contact, work product) Early contact/relationship building

Targeting: How to Find the Right Venues?

Past attended conferences Networking - word of mouth Industry associations Media & publishing conglomerates Conference databases, published lists

Developing Compelling Content Unusual or ground-breaking work Tied to current events Viewpoint challenging prevailing wisdom Simplifying a complex subject Brand name customer success story

Pitching a Speaker Learn what the organizer, audience

is interested in Offer specific topical ideas Answer: Why is this topic important? Begin with a short bio focused on

relevant practice and speaking experience

How to Build a Relationship with the Organizer?

Do your homework• Get last year’s program• Know the audience

Start by introducing yourself in an email Provide something he/she needs

• Set expectations appropriately • Recommend ideas for sessions• Help facilitate recruitment

Miss deadlines Overwhelm with irrelevant material Repackage old speeches Suggest or force an inappropriate speaker Use the speaking slot as a sales pitch

How Not to Build a Relationship with the Organizer?

Special Features

Sponsorships Free passes & other perks Communicating logistics Material distribution

Q & A