CMO’s Pinpoint 7 Make or Break Skills to Bet On

Law firms make a lot of bets. On Talent – Technology – Markets – Leaders and CMOs for instance.

These bets offer keen insight into the market, competition, and the skills which can make or break your marketing and BD. This is one reason we asked 121 law firm marketing leaders to define the mission-critical skills to harness the energy new market forces generate.

BTI’s new survey reveals 7 mission-critical skills:

AI (18%)

AI is here and everywhere. Law firm marketing leaders expect AI skills to boost creativity and approaches to business development. They are also expecting AI to be the catalyst for substantially more compelling thought leadership. A few firms have this benefit now – making it a more urgent need for the rest.

Digital Marketing (18%)

Only 17% of law firms dedicate a full-time equivalent to digital marketing today. This is about to change. Digital marketing is producing vastly better results for a select group of firms. Meaning it’s quickly becoming mission critical.

Client Listening Skills (15%)

Rising matter complexity makes client listening skills essential. Complex matters bring more complex relationships. This demands more relationship management, coddling, and understanding. Data analysis can give you only part of the picture – client listening fills in the gaps. And adds the essential nuance and dimension to develop empathy and understanding.

Strategic Thinking and Adaptability (15%)

Volatility is hitting law firm marketing and business development. Unexpected change becomes routine – making strategic discipline and analysis at scale make or break. This goes hand-in-hand with more expedient decisions to match or anticipate changes.

Hybrid Client Acquisition – People / Technology (13%)

Combining digital tools with analog skills can redefine client relationships, BD, and everything related to it. Digital tools give people more fodder to develop better ideas, faster – resulting in quicker and more thoughtful approaches to client opportunities.

Data-Driven Decision Making (11%)

Data is foundational to digital marketing, AI utilization, and hybrid client acquisition. Success rests on the skills to synthesize data – and translate insights into action.

Relationship and Influence Skills (11%)

Flying in the face of the technology theme – legal marketing is all about relationships. This includes partners, associates, leadership, and clients. All the data and synthesis in the world won’t help anyone without trusted relationships.

And – it will be relationships enabling law firm marketing leaders to gain the trust to be able to add these skills to the resource base.

Growing Sophistication and New Business

These 7 make-or-break skills point to legal marketers’ increasing sophistication, as they embrace more tools and look to deliver more new business. This emphasis is especially timely – the future keeps arriving and bringing new challenges – and opportunities.

The race with the future is on.