|
 By Kathleen Flynn, the director of client relations and marketing at Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold in San Francisco. She can be reached at kathleen.flynn@sdma.com. Reprinted with permission from the December 2004 edition of Law Firm Inc (c) 2004 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited.
It is that time of year again, when stores are adorned with holiday ornaments and we law firm administrators and marketing directors are wringing our hands as we face the annual challenge...the client holiday gift and card crush. The dilemma rears its head each year as law firms experiment with new programs and tweak what worked last year-- all in an effort to let clients know how much their patronage is valued. I truly hope that firms are communicating their appreciation throughout the year and not waiting for those few moments at the year's end to extend their gratitude.
My own informal survey of law firms around the country shows the variety of ways firms tackle this challenge.
Almost universally, firms are-- at a minimum-- sending holiday greeting cards to clients. Many are still relying on the traditional printed card, and a few are adding the option of an e-card, sent mainly to technology-oriented clients.
Although the use of interesting art and donations to charitable organizations are consistent themes, the approaches that firms take to selecting art and deciding upon an appropriate charity are as varied as the firms themselves. The types of charities supported by firms include national health organizations and local community non-profits. Many times firms choose to support children's charities at the holidays.
None of the firms reported that they selected a charity based upon a client's preference, but all firms do consider the client's perspective when selecting organizations to sponsor. This is exemplified by Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, a firm with offices on both coasts. Sheppard has put a very localized twist on its charitable activities by allocating a budget to each of its nine offices so that attorneys can select the local charity of their choice for holiday giving. The firmwide holiday card lists the charities selected by each office.
This year the custom card design will feature major landmarks of the cities in which the firm has offices, such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. "This underscores our commitment to the cities where we practice," explains Vickie Spang, chief marketing officer.
She adds: "We think that a charitable donation is a win-win for all, as often times clients are not in a position to accept gifts, or there is a ceiling on the dollar value of gifts they can receive. This way the money is put to a very good use...and everyone is happy."
Sheppard thus avoids the delicate maneuvering of the diverse restrictions many corporations place upon the receipt of gifts. Restrictions vary by company, in relation to the dollar amount one can accept, if acceptance of a gift is allowed at all.
Ford & Harrison, a labor and employment firm with 12 offices nationwide, is adding a very personal touch to its card this year. The firm is honoring the memory of Sue Kassin, the late wife of partner Tom Kassin by featuring her artwork. Ms. Kassin recently lost a long battle with cancer.
"In addition to using her artwork, we will be making a donation to a cancer charity, SEGO Indigent Funds, that allows women without insurance to receive chemotherapy treatment and medicine, and the donation will be made on behalf of the clients of Ford & Harrison," explains Lynne Wingate, director of marketing.
In Minneapolis, Dorsey & Whitney commissions an artist to draw or paint original artwork to be featured on two different holiday greeting cards. The marketing department posts both cards on the firm intranet, where attorneys can order the number they wish of each card. The artwork for last year's cards was created by local artist Mary Grand Pre, best known as the illustrator of the Harry Potter books.
"This year Dorsey's cards will feature the artwork of Yudong Shen, husband of the firm's database analyst. Shen is a professional artist, and we are proud to feature his work" says Carolee Swallie, director of global communications.
Custom cards seem to be the rule, and Burr & Forman, a business and litigation firm in the Southeast, uses humor in its cards. Playing off of the "Burrrrrr" in its name, one can only imagine the chilly images that adorn its cards. Burr & Forman too, focuses upon charitable giving by making donations to its "impact charities," year-round.
Its charity program is described on its Web site as the selection of "one special charity in each city to receive an even more concentrated effort." Current charities are Kid One Transport Systems in Birmingham and Camp Sunshine in Atlanta.
Gifts seem to be on the out, most likely, because clients are not permitted to accept presents of significant value-- making it difficult to give something that a client will think is very special.
One firm allocates an annual budget to each attorney-- which can be used for a client holiday gift or throughout the year for entertaining clients-- while other firms are offering their attorneys a few promotional items for purchase through their online firm stores that they can send to clients.
Firms are presenting clients with gifts that include golf shirts with firm logos, leather portfolios embossed with the firm name, and wine bottles that are personalized with the firm name on the label or etched into the bottle.
Most firms said that gifts were not encouraged or were coordinated in a firmwide program. And when it comes to budget for the annual holiday card and gift exercise...the percentages were disparate, ranging from 2 percent to 8 percent of the total marketing budget.
So what is my firm, Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold doing this year? Building upon a well received holiday card and e-card from last year, we have once again called upon our internal marketing department design team to create a custom card and an electronic version.
We are managing the design and the printing of the cards centrally through the marketing department in our headquarters office and then distributing the cards to each office for the attorneys to individually sign and post, using their personal mailing lists. Next year I am going to borrow Dorsey's idea... and automate the ordering process through our intranet.
 Holiday Card Games -- The complex politics of winter greetings.
By Monica Bay, Editor-in-Chief, Law Technology News. She can be reached at mbay@alm.com.
It's enough to turn me into an atheist," complained a marketer, when asked about selecting firm holiday cards. Indeed, for every card that makes one recipient cringe, another is charmed. Here are some pet peeves-- and winners.
Look at Me! "What could possibly top the holiday cards we get from Jay Foonberg, who sends large glossy photos of himself with famous people like the Pope?" asks Martha Fay Africa of Major Hagan & Africa.
Foonberg, whose past efforts have included self-portraits at the South Pole, cheerfully stands his ground. (He's no stranger to marketing: His book, How to Start and Build a Law Practice, is the American Bar Association's all-time bestseller.)
Holiday cards are solid marketing devices that can generate more work from existing clients and get new ones, argues Foonberg, of counsel to Bailey & Partners; especially for family lawyers, because many couples split after the holidays. (Foonberg also tells a tale about how a card sent to a lonely old lady prevented her suicide, but that's just too Lifetime TV to detail.)
If you do send out cards, be sure your list is current, cautions J.R. Phelps, of The Florida Bar, or you might accidently send a card to Mr. and Mrs. Smith two months after your firm completed Mr.'s probate.
No Offense: Bland, politically correct cards annoy John Buchanan of Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe.
"Any card with a globe or the word peace or joy in 90,000 languages" drives him nuts. So does "too much foil" or "a Thomas Kinkade picture."
White Christmas: Audrey Rubin, of Butler Rubin Saltarelli & Boyd, gets cranky when she gets a firm portrait card with "all identical-looking white males. What a turn-off!"
And You Are? Then there's the card that arrives with "my name misspelled, or even worse, the wrong first name (Joan instead of John)," says Heller's Buchanan.
Jo Haraf, CIO of Morrison & Foerster, finds "wryly amusing" the cards with dozens of signatures of people she doesn't know. "What a waste of time and money-- but they do make my secretary's desk look festive when taped to the wall." Indeed, signing protocols require finesse. "Who signs those cards? How are they signed across practice areas and offices? The logistics rival Operation Desert Storm."
Darryl Cross, of Interface Software Inc., once worked for a lawyer who insisted that 2,500 cards be sent, some to people he didn't know, "to give the impression that he cared about them and their business." But the lawyer ordered the marketing staff to sign his name, "because he did not have time to sign cards for a bunch of strangers."
Sweet Charity? Saying you're donating to charity in a recipient's name may seem like a good idea, but what if the "donee" dislikes the organization ? "There are a number of 'charity' groups I wouldn't give a nickel to," says Ian Levit, of Levit & James, who suggests local rescue squads instead.
Gift Me: CPA Terry Lloyd resents "cheap trinkets masquerading as a holiday gift. Don't send me a 75-cent pen." Alternatives? Mark Pruner, of RD Legal Funding, sends sturdy gifts, such as travel mugs or staplers. Holiday music CDs get applause from Hildebrandt International's Joel Henning.
Try Humor? Audra Callanan, of Wolf Greenfield, says her firm grew tired of traditional cards, and called Mad Magazine's Al Jaffee for help. [Read the article "Wolf Greenfield Goes MAD With Holiday Greetings" from Profressional Marketing magazine about it online at http://www.pmforumna.org/pages/magazine.asp?Action=DrawArticle&ArticleID=32. ]
"Having just gone through a copyright litigation where his work was being infringed, he had a new-found respect for IP lawyers and said 'Sure!'" Check out the results here. (pdf file.)
Christmas in August? Timing may be everything, but before daylight savings was even over, Kobre & Kim had sent the 2005 Zagat Survey, with a note, "Thinking Ahead: Best wishes for the upcoming holiday season."
Others evade the mailing dilemma by opting for different holidays.
Julie Pearl, of The Pearl Group, sends Valentine's Day candy, with a note "wishing you a year of sweetness and laughter."
Reid Trautz, of the District of Columbia Bar, prefers Thanksgiving cards, to convey appreciation "in a genuine way, without stepping on sensitive religious matters. Plus, it beats all the other holiday/Christmas cards."
"Of course, if everyone starts on this trend, I predict Halloween cards will make a huge comeback."
|
 |
RSS FEED
