Size 10½ Boots CoffeeCast

Anna Molony is back on the CoffeeCast. This week she kindly invited me down to watch a Commonwealth Games preparation event at the Victoria Park bowling greens in Leamington Spa and we sat down afterwards to dissect how the huge emphasis this sport places on communication can teach us some vital lessons we can all use to improve outcomes and performance in our working lives.

This week I'm joined by Leor Franks, Marketing and BD Director at Kingsley Napley, who explains how he uses client insight to improve their marketing and BD planning and he shares some great insight alongside some very practical tips.

In this episode of the CoffeeCast John Andrews, Head of Corporate at JMW Solicitors, returns to talk about how you can use LinkedIn to gently nudge new contacts forward and how mixing the personal and professional can add even more to new working relationships.

In this edition of the CoffeeCast we talk to Adrian Churchett, EMEA Sales Director at comms giant Hansen, about what makes a good coaching programme and how to use coaching to bring out the very best in not only your individuals but also your teams.

This week we spoke to Anne Harnetty - author of Mergers With The Benefit of Hindsight - about how merged firms should approach the potentially tricky task of branding a newly merged professional services firm.

Welcome to the first CafeCast! I met up with Simon Gorman - in person! - to discuss how to make your blogs and articles more search engine friendly and he shared loads of great practical tips.

In this week's CoffeeCast I'm joined by John Andrews, a corporate partner at JMW Solicitors, who explains how he's using LinkedIn to create new enquiries and generate new pieces of work ... every week! This episode is packed with some great tips every lawyer and accountants can start using straight away to boost their profile and win new work.

Sometimes BD can feel like a chore but it really shouldn't. It can actually be fun ... ... no, seriously it can! In this CoffeeCast Fiona Law (BD partner at international IP firm Potter Clarkson) explains how she's made BD not just an enjoyable part of her job but also an enjoyable part of her life.

In this episode Charlotte Davidson, BD Manager at Serle Court Chambers, explains how lawyers and accountants can get the maximum support and the maximum value from their marketing and BD teams.

In this episode of the CoffeeCast we're joined by Anne Harnetty who shares some of the key insight she's gathered both from her M&A experience in the legal sector and for her upcoming book 'Mergers with the benefit of hindsight'.

'Virtual' firms have become increasingly popular in the legal world as lawyers look for greater flexibility and autonomy. But when will the other professions catch up? We talk to Anna Molony of Two IP who has just set up the UK's first virtual IP firm to get her view on what's next for the virtual firm model.

With the current hybrid working environment set to continue for some time, the results lawyers and accountants derive from their digital channels are going to be crucial to their success. To help you focus on the right digital things, we asked Simon Gorman of digital and design experts Simdure.com to share his 3 digital marketing musts for every professional services firm.

Following very successful spells at Sears Tooth and Farrer & Co. in 2005 Katherine Rayden decided to set up her own firm, Rayden Solicitors. In this episode of the CoffeeCast Katherine explains why, what happened next, why her firm places such a high emphasis on BD, and where the penguins came from.

A few episodes ago we looked at the rise of virtual networking and the important part it can play while we can't get out and about as normal. In this episode, Lara Squires of Consortium Marketing has come back to tell us how to take that one stage further and organise some virtual hospitaliy events for clients and colleagues.

In this episode of the CoffeeCast we talk to Elliot Moss, Partner and Director of Business Development at Mishcon de Reya. He gave us open access to a wealth of business development gold and this really is a must-listen for anyone involved in or interested in marketing and BD.

In this episode of the CoffeeCast we talk to Simon Waller of design/creative/PR specialists HRM about what good design means and how to achieve it ... he even told us the right way (and the right time) for professional service firms to bring their image up to date!

When we asked Ben Trott of Marketing Lawyers on to give our listeners a few SEO tips to help them generate more enquiries we really didn't expect he'd give us quite as many top tips! As well as helping you improve your SEO ratings, Ben also discusses content strategy and how to beef up your website so it's more Google friendly. A venerable SEO masterclass!

As we can't get out and about at the moment traditional networking is impossible which is why virtual networking is on the rise. But why should you get involved? And isn't it a bit clunky? In this episode of the CoffeeCast we're joined by Lara Squires of ConsortiumMarketing who explains how to get started and, more importantly, how to get the best results from virtual networking.

When it comes to marketing the professional services one of the toughest nuts to crack is making business-critical topics interesting for your audience, in this episode of the CoffeeCast Lisa Spearman of Mercer & Hole discusses how she tackles this conundrum while she's promoting her tax and trust practice.

In this episode of the CoffeeCast we talk to Marc White, Chairman of Dorking Wanderers FC, who tells us about how he has introduced a new football-based network that provides local lawyers and accountants with an innovative (and productive) new way to meet and get to know local businesses.

In this episode of the CoffeeCast we talk to Richard Howlett, managing director of specialist litigation boutique Selachii Ltd, about how he’s kept his litigation practice running successfully during lockdown, the types of disputes he’s seen arise and how he thinks our recent experiences will change the legal industry.

With the exception of a couple of practice areas, the number of new enquiries law firms and accountancy practices are receiving has dropped off massively over the last couple of months. However in a recent study Ben Trott of Marketing Lawyers has found many firms are not managing, recording or converting the ones that are coming in! In this episode of the CoffeeCast Ben tell us what lawyers can do to make sure they capitalise on more of the enquiries they’re generating.

In the latest CoffeeCast we talk to Simon Waller, Video & Creative Manager at HRM PR and Creative, about the commercial benefits of refreshing your design and creative, the design elements lawyers and accountants should (and shouldn’t) be looking at and what to prioritise at the moment.

In this episode of the CoffeeCast we talk to Simon Gorman, marketing manager at Keebles LLP, about the effect lockdown has had on digital marketing and what those changes could mean for digital marketing in the longer term.

Now we’re a few weeks into the lockdown in the UK we discuss what we thought was going to happen to BD while we're working from home, what has actually happened and what lawyers and accountants should be focussing on for the next couple of weeks to ensure they stay visible and protect their most valuable working relationships.

In this episode we look at how content can help keep you in front of your clients, contacts and targets while we still can't get out to meet anyone face-to-face.

As we’ve all got a few more minutes spare during the working day at the moment, it may be a good time to tackle one of those things we don’t quite get round to under normal circumstances – bringing your LinkedIn profile up to date. In this EspressoCast we discuss a few things you could do so your profile can work a bit harder for you during the coming weeks.

We may not be able to get out to see people at the moment but that doesn’t mean you can just put your practice on hold. We still need to do BD … we just need to do it a little differently. In this episode of the CoffeeCast we look at how to get the most from something we’re all going to have to get much better acquainted with in the coming weeks, the phone!

In this episode of the CoffeeCast we’re joined by Simon Gorman, marketing manager at Keebles LLP, to discuss what you need to do digital marketing-wise with the new content your fee earners are producing to make sure they do what you really want them to – generate new enquiries you can convert into new work!

In our latest EspressoCast extra we discuss the 3 things that will help you improve your tender submissions and increase the likelihood that you bid will be successful … and all in just over 5 minutes!

Many professionals worry about putting forward a fair fee estimate (or worse still prefer to discount) but as we discuss in this episode of the CoffeeCast, maybe some of that worry could be replaced by confidence if you take the time to really understand the value your advice provides for your clients.

In the old days people have gone into networking events and conversations with their clients and professional contacts with one intention – to push for referrals. To us this is as unattractive as it is outmoded so in this episode of the CoffeeCast we discuss what you should be doing to make your conversations more comfortable and more productive.

In the second of our January EspressoCasts (a shorter sharper CoffeeCast) Richard Fidler of HR Media shares the 3 things he thinks will shape PR during 2020 … and all in 5 minutes!

In this – the first in a series of shorter sharper CoffeeCasts in which we’ll be asking marketing experts from the professional services what they’ve got planned for 2020 – Simon Gorman of Keebles LLP outlines his top 3 marketing and business development projects for the New Year.

Although the run up to Christmas is a business development gift in terms of giving you loads of opportunities to see your clients, contacts and targets, it can easily distract you from your plan. In this episode of the CoffeeCast we look at some really easy but very practical ways you can make sure you hit the ground running BD-wise as soon as you get back to work in January.

If you’re planning (as you should be!) on adding a sector focus to your business development, our golden rule is simple – you objective needs to be to work in your industry, not just for it. With that in mind we were excited to welcome Richard Howlett (MD of Europe’s leading cryptocurrency law firm Selachii) and Pete Wood (CEO of Coinburp, a new crypto trading platform) to the CoffeeCast. Richard and Pete explain why they teamed up and the benefits their partnership will benefit the crypto world thanks to what we think is one of the most innovative and savvy sector marketing initiatives we’ve ever seen.

In the last CoffeeCast we discussed how to put more effective business development plans together so in this one we thought it may be useful to share 6 key BD tips that we’ve seen really help solicitors, accountants, barristers and patent and trade mark attorneys put their personal BD plans into action.

In this episode of the CoffeeCast we look at why solicitors, accountants, patent attorneys, barristers and architects need a business development plan, what your business development plan should cover and how to get your business development plan up and running.

Some of the lawyers and accountants we work with get a bit frustrated with social media. They see the value but don’t necessarily see the results so in this episode we chat to Richard Fidler of HR Media and Simon Gorman of Keebles LLP about what you can do with your posts on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to get a bit more engagement.

Thought leadership may sound like one of those irritating marketing buzzwords but it plays a vital role in marketing any professional services firm. If you can demonstrate your own thought leadership, it will help you cement your credibility in your clients’ and your prospective clients’ eyes. So, in this episode of the CoffeeCast we’re going to discuss exactly what thought leadership means and the first steps you need to take in order to achieve it.

When it comes to networking training one of the questions we get asked a lot is “how do you get yourself out of a conversation you don’t want to be in?” so in this episode we share some tips and tricks you can use to make sure you extricate yourself from unwanted conversations politely but effectively!

In the first of two networking specials we answer the first of 2 of the questions about networking we’re asked most frequently - how do you follow up after meeting someone at a networking event?

Smashing The Myths Around SEO by Size 10½ Boots

In this episode of the CoffeeCast we discuss why effective and productive business development is a fundamental component of every lawyer and accountants' career (and why BD must be viewed as a benefit, not a chore) with our special guest Steve McCullough, BD & Marketing Director of Armstrong Watson.

While the professional services are now using LinkedIn and – in the main – Twitter more frequently and more confidently, there are still a lot of question marks over Facebook. In this CoffeeCast we ask digital marketing manager Simon Gorman from Keebles LLP for his take on Facebook and more specifically which practice areas it suits, what can you do to work how best to use it to meet your marketing objectives and what types of posts work best once you’re up and running.

However much of an authority you are and however experienced a presenter you are, if you don’t get your slides right, you will never create the best impression or the highest level of engagement with your audience. That’s why in this episode of the CoffeeCast we discuss what you need to do to make sure your slides impress your audience and hold their attention throughout your talks.

In this episode of the CoffeeCast we’re joined by Antonia Welch from legal PR specialists Welch PR to look at what PR is, why every professional services firm should definitely bother with PR and how your firm can achieve greater press coverage.

In this CoffeeCast Extra we look at social media with Simon Gorman, marketing manager at Keebles LLP, and more specifically as why social media has to be treated as a serious part of a professional service firm’s marketing plans, how do you work out which is the best platform for you/your objectives and the best ways to get your social media strategy up and running.

In this episode we look at presentations or more to the point, how you can improve the way you deliver presentations. We cover why presentations can play a vital role in your personal business development plan, some practical tips on how to improve your presentation skills and some ways to control your nerves on the day.

In this CoffeeCast extra – we talk SEO (and how to master it) with digital specialist Simon Gorman, Marketing Manager at Keebles LLP. Simon provides a whistle-stop tour of why SEO has to play a crucial role in your firm’ s marketing plan today, what he’s done to boost his firm’s rankings and the commercial benefits he’s seen as a result (spoiler: they’re winning work!) before leaving us with his top 3 SEO tips … and all in less time than it takes to drink a cup of coffee!

How Do You Kick Start Your BD In January by Size 10½ Boots