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
Top Related