So, it's that time of year again... Sandwiched in between two bank holidays was our 6th annual Client Conference, two days guaranteed to make you gain a few pounds and leave you with a genuinely spooky experience at Coombe Abbey Hotel near Coventry. The old Court House has had a fresh lick of paint, which had sadly not deterred the ghosts, but made for a Conference full of character from the offset. Following excessive amounts of tea, coffee and pastries, and once everyone had their name badges, it was upstairs to the High Court for each of the presentations kicking off with Nancy Slessenger of Vinehouse Essential, followed by Alistair Marshall of Alistair Marshall Consulting, Bill Kirby of Professional Choice Consultancy, Richard Sharpe of Content etc. and Dan Fallon of Search Star. Links to each of the mindmaps for each of the sessions can be found underneath, with links to each of the speakers' presentations at the end of the blog.
Agenda:
- Nancy Slessenger - How to Set Objectives... SMART just doesn't do it!
- Alistair Marshall - What should Business Development look like in 2013?
- Bill Kirby - "To cloud or not to cloud", that is the question!
- Richard Sharpe - How not to get sued when writing content for your blog!
- Dan Fallon - Where is Google going commercially and how does it affect law firms?
How to Set Objectives... SMART just doesn't do it!
So, why is objective setting so difficult? Well, there are always time restraints, but in the current climate firms have significant change, mergers, takeovers and a tough business climate to contend with. Nevertheless, if firms can set objectives, there's no surprise that when clear and concise, they can effectively outline employees' individual responsibilities. Nancy cited the "Objectives Cascade" at this point, to ensure that all objectives are related to the firm's overall business goals, plus the need to write specific, measurable and realistic objectives for staff.
What should Business Development look like in 2013?
Alistair Marshall challenged delegates from the offset; what idea could they take away to action tomorrow? Big question right? But we're confident that his many ideas would have left delegates with plenty of food for thought. For a start, he encouraged delegates to ask questions of themselves: who are you to your clients? Who's your company? And what is your track record with your potential client's company? Once these questions have been answered, Alistair explained that firms needed to name the businesses locally that they want to work with and create an achievable strategy to make it happen! He also emphasised the need for firms to become "experts", be it through tips booklets, speaking, or a variety of digital media including blogging and social media.
"To cloud or not to cloud", that is the question! 
Post networking break was followed by a question from Hamlet for the modern age posed by Bill Kirby; "To cloud or not to cloud, that is the question". And what a question it was! Without a doubt, it's the way forward. Bill emphasised that should your systems fail, you'd lose communication, information, clients and money. Outlining some of the key vendors in the market, Bill explained that with the cloud, you can work on clients' work wherever and conduct full services and meetings anywhere, not to mention effective support handling, out of hours work and consistent performance.
How not to get sued when writing content for your blog!
Richard Sharpe had the audience laughing from the offset, with stories of sandals... Maybe you had to be there. But how he made the Defamation Act 2013 funny I will never know! Of particular interest to the audience, in a digital era where social media is a fast growing necessity for any business, were the parts of the presentation relating to what is, or isn't okay in the world of social media. Much of the decision comes down to how many people 'saw' the post; be it a blog, a tweet or a LinkedIn update. He also encouraged delegates to update their social media policies to make sure staff know where they stand.
Where is Google going commercially and how does it affect law firms?
Dan Fallon's presentation on the commercial future of Google was highly interesting. Unusually dominant in the UK, hoarding 97% of search budgets and raking in a mammoth 5 billion in ad sales alone during 2012, it should be no surprise that in the coming years, Google will be pushing even more of its advertising capabilities, with larger, more relevant and engaging formats for commercial search.
Following the great selection of speakers and the Conscious open forum which covered everything from social media, to online calculators to responsive designs and mobile sites, it was on to dinner and a long night at the hotel bar... But naturally, what happens in Coventry, stays in Coventry!!
The conference was also written up by Steve Kirwan from Nowell Mellor.