The marketing function at major firms has now received acceptance,
albeit grudgingly at first. Even advertising—tasteful black
and white quarter-pages in The Wall Street Journal—is
becoming more commonplace.
But salespeople?! For a certain stratum of firm,
and client base, that day has
arrived.
I will readily confess to deeply mixed feelings about this development. Econ.
101 would tell us that if salespeople are all but universally employed
across the rest of the business universe, they have demonstrable value,
and why would law-firm-land be any different? Of course it’s not
that simple. (I’m reminded of Frank Lloyd Wright’s memorable observation
that "the truth is more important than the facts.") Law
firms, especially at the level where the practice gets truly interesting,
sell a service with a very high "intangible" quotient.
Partners may be able to learn to be more effective sales/persuaders
(try listening, and try learning your client’s business, for starters)
but I’m still skeptical that this trend has legs.
After all, I still remember the ineffably fitting marketing expenditure
by Brobeck at the height of the dot-com mania: "Real Time Market
Quotes [on CNBC] Brought to You by Brobeck."
