Parting is such sweet sorrow: Saying goodbye to Make It Count

As Juliet bids Romeo good night until the night turns into the morrow, so I bid you all adieu until the next time we connect.

This is my last online column with Canadian Lawyer! After four years of connecting monthly with you to make your marketing and business development moments count, it is time to pass the torch to a new voice. The result will be mutually beneficial — you will gain a fresh perspective and I can begin another adventure.

Change is good

Change is hard. Leading change is real risky. As we are swept into the Fourth Industrial Revolution that blends and blurs humanity with technology, we need to remind ourselves to keep current and curious.

For your marketing and business development activities, this is a huge challenge. Things have been changing so quickly, and they will continue to change even more quickly so you will need to keep abreast of new methods of connecting, staying relevant and being memorable.

Heraclitus is quoted as saying, “There is nothing permanent except change.” Embrace and lead change to make it exciting, productive and profitable. While there are risks with leading change, the long-term rewards outweigh the short-term risks.

Talk about disruptive change . . .

Artificial intelligence, as recently reported by Canadian Lawyer this past April, is fundamentally changing the legal industry. Predictive modeling and machine learning have aided marketing and business development efforts for decades — in other industries. Legal has more often than not sunk its head deep in the sand. That time has passed. Ask IBM’s Watson, which powers ROSS.

For years, legal marketers have extolled the virtues of fact-based marketing, but they have had little proof or corroborating metrics to convince lawyers to embrace the integration of data and information to predict business and to retain and grow clients. That time too has passed — ask the Big Four.

New generations of lawyers are entering the senior ranks to influence and make decisions both in-house and in-firm. The tech shift is on. Ask yourself — are you ready for change?

Change is profitable

Opportunities abound in a world that moves forward and doesn’t stagnate. Imagine talking with the internet and in seconds receiving delivery of the most current information on a particular client and their legal issue! You are now free to quickly get into higher-level thinking and innovate client-focused solutions. This is higher-rate work!

And there are so many new legal issues out there. How about all of the legal risks and implications with respect to the legalization of cannabis, machine thinking, robotics, drones, cybersecurity and much more to come? It’s a wealth of legal advice to sell.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

The more things change, the more they stay the same, according to Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr. There are so many new, shiny things on the horizon. But, if there is one thing that I hope I am remembered for, it’s that there are general approaches to marketing and business development situations that can be applied regardless. Remember: Research, plan, implement, measure and evolve!

I hope that you have enjoyed my blogs. I have enjoyed thinking about topics that I wrestle with myself, doing some research on them and then figuring out how to communicate them in an easy and memorable way. I will miss you all and hope that we connect again in the future.

Embrace change, empower yourself, lead yourself, keep your good principles close and make it count!

Happy Holidays and all the best in 2018!