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Thought leadership is a cornerstone of content marketing in professional services; it showcases your firm's expertise and strengthens client relationships. The real challenge is uniting lawyers on one platform to centralise and scale thought leadership. In this episode of CMO Series Digital Masterclass, Will Eke speaks with Chris Yates, Digital Marketing Manager at Bristows, where over 150 authors have published 900+ insights, driving more than 330,000 views. Chris shares how Bristows has reimagined its approach to thought leadership, brought lawyers on board, and built an internal comms strategy that made it all work. Will and Chris cover: The platforms and thought leadership strategies Bristows used before Chris joined The turning point for Bristows in consolidating the firm's thought leadership platforms The steps to managing and streamlining the new strategy and platforms How to get lawyers engaged with the new process and the importance of key internal relationships in making the initiative successful The strategies used when implementing the adoption of Passle across the firm The feedback that has been received from lawyers and partners using Passle and the impact it has had on business development The future of the firm's thought leadership strategy Advice for getting lawyers on board with a central thought leadership platform
What does it really take to become a Rainmaker? Rising to the level of managing partner requires not only legal expertise and experience but, also, the ability to generate revenue and drive the firm's growth. Building credibility through thought leadership plays a crucial role in this process, creating a direct link between valuable insights and financial success. In this episode of the CMO Series Rainmakers, Tom Elgar, Co-founder of Passle, is joined by Rohan Massey, Managing Partner at Ropes & Gray in London. Rohan, who leads the firm's Data, Privacy, and Cybersecurity practice, is nearly a year into his role as Managing Partner. He has built a reputation as a thought leader, leveraging insight-driven content to drive success. Listen in to explore how thought leadership has become a key component of Rohan's success, its impact on his career progression, and how he's professionalised the approach to thought leadership at Ropes & Gray. Rohan and Tom discuss: The moment thought leadership became a key part of Rohan's strategy for success Rohan's approach to writing thought leadership, and the process he follows The importance of building an internal profile versus an external profile on the path to Managing Partner The role of thought leadership in driving revenue generation for a law firm How to professionalise thought leadership and weave that culture into the fabric of the firm The importance of ‘finding your voice' when creating thought leadership and tips to guide your team The one habit that has had the greatest impact on Rohan's success with thought leadership and how others can adopt it
Welcome to the CMO Series Digital Masterclass, an exciting new sub-series of the CMO Series Podcast. This masterclass is designed to help professional services marketers build world-class digital platforms that enhance their firm's online presence and position them as thought leaders. The CMO Series Digital Masterclass is inspired by Passle's latest research and the pressing needs of today's marketing leaders. The goal is to provide actionable insights and best practices for developing robust online platforms that keep your firm front of mind for clients and prospects. To kick off this series, Charlie Knight, Marketing and Communications Manager is joined by Sam Page, Marketing Director at Passle, to discuss why creating a strong digital presence is vital for firms in today's market and outline the first steps to getting started. In this episode, we cover: What the CMO Series Digital Masterclass is and how it came about Insights from the CMO Series Legal Leadership Report 2024, revealing the top priorities for CMOs and Managing Partners The importance of building your firm's online presence through thought leadership to attract clients Stay Connected To stay in the loop on all upcoming episodes and best practice content, subscribe to the CMO Series Podcast and visit passle.net/digitalmasterclass
In this special edition of the CMO Series Podcast, Natasha Sandamas, Events Marketing Manager, joins the series to reflect on Passle's first Stateside CMO Series Live event which took place in New York City in June. Delving into the highlights from the sessions, we hear from an incredible lineup of speakers including Chief Marketing Officers, Chief Operating Officers and General Counsels from the world's top firms. They joined the day to share their unique perspectives on everything from how to integrate data into your business development strategies and delivering a world-class digital presence, to how to position your firm as the best choice, all under the theme of putting your firm front of mind with clients. A huge thanks to our fantastic speakers for sharing their insights: Trish Lilley, Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer at Thompson Coburn, Sadie Baron Chief Marketing Officer at Reed Smith, Phill McGowan Global Director of Marketing and Communications at Reed Smith, Kelly Harbour, Chief Business Development Officer at Goulston & Storrs, Terra Liddell, Chief Marketing Officer at Finnegan, Nicole Petrie, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Schulte Roth & Zabel, Monica Rodriguez Kuniyoshi, Chief Marketing Officer at Gunderson Dettmer, Joe Green, Chief Innovation Officer at Gunderson Dettmer, Christa Crane, Chief Client & Strategy Officer, Loeb & Loeb, Julie Chodos, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Axinn, Ralph Allen, Chief Operating Officer at Kelley Drye & Warren, Jennifer Korff, Chief Operating Officer at Brown Rudnick, Annie Westover, Chief Operating Officer at Axinn, Adam Kassoff, Chief Operating Officer at Vinson & Elkins, Luke Ferrandino, Chief Marketing Officer at Paul Weiss, Alison Arjoon, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Fragomen, Deborah Ruffins, Chief Marketing Officer at Perkins Coie, Shade Vaughn, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Akin Gump and Crossley Sanford, Managing Director at Ankura, Brian Rauch, General Counsel at Harvard Maintenance, Julie Aslaksen, General Counsel at Host Hotels, Alex Dimitrief, General Counsel at Sotera Health Company and Lisa Anastos General Counsel at IdeaQuest.
Earlier this month, we were lucky enough to be invited to LMA Southeast's Annual Conference. What better way to join in the spirit of LMA and drive the knowledge sharing that makes it such a powerful network than bringing a live episode of our own Passle CMO Series Podcast. This episode of the podcast is brought to you live from that conference and we've chosen a special topic and guest for this CMO Series first. Join Eleanor Smith, Chief Client Officer at Barnes & Thornburg and Alistair Bone, Vice President at Passle as they take a deep dive into moving your marketing from transactional to strategic. They cover the key elements of building a more valuable and valued marketing career: - Being proactive in positioning the firm and its attorneys - Understanding your clients and communicating challenging concepts to the market - Using data to drive better outcomes and position marketing as a strategic advisor
Join us as we celebrate this Thanksgiving season with our wonderful CMO Series community. We're lucky to be joined by some of the world's top Marketing and Business Development leaders in the legal industry. From the mentors and leadership to peers, networks, and loved ones, we hear about all the influential people who have supported our guests on their career journeys as they share their gratitude on this very special episode. Thank you to all of our illustrious guests for coming on board: Alison Swenton Arjoon, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Fragomen, Alison Janzen, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Torkin Manes, Andrew Laver, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, Courtney Beauzile, Head of Marketing, Business Development and Communications at Robins Kaplan, Courtney Carter, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Jenner & Block, Dawn Longfield, Chief Marketing Officer at Davis+Gilbert, Emily McKeown, Business Development Director at Godfrey & Khan, Emily Rogers, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Norton Rose Fulbright, Erica Roman, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Cole Schotz, Jay Linder, Director of Communications at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, JeanMarie Campbell, Head of Client Development for North America at Baker McKenzie, Jessica Grayson, Director of Practice Management & Lateral Growth at Stradley Ronon, John Eix, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Crowe & Dunlevy, Julie Chodos, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Axinn, Justin Portaz, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Jenner & Block, Maggie Watkins, Founder of Maggie T. Watkins Consulting, Terra Davis, Chief Diversity & Talent Development Officer at Knobbe Martens, Tom Helm, Chief Marketing Officer at Smith Gambrell Russell, and Trish Lilley, Chief Marketing Officer at Thompson Coburn. From all of us here at Passle, have a very happy Thanksgiving!
Episode: 106 Series: SIG Share-Out Episode Description: LMA's Marketing Technology SIG sits down with Freddy Dobinson of Passle and Britt Powers of Orrick to discuss the pressing questions that CMO's are receiving from firm shareholders about AI. This conversation will explore content marketing, CRM concepts, ChatGPT and more. Speakers: Freddy Dobinson, Head of Client Experience, Passle Walter McCorkle, Business Development and Marketing Technology Manager, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Britt Powers, Senior Marketing Manager, Orrick Series Description: The LMA SIG Share-Out series spotlights episodes from one or more of LMA's 10 Shared Interest Groups. This series features best practices, education and more on the hottest topics in legal marketing.
In this episode of On Record PR, Jennifer Simpson Carr goes on record with James Barclay, CEO of Passle Inc., to discuss content marketing in the legal industry. Learn More James Barclay is CEO of Passle, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company focused on providing a content marketing platform specifically for law firms. James is leading their expansion in the US alongside the co-founders of Passle. This is the third technology firm he has grown over the past 25 years. In short, James is in charge of driving digital transformation in law firms. When he is not doing that, you can find him sailing. He lives in Annapolis, Maryland.
Each and every law firm has a unique culture, and a different way of working together and moving forward. Every day here at Passle we see the impact that the firm's culture has on the success of the marketing and BD approach. On this episode of the CMO Series, Alistair Bone has the pleasure of speaking with Maura Brandt, Chief Marketing Officer at Crowell & Moring to get her insights on how to foster a positive and successful culture in legal marketing. Ali and Maura explore: Maura's career highlights and how she came to her current role at Crowell and when she first noticed how important culture was to the success of a firm What makes a good culture in a law firm and more specifically in a legal marketing team Crowell's recent brand refresh and how culture played a part of the process The specific elements that contribute strongly to the culture at Crowell What a positive, successful culture means for someone in a marketing or BD position in a law firm The role of the CMO in fostering and encouraging a positive culture within the firm Advice for legal marketers looking to make a positive impact on the culture at their firm
Hugo Eccles is a California-based Industrial Designer and co-founder of Untitled Motorcycles - a design company based in San Francisco and London, that builds motorcycles for both private clients and in partnership with marquee brands including BMW, Ducati, Triumph, Yamaha, Zero, and Harley-Davidson. Originally from the UK, Hugo has had a long and well-established career in industrial design - working at IDEO, Ford, Fitch, Conran, and Native - before channeling his energies into motorcycle design. You may have seen his award-winning motorcycles in numerous articles, magazines, books, or television – in Jay Leno's Garage - and more recently, in a Hollywood movie.Hosted by Oliver Alexander & Fraser Greenfield with guest Hugo EcclesHugo Eccles - Founder & Design Director - Untitled Motorcycles | LinkedIn Follow Hugo Eccles on Instagram | @hugoeccles Follow Bike Shed Motorcycle Co. on Instagram | @bikeshedmotoco Untitled Motorcycles Electric motorcycle - Hugo Eccles and the XP Zero I'm Not Young Enough To Know Everything – Quote Investigator Dunning–Kruger Effect - The Decision Lab Why Apple's design geniuses are obsessed with making 'inevitable' products Jonathan Ive says Apple's designs are inevitable | iMore Luck is when opportunity meets preparation | Passle.net Ross LovegroveTerence Conran | Biography & Facts | BritannicaSuccess Has Many Friends, Failure is an OrphanWho gets the credit? - BusinessWorld Online In The Digital World, Why Do Car Companies Still Make Clay Models? | CarscoopsArchives Biographies: Colonel R E B Crompton —————————————————————- To follow the show, get in contact with us via email & more head to: https://linktr.ee/redactedpod
Over the past two years we've had the pleasure of speaking to some truly inspirational marketing and business development leaders who've shared their insights and advice for other professionals on their career journeys. To kick-start 2023, we had the privilege of catching up with 30 of our CMO Series guests to hear their top tips for legal marketing and BD success in professional services. From all of us here at Passle, we wish you a very happy and prosperous new year!
National Law Review Web Content Specialist Shelby Garrett sits down with Alistair Bone, Vice President with Passle, to catch up on the latest in law firm thought leadership trends. What are four strategies for content marketing success? How can current events play a role in brand development? And why is thought leadership more important—and competitive—than ever? Follow the National Law Review on Our Channels: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NatLawReview/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-national-law-review/ YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/NatLaw-YouTube Twitter: https://twitter.com/natlawreview Interested in publishing or advertising with us? Contact us at info@natlawreview.com
Marketing and BD professionals have a wealth of tools and channels at their fingertips to create and share valuable thought leadership with their intended audience. But what is often missing is the structure, strategy and process around that which enables professionals to create and publish relevant content, in a timely and efficient manner, that reaches their audience in real-time. We're delighted to welcome Tom Elgar, Co-founder of Passle to the CMO Series, to talk about how a new framework - the Four Pillars of Professional Services Content Marketing - will help overcome these very challenges. Tom shares what the Four Pillars of Professional Services Content Marketing are and why they are so vital in getting thought leadership programs right. Charlie and Tom discuss: The challenge or problem that the Four Pillars framework tackles What the Four Pillars of Content Marketing are and why they are so important and relevant to professional services firms What the first pillar, Author-Centric Publication, is and why it is key What Clear Governance looks like and why it's so vital What Create Once, Publish Everywhere is in practice and how firms can get it right The final pillar - Relevant Feedback - why it's important and how firms go about evidencing the impact of thought leadership Advice for any marketing and BD professionals looking to implement a successful content marketing program
In this episode of White Canes Connect, Lisa and David talk with Passle Helminski, an artist and marathon runner. She tells us that she lost her vision after being assaulted while training. Passle tells us about her love of creating art and music. She teaches other blind and visually impaired people that they can be artists, too. She also tells us how she got her unique nickname. Show notes at https://www.whitecanesconnect.com/044 Passle The Marathoner Losing her sight didn't stop Passle from participating in marathons. This fall, she will run in the New York City Marathon. Read more about her in this article. Passle The Artist Passle's art has been featured in museums all around the country, from her native Erie, PA, to Seattle and more. Her work will be displayed at the Art Ability Celebration from November 5 through January 29 at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital. You can also view some of Passle's art at Fredericksburg Center For The Creative Arts. 2022 NFB of PA State Convention Registration Now Open This year's State Convention is in Pittsburgh from November 10 through November 13. Register online at http://nfbp.org/convention/reg. To make your hotel reservations at the Sheraton Station Square, call (412) 261-2000. Give Us A Call We'd love to hear from you! We've got a phone number for you to call, ask us questions, give us feedback, or say, "hi!" Call us at (267) 338-4495. You have up to three minutes for your message, and we might use it on an upcoming episode. Please leave your name and town as part of your message. Follow White Canes Connect Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon | IHeartRadio Connect With Us If you've got questions, comments, or show ideas, reach out on Twitter. We are @PABlindPodcast. You can also email us at WhiteCanesConnect@gmail.com.
We're celebrating 50 episodes of the CMO Series podcast with a bumper edition featuring some of the key themes and conversations we've had with the world's top legal Marketing and Business Development leaders over the past year. From the rise of ESG to closer client collaboration we've delved into the most pressing topics on the agenda for legal marketing and BD professionals today. Step behind the scenes with the Passle team as we discuss some of the key moments of the CMO Series so far, including: The evolution of legal marketing featuring Norm Rubenstein Partner at Zeughauser Group and Catherine Zinn, Chief Client Officer at Baker Botts ESG and the role of marketing with Tamara Costa National Director, Brand and Marketing Communications at BLG Business development focused client collaboration with Julia Bennett, Chief Marketing Officer at Brown Rudnick Deep dives into successful legal marketing campaigns featuring Sophie Bowkett, Chief Marketing Officer at Bird & Bird How to build a career in legal marketing with Sadie Baron CMO at Reed Smith and European President of the Legal Marketing Association
James Barclay shares the key content creation strategies that Passel uses to help busy professionals demonstrate the expertise that sets them and their firms apart. Learn about how content creation became the basis for Passel's business model, how to write and create content for your most important relationships in a way that people will love, and why a podcast is the secret business development hack that most professionals aren't using right now. Mo asks James Barclay: When did you realize that business development was great? James' first job out of college was as a conference organizer and that's where he learned the power of selling ideas. Selling conferences in the 1990s changed once the internet became more established and James began using websites to promote them, but they discovered that brochure websites weren't very effective which led to creating content based websites instead. The skills that James and his business partners developed in creating those businesses were a natural fit for content online, but he realized that taking the expertise in his head and sharing it online was actually really difficult. That's where the idea for Passle came from. Showcasing your expertise online as an expert is crucial, especially when people are still not visiting businesses physically as much. Do something rather than nothing, and realize that you won't be great at it straight away. Run an audit of LinkedIn to see who you are connected to. Compare that list to a list of the people that give you money for what you do, and if you're not connected with the people who give you money correct that. Write short, client focused and timely content at least once a month. Your content should be easy to consume and don't outsource it. Someone shouldn't be pretending to be you online. Taking content that is already published is a great place to start. Just add your own perspective or commentary to something that already exists. Picture one of your top ten to twenty clients and write something that you know will resonate with them then publish that on a public space like LinkedIn or your blog. Ask them directly what they would be interested in, and then write content around those answers. At the very least share your company's content and provide some commentary on it. You need to be digitally active. People won't be thinking of you if you're not present in the public square that is social media. Write for one person instead of writing for everyone. Think of the people that pay you money for your expertise and then write content with one of those people in mind. They are the most likely to share your content and refer you to other people when they find it useful. That's how you give your raving fans ammunition. Mo asks James Barclay: Tell me your personal definition of business development. Growth is all about your leading indicators. Your behaviors, values, and what you do every day are what will put you in a position to win. Focusing on the end of the pipeline will make you look desperate. With the right values and habits, you'll come up with the right tactics for the people looking to buy from you. Helping is the key to growth. If every time someone reaches out you help them, at some point they will ask you what you do and be interested in what you sell, which is way more effective than reaching out to them to buy your stuff. When someone asks you what you do, turn it around and ask them about themselves and their challenges while looking for an area that you may be able to help them, either with advice or a connection. Curiosity is an emotion that humans love to experience. By getting the other person to ask what you do twice, it increases the curiosity element. Business development is about providing a solution when the other person needs it, and this takes patience and consistency is providing value. It can be even more powerful to be helpful when the other person is unable to buy your services. One of James' key qualifiers when selling to someone is whether they like him and James likes them as well. It's common for highly analytical people to talk about anything other than their content and expertise. If you find yourself uncomfortable in a sales environment, your clients probably feel the same. Finding the place that you're comfortable with could actually be the sweet spot between you and other analytical prospects. Reach out with useful content between billable projects. Sending an asset or an idea is an effective way to keep the conversation going. Mo asks James Barclay: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or the Snowball System? For James, the number one strategy is the Protemoi List. These are the people in your circle that are your partners, prospects, and the key people that could be your raving fans. Having a focused relationship list is an unbeatable edge. When you invest in a relationship, people will move with you. James has had people buy from his company multiple times over multiple jobs. Your Protemoi List is a list of five to ten people that have outsized returns on the amount of time and energy you invest in the relationship. The first strategy is to simply be useful to them. Offer to take them to events with you that you believe would be helpful to them. Find content and then pass it on to people you think would find it useful. Celebrate them at every opportunity. Accelerate them and give them a platform where you highlight them and what they are doing. A personal newsletter can be incredibly powerful. You don't need thousands of people on your list for it to be worth it. Build something that is extremely accessible to them, extremely useful to them, and don't waste their time. It can take some time to build momentum, but you have to start somewhere. If you can write something useful for one person you can build it over time and create something really valuable. Consistency matters. Find a cadence that works for you and your schedule and stick with it. Mo asks James Barclay: Tell me a story about the business development that you are the proudest of. James' challenge in reaching prospects is connecting with CMOs in law firms and working up the chain can take some time. The Passel podcast was born once the team understood how useful it is as a business development tool. The podcast gives them an opportunity to talk to their perfect prospects and gives them a chance to talk about the things they are passionate about while getting to know them at the same time. Eventually, the CMO starts asking about James and the team does and it's a great way to have the right conversations with the right people. The more fantastic content you have on a podcast, the more of their target customers become interested in being featured on the podcast. James found that short and sharp podcasts perform best. Celebrate what your guest has accomplished and give them a platform. Your podcast should have a specific theme and structure for the episodes, and understand that it's a skill that takes time to learn and get good at. If you can, provide feedback and let your guest know how many people listened to their interview. Seasons are a good framework, along with having a set of questions that you can repeat and reuse. Repurposing the asset after the fact is another great way to get more exposure. Make sure you know what the win is for the interviewee. Mo asks James Barclay: If you could record a video around business development and send it back to your younger self, what would it say? James is naturally impatient, so he would tell his younger self to cultivate patience. You can't sell stuff by shouting at people that they should buy from you. It's not your sales process, it's about their buying process. Think about the actions that you can do consistently that will lay the groundwork for outcomes instead of focusing on the outcomes themselves. Accept the fact that you are often fighting fires and won't always be perfect at your business development habits. Having a team that can support you and keep you on track when you need it is a big asset. Make sure you are surrounded by people you trust. Set some time aside each week to track your most important things and what you got done and what's still on the list. James would always tell his younger self that the best ideas don't come when you're looking at a screen. Your best ideas will come when you're unplugged. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/jamesbarclay1 james@passle.net passle.net blog.passle.net Nathan Barry on ConvertKit, Automation and Engaging Your Audience – What You Need To Succeed (season 2 episode 43) How to Use ConvertKit to Create and Close More Opportunities, with Nathan Barry (season 2 episode 44) How to Use ConvertKit to Deepen Relationships, with Nathan Barry (season 2 episode 45) How to Hack Our Own Habits to Accomplish More, with Nathan Barry (season 2 episode 46) The Top 3 Things You Need to Implement from Nathan Barry, Founder of ConvertKit (season 2 episode 47)
James Barclay shares the key content creation strategies that Passel uses to help busy professionals demonstrate the expertise that sets them and their firms apart. Learn about how content creation became the basis for Passel's business model, how to write and create content for your most important relationships in a way that people will love, and why a podcast is the secret business development hack that most professionals aren't using right now. Mo asks James Barclay: When did you realize that business development was great? James' first job out of college was as a conference organizer and that's where he learned the power of selling ideas. Selling conferences in the 1990s changed once the internet became more established and James began using websites to promote them, but they discovered that brochure websites weren't very effective which led to creating content based websites instead. The skills that James and his business partners developed in creating those businesses were a natural fit for content online, but he realized that taking the expertise in his head and sharing it online was actually really difficult. That's where the idea for Passle came from. Showcasing your expertise online as an expert is crucial, especially when people are still not visiting businesses physically as much. Do something rather than nothing, and realize that you won't be great at it straight away. Run an audit of LinkedIn to see who you are connected to. Compare that list to a list of the people that give you money for what you do, and if you're not connected with the people who give you money correct that. Write short, client focused and timely content at least once a month. Your content should be easy to consume and don't outsource it. Someone shouldn't be pretending to be you online. Taking content that is already published is a great place to start. Just add your own perspective or commentary to something that already exists. Picture one of your top ten to twenty clients and write something that you know will resonate with them then publish that on a public space like LinkedIn or your blog. Ask them directly what they would be interested in, and then write content around those answers. At the very least share your company's content and provide some commentary on it. You need to be digitally active. People won't be thinking of you if you're not present in the public square that is social media. Write for one person instead of writing for everyone. Think of the people that pay you money for your expertise and then write content with one of those people in mind. They are the most likely to share your content and refer you to other people when they find it useful. That's how you give your raving fans ammunition. Mo asks James Barclay: Tell me your personal definition of business development. Growth is all about your leading indicators. Your behaviors, values, and what you do every day are what will put you in a position to win. Focusing on the end of the pipeline will make you look desperate. With the right values and habits, you'll come up with the right tactics for the people looking to buy from you. Helping is the key to growth. If every time someone reaches out you help them, at some point they will ask you what you do and be interested in what you sell, which is way more effective than reaching out to them to buy your stuff. When someone asks you what you do, turn it around and ask them about themselves and their challenges while looking for an area that you may be able to help them, either with advice or a connection. Curiosity is an emotion that humans love to experience. By getting the other person to ask what you do twice, it increases the curiosity element. Business development is about providing a solution when the other person needs it, and this takes patience and consistency is providing value. It can be even more powerful to be helpful when the other person is unable to buy your services. One of James' key qualifiers when selling to someone is whether they like him and James likes them as well. It's common for highly analytical people to talk about anything other than their content and expertise. If you find yourself uncomfortable in a sales environment, your clients probably feel the same. Finding the place that you're comfortable with could actually be the sweet spot between you and other analytical prospects. Reach out with useful content between billable projects. Sending an asset or an idea is an effective way to keep the conversation going. Mo asks James Barclay: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or the Snowball System? For James, the number one strategy is the Protemoi List. These are the people in your circle that are your partners, prospects, and the key people that could be your raving fans. Having a focused relationship list is an unbeatable edge. When you invest in a relationship, people will move with you. James has had people buy from his company multiple times over multiple jobs. Your Protemoi List is a list of five to ten people that have outsized returns on the amount of time and energy you invest in the relationship. The first strategy is to simply be useful to them. Offer to take them to events with you that you believe would be helpful to them. Find content and then pass it on to people you think would find it useful. Celebrate them at every opportunity. Accelerate them and give them a platform where you highlight them and what they are doing. A personal newsletter can be incredibly powerful. You don't need thousands of people on your list for it to be worth it. Build something that is extremely accessible to them, extremely useful to them, and don't waste their time. It can take some time to build momentum, but you have to start somewhere. If you can write something useful for one person you can build it over time and create something really valuable. Consistency matters. Find a cadence that works for you and your schedule and stick with it. Mo asks James Barclay: Tell me a story about the business development that you are the proudest of. James' challenge in reaching prospects is connecting with CMOs in law firms and working up the chain can take some time. The Passel podcast was born once the team understood how useful it is as a business development tool. The podcast gives them an opportunity to talk to their perfect prospects and gives them a chance to talk about the things they are passionate about while getting to know them at the same time. Eventually, the CMO starts asking about James and the team does and it's a great way to have the right conversations with the right people. The more fantastic content you have on a podcast, the more of their target customers become interested in being featured on the podcast. James found that short and sharp podcasts perform best. Celebrate what your guest has accomplished and give them a platform. Your podcast should have a specific theme and structure for the episodes, and understand that it's a skill that takes time to learn and get good at. If you can, provide feedback and let your guest know how many people listened to their interview. Seasons are a good framework, along with having a set of questions that you can repeat and reuse. Repurposing the asset after the fact is another great way to get more exposure. Make sure you know what the win is for the interviewee. Mo asks James Barclay: If you could record a video around business development and send it back to your younger self, what would it say? James is naturally impatient, so he would tell his younger self to cultivate patience. You can't sell stuff by shouting at people that they should buy from you. It's not your sales process, it's about their buying process. Think about the actions that you can do consistently that will lay the groundwork for outcomes instead of focusing on the outcomes themselves. Accept the fact that you are often fighting fires and won't always be perfect at your business development habits. Having a team that can support you and keep you on track when you need it is a big asset. Make sure you are surrounded by people you trust. Set some time aside each week to track your most important things and what you got done and what's still on the list. James would always tell his younger self that the best ideas don't come when you're looking at a screen. Your best ideas will come when you're unplugged. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/jamesbarclay1 james@passle.net passle.net blog.passle.net Nathan Barry on ConvertKit, Automation and Engaging Your Audience – What You Need To Succeed (season 2 episode 43) How to Use ConvertKit to Create and Close More Opportunities, with Nathan Barry (season 2 episode 44) How to Use ConvertKit to Deepen Relationships, with Nathan Barry (season 2 episode 45) How to Hack Our Own Habits to Accomplish More, with Nathan Barry (season 2 episode 46) The Top 3 Things You Need to Implement from Nathan Barry, Founder of ConvertKit (season 2 episode 47)
James Barclay shares the key content creation strategies that Passel uses to help busy professionals demonstrate the expertise that sets them and their firms apart. Learn about how content creation became the basis for Passel's business model, how to write and create content for your most important relationships in a way that people will love, and why a podcast is the secret business development hack that most professionals aren't using right now. Mo asks James Barclay: When did you realize that business development was great? James' first job out of college was as a conference organizer and that's where he learned the power of selling ideas. Selling conferences in the 1990s changed once the internet became more established and James began using websites to promote them, but they discovered that brochure websites weren't very effective which led to creating content based websites instead. The skills that James and his business partners developed in creating those businesses were a natural fit for content online, but he realized that taking the expertise in his head and sharing it online was actually really difficult. That's where the idea for Passle came from. Showcasing your expertise online as an expert is crucial, especially when people are still not visiting businesses physically as much. Do something rather than nothing, and realize that you won't be great at it straight away. Run an audit of LinkedIn to see who you are connected to. Compare that list to a list of the people that give you money for what you do, and if you're not connected with the people who give you money correct that. Write short, client focused and timely content at least once a month. Your content should be easy to consume and don't outsource it. Someone shouldn't be pretending to be you online. Taking content that is already published is a great place to start. Just add your own perspective or commentary to something that already exists. Picture one of your top ten to twenty clients and write something that you know will resonate with them then publish that on a public space like LinkedIn or your blog. Ask them directly what they would be interested in, and then write content around those answers. At the very least share your company's content and provide some commentary on it. You need to be digitally active. People won't be thinking of you if you're not present in the public square that is social media. Write for one person instead of writing for everyone. Think of the people that pay you money for your expertise and then write content with one of those people in mind. They are the most likely to share your content and refer you to other people when they find it useful. That's how you give your raving fans ammunition. Mo asks James Barclay: Tell me your personal definition of business development. Growth is all about your leading indicators. Your behaviors, values, and what you do every day are what will put you in a position to win. Focusing on the end of the pipeline will make you look desperate. With the right values and habits, you'll come up with the right tactics for the people looking to buy from you. Helping is the key to growth. If every time someone reaches out you help them, at some point they will ask you what you do and be interested in what you sell, which is way more effective than reaching out to them to buy your stuff. When someone asks you what you do, turn it around and ask them about themselves and their challenges while looking for an area that you may be able to help them, either with advice or a connection. Curiosity is an emotion that humans love to experience. By getting the other person to ask what you do twice, it increases the curiosity element. Business development is about providing a solution when the other person needs it, and this takes patience and consistency is providing value. It can be even more powerful to be helpful when the other person is unable to buy your services. One of James' key qualifiers when selling to someone is whether they like him and James likes them as well. It's common for highly analytical people to talk about anything other than their content and expertise. If you find yourself uncomfortable in a sales environment, your clients probably feel the same. Finding the place that you're comfortable with could actually be the sweet spot between you and other analytical prospects. Reach out with useful content between billable projects. Sending an asset or an idea is an effective way to keep the conversation going. Mo asks James Barclay: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or the Snowball System? For James, the number one strategy is the Protemoi List. These are the people in your circle that are your partners, prospects, and the key people that could be your raving fans. Having a focused relationship list is an unbeatable edge. When you invest in a relationship, people will move with you. James has had people buy from his company multiple times over multiple jobs. Your Protemoi List is a list of five to ten people that have outsized returns on the amount of time and energy you invest in the relationship. The first strategy is to simply be useful to them. Offer to take them to events with you that you believe would be helpful to them. Find content and then pass it on to people you think would find it useful. Celebrate them at every opportunity. Accelerate them and give them a platform where you highlight them and what they are doing. A personal newsletter can be incredibly powerful. You don't need thousands of people on your list for it to be worth it. Build something that is extremely accessible to them, extremely useful to them, and don't waste their time. It can take some time to build momentum, but you have to start somewhere. If you can write something useful for one person you can build it over time and create something really valuable. Consistency matters. Find a cadence that works for you and your schedule and stick with it. Mo asks James Barclay: Tell me a story about the business development that you are the proudest of. James' challenge in reaching prospects is connecting with CMOs in law firms and working up the chain can take some time. The Passel podcast was born once the team understood how useful it is as a business development tool. The podcast gives them an opportunity to talk to their perfect prospects and gives them a chance to talk about the things they are passionate about while getting to know them at the same time. Eventually, the CMO starts asking about James and the team does and it's a great way to have the right conversations with the right people. The more fantastic content you have on a podcast, the more of their target customers become interested in being featured on the podcast. James found that short and sharp podcasts perform best. Celebrate what your guest has accomplished and give them a platform. Your podcast should have a specific theme and structure for the episodes, and understand that it's a skill that takes time to learn and get good at. If you can, provide feedback and let your guest know how many people listened to their interview. Seasons are a good framework, along with having a set of questions that you can repeat and reuse. Repurposing the asset after the fact is another great way to get more exposure. Make sure you know what the win is for the interviewee. Mo asks James Barclay: If you could record a video around business development and send it back to your younger self, what would it say? James is naturally impatient, so he would tell his younger self to cultivate patience. You can't sell stuff by shouting at people that they should buy from you. It's not your sales process, it's about their buying process. Think about the actions that you can do consistently that will lay the groundwork for outcomes instead of focusing on the outcomes themselves. Accept the fact that you are often fighting fires and won't always be perfect at your business development habits. Having a team that can support you and keep you on track when you need it is a big asset. Make sure you are surrounded by people you trust. Set some time aside each week to track your most important things and what you got done and what's still on the list. James would always tell his younger self that the best ideas don't come when you're looking at a screen. Your best ideas will come when you're unplugged. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/jamesbarclay1 james@passle.net passle.net blog.passle.net Nathan Barry on ConvertKit, Automation and Engaging Your Audience – What You Need To Succeed (season 2 episode 43) How to Use ConvertKit to Create and Close More Opportunities, with Nathan Barry (season 2 episode 44) How to Use ConvertKit to Deepen Relationships, with Nathan Barry (season 2 episode 45) How to Hack Our Own Habits to Accomplish More, with Nathan Barry (season 2 episode 46) The Top 3 Things You Need to Implement from Nathan Barry, Founder of ConvertKit (season 2 episode 47)
Mo asks James Barclay: When did you realize that business development was great? James' first job out of college was as a conference organizer and that's where he learned the power of selling ideas. Selling conferences in the 1990s changed once the internet became more established and James began using websites to promote them, but they discovered that brochure websites weren't very effective which led to creating content based websites instead. The skills that James and his business partners developed in creating those businesses were a natural fit for content online, but he realized that taking the expertise in his head and sharing it online was actually really difficult. That's where the idea for Passle came from. Showcasing your expertise online as an expert is crucial, especially when people are still not visiting businesses physically as much. Do something rather than nothing, and realize that you won't be great at it straight away. Run an audit of LinkedIn to see who you are connected to. Compare that list to a list of the people that give you money for what you do, and if you're not connected with the people who give you money correct that. Write short, client focused and timely content at least once a month. Your content should be easy to consume and don't outsource it. Someone shouldn't be pretending to be you online. Taking content that is already published is a great place to start. Just add your own perspective or commentary to something that already exists. Picture one of your top ten to twenty clients and write something that you know will resonate with them then publish that on a public space like LinkedIn or your blog. Ask them directly what they would be interested in, and then write content around those answers. At the very least share your company's content and provide some commentary on it. You need to be digitally active. People won't be thinking of you if you're not present in the public square that is social media. Write for one person instead of writing for everyone. Think of the people that pay you money for your expertise and then write content with one of those people in mind. They are the most likely to share your content and refer you to other people when they find it useful. That's how you give your raving fans ammunition. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/jamesbarclay1 james@passle.net passle.net
Mo asks James Barclay: When did you realize that business development was great? James' first job out of college was as a conference organizer and that's where he learned the power of selling ideas. Selling conferences in the 1990s changed once the internet became more established and James began using websites to promote them, but they discovered that brochure websites weren't very effective which led to creating content based websites instead. The skills that James and his business partners developed in creating those businesses were a natural fit for content online, but he realized that taking the expertise in his head and sharing it online was actually really difficult. That's where the idea for Passle came from. Showcasing your expertise online as an expert is crucial, especially when people are still not visiting businesses physically as much. Do something rather than nothing, and realize that you won't be great at it straight away. Run an audit of LinkedIn to see who you are connected to. Compare that list to a list of the people that give you money for what you do, and if you're not connected with the people who give you money correct that. Write short, client focused and timely content at least once a month. Your content should be easy to consume and don't outsource it. Someone shouldn't be pretending to be you online. Taking content that is already published is a great place to start. Just add your own perspective or commentary to something that already exists. Picture one of your top ten to twenty clients and write something that you know will resonate with them then publish that on a public space like LinkedIn or your blog. Ask them directly what they would be interested in, and then write content around those answers. At the very least share your company's content and provide some commentary on it. You need to be digitally active. People won't be thinking of you if you're not present in the public square that is social media. Write for one person instead of writing for everyone. Think of the people that pay you money for your expertise and then write content with one of those people in mind. They are the most likely to share your content and refer you to other people when they find it useful. That's how you give your raving fans ammunition. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/jamesbarclay1 james@passle.net passle.net
Mo asks James Barclay: When did you realize that business development was great? James' first job out of college was as a conference organizer and that's where he learned the power of selling ideas. Selling conferences in the 1990s changed once the internet became more established and James began using websites to promote them, but they discovered that brochure websites weren't very effective which led to creating content based websites instead. The skills that James and his business partners developed in creating those businesses were a natural fit for content online, but he realized that taking the expertise in his head and sharing it online was actually really difficult. That's where the idea for Passle came from. Showcasing your expertise online as an expert is crucial, especially when people are still not visiting businesses physically as much. Do something rather than nothing, and realize that you won't be great at it straight away. Run an audit of LinkedIn to see who you are connected to. Compare that list to a list of the people that give you money for what you do, and if you're not connected with the people who give you money correct that. Write short, client focused and timely content at least once a month. Your content should be easy to consume and don't outsource it. Someone shouldn't be pretending to be you online. Taking content that is already published is a great place to start. Just add your own perspective or commentary to something that already exists. Picture one of your top ten to twenty clients and write something that you know will resonate with them then publish that on a public space like LinkedIn or your blog. Ask them directly what they would be interested in, and then write content around those answers. At the very least share your company's content and provide some commentary on it. You need to be digitally active. People won't be thinking of you if you're not present in the public square that is social media. Write for one person instead of writing for everyone. Think of the people that pay you money for your expertise and then write content with one of those people in mind. They are the most likely to share your content and refer you to other people when they find it useful. That's how you give your raving fans ammunition. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/jamesbarclay1 james@passle.net passle.net
Every firm is trying to get closer to clients and build their profile in particular industries. In this episode, Will Eke, Senior VP at Passle, is lucky to be joined by Lee Garfinkle, Chief Client Development and Relationship Officer at Goodwin, who discusses how their industry-focused strategy is enabling them to support their clients further, not only with legal issues, but with business and operational challenges. In this edition, Will and Lee explore: How an industry-focused approach makes Goodwin stand out in the crowd How this approach work in practice and what has been established as part of the strategy Communications strategy to demonstrate industry eminence and how the approach works for winning new clients Successes of this approach that showcase how the firm's strategy is working How other client development and relationship officers can take this approach
In this episode of the CMO series, Alistair Bone of Passle is joined by Kalisha Crawford of Ropers Majeski to discuss the challenges of making data work for your firm. Despite the importance of data and its availability for legal marketers, there isn't a clear best practice on how to leverage data to add value to the wider firm. Yet. Someone who is focusing on the value of data and how to get the most value from theirs is Kalisha Crawford, Director of Marketing & Business Development at Ropers Majeski. Ali and Kalisha explore: How to tackle the potential for data to be an overwhelming and complicated challenge for CMOs How to identify what data is relevant to input into the firm's strategy The priority areas for law firms and where data can add the most value How to make data work for the firm with incomplete or less than perfect data What skills and knowledge CMOs need to make effective use of their data
Guy is joined by Charles Cousins, the Business Development Director at Passle. At Passle, Charles works with the Marketing and Business development teams at law firms to help them implement successful thought leadership programs. Tune into this episode to learn why getting your law firm's attorneys to contribute to your content creation is vital, how writing benefits your attorneys, common hiccups in the content creation process, and how Passle can be used to mitigate content creation problems at law firms. Click here to access show notes.
unbillable hours - a podcast about better professional services marketing
Say hello to our first guest on the show, ever: Will Eke from Passle! We asked him about his insights into how consultancies create their content, how they get their experts involved - and how they might improve all of it, big time. Episode guest: Will Eke, SVP of Sales, Passle. Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota Pls. find the shownotes to this episode at unbillable-hrs.com!
I spoke with James Barclay, the head of client success at Passle, a sales and marketing platform focused on professional services. We discussed how professionals should approach content creation in the current environment, ways that Passle enhances how individuals can broadcast content, the benefits of a LinkedIn audit, and how content creation has changed in a work-from-home world.