Musings on three very meaningful words, part 2.

• Author: Scalzi, Jeff
• Position: Editorial

He Said

It's amazing how quickly life can change. In the January issue of Strategies, "Recover" was our charge. Not from too many cocktails on New Year's Eve (well, perhaps that, too), but from the most tumultuous year the legal industry had ever experienced. Alas, now it's over. Our revenue numbers are in and The American Lawyer is already calling for comment. Our budgets and plans are in place. New LMA chapter officers have assumed office. Heck, even "We Are the World" has been re-recorded 25 years later in support of the terrible devastation in Haiti. It felt like just yesterday I was blasting the original version on my boom box as a young teenager. Now my seven year old listens to this new version on his iPod. OMG, how things have changed.

There is no room for complacency in today's world. This year affords us the opportunity to start fresh and do what we really need to do: Refocus. And let's start with what we know is most important to the viability of our firms: sales. But whether we call it "business development," "client relations" or "revenue generation," what we're really talking about is sales. Sales are the most critical focus of any business, so why should they not be for a law firm? Like any corporation, law firms must focus on laying the groundwork to support sales efforts today and into the future. Identifying and articulating the challenges that confront the business are often the most difficult parts for a business owner, and again, law firms are no exception.

Legal marketers must lead their firms in recognizing the unique challenges they face as an organization. Whether your organization has one marketing and business development professional or 101, an integrated approach is critical for success. Extending that model into business planning is also critical. Lawyers, legal marketing and business development professionals should all be immersed in the firm's practices and industry teams and armed with knowledge that will allow them to be both strategic and proactive. We must drive the direction of marketing and sales activities and align client service initiatives according to firm strategy.

As we prepare to come together as an industry in Denver, we leave the proverbial rubble of 2009 behind and refocus on the opportunities that are well within our reach. Just as iPods have replaced boom boxes and Justin Bieber has replaced Lionel Richie in the opening verse of "We are the World 25 for Haiti," truly a new day has dawned...