The May BD Round-up 2021

Welcome to the May BD Round-up.

In this bumper edition, we provide several informative and useful tips from a range of B2B and industry professionals across the globe. 

The subject matter in the May BD Round-up covers a range of topics including: what we can learn about the differences between B2B marketers; dumb things that smart professionals are asked to do; gender diversity and thought leadership; building client trust in a virtual world and the future of CX.  We also include something a little different, image consulting tips for lawyers. 

So without further ado, here is the May BD Round-up. Happy reading!  

It’s the differences between B2B marketers where we learn the most by Chris Saxby, Aurecon 

My former colleague (and now weekend walking buddy) has authored an insightful article based on his experience having worked in legal services, business advisory and now as a Marketing and Communications Business Partner with leading engineering company Aurecon. Chris shares his insights about the differences between B2B marketers and what we can learn. 

An interesting observation Chris makes in the “Getting to know the client” section of his article, is the importance of being connected into the marketing and communications’ teams of your key clients – these can become such high value relationships that open an entire world of opportunity. Sharing and collaborating is invaluable! 

He also asserts that inhouse counsel and commercial managers in law firms, for example, do not want to spend their time talking to marketing and business development professionals. I do not necessarily agree with the statement in the “feedback context”, based on the number of rich discussions I have been involved in when conducting post matter and tender debriefs with clients. 

Chris discussed these observations at the Asia Pacific’s largest marketing conference for B2B Chief Marketing Officers and marketing leaders in Sydney last month.  

 Is thought leadership only suitable for men? by Justin Pearse, New Digital Age  

Justin has authored an excellent article around the issue of equality in the content of thought leadership. 

As noted by the Amelia Torode, Co-Founder, The Fawnbrake Collective, who comments that the internet can be a threatening place for anyone with an opinion, she highlights: 

“It takes enormous bravery to stand up and stand out these days. You need to have a sense of fearlessness as fear of the Twitter mob can be paralysing. The issue is that when it comes to women online these attacks can turn personal very quickly in a way that it does not seem that it does for men.” 

It is encouraging to hear that the NDA will endeavor to publish 50:50 of its articles by women and men. 

Building Client Trust in a Virtual World, by Joanne Black, No more cold calling 

Joanne raises solid points about salespeople and asserts that a truly effective one builds trust through: listening, validating, offering solutions, and caring! 

She asserts that trust trumps technology every day and that technology only takes us so far.   

We have heard this consistently of late, that it is extremely challenging to build trust and rapport online. However, here are some tips:  start meetings with rapport building, turn on the camera and be aware of body language and cues and end the meeting on a personal note. 

Ten Dumb Things Smart Professionals Are Asked To Do — Prodonovich Advisory | Business development for professional services , by Sue Ella Prodovich

“Update your database” (No. 6) resonated with me. I cannot tell you the hours I have lost either trying to get fee earners to look at publication/event lists and provide updates or generating lists and updating them myself.   

Organisations that have dedicated CRM Managers/teams who truly know how their system operates and can maximise it are well and truly ahead. 

I do not entirely agree with No. 10  that you need to sit through an hours-long training session to get the 5 mins you need but Sue Ella would have credible data to make this assertion. It is up to the trainer to understand what the attendees need to take away from a session and to deliver this as expeditiously as possible.  Isn’t there also some responsibility on the attendee to ensure that the session is of value to them?  

In my experience, law firms do an excellent job with delivering In House Counsel forums that maximise their client’s time, ie by arranging half day sessions that meet mandatory Law Society professional development requirements. 

Prediction: The Future of CX, by McKinsey & Company authors including: Rachel Diebner, David Malfara, Kevin Neher, Mike Thompson, and Maxence Vancauwenberghe, representing views from McKinsey’s Marketing & Sales and Operations practices.

After years of serving as the benchmark for defining and refining a firm’s client-experience performance, it seems that survey-based systems are heading toward their twilight. It would appear, that the future of superior CX is moving to data-driven, predictive systems, and competitive advantages are in store for firms that can better understand what their clients want and need. 

The beauty of this article is that there is also the option to listen to it.  Nice one McKinsey & Company. 

 How can your firm be selected for the Chambers Global Guide, by Robinson Redmond, Chambers & Partners 

Straight from the horse’s mouth, Robinson outlines some useful tips on how your firm can be selected for the Chambers Global Guide.  

In my experience, the benefits of participating in the directory submission process includes an opportunity to: 

• Collate deal / matter details and articulate why they were significant and what value you added to the client.  You will then draw on this content in many ways including tender and credential statements and award and submission documents;  

• Reach out to your clients and ask them to participate in the process and reflect on their experience working with you over the previous 12 months; and 

• Consider and articulate the practice areas key messages. 

 Cracking The Legal Dress Codes: Image Consulting Tips for Lawyers , by Solita Roberts, Style to Impact 

While this article focuses on the appearance of a trial lawyer, it does raise the importance of dress codes and grooming more broadly.  During COVID19 when we were all working from home, on more than one occasion, I was taken aback when I saw several people looking less than professional on Zoom calls, you could say that some personal grooming standards had well and truly left the building. Even though meetings moved online, there is an expectation that you should still present yourself professionally.

The May BD Round-up Conclusion 

Does the information and insights outlined in these articles resonate with you and how will it assist your clients? 

How are you tracking with your plans and goals for the second half of the year? 

I hope you enjoyed the May BD Round-up and found it useful. We look forward to checking-in with you next month and providing further insights and great content.