A marketing renaissance?

"Renaissance art marks a cultural rebirth at the close of the Middle Ages and rise of the Modern world" - Wikipedia.

Could the same be said for Marketing and Business Development in the Legal sector - or even more broadly?

In this episode, I am joined by the brilliant Dominic Ayres, who, through lockdown, decided to put pen to paper on "what would he would advise his younger self about navigating a marketing career in a Law firm."

Not an easy question to answer.

Dominic is the International Senior Client, Marketing and Strategy Manager at Eversheds Sutherland law firm.

If you have never worked in a Law firm, or professional services firm, it is hard to explain the nuances and subtleties that you need to be able to adapt to. You are not working for one business, you could potentially be working for 10, 50, 100 individual businesses. Each with their own "CEO" and team supporting team.

This requires a fair amount of stakeholder management, up, down, sideways and more.

Therefore, in Dominic's own words, I have lifted this from his introduction to his book he posted on LinkedIn :

Make 2022 the year you "Be More Purposeful and Strategic with Your Career Direction". Getting ahead requires you to think strategically, embody specific values to help you stand out among your peers, and successfully navigate and build relationships with internal stakeholders. ‘How to Advance Your Career in Professional Services Marketing’ takes a deep inside look into how to go from a junior role to a senior role within the world of professional services marketing. Previously, if one wanted to learn how to advance their career within the industry in marketing and career management, they would have to learn on the job, read multiple books and combine the information of their own volition. This book takes two topics and combines them in a way that is easily digestible and applicable to wherever you’re at within your career. In addition to my own experience and guidance, I have sought out some of the best minds from across the industry worldwide to share their guidance and case studies on how they have developed their career and their key recommendations for you to follow. These professionals hold senior, director and CMO positions at some of the largest professional services firms such as the Big4, AM100, Magic Circle and other leading firms. If you are looking to become more intentional about your career development and excel in your career trajectory, this is the book for you. This book acts as a resource and tool guide to help you progress at each stage in your career to obtain promotions, raises, and become the verified expert within your organization. "

Wow, right?

In this episode, we debate our own, very different journey - Dominic from a Marketing angle, me, from a Business Development perspective.

I ask :

Has the status quo really changed?

Will Legal go back to type as we return to some form of "normal" (and based on what I am hearing in the back channels, it would seem so for some firms).

Are we just moving the chess pieces around the market in BD & Marketing, or is there a genuine desire to bring expertise and knowledge from outside of Legal and Pro Servs?

How will Legal attract new talent as well as nurture what they have?

Is there a desire within our own community to want to learn what the new world order of Martech and Salestech, let alone AI might mean and how will Legal firms adopt this for their Client Development?

Is it the responsibility of leadership or the broader team to take ownership of this?

It's fair to say, we get stuck in on this podcast and could have discussed a lot more.

Chapeau to Dominic for doing this, it has been a while coming and is much a much-needed topic of debate in this sector.

And of course, as Dominic says "When you’re ready to get serious about your career trajectory, pick up a copy and get started on your future today." Available from today on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback - http://ow.ly/hOxF50HBatY

Follow Dominic here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicaayres/

As ever, thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode. If you believe your network would find it helpful hear this podcast and get the book, please do share it.

If you are not subscribed, hit that subscribe button!

As ever, my thanks to Dominic and my listeners.

Alex