The cobbler’s kids

Written by Claire Fowler

Have you heard the phrase about the cobbler’s children? It’s an old saying about the shoemaker who was too busy with client work and didn’t have time to provide shoes for his own family. This might sound familiar to many professional services firms who are so focused on delivering for their clients and helping them grow that they forget to nurture their own business.

We’ve fallen foul of this ourselves before, when we don’t have time to do exactly what we tell our clients to do, which is deliver regular, relevant marketing messages that support firms’ growth.
What does ChatGPT suggest… “Making time is a matter of priorities. If something truly matters to you, you will find a way to fit it into your schedule”.

This quote and the list of time-saving techniques it suggested was in itself too long – ironically demonstrating that AI isn’t always the answer! Here are the top three tips from our (human) team instead:

1. Agree as a leadership team what’s important – and make sure everyone in the firm understands that and knows how to articulate key marketing messages. They are not only your employees but your ambassadors. Can they all say what your firm offers, and what makes you stand out, in 30 seconds?
2. Block out time for planning and BD – and allow others in the firm to do the same. Depending on your role, this will be anything from serious strategic thinking, to taking five minutes every day to keep in touch with clients and colleagues on LinkedIn. But assigning time (and sticking to it) is the best way to make sure it happens and doesn’t slip from your schedule.
3. Prioritise what needs to be done. Set timescales for each important task and stick to the deadline, otherwise it will drift endlessly. And if it’s not the right task for you, delegate it, or ask for help. Both are key skills but sometimes take courage, especially when you’re an expert in your own professional field.

The firms we work with know the importance of doing these things and looking forward, even when firefighting on the day-to-day. Whether they have in-house marketing teams or not, it’s easy to get caught up in the latest project, so the ways we can help with each of these points will vary depending on firm size, but include:

1. Training on ‘Delivering the Firm’ and other key skills for marketing and BD.
2. Mentoring and coaching for those on the path to partnership, or new to marketing and BD
3. Outsourced marketing – from experienced director level for an interim project, to client listening, or ongoing full marketing support on a flexible basis.

So how will you save time today and focus on the future? If you’d like to discuss how we could take some of these tasks off your plate, please book a (short!) call at a time that suits you, here.