What Firm Leaders Need Most from Marketing

At a recent leadership roundtable event, WPG facilitated a discussion among managing partners and firm leaders on what they most need from CMOs and marketing teams. The ideas that came out of the discussion aren’t earth shattering—but they are the most essential (and often unsaid) ways in which marketing teams propel their firms forward.

The top traits mentioned:

• Be a connector. Firm leaders (like many of us) wear many hats and are pulled in many directions. They need help connecting with resources and networking with others both inside and outside the firm. Marketing people are often uniquely situated to make those connections, whether they relate to firm needs, business development, personal development or anything else.
• Help leaders find focus. Share with firm leaders where you are spending your time. Often, it will lead to insights about whether the firm as a whole is aligned in its priorities. You might need to alter your focus or, alternatively, firm leaders might need to alter theirs.
• Engage the entire C-suite. Be sure you’re collaborating across the C-suite. You and the firm benefit when you can serve as glue holding C-level executives together. And because many duties among firm leaders blur together, you can help ensure they are working together as effectively as possible.
• Handle conflict internally. Leadership does not need to hear about the small problems that crop up either among marketing team members or with lawyers and others in the firm. Handle conflicts within the team and avoid giving leadership another distraction.
• Make their lives easier. Just like we preach to relationship partners about their client relationships, you fundamentally need to make their lives easier. That means something different at every firm, so find out what it means to your leadership and keep it top of mind.