Here at SUE Magazine, we get tons of books by prolific lawyers and consultants who want to be reviewed in the publication. We have read some outstanding material and then, again, we've read some not-so-outstanding material.
You can imagine my excitement when I opened a FedEx package and out popped one of the most beautifully designed books I've seen in a long time. "The Little Black Book: A Lawyer's Guide to Creating a Marketing Habit in 21 Days" by Paula Black makes an outstanding first impression with its look, feel and size.
Flipping to the author's bio, I find that her background is pretty credible: a book with John Ramsen, Jr., founder of The Managing Partner Forum; speaker for TAGLaw, the Legal Marketing Association (LMA) and the Women's Bar Association, among others. I'm hooked until.....
A thick-hard cover, 7x10" coil-bound black book with greens, teal and gray colors throughout, the book promises to be an easy-read and motivate you to change your habits by incorporating law firm marketing in your daily work routine. Each page has plenty of white space. The graphics are clean and stylish. The content on the page is brief. Oh, yes. The content.
The book starts out decently but barely. It has tips for each of the next 21 days (including weekends) and gives ideas on how to organize and get your individual business development marketing program going. For example, on Day 3, you are supposed to read through your bio and ask yourself if it clearly communicates your points of differentiation. (I assume from other lawyers. It's not that clear.) OK, that's a good tip.
TLBB lists to-do items such as making a call to a leader, researching the organization, making up 5 packages of marketing materials, sending a handwritten note and evaluating how your office operates. That sort of thing. Twenty-pages of same old, same old, content-free "information". I was so disappointed. With such a beautifully designed book, I was all set to sit back, enjoy the beauty of the book and also to get new information. Apparently, there is none.
Perhaps because of the book's brevity, the author clearly misses adding anything new to articles we have read over and over (and over) again. Create a plan, she says.....How? I ask. Hmmm....(flip, flip, flip) doesn't seem to be there. After the 21-day segment of habit changing practices, the book is filled with "Be more" - pithy tips from experienced lawyers on how to get more business. "Most new business comes from existing clients." "Be more charitable." And, my all-time favorite, "Be more communicative, listen to your client." (Big sigh)
I really wanted this book to work. However, if you are just starting out and want the very simple basics of marketing and know nothing about how to start a marketing process, this book may work very well for you. It also makes a great corporate gift. You can get the book on amazon.com but the reviews look, well....you judge for yourself. The author is located in Florida and all of the reviews just happen to be from Florida. And then there's the issue of price. $122.00. Yep. $122.00.
Come on, folks.........I have a feeling you can do much better! How about reworking the book, the price and the level of sophistication?
While I'm on my soap box, can anyone recommend a book on marketing for law firms that doesn't give us a repeat of the last book and the one before that? Or, is it just that there are no new marketing "secrets" and it is what it is. We'd like to know.
Author: Paula Black
Where to find the book: amazon.com
Price: $122.00 new
