At the PM Forum – PM Forum “Professional and Practical Skills for Marketing and Business Development (MBD) Assistants” training workshop last week we welcomed delegates from legal and accountancy firms in London, the Midlands and the North of England. Over half had formally studied MBD. 21% felt that they would like to specialise in a particular area of marketing and business development. Nearly 80% felt their firms were supportive of their career progression. This article supplements the learning resources for the session. Aims of Marketing and BD (MBD) Assistants: Knowledge, specialisation, decision-making processes and relationships. Details of future PM Forum training sessions.
At various points during the session, I asked delegates what had resonated most or altered their aims. There were some themes in their responses.
Develop MBD knowledge and skills
Most had some background knowledge of marketing – over half had studied marketing either at degree level or as part of their professional qualifications. It was the first job for about a third of the delegates.
Some wanted to know how campaigns work and how to implement them effectively. We looked at various resources here, as well as several case studies:
- Thought leadership campaigns and project management Eight Essentials
- Planning Digital Marketing Campaigns and Content Strategy
- Why fee-earners should let marketing help develop campaigns
- Campaign management in the professions
- 10 steps to create a business development campaign
- Marketing case studies – Digital thought leadership campaigns
- Marketing and BD case studies in legal, accountancy, consultancy
While some were keen to extend their marketing knowledge to support their personal brand – perhaps through professional marketing qualifications – others were more interested in developing practical, implementation skills (which is the focus of apprenticeships).
- Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) updates standard
- Marketing Manager Apprenticeship – a Level 6 Qualification
Some delegates were intrigued at the diagram of the wide range of different operational tools that could be used by marketers to blend into a campaign. Others were more interested in the strategic frameworks and processes that enabled you to select the relevant operational tools.
They raised some interesting questions – such as “What is share of voice?” Share of Voice: What it is and How to Measure it | Sprout Social and “Which frameworks are most valuable?” (see SOSTAC marketing planning model guide | Smart Insights and The RACE Framework: A practical digital marketing strategy framework) and APIC (Audit/Analysis, Planning, Implementation and Control/Evaluation).
Specialize in a particular area of MBD
Over half of the MBD assistants had general roles involving a variety of activities in support of their MBD executives and managers. So some wanted to explore how to become more specialist. Their group discussions focused on the essentials in different activities:
- Internal Communications
- Know your systems
- Research your audience
- Personalise and tailor content and messages
- Manage your house style and tone of voice Persuasive writing – Brand Voice and Tone of Voice – Kim Tasso
- Relationship mapping for account management and cross-selling
- Ensure everyone is seen, heard and able to contribute (inclusivity)
- Achieving buy-in to strategy and campaigns (i.e. promoting mindset and behaviour change)
- Book review: Influential Internal Communication by Jenni Field
- Events
- Agree goals and objectives
- Ensure events are part of an integrated campaign (with follow up activities planned)
- Research audience needs and preferences – topics, venues, channels etc
- Plan communications with all stakeholders – partners, fee-earners, clients, MBD team, other staff
- Clean CRM data Marketing technology system review – Clean contact data with Cirrom
- Produce eye-catching invitation designs
- Test options for Call to Action (CTA)
- Consider pros and cons of in person, digital and hybrid delivery
- Obtain data and feedback (to measure success and plan follow up activity)
- Update on event management – Kim Tasso
- Digital communications
- Develop an overall – integrated – strategy
- Manage major projects (e.g. web site refresh)
- Need to upskill those in MBD team and fee-earners
- Use GA4, key word search and paid campaigns
- Manage social media brand, assets and content
- Planning Digital Marketing Campaigns and Content Strategy
- Book review: Build your digital marketing strategy by Steve Brennan
- create a digital marketing strategy in a professional services firm
- The RACE Framework: A practical digital marketing strategy framework
- Campaign planning, execution and evaluation
- Marketing case studies – Digital thought leadership campaigns
- Marketing and BD case studies in legal, accountancy, consultancy (kimtasso.com)
- Thought leadership manual by Tim Prizeman
- 10 steps to create a business development campaign
- Planning Campaigns – Level 4 Professional Marketing Qualification Module | CIM
Learn about client decision-making processes
Traditionally, marketing acts as the clients’ representative within an organisation. Helping to ensure that all activities are focused on anticipating and meeting client needs profitably. However, in professional services the client relationships are often “owned” by the fee-earners. So marketing and business development professionals are rarely involved in direct client contact.
Yet both effective marketing and selling requires an understanding of the client journey and the various decision-making processes Selling Basics – Detectives and DMUs (Video)
Some assistants planned to focus on undertaking internal and external research to learn more about different client decision-making processes. This might involve studying information resources such as those captured in client listening and client journey mapping studies. And then discover how marketing can contribute towards optimising and accelerating these processes for both the client and the firm’s benefit.
The importance of analytics was acknowledged in this area. These are relatively straightforward in digital marketing but somewhat trickier in sales and relationship management processes which can involve multiple touchpoints and take several months – even years.
- Analytics and Measurement for Digital Marketing – Kim Tasso
- themes on campaign development and thought leadership
Develop internal and external relationships
Most delegates appreciated the importance of developing strong relationships internally – with fellow members of the marketing and business development team as well as fee-earners. And acknowledged the need to start building their networks externally – with influencers, referrers, intermediaries, potential clients and existing clients.
We also considered the value of relationship mapping: Relationship Mapping in 2025: What It Is & How It Works
We explored core skills to facilitate this e.g. emotional intelligence, communication, networking and relationship building.
- Book review – Great networking by Alisa Grafton
- Connected leadership – How professional relationships
- The psychology of successful women by Shona Rowan
Consider different career progression routes
At the start, delegates had discussed their aims for the session and most wanted build and develop their knowledge. They also wanted to learn things that they could take back to work to apply.
Having a broader view of the different aspects of marketing, selling and relationship management in professional services enabled them to consider a wider variety of future career progression routes.
Many used the session to identify gaps in their knowledge and topics of particular relevance to their firms. Most delegates identified additional goals to update their personal development plans.
- MBD Assistants – Perception, variety, events and specialising
- New Marketing and Business Development Assistants
- The future shape of a Proactive MBD Executive?
- Managing challenging behaviour and Personal Development Plans
- How to advance your career in professional services marketing
Delegate poll results
Have you formally studied marketing?
- 57% Yes
- 43% No
Where is most of your time spent?
- 0% Strategic marketing
- 43% Tactical marketing/communications
- 0% Selling
- 14% Client and referrer relationships
- 29% All aspects
- 14% It’s complicated (Mostly communications)
What do you spend most of your time doing?
- 57% Supporting M&BD executives and managers
- 14% Supporting internal communications
- 14% Drafting and editing copy/content
- 14% Issuing and managing mailings
Where do you want to spend more time in the future?
- 29% Digital marketing, content management and social media
- 29% Profile raising, PR and media relations
- 14% Strategy and planning
- 14% Pitches and proposals
- 14% Events, seminars, webinars and contact programmes
After reviewing those key marketing theories, how would you rate your knowledge?
- 0% Really good – I knew much more than I thought
- 71% Good – I am familiar with most ideas
- 29% OK – I’ve just learned quite a bit
How happy are you with your CRM (and integrated mailing, analytics and relationship management capabilities)?
- 0% Really unhappy
- 0% Unhappy
- 43% It’s OK
- 43% Happy
- 14% Really happy
Amongst the delegates the most common CRMs in use were Salesforce and InterAction
See also: Proactive marketing and business development executives – CRM (kimtasso.com)
How would you rate your firm’s digital marketing strategy?
- 0% Brilliant
- 57% Really good
- 29% Average
- 14% Needs improvement
See also: create a digital marketing strategy in a professional services firm (kimtasso.com) and
Book review: Build your digital marketing strategy by Steve Brennan (kimtasso.com)
Do you think you and your fee-earners are mostly:
| Me | My fee-earners | |
| Dogs | 43% | 14% |
| Cats | 57% | 57% |
| Bears | 0% | 29% |
See: dog, cat and bear personalities – Better business relationships (kimtasso.com)
How would you rate your skill/ability in selling?
- 0% Very low
- 29% Low
- 57% Average
- 14% Good
- 0% Very good
What do you think is the most important skill/attribute of an aspiring M&BD professional?
- 57% Communications skills
- 29% Ability to work with fee-earners and M&BD team members
- 14% Strategic ability
What percentage of your fee-earners do you think are engaged with and keen to do marketing/BD?
- 43% 10-40% of fee-earners
- 14% About 50% of fee-earners
- 43% 50%-70% of fee-earners
How do you feel about your career development prospects?
- 14% There is a clear path for my promotion
- 86% My firm supports my development and progression
Related posts for Marketing and Business Development (MBD) Assistants
Don’t forget that all PM Forum members can access over 5,000 articles and numerous webinar recordings at Skills Development – PM Forum
MBD Assistants – Perception, variety, events and specialising September 2024
Marketing and Business Development (M&BD) Assistants can shine (kimtasso.com) September 2023
marketing and business development (M&BD) team structures (kimtasso.com) September 2023
Marketing and Business Development (M&BD) Assistants (kimtasso.com) March 2023
Insights into the needs of the latest generation of M&BD Assistants (kimtasso.com) September 2022
New Marketing and Business Development Assistants (kimtasso.com) March 2022
Marketing and Business Development Assistants: The impact of Covid (kimtasso.com) March 2021
Six insights from marketing and business development assistants (kimtasso.com) November 2019
improve impact, assertiveness and effectiveness for marketing and BD (kimtasso.com) August 2019
Other topics for Marketing and BD (MBD) assistants:
Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) updates standard (kimtasso.com) September 2024
Update on event management – Kim Tasso August 2024
Build your brand advantage with PM Forum and Sholto (kimtasso.com) June 2024
How to create and promote your personal brand – Kim Tasso May 2024
Marketing and BD case studies in legal, accountancy, consultancy (kimtasso.com) April 2024
What do you do when your boss is a micro-managing control freak? (kimtasso.com) March 2024
International Marketing Benchmark 2024 from Meridian West (kimtasso.com) January 2024
Law firm media relations and integrated campaigns (Kysen) (kimtasso.com) December 2023
Proactive marketing and business development executives – CRM (kimtasso.com) December 2023
Case studies: Marketing and Business Development at law (kimtasso.com) November 2023
Preparing M&BD professionals for the future – learning, skills (kimtasso.com) October 2023
Managing challenging behaviour and Personal Development Plans (kimtasso.com) September 2023
Professional services marketing/BD case studies (kimtasso.com) August 2023
Book review: The psychology of successful women by Shona Rowan (kimtasso.com) June 2022
How to advance your career in professional services marketing (kimtasso.com) April 2022
