The Seven Most Powerful
Marketing Assets And Habits
Asset #2: Hire A Marketing Assistant
Suggest to attorneys that they consider hiring a marketing assistant and they will probably say, “You have got to be kidding, I can’t afford that.” This reaction reflects the view that hiring a market assistant—or anyone who helps with marketing beyond the attorneys themselves—is more appropriate for big firms that have marketing directors and marketing departments. But this is simply not the case.
If you own a small firm, I’m not suggesting that you create a full-time position or hire a person with years of experience. However, the cost of not having an assistant is significantly higher than having one because the viability of the firm can be in question if you’re not marketing yourself well.
You Can’t Afford To Not Hire A Marketing Assistant
Ask yourself, “How many new clients do I have to attract to pay for a marketing assistant for the year?” If the marketing person works 5 hours a week at $15.00/hour, then marketing will cost you $4,000 annually. Next ask yourself how many clients it will take to pay for this amount. In most practice areas, the answer is, “Not too many.” From this perspective, the potential return on your investment is very large.
Hiring a marketing assistant will help you follow one of the cornerstone principles of building and running a successful practice: to never stop marketing. Sporadic marketing results in up-and-down income streams, a pattern that correlates very highly with stress.
Ask yourself, “When I market, am I making the best use of my time?” Your time, knowledge and experience are the bedrock of what you offer your clients. When you misuse your time, the firm gets bogged down, inhibiting growth and client service. Hiring a marketing assistant can free you to do what you do best.
A marketing assistant can:
• Set up meetings with referral sources
• Make reservations
• Send thank you notes and gifts to referral sources
• Help get articles placed in the newspaper
• Plan and execute marketing events like open houses or signature events
• Send birthday cards to referral sources and clients (when appropriate)
• Create PowerPoint presentations for speeches
• Arrange speaking engagements
• Manage database of clients and referral sources
• Build TOMA (top-of-mind awareness) by assisting with newsletters, emails, and mailings
• Track marketing activities as a metric for the firm
Hire The Right Person, Set Goals, And Repeat The Rewards
Select someone who is personable, has good phone and follow-through skills, and is detail-oriented enough to track the results. Some attorneys assign the marketing tasks to a receptionist or secretary eager for new challenges. This can work very well if you create a set of incentives together, and if the person knows the goal of this new task.
Other attorneys select an intern, perhaps a student who works part-time. You can find qualified people through community college employment offices, newspaper advertisements, or CraigsList.
Some attorneys and executives prefer using virtual assistants, skilled people who work remotely and charge an hourly rate to perform specific tasks. This option works well if the job’s hours and requirements vary week to week or if there is not enough office space to accommodate a new staff member.
Be sure to establish performance goals for you and the assistant. You will want to keep track of the number of:
• Lunches, dinners, breakfast meetings
• General meetings
• Information sent
• Phone calls made
• Appointments set up
• Seminars attended
• Speeches given
• Sporting events attended with referral sources
• Organization meetings attended
• New clients
• New referral sources
After goal-setting, provide incentives if the goals are met or exceeded. If you slack off and don’t fulfill your end of the bargain, agree to put $10 in a jar: this then goes to the staff to spend as they wish. It makes the effort fun and measurable.
By focusing on marketing, you’ll create a functioning system that has predictable methodologies, activities, and clear results. Clients who add this function to their firm are often surprised by the positive results and the energy it engenders in terms of attracting new clients and building referral sources.
Don’t delay if you want to increase your revenues and build your firm. Hire a marketing assistant and create a new asset for your firm.
Gary Holstein, a Practice Advisor with Atticus, Inc., is a management consultant, experienced manager, and senior advisor who has consulted with corporations throughout the United States, Europe, and the Pacific Basin.
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