6 Hard-Earned Lessons from Veteran Law Firm CMOs

In the high-stakes world of law firm marketing, hindsight is 20/20.

We asked over 150 seasoned law firm Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) what advice they’d give their younger selves or to a newly minted CMO. Their responses paint a vivid picture of the challenges and triumphs in our unique corner of the world.

These insights offer a roadmap for success for both aspiring and current legal marketing professionals. Here are the key lessons these veterans wish they had known from day one. The messages are pretty compelling:

1. 1. Don’t take it personally — everyone questions new ideas

The questioners are not attacking you, they are trying to get their head around your ideas. Their approach may be hard and gruff, and they may not believe — but it comes with the territory.

1. 2. Persistence — don’t give up the ship

People won’t really understand what you are saying until they hear it 7 times. This means the initial resistance and indifference are part of the process. These are your first 2 or 3 of 7 points of communication. Very few ideas get off the ground without at least 7 clear messaging events to the right audience(s).

1. 3. Adapt — learn from all the feedback you get

Rejection, resistance, and lack of enthusiasm all tell you the message or approach you propose may not be on target. Change your approach to play to the issues and concerns you hear.

1. 4. Don’t make the job bigger than you

Don’t care more about the job than the firm. There will always be a few law firms who fundamentally don’t respect or care about the marketing and business development function. These law firm marketing leaders would have told a new CMO to jump ship and go to a place where marketing and business development are part of the firm.

1. 5. Really get to know the attorneys

Attorneys have their priorities and preferences. Law firm leaders recommend taking the time to understand these people and their personalities. You are there to make the firm and the attorneys more successful. Your knowledge of the attorney’s personas and how they conduct business helps you develop your roadmap — and helps you make sure you get to know the partners most likely to make you successful.

1. 6. Learn the art of saying no

CMOs are asked to do all manner of things — some relevant and strategic — others are unrelated to anything meaningful. Successful CMOs advise developing your own informal filters to decide when to say no — and then saying no. They also learn a thoughtful diplomatic decline earns you respect and paves the way for more strategic requests.