10 Marketing Tips From A Young Partner Perspective

By: Rich Segal

I am 31 years old and honored to be the youngest partner ever at my law firm. I started practicing law at the age of 23 and am now in my eighth year as a trial attorney. I have been practicing law for more than 2,500 days, which means that for the last 60,000 hours of my life there has not been a single hour that has gone by in which I have not thought about … marketing.
Marketing success is not determined by cramming for an exam, it is not a single book that can be read, or a passionate lecture that can be transformative; marketing is a full-time job. No one ever told you in law school that once you received the highly coveted associate job in a big firm, that to really succeed at that job and climb the ranks quickly you need to take on a second job — marketing.
1) Keep what works for you. — Don’t try to emulate someone else’s marketing path or success. Recognize their path, heed their advice, and incorporate what works naturally for you.
2) Do what comes naturally. — Organic foods are currently selling well because humans are wired to like “natural” products. It is no different in marketing. If you don’t naturally like giving speeches, then write articles. Start off with what comes naturally for you, but then don’t be afraid to push yourself outside of the norm, thereby eventually turning your weaknesses into a pursuit that feels more natural. When it feels natural you will enjoy it more and you will subconsciously do it more often.

3) Find a place where your story will be well received. — Figure out what story you are going to tell. By way of example, I do almost all of my marketing exclusively in Miami Beach, Florida. I joined the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce early in my career and quite frankly did not really know how to “work the room.” My grandparents moved to Miami Beach in 1948. My grandfather was a real estate agent and investor — he either sold you your house or invested with you. My father was born in Miami Beach’s well-known Mount Sinai Medical Center. I was born in Mount Sinai. And my newborn son was just born in Mount Sinai. Starting to see my story? While I didn’t know at first how to work the room, if I could do nothing more than just tell people about my roots in Miami Beach, I was connecting. Eventually, the misses turned into home-runs, and I was appointed by the chairman of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce to sit on the executive board, hand-selected to sit on the membership board of Mount Sinai, and recently appointed by the mayor to sit on an advisory board. The point is that your story is what will bring you to success. A good story in the wrong place is just as good as sitting at your desk all day.
4) Trial and error. — Your story and networking in general has to be trial with a lot of error. Start off with a wide reach and try many networking groups and activities. Take your internal temperature after each event. If you walk away in a pleasant mood, it is much more likely that when you were mingling that night you were engaging and likeable. If you walk away feeling drained it is likely that the networking you did that night was not as fruitful. When we are at ease and happy, we are naturally much more charismatic. People do business with people they find enjoyable.
5) Light up the room. — This is easier said than done, but the quicker you can make it feel natural, the quicker you will be climbing the marketing ranks. Walk into the room and be bold (not bombastic). Light up the room, don’t just be one light among many. It is your time to shine.
Check back on the blog for the next 5 tips!