Chief Business Development and Marketing Officer - Chicago ::

Chief Business Development and Marketing Officer - Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Commensurate with experience

President and COO

The Chief Business Development and Marketing Officer (CBDMO) will direct and execute the firm’s business development and marketing strategies, tactical plans and initiatives.  He or she will work with the firm’s President, COO and Board of Directors to develop the strategic business development and marketing plan for the firm, as well as manage and oversee execution of the resulting plans and strategies.  The CBDMO will be responsible for managing marketing and business development priorities, assessing return on investment and monitoring accountability for all business development and marketing resources and activities.

•    Consult with Firm Management in the development and implementation of the firm’s strategic business development and marketing plan; continuously analyze and make recommendations regarding firm growth and opportunities.
•    Work with Practice Group Leadership to establish lawyer teams to develop new business opportunities with existing and potential clients and manage the firm’s client team program.
•    Act as a coach and mentor to lawyers, providing support, training and advice targeted toward achievement of business development goals.
•    Build a high level of awareness of and support for effective firm, practice group, office, industry, client and individual business development and marketing efforts.
•    Participate in specific business development opportunities, including responses to RFPs, client pitches and presentations to existing and potential clients.
•    Manage the accumulation, analysis and dissemination of relevant business data from current and potential clients related to their business and service needs, specifically, and those in the relevant marketplaces, generally.
•    Identify and implement client retention and growth strategies, and oversee the firm’s client feedback efforts, including client interviews, client surveys, performance audits and the like.
•    Oversee management of the firm’s client relationship management (CRM) program, InterAction, in order to effectively manage client, prospect and referral contacts; mailing lists; and target lists.
•    Identify and facilitate cross-selling opportunities between practice groups and offices.
•    Work with the Business Development Manager (or report to be determined) to develop and implement group marketing plans (i.e., practice, industry and client).  Provide marketing budget analysis and best practices to facilitate effective and consistent implementation of the plans.
•    Work with the Communications Manager (or report to be determined as well as outside consultants) to manage the firm’s brand identity in the marketplace, leveraging both advertising and public relations for the firm; provide strategic direction for the firm’s branding and communications efforts, including advertisements, press releases, article placement, collateral materials, newsletters or alerts, practice group descriptions, attorney bios and the firm’s website.
•    Oversee the firm’s and individual lawyers’ listings in relevant directories ensuring appropriate prominent placement; respond to survey requests in a timely, accurate and consistent manner.
•    Direct the constant review and revision of all firm promotional materials, including the firm’s website, to ensure that they are of the highest and most professional caliber and that they are updated continuously in order to accurately reflect the relevant facts related to firm services and attorney biographies.
•    Prioritize and oversee firm-sponsored events.
•    Evaluate and monitor existing business development efforts on an ongoing basis; track attorney and staff activities and expenditures and measure results by establishing benchmarks and quantifying results.
•    Prepare annual business development and marketing budgets, and monitor expenditures against budgets.
•    Manage, mentor, motivate, evaluate and recruit business development and marketing staff.
•    Prepare and provide quarterly competitive activity reports to the Board of Directors.
•    Attend to such other duties as may be designated and assigned from time to time.

•    Ability to plan for, manage and evaluate the business development and marketing and function of a professional service firm at a level normally attained through a Master’s degree with an emphasis in sales and marketing.
•    Approximately 10-15 years of Business Development experience in a professional services environment, preferably in a law firm with an intellectual property practice, with progressively more responsible work experience in order to have gained the expertise needed to administer a complex business development and marketing system.
•    Ability to organize and prioritize numerous tasks and complete them within tight time constraints.
•    Ability to identify and analyze issues and problems in business development and marketing management, and to recommend and implement solutions.
•    Outstanding presentation and communication skills, both written and oral.
•    Managerial and supervisory skills necessary in order to organize, coordinate and supervise appropriate staff.
•    Interpersonal skills necessary in order to communicate with and effectively follow instructions from a diverse group of clients, attorneys, scientific advisors, paralegals and staff and provide information with courtesy and tact.

Schmidt Marketing has been retained to conduct this search. Interested and qualified candidates should e-mail their resume, in strictest confidence, to Sally Schmidt.

Schmidt Marketing, Inc.
P.O. Box 24198
Edina, Minnesota 55424