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During a recent conversation with a client, she
expressed frustration that no one at her firm
seemed to know anything about a recent excellent
result she'd produced for one of the firm's major
clients.
She was rightfully concerned that she was unlikely
to be fairly compensated for her results and that
she was not likely to be viewed as the "go
to" person the next time a similar matter
arose for other clients.
| Simply stated, she didn't have enough visibility
within her own firm. |
In the same week, another client shared a story
about an e-mail she had received from one of her
partners in another office. He was looking for
a referral to a lawyer who did a very specific
type of hospitality-related real estate deal.
When she replied that she did that kind of work
and had been doing it for many years, her partner
was still hesitant to see her as the appropriate
referral.
| What these clients have in common is that
they do not have the reputations within their
own firms that they deserve. |
While it may seem that your partners "should"
know what you do and what you have accomplished,
the reality is that it is all too common that
they don't. Most people are so busy
thinking about their own reputations that they
don't have much time to think about yours.
| The solution: embark on an internal PR campaign. |
Start your internal PR campaign by:
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Getting
clear on your objectives.
Why do you want increased visibility? To
make sure you get paid what you are worth?
To be included in the next pitch? To have
matters referred to you? Because youdeserve
it?
Creating
a clear message.
What do you want to be known for? Being
the "go to" person for a certain
type of litigation? Expertise in a certain
industry? Creative solutions for difficult
regulatory problems?
Focusing
on a specific audience.
Who will you target with your message? The
partners in your practice group? The partners
in the corporate group? The management committee?
The compensation committee?
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Once you've answered these questions, summarize
your strategy into one sentence. For example:
"I want to educate the partners in the IP
group about my recent success in negotiating a
complicated biotech lease so that they will refer
their biotech clients with real estate needs."
The challenge, of course, is to raise your profile
without, as one client put it, "feeling sleazy."
Here are some tactics to consider:
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Identify a few people who are your targets
and cultivate a relationship with them.
You might invite them to lunch, or chat
in the halls. Take the opportunity to educate
them about your practice, your successes,
the type of matters you would like to handle
in the future, and why you are a safe choice
for a referral.
- Share your learnings
from a recent success. Send out an e-mail
alerting your partners to circumstances that may raise issues
for their clients. Suggest how the risk can be managed. Tie your
advice to your recent experience (read: success).
- Offer to speak at
other practice groups' meetings. Make
sure the presentation focuses on issues that are useful to them
(that is, they can pass it along to their clients and look good).
Give them a checklist they can easily forward to their clients
under their name.
- If you firm has
a structure for publicizing successes
(through an in-house newsletter, your practice group or the marketing
department), take advantage of it.
- Offer to present
at all-firm or all-practice group events.
Again, remember: make it relevant to the participants.
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Build the reputation you deserve among your partners
by having an internal visibility-building strategy
and implementing it.
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