What do law firms need from the CMO? The answer is contained in this one simple statement. The CMO is the voice of the client across the law firm. Any firm that gets this; gets IT.
The role of the CMO only gets complicated when management committees, hiring committees, marketing partners, recruiters, (even the candidates themselves), and the list goes on, do not understand or exploit this simple fact.
To further complicate matters, despite the written job description on the table during the interview, these same parties often have different goals, criteria or even a personal agenda outlined for the candidate. More often than not, the CMO job description is only worth the price of the piece of paper. And so, the CMO is hired as a one-trick pony to satisfy the highest compensated voice.
In fact, for real CMO success, I think hiring committees should not only be looking for the individual who can tune into and represent the voice of the client, they need someone with the skill and patience to deliver the message to the entire firm at every level.
Do you agree?
Have you personally ever listened to a client’s voice?
When is the last time you spoke up in a meeting on behalf of a firm client?
