6 Things Braveheart Taught Me About Lawyer Marketing

Published on 12 May 2009 by Jeff Berman in Blog

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The movie Braveheart was on tv the other day and I caught the last hour and a half. Since this was somewhere around my 14th viewing of the movie, my mind was wandering to lawyer marketing as I’m sure happens to everyone when they watch Braveheart. It dawned on me that there are some pretty valuable lessons to be learned from our friend William Wallace which we can apply to our lawyer marketing efforts. Here goes:

1. People respond when you address their needs and problems, not when you talk about your skills. The people of Scotland rallied behind William Wallace because he stood for something that addressed the problems and needs they all had. They desired freedom from Longshanks, the King of England, and the oppressive reign of his minions. Wallace offered solutions to their problems and the people responded. Do you think they would have had the same desire to follow him had he simply said that he was a skilled military strategist and a solid fighter? Well, do you think customers retain your services simply because you are a lawyer that works in a certain practice area? No, they feel you have a solution to their problems and needs. Make sure you market yourself as a solver of problems, not simply an individual with a certain skill set.

2. Be passionate about what you are doing. Wallace was certainly passionate about his efforts. So much so that he gave his life for the greater cause. People saw his passion and wanted to be a part of the movement. It inspired people and showed through in his work. I think in terms of lawyer marketing, the same point holds true. I understand that every marketing effort isn’t going to make you boil over with excitement, but having some fun with it will enable your enthusiasm to show. When it does, the message and emotional impact is much greater. People can tell you like what you are doing and a person that gets fulfillment out of their job is going to be someone people are likely to hire.

3. Build relationships. Much of William Wallace’s success can be attributed to the relationships he built and the people that helped him to succeed. His mission was too large an undertaking to be successful on his own. He would have died multiple times if it weren’t for the friends and acquaintances he picked up along the way. Similarly, your marketing efforts online and otherwise should be designed around building relationships. This is where you develop your reputation and where the best clients will come from. Kevin O’Keefe wrote a post discussing the importance of relationship building for lawyers online. Obviously, I think your networking efforts should also include all the offline activities that have been staples of your lawyer marketing for years. The point is to make sure you include heavy doses of networking and relationship building in your marketing plan.

4. Have a plan and be ready to adjust. In order to succeed, you need a good plan of action. Wallace and the Scots were outnumbered, short on resources, lacked the military might, and should have had no shot at winning the battle. But by utilizing the tools they did have (calvary, shields, wooden spears) and thinking through a plan ahead of time, they were able to defeat the army they faced with all odds working against them. In the same context our lawyer marketing efforts face many hurdles. We might be short on resources (time, extra money to invest) and possibly we lack the man power. But we do have the ability to come up with a sound plan of action. So long as we have a direction we are heading in, an idea of how we want to get there, and the ability to be flexible we will put ourselves in a position to win with our marketing plan despite the obstacles.

5. Give people a reason to talk about you. One of my favorite lines in the movie comes about as Wallace’s legend grows. People begin to tell stories of his accomplishments across Scotland.

“William Wallace killed fifty men, fifty….if it were one. Cut through them like….Moses through the red sea”

People dug Wallace and wanted to get on board with what he was doing. I’ve written before about the art of story telling when marketing a law firm. When you do good work, people talk about you. Don’t ignore the built in marketing opportunities that exist with happy, former clients.

6. Painting your face blue and wielding a weapon can be intimidating. This has absolutely nothing to do with lawyer marketing, but I challenge you to deny that it’s true.