Watch the video!
I’m delighted to (finally) have a demo video (click here) showcasing my law firm keynote, firm retreat, and marketing-training presentations. I’ve been filming most of my speeches lately because many in-house marketers, administrators, professional-development experts, and other conference organizers had begun asking to see some film of me in action before hiring me for their programs.
Since 2008, the market for law firm speakers has changed.
Simple word of mouth or a good reputation as a presenter used to be enough to get hired.
Back then, after 25 years and 300+ presentations, I’d gradually become one of The Usual Suspects for marketing training, firm retreats, Ethics CLE, etc. I was doing 40+ speeches per year. But in recessionary 2008, the outside-speaker market cratered. Firms no longer offered marketing training. Firm and partner retreats stopped cold.
Before 2008, I spoke at 20+ firm retreats per year. 
In 2008-09, the only retreats I spoke at were those where the firms couldn’t get their deposits back.
Slashed budgets meant more law firms brought their marketing training and CLE in-house. The programs might not always be as entertaining as a professional speaker, but you can’t beat “free.”
Constricted marketing and professional development budgets meant fewer overall training opportunities across the profession. It continued this way for ~7 lean years, through around 2015.
When the speakers market returned, it had changed.
Instead of LMA members or other marketers, a fast-growing industry of in-house professional development experts gained responsibility for more of the hiring for lawyer training. Historically, most of my speaking invitations had come from people who’d seen me present repeatedly at Legal Marketing Association (LMA) or Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) conferences, or bar association meetings.
Previously, someone at a firm or an event planner would see me speak somewhere, think “Hey, my lawyers would like that guy,” and grab my business card on the way out.
Some percentage of them would later contact me, sometimes the very next day, other times it took a decade. But they’d call to hire me directly because I’d already been thoroughly vetted by someone persuasive or influential who’d already seen me present. The conversations back then weren’t beauty contests, they were simply to select a topic.
The buyers for law firm training and CLE have changed.
Today, there’s a wider array of law firm professionals involved in hiring. And association conference organizers seem unduly enamored of 4-person panel discussions or short TED-style talks which make it hard to stand out as a speaker. This means I now need to educate and persuade buyers who don’t know me and haven’t seen me present, making a speaker video more important.
I shot many of the videos with my iPhone 6S.
I upgraded to the 6S specifically because the reviews agreed that the camera on the 6S was a significant improvement over the 6. (I’ll provide more detail regarding the recording technology and other equipment I used to film these videos in a subsequent Post.)
I selected and trimmed brief snippets from 50 hours of presentation video, shot a few quick video testimonials from satisfied clients, stitched it all together, and set it to music, finally editing it down to just 3 tight minutes. I’d sincerely appreciate your thoughts about the video.
And, of course, if your law firm or legal association or organization is looking for an entertaining keynote or marketing-training speaker for a law firm retreat, legal conference or seminar, partner or associate training, Ethics CLE, or other program, please contact me any time at +1.847.432.3546 or ross@fishmanmarketing.com!
