Once again it’s the time of year where we assess what marketing and business development efforts we have done over the course of the year so we can prepare our year-end reports for management, and to plan accordingly and strategically for the coming year. One of the marketing efforts that many lawyers as well as marketing professionals undertake each year is to serve on boards and do work with Associations where they may have the opportunity to meet and develop relationships with current and prospective clients.

I recently attended the LMASE Mini Conference in Houston. As a newbie to this mini conference, I was impressed with the attendance and the “players” that I met that day. Like most LMA conferences, I always meet some new legal marketers and I left the day with some solid takeaways.

Apple’s new iPhone 4S’s Virtual Assistant, Siri, can tell me how to find the nearest Indian restaurant, remind me that it’s my brother’s birthday and even manage expense reports. It apparently takes on the role of philosopher as well, answering (or dodging) such questions as, “What is the meaning of life?”  Sure it’s a cool application! I mean, why pay a therapist if you can get free advice from your phone?

In the twenty-five plus years I have worked in the professional services community, I have served and worked on numerous committees. A well-run committee is critical to the management of any organization or firm to get work completed efficiently, effectively and creatively. All too often, I have watched committees fail when they had formed with all of the best of intentions.

“Back to school. Back to school, to prove to Dad that I'm not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight. Ohhhh, back to school. Back to school. Back to school. Well, here goes nothing.” — Billy Madison

It has been a few weeks since the new school year started. Elementary students receive their teacher’s name and supplies list, while college students receive their syllabus and assignments for the first semester of classes.

I read a number of blogs, and two of my favorites are Jonathan Fitzgarrald’s Bad for the Brand and Heather Milligan’s The Legal Water Cooler. Both blogs are well written and often focus on the subject of “reputation management,” or what we at Moiré like to refer to as “becoming a brand ambassador.”

I recently read an article in Ad Age, “If the Client Was Always Right, It Wouldn’t Need an Ad Agency”. Moiré is not an ad agency, but a strategic branding, marketing and communications agency. Big difference. Traditional advertising agencies walk a fine line when it comes to “The client is always right.” There is a lot of grey associated with this ideal. It is not simply black and white.

Dating! Some do it for fun and others do it in search of love. There’s a saying that you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you can find your Prince. Unfortunately, some of us have had to kiss more frogs than others, but regardless, dating is a necessary process when trying to understand what qualities you value in your search for a serious relationship.

GUEST BLOGGER: Jack Kolmansberger, Chief Marketing Officer - Herbein + Company, Inc.

How many times have professional services marketers heard the following….
 
That’s a great idea, but how can we get buy-in?
Personally, I think it’s the thing to do, but partners won’t want to pay for it….
Even if a few people will do it, you’ll never get full partner buy-in….

We sat down with our Intern, Ani, last week to find out a little more about her. Moving from Berlin to DC for an internship, Ani with be with Moiré until the end of the summer. Below is the Q&A from our sit down.

Q: How would you describe Moiré & your experience so far?

A: Great team, challenging, versatile, welcoming, directly integrated in projects, great intern program, helpful employees that share and teach me their knowledge and a nice, welcoming office.