The Marcus Letter



About The Marcus Letter A mind at rest tends to remain at rest. A mind in motion tends to remain in motion. Consulting Services Consulting services to help make your firm relevant to the changing needs of the 21st century Who is Bruce W. Marcus? CONTENTS... Spinning Out Of Control What happens when you do everything right, but it comes out wrong? MAGIC IN HAND Stick With Me, You'll Get To Hollywood How to judge -- or hire -- a PR firm. Speak The Speech, I Pray You But Only If It’s What You Want To Say -- Speech writing as an art Digging Faster When You're In A Hole Getting in deeper is not the way out I Could Learn A Lot From You What Can Product Marketers Teach Us? Turn Off The Faucet– It's TaxSeason Do We Market During Tax Season? MAGIC IN HAND *Stone Cold Dead In The Market* *Whatever The Market Is, Anyway* MAGIC IN HAND MAGIC IN HAND Sitting High On The Horse *A Sober View of the Mission Statement* Words, Words, Words Diluting Value – One Cliché At A Time We've Seen It Run, But Does It Work? Evaluating A Marketing Program A World We Never Knew How To Stay Relevant To Your Market In A Changed Environment Dealing With The Press No Matter What I Say They Get It Wrong Same Game, Same Name, Different Rules Any Old PR Person Will Do A Roll Of Nickels And A Phone Booth Anybody Can Do PR Let Me Ask You Something Polling The Way To The Ink No Pain, No Gain *Is The Marketing Return Worth The Risk?* We Won The Battle, But Not The War Winning new staff in a competitive environment If You Could Have Only One Tool In Your Marketing Kit What would it be? Write The Ad, I Pray You -- Trippingly On The Tongue Some thoughts on how to do -- or judge -- advertising Hard Sell Sells Hard sell in brochures? Don't Solve The Problem – Do A Brochure On Being Original In A Brochure *Counter-conventional Wisdom* Marketing Is A Science? So if marketing is a science, how come some people do it better than others? Taking A Chance On Ideas Risk in Writing and Marketing Sing Me A Sonnet Or Find Some Other Way to Inspire Me LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING *Will You Buy My Violets? The art of SPIN Selling.* The Marketing Computer *What We're Going To Do Tomorrow, I Think* Business and Marketing Planning By Computer Links to great sites... ... sites well worth checking out Editorials Beat Me, Daddy, Eight Clichés To The Bar - Advertising as a marketing tool Don’t use your ads to tell me how to think about you Book Reviews The Other Side Of Knowledge How To Be A Leader Among Equals Speak The Speech I Pray You The Words Of Finance And Investment Made Clear Rain Makes Worms *How Academics View Marketing* Trust Me, I Can Do It Building Trust In A Consulting Relationship MAGIC IN HAND Empty Calories *Great Words That Say Nothing* Tilting At The Software Windmill The ANNOYANCES Books And How They Grew I Know The Answer, But What's The Question? *Some Thoughtful – If Abbreviated -- Answers To Some Tough Marketing Questions* I Could Write A Book Yes, but who'd read it? You Could Look It Up The Latest Word In Marketing – Word By Word Other Voices Herding Cats In one of the most remarkable publications ever done for the professional firm leader, The Edge Group – Patrick McKenna and Gerry Riskin – get closer to the core of professional firm management than has ever been done before in print. Two new chapters. Herding Cats Into Groups The Attributes That Distinguish Effective Group Performance. by Patrick J. McKenna Legendary Service For Your Clients How can you become an indispensable source of value to your clients? By Gerald A. Riskin So You Want To Compete Lessons From The Leading Accounting by Patrick J. McKenna ONE NIGHT STANDS OR RELATIONSHIPS? Do You Really Want Relationships? By David Maister Mastering New Skills Actively Listening To Colleagues And Clients Is The Sine Qua Non By Gerald A. Riskin SO YOU SAY Your chance to talk back	NEW VINDICATION *Or, An Obvious Prediction Come True* *NEW* LIVING THE UNTHINKABLE Change Comes To The Bar *NEW* DEALING WITH CLIENTS WHO THINK THEY KNOW MARKETING But Don't --And What They Should Know NEW HOW TO THINK ABOUT THE RECESSION *A marketer’s guide to survival in today’s economy* NEW DOES BRANDING MAKE CLIENTS? *What is Branding -- Really?* *NEW* WHAT I LEARNED AT THE FAIR Reflections On The Recent Chief Marketing Officers’ Forum NEW LAW FIRM MARKETERS – IS THERE A FUTURE? *Speech By Bruce W. Marcus before the Chief Marketing Officers’ Forum – September 17, 2008* NEW THE ART IN MARKETING STRATEGY –CREATIVITY VS. MEMORY *The Tools Of Marketing Aren’t The Strategy* *NEW* *YES, YOU CAN* LEARN IT FROM A BOOK** Three Superb Books On Ancillary Subjects To Help The Marketer YOU’RE A PROFESSIONAL --I’M A PROFESSIONAL *Would Certification Help?* LISTEN AND BELIEVE ME *A Best Book on Communicating to Your Audience* A ROLL OF NICKELS AND A PHONE BOOTH *Anybody Can Do PR. An article and comments.* *DON’T USE THE WORD CHANGE* IN POLITE COMPANY Well, That Will Change Too. A report of a major conference on the future of the legal profession.** I’LL FOLLOW YOU ANYWHERE When You Learn How To Lead Me There TAKING A CHANCE ON THE FUTURE A New Law Firm Brings The Future To The Present I’LL BUY YOUR VIOLETS *But Not From Your Ad* THE ECONOMY IS JUST ONE BIG HYDRAULIC SYSTEM *What Should Lawyers And Accountants Worry About In The Current Economic Downturn?* THE LEGAL PROFESSION FINDS ONE VOICE *A New Web Site Calls In Facts And Ideas From All Sources* WHEN OTHERS ABOUT YOU ARE LOSING THEIR HEADS… Crisis Management And Prevention In Difficult Times. A new, authoritative book by Richard S. Levick and Larry Smith I’VE GOT A LITTLE TO DO LIST *But That’s Not Good Enough For Managing A Project* A BLUEPRINT TO SAVE THE DECLINING FIRM *A Tale Of Business Salvation, Well Told* TEACHING TODAY’S LEADERS TODAY *A Management Resource For Today’s Managing Partners* A FIXED POSITION IN A MOVING WORLD Positioning As A Metaphor THE RISK IN NOT UNDERSTANDING RISK *How To Understand, Manage And Avoid Reckless Risk* THE ASSAULT ON CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS Déjà Vu? A lesson for Today’s Professionals. A SHADOW OF RED: Communism and the Blacklist in Radio and Television, by David Everitt (Review). THE EQUITY FACTOR IN COMPENSATION A Primer for the Managing Partner – And Everyone Else In The Firm. A new book by August Aquila and Coral Rice. THE CASE OF THE RIDICULOUS RULES IN A SUBLIME PROFESSION The Ringing Of The Broken Advertising Rules Of New York State (And Other) Bar Associations O, WOULD SOME POWER THE GIFTIE GIE US, TO SEE OURSELVES AS OTHERS SEE US *Client Feedback As A Client Retention Tool -- an article by Donald Aronson and Bruce Heintz* STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND *Advertising As A Marketing Tool That Sometimes Works* ARE WE THERE YET? The Future of the Professions WHY CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG? *Culture Clash In The Hallowed Halls Of The Professions* DID WE GET WHAT WE PAID FOR *Re-Evaluate How You Evaluate Your Marketer* By Suzanne Lowe and Sally Glick WHY YOU CAN TRUST SYMANTEC Virtually A New Program Every Day THE FUTURE OF THE PROFESSIONS Changing The Course Of The River DO IT YOURSELF LEADERSHIP Patrick McKenna’s New Book NO MORE WIGS AND ROBES? Are We Near The Tipping Point *In Professional Firm Management And Structure?* THE BIRTH OF THE INCLUSIONARY FIRM *The Sayings Of Peter Drucker And Professional Services Management -- And The Professional Firm* *ALL TOGETHER NOW – IT’S OUR* CLIENT The Client Service Team As A Growing Phenomenon WHAT IS THIS GUY TALKING ABOUT? A Delightful Guide To The Language Of The Media DEATH OF A GIANT Gone, Gone, Gone Is Peter Drucker -- But Not Forgotten** IMPROVING THE BREED How To Really Succeed At Practicing Law. Gerald Riskin tells you how in his new book. ANYTHING YOU CAN DO I CAN DO BETTER *Are Accountants Or Lawyers The Better Marketers? Does one size fit all?* MAKING IT RUN ISN'T RUNNING IT The Difference Between Doing And Managing Marketing MY TWIN BROTHER AND I ARE DIFFERENT The Myths of Differentiation of Professional Firms GOING FROM THE BASE TO THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN The Tipping Point As A Marketing Theory EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR RAINMAKERS Selling And The Woman Lawyer WHY WON’T YOU BUY MY FLOWERS? A Definitive Survey On How Clients Buy Professional Services. TAKING A PUBLIC STAND The Issues Program As A Marketing Tool BE NICE TO THE JOURNALISTS *Or Else You'll Turn Into A Pumpkin -- Or Something* DID YOU KNOW THAT? Yes, But What Does Know Mean? A LAWYER WHO HAS HIMSELF FOR A CLIENT… *Do It Yourself Marketing* I TOOK A COURSE *And Now I Can Write* DO IT YOURSELF BRAIN SURGERY *Learning Your Computer Program From A Book* GETTING MORE JUICE FROM THE ORANGE *Improving productivity in professional services marketing* THERE'S A LEAK IN MY FIRM *Never Mind Who -- Why?* CAN THE FARMER AND THE COWBOY STILL BE FRIENDS? The Marketing Culture And The Professional Practice HOW TO WRITE A BOOK FOR PAIN AND PROFIT Anybody Can Do It – Right? THE STRANGE TASTE OF COMPETITION A Marketplace Master Shows How To Learn From Others MEDIA AND LITIGATION – DOES ARTISTRY HELP? Public Relations As A Higher Art Form DO REAL PROFESSIONALS REALLY DO MARKETING? Building a Marketing Culture For Fun And Survival THE CURE FOR THE COMMON COLD Or, How To Write Slogans That Mean Something – or Nothing ON YOUR MARK, GO, SET Dealing With Clients Who Think They Know Marketing MINING THE GOLD IN THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION *And It’s Not Raising Funds For The Stadium* CAN DAVID BEAT GOLIATH AGAIN? Ten Things Small Firms Can Do To Compete DOING WELL BY DOING GOOD Organizing Contributions With A Firm Giving Policy WHEN THE MEDIA CALLS YOUR LAW FIRM FOR BAD NEWS Thinking About The Unthinkable By Richard S. Levick, Esq. THE LAW FIRM MARKETING PROFESSIONAL AS VALUE ARBITER Adapted and expanded from Inside/Outside: How Businesses Buy Legal Services, Chapter 4, By Larry Smith TURNING BASE METAL INTO GOLD The Secret Ingredient That Makes Marketing Work LIGHTENING MARKETING *Does Marketing Come In The Economy Size?* FISHING WHERE THE FISH ARE Building A Practice With A Future (With The Practice Profile Matrix ©) CREATING THE LAW FIRM SALES ENVIRONMENT *New Wine In Old Bottles.* By Silvia L. Coulter, Director, *Coulter Consulting Group LLP* SERENDIPITY AS A MANAGEMENT TOOL *Or, Why Strategic Planning Is Better* THE MINE BENEATH YOUR FEET Getting More Business From Existing Clients WHY THINGS GO WRONG REDUX *And What To Do About It* A NEW ERA IN COMPETING FOR CLIENTS Meeting The Needs Of The New Century. Have we been doing it wrong? Is there a new way to market? ANTICIPATING FUTURE SHOCK *Changing The Billing Structure And Enhancing Per-Partner Value* BEWARE THE FRUMIOUS BRANDING CONSULTANT *Avoiding The Side Effects Of Branding* WHY THEY BUY YOUR VIOLETS Now We Can Know Why We Must Do What We Must Do. Larry Smith's remarkable new book on how businesses buy legal services THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY Academia, Anachronism, And Distortion In Marketing Literature. Kotler's new book THERE IS MORE IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH, PROFESSOR KOTLER… Than Is Dreamt Of In Your Philosophy. A dialogue with Professor Kotler on conflicting philosophies of professional services marketing ONE STEP AT A TIME Building Your Firm By Increments NEW DIMENSIONS IN INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS *Information Management And The Internal Communications Process* IT WORKED FINE YESTERDAY Why Do Things Go Wrong? LET’S ALL GET TOGETHER The Practice Group As A Dynamic Business Tool -- a new book by Patrick McKenna and David Maister ADVANCING ON THE RETREAT *Does Your Retreat Advance Your Firm?* WE GATHER TOGETHER The Logic of Practice Groups by Patrick J. McKenna I CAUGHT IT -- CAN I KEEP IT? *Keeping Your Client Out Of The Competitive Pool* THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING; THE VALUE OF NOTHING Value As A Fee Policy TEN MYTHS OF LAW FIRM PR By Richard Levick Levick Strategy Communications READY, SHOOT, AIM Networking Starts Here MAGIC IN HAND BUT IT WORKS ON PAPER The Impediments To Marketing In The 21st Century FIRST CATCH MY MIND, THEN CATCH MY HEART *Artistry As A Marketing Tool* THIS FOR YOU AND THAT FOR YOU Categories Of Prospects THE SECRET FORMULA FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES MARKETING *It All Boils Down To Getting One Client At A Time* SEE THE TAIL WAG THE DOG *The Tools Are Not Marketing — It’s The Other Way Around* WHERE ARE WE GOING AND HOW DO WE GET THERE? *Setting Objectives in a Mercurial World* MARKETING AS AN ADDRESS IN SPACE *A Fresh View of Professional Services Marketing* CUT ‘EM OFF AT THE IMPASSE Winning Against an Equal Opponent WHAT’S THE EMPEROR WEARING THESE DAYS? *Branding -- The New Myth of Marketing?* TEN MYTHS THAT IMPEDE MARKETING SUCCESS *What We Think We Really Know About Marketing -- But Don’t* SPINNING OUT OF WHOLE STRAW *Spin As A Marketing Tool* *Competing For Capital -- Investor Relations in a* *Dynamic World* (John Wiley & Sons) by Bruce W. Marcus, is now available. Click here for details. If you would like to receive e-mail notice of updates and new articles, click here to reach marcus@marcusletter.com, and ask to be added to the email list. (This list is not for sale, nor will it be used for any purpose other than to advise you of new Marcus Letter material.) . An Announcement... Bruce W. Marcus Joins with Bay Street Group LLC Renowned author and marketing consultant to accounting and law firms partners with strategic business development advisors. For details click here. *Client at the Core - Marketing and Managing Today's* Professional Services Firm (John Wiley & Sons) by August J. Aquila and Bruce W. Marcus, now available. Click here for details. ADVANCING ON THE RETREAT Does Your Retreat Advance Your Firm? A free white paper Order your copy now By Bruce W. Marcus INCLUDING: The Top 10 Issues You Can't Afford to Ignore. PRODUCTIVITY: A Primer for the Competitive Firm New White Paper By Bruce W. Marcus Offered by Bay Street Group LLC in Partnership with The Marcus Letter Click here for details Or... *For the full 12-page white paper, click here for an instant download (PDF).* ANNOUNCING… The Marcus Letter now has a new family member – a blog entitled The Marcus Perspective. While The Marcus Letter is widely read for its in-depth articles, and is updated periodically as new articles are written *The Marcus Perspective* is a much more personalized take on the doings of professional services and those who labor in that vineyard in any capacity. And if it’s controversial, well – that’s because my perspective may not be the same as others might be. Try it. The Marcus Perspective. You’ll like it. And if you don’t, don’t hesitate to tell me.

Last Modified
12/15/08

Bruce W. Marcus, Editor
Mana Balter, Assistant Editor
Click here to reach marcus@marcusletter.com

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O, WOULD SOME POWER THE GIFTIE GIE US, TO SEE OURSELVES AS OTHERS SEE US
Client Feedback As A Client Retention Tool -- an article by Donald Aronson and Bruce Heintz

WHY YOU CAN TRUST SYMANTEC
Virtually A New Program Every Day

Competing For Capital -- Investor Relations in a
Dynamic World (John Wiley & Sons) by Bruce W. Marcus, is now available. Click here for details.

An Announcement...

Bruce W. Marcus Joins with Bay Street Group LLC
Renowned author and marketing consultant to accounting and law firms partners with strategic business development advisors. For details click here.

Client at the Core - Marketing and Managing Today's Professional Services Firm (John Wiley & Sons) by August J. Aquila and Bruce W. Marcus, now available. Click here for details.

ADVANCING ON THE RETREAT
Does Your Retreat Advance Your Firm?
A free white paper

Order your copy now
By Bruce W. Marcus
INCLUDING: The Top 10 Issues You Can't Afford to Ignore.

PRODUCTIVITY: A Primer for the Competitive Firm

New White Paper By Bruce W. Marcus
Offered by Bay Street Group LLC in Partnership with The Marcus Letter
Click here for details Or...
For the full 12-page white paper, click here for an instant download (PDF).

O, WOULD SOME POWER THE GIFTIE GIE US, TO SEE OURSELVES AS OTHERS SEE US Client Feedback As A Client Retention Tool -- an article by Donald Aronson and Bruce Heintz

WHY YOU CAN TRUST SYMANTEC Virtually A New Program Every Day

Competing For Capital -- Investor Relations in a Dynamic World (John Wiley & Sons) by Bruce W. Marcus, is now available. Click here for details.