Event Hangover

Right Angle hosted our first Open House with new roommies Top Dead Center Design and 2D9 yesterday. As always, I have an "event hangover" today - along with a list of the successes and not-so-much successes.

Our Open House firmly fell on the side of successful, but that's not to say we did everything right. This brings me to the subject of today's blog.

While you're still recovering from your big event, it's a great idea to recap all the things you think went right and wrong. We printed out a list of attendees last night and figured out who had shown up and who hadn't. Jennifer and I, being marketing geeks, really enjoy doing analysis on the percentages of no shows, people we invited but didn't respond, and those who responded AND showed up to drink a lot of wine and beer and eat Chef Maura's exceptionally delicious food. Here are some tips we always utilize before and after an event.

1. It's the little things that count. Pay attention to the small details. Sara at 2D9 purchased fresh flowers for each of our areas and picked flowers that matched our individual spaces and personalities. A number of people commented on how the purple tulips she picked matched our corporate identity. A few people told me they loved the candles we had burning outside - it made the entryway to our office warm and inviting. If you've got the budget, a nice take-away is great to give - a client once gave away very nice wine bottle openers at an event.
2. The big things count, too. Don't skimp on food or beverages - it always shows and comes back to bite you in the end. Bringing clients into your space is a great opportunity to show them who you really are. We have a client who is also an accomplished artist. We don't have the budget at the moment to purchase fine art for our walls, so he hung his paintings in our space during the event and it made a huge difference. Don't host an Open House if your space is going to make you look like an idiot, and if you can't afford to provide high quality food and beverages, wait until you can.
3. Measure, measure, measure. As with any marketing initiative, measurement is key. Ask yourself, what are the goals of the event? What kind of follow up will I do? What kinds of information do I need to make available during the event? We asked ourselves these questions. Our goal was to introduce all three companies in the space to each other's client and network contacts. We created a postcard that could be taken away with brief, bullet points about each company. It had a call to action to encourage people to sign up for our blogs and newsletters. That way we can see how many people actually do sign up, and then send them stuff.
4. Before the week is out, compile a list of the things you liked and didn't like - and write them down. They will be beneficial for future events.

And, if all else fails, you can hire us to plan your event. We love it!

My "duh" moment

You ever have one of those days where an issue you've been grappling with suddenly becomes crystal clear? It's so clear you are almost blinded by it? And you finally find the words to sum up the issue? I had one of those days earlier in the week and thought I would share it with you - at the risk of stepping on Laura Posey's toes (who writes a blog directed at business owners and salespeople). She's the real expert on all things related to selling, but I still have opinions and love to share them here!

Here's my epiphany. Just because you can sell doesn't mean you should be a sales manager, or for that matter, any kind of manager at all.

Yeah, I know. Duh. Seriously, though - think about all the companies you know that have a big sales force. Inevitably you find that those who can sell end up being promoted into management (unless they flat out refuse and say, hey, I'm a salesperson! Who wants to manage when you can be selling!!!).

I worked for a large, unwieldy industrial automation company for nearly 5 years in my previous life. While I learned a lot (including how to make a programmable logic controller sound sexy on a website), I was consistently frustrated with the management, lack of management, and horrible management. The reason the management was so bad? If you could sell a lot at that company, you got to be a branch manager. Not only did they want you to manage an entire office and territory, they wanted you to manage OTHER SALESPEOPLE! The promoted salespeople ate it up with a spoon - they got their own office, a leather chair, a business card with "Branch Manager" on it, and a big fat raise to match. But they drove the administrative bunch and their own salespeople insane. Their communication skills were horrid, their management skills were null, and they had no idea how to give feedback, advice, or constructive criticism. In one particularly memorable incident, a BM (as I liked to call them) reacted to something I said that he didn't like in the usual way he did as a salesperson. He pitched a fit. The fit included stomping his feet, hitting his fist on his desk, door slamming and cursing. As a salesperson, he could react this way in front of his BM . . . that was standard, and they could vent and slap backs and be done with it. Doing it in front of your marketing director, however, was entirely different.

Sure, occasionally we'd get lucky and end up with a decent branch manager. However, out of the 13 BM's, 11 of them flat out stunk.

Recently we worked with a client in the same boat. The titles have changed, because we'd all spontaneously combust if someone in professional services had a title like "sales manager" - but it's really not that different. Professionals are forced, every day, to do things they are horrible at - including managing firms.

It's just something to think about, and mull over. Law firms will always have managing partners because they have to. However, putting a strong person in the firm administration role, like someone with a business/management background, can make a huge difference. Jennifer blew my mind today by telling me about a large firm that hired a marketing director with NO marketing experience. This person happens to be a lawyer. Apparently, being a lawyer means you know how to market a law firm - in their book. It also means you automatically know how to run a business, hire people, and structure benefits and compensation. NOT.

The moral of the story is to simply be honest about your firm's strengths and weaknesses. Leverage the strengths. Put people where they are good, and productive, and most importantly, happy. All the money in the world won't make a great communicator or manager out of a lawyer who just wants to write briefs all day.