In the Lending Library: Marketing Success: How Did She Do That? By Dee Schiavelli and Afi Johnson-Parris

Greensboro lawyer Afi Johnson-Parris and Dee Schiavelli interview women lawyers across the country to identify their path to success. The key to advancement is often seen in how well you market yourself, your skills and abilities. This is especially true for women. The eleven chapters in Marketing Success: How Did She Do That? provide stories from various women on how their use of marketing tools landed them great opportunities, advancement and exposure. The book covers everything from networking, making the pitch, being retained and more. Here are four tools from the book that I believe could jumpstart your marketing strategy:

Marketing Inside your Practice

• Women can market themselves internally by offering a new service to a current client, or by viewing partners as clients and working to increase their assignments. Providing a service that the practice is currently lacking will allow you to not only market but build an internal brand.Speaking

• Speaking engagements allow face time with colleagues, and clients all while showcasing your leadership abilities and knowledge. The book provides a speaking strategy cycle to implement and discusses the advantages to public speaking from a business standpoint.

Personal branding

• This chapter defines personal branding and details how it is the first step into marketing and building your business. It is important to be intentional about creating your brand, one that is a true reflection of who you are as a person not just as a lawyer.

A Different approach

• It is important for women to not only think outside of the box but to take chances. Marketing success comes through hard work, careful planning, flexibility and innovation. This chapter reminds us that taking a different approach and being innovative could yield a great result.

The Lawyers Mutual Lending Library is a free service for policyholders and their staff, covering topics such as practice management, technology, rainmaking, finance, opening a law firm, and transitioning a law practice. Visit us at http://www.lawyersmutualnc.com/risk-management-resources/book-lending-library.