A year ago this week I gave a speech at LMA Southeast Region’s conference. (Yes, I explain the zany suit if you watch.) I’d honestly forgotten about this. Dear friend Nancy Leyes Myrland had a reminder pop up today and sent this video she had captured. I might’ve watched this at the time – but I honestly can’t recall. And I only watched a few minutes of it just now. Like many people, I don’t like the sound of my own voice and I really don’t like watching myself. C’est la vie.
But moreover, I had a lot going on existentially last year. That may be why this was lost to the ether of my addled mind. I do know I wasn’t really happy. (I am now.) I felt a bit lost, misunderstood, possibly angry. I felt I’d done my best to give what I could to this world, but was receiving too many signals that it wasn’t enough, that there should be “less of me out there,” that I had somehow disappointed people I had admired and honored. Like all things, much of that was probably in my own head.
But this speech was born of that moment, in which I did my best to lay bare – with humor and gratitude – how I saw myself and how I believed so fully in the differentiating power of authenticity. (And still do.) Was this my ego showing? Probably. Was it a form of self-indulgent group therapy? Indubitably. Was it an effort to try to help others avoid the pain I was feeling then? That was my prayer.
What a difference twelve months makes. I’ve had a LOT of change this year. I hope I’ve grown. Jury is out on that. But for this moment I feel like the bet I placed on myself – as expressed in this video – was the right one.
I’m so unbelievably grateful for the opportunities that have come my way in this time. The me in this video had no idea a remarkable, transformational, literally life changing offer was just around the corner. This new role and new adventure in a new city with a lovely new team and colleagues have meant the world to me.
The video isn’t the complete speech – some of the intro and conclusion is missing – and, honestly, I like it like that. There are few discrete beginnings and endings in life. With an open heart and a healthy sense of humor, serendipity can serve one nicely.
Thank you again to Nancy for this and for always helping me remember I matter. That we ALL matter. And that our stories make a difference. Also, grateful to Toni Toomer Wells and Matthew Gallagher, co-chairs of last year’s event, for believing in me and giving me the chance to share these thoughts with the universe. I hope they can continue to be helpful to whomever is kind enough to give this a watch.
Thank you, David Ackert and Kevin Martin, for this opportunity to reflect on our amazing Legal Marketing Association – LMA International community and on 2023…
In this episode of The Market Leaders Podcast, join host David Ackert and special guest Roy Sexton, Director of Marketing at Clark Hill Law, for a conversation that looks back at the industry trends that defined 2023, Roy’s tenure as the President of the Legal Marketing Association, and where the legal marketing industry is heading in 2024 and beyond.
Tune in to hear about:
•Building community and collaboration in and after the pandemic
•Reflections on organizational impact and personal growth
•Exploring unique expression and authenticity in relationships
•Managing challenges and building unity in a diverse community
•The importance of data and accountability in organizational management
Finally got a chance to listen! (Yes, I know I should be asleep … but I’m still wired from seeing fab musical film Mean Girls tonight!) Thank you, David and Kevin for this therapeutic gift. Means a lot to have this kind of reflective moment and to share it broadly. My mom and I were dissectors after the fact (plays, movies, events … card games 😅), so this dialogue had a comforting, yes, healing familiarity. So thank you.
Thank you also to those who had an important impact on me this past year and beyond. I didn’t get to mention everybody I might have wished but these beautiful folks all get shout outs during the show.
Love you, all: Brenda Plowman , Maggie T. Watkins , Despina Kartson , Jill Huse , Deborah Brightman Farone , Jennifer Manton , Kevin Iredell , John Byrne , Ashley Stenger , Alycia Sutor , Susie Sexton , Don Sexton , John Mola , Nancy Myrland , Gail Lamarche , Heather Morse , Lindsay Griffiths , Laura (Toledo) Gutierrez , Gina Furia Rubel , Renee Branson, MA, CReC, CFT , Lisa M. Kamen, CAE , Athena Dion , Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit , Ronald McDonald House Charities Ann Arbor , Clark Hill. 💕
From Answering Legal: Heather Morse, Nancy Myrland, Roy Sexton and host Nick Werker gather for an hour-long discussion on the current state of the legal marketing world.
During this conversation we review some of the more interesting legal marketing developments that have taken place this year, and offer tips on how law firms can be more successful with their marketing efforts in 2024.
Click here to access Answering Legal’s year-end educational offerings.
“What Every Managing Partner Needs to Know About Marketing and Business Development” … VIEW HERE:https://youtu.be/sobbMm_Te4c
Thank you to Managing Partner Forum’s John Remsen, Jr. and Uri Gutfreund for hosting Susan Slifer, Lee Ashby Watts, and me for this robust, engaging conversation the other week. And we only got *spicy* once (catch it at the end!) when someone suggested legal marketing isn’t “rocket science.”
(I *may* have been triggered 😅)
From Answering Legal: Incredibly excited to get all these legal marketing experts in the same (virtual) room! You won’t want to miss this discussion July 18. Sign up for our Law Firm Summer Reboot Camp today, and gain access to a live panel presentation, featuring Jacob Eidinger, Lee Watts, Nancy Myrland, Toni Wells, and me.
The past weekend the Legal Marketing Association – LMA International international board and team gathered. It was by turns an invigorating, provocative, robust, and inspiring conversation. Grateful to be part of this engaging group and Association community.
We had an incredible enrichment activity with Axelle Flemming (FKA Melissa Yee Loy) Being Axelle – thank you, Kevin Iredell, for bringing her to us. She’ll also be at #LMA23 for all our membership to benefit from her wisdom.
In short, we all live to a great extent in the fight or flight side of our brains, and when we are in that survival mode, there is absolutely no way to grow, be strategic, be truly inclusive, or make a long term difference in this world. She gave us great language and ideas to shape our team dynamic and our service to our organization. I look forward to her engaging more with our broader community and sharing her perspective.
As for this Post It note, she asked each of us to slap one on our back and let our colleagues write words that they associated with us. Our personal “brand” through the eyes of our peers. The results were funny, entertaining, and poignant. Yes, I will be framing mine. #lmamkt
Excerpt: “Instead of taking the deceptive path of least resistance and fleeing from the amazing work that I know you can do, I invite you to allow yourself to fight through those barriers, that scar tissue, and to choose to do the things you need to do to grow your practice. There are amazing people around you, and yes, I am one of them, that are here to help you if you don’t know where to start. (That sounded kind of braggy, didn’t it?)”
I’m not right. Saw this poor stuffed rabbit tossed in the street in Hollywood, Florida. (Here for a meeting.) Felt sorry for said bunny. So I bought a bottle of Dawn Detergent at 7-11 and soaked the little fellow in the hotel tub. Turned out ok if I do say so myself. I’m quite the world traveler. 🤣 Laura Gassner Otting, gets the win for its name: “Bed Bugs Bunny.” 😅
For those worried/wondering about little Bed Bugs Bunny’s fate (h/t to Auntie Laura Gassner Otting, Author/Speaker for that name), he’s spun (literally) through our “day spa” (laundry room) twice and is now ensconced with some newfound friends (h/t Miss Coco Peru and Passle) in our “salon” (guest bedroom). He’s even found some reading material (h/t Heidi Smith / Beth Kennedy). Welcome home, buddy. #rescue #bekind #florida #michigan #bunny #secondchances #makeover
My sweet dad Don Sexton with this beautiful, creative #valentines surprise in the mail. My heart. Though I think Hudson is more impressed with my dad’s art than mine. Admittedly these drawings of mine that my dad unearthed were from when I was 3 or 4. Or maybe from college. Who knows? 🤷 #family #love #valentinesday #dogs #dogsofinstagram #dogslife
Thank you to my fabulous Clark Hill colleague Megan McKeon for joining Rob Kates and me on Kates Media: Video Production’s “Legal Marketing Coffee Talk,” sponsored by Jessica Aries’ By Aries. Thanks again to Katelynn Audrey Wynn McGuire for the wonderful promotional support.
We cover a LOT! 🤣 The relative merit of phone calls, being trapped in Facebook jail, the perils of pool repair, the joys of home associations, and the highs and lows of geriatric pet ownership.
MORE importantly we discuss trends in legal marketing and business development, the crucial differences between those two disciplines AND their complementary nature, how data drives smart decision-making and efficient resource deployment, how the Legal Marketing Association and a commitment to mentoring benefits firm culture, and more.
Shout outs in today’s show to Susan Ahern, Guinevere Lehman Anderson, Marceline Johnson, John Byrne, Timothy Corcoran, Anne Gallagher, Brenda Plowman, Jill Mason Huse, Kelly MacKinnon, Nancy Myrland, Brenda Pontiff, Amy Payton Verhulst, Gina Furia Rubel, Heather Morse-Geller, Gail Porter Lamarche, Gail Paul, Susie Sexton, Connie Harris, James Fisher, Eric Lewandowski, Nancy McKeon, Patrick Fuller, Jay Harrington, Glen Hanson, HunTees, Marlon Brando, and more.
Postscript …
That’s me! Always on the cutting edge! LOL. Thanks for the shout out (below), Nancy Myrland of Myrland Marketing and Social Media. She writes, “‘Should You Give Stories A Chance?’ A LinkedIn notification related to Roy Sexton yesterday (discussed in this 2-minute, 22-second episode) is what caused me to record this episode.”
I admit I keep using the damn things as another piece of real estate, wondering if anybody’s paying attention. So she nailed exactly my psychology as a user in her assessment!
Rob Kates and I had a delightful chat with superstar Greg Griffin of Jaffe. Rob and I also learned our mothers have the same birthday, and we heard from my mom Susie Sexton that apparently Robert Mitchum has been paying her nightly visits. 😳
Greg shared with us the joys of his new role at Jaffe, the importance of authenticity and listening in effective business development, his commitment to volunteering and fitness, and how he gave the Houston mayor a catnip (nee mint) mojito. Missed opportunity: he didn’t bring his adorable pup on camera!
Show mentions include: Terry M Isner , Vivian Hood , Melanie Trudeau , Evyan O’Keefe , Amy Verhulst , Gigi Zientek , Jenna Schiappacasse , Heather Morse , Megan McKeon , Nancy Myrland , Gina Furia Rubel (she/her) 🌏 , Laura Toledo , Lindsay Griffiths , Gail Lamarche , Deborah Brightman Farone , Sally Schmidt , Clayton Dodds , Cheryl Bame , Robin Devereux Gerard , Andrew Laver , Tahisha Fugate, MBA [she/her] , Jessica Aries (she/her/hers) , Stacy Monohan Payne, Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, and Howard the Duck. 🦆
I adore my Clark Hill colleague Emilie Strozier McCarthy. She always knows exactly what I need to hear and/or see … and this image is no exception. I am so happy that serendipity brought us together. She has made me a better human being and professional. We will be friends for life.
I never really understood what a mid-life crisis was. It seemed like a made-up thing to rationalize men acting super-self-indulgent, throwing over any prior obligations, and buying a stupid yellow sports car. The kind of thing Neil Simon would write about, starring George Segal or Donald Sutherland, rocking plaid bell bottoms and a silky shirt unbuttoned to their navels. (If you aren’t a child of the 1970s, I’m seriously dating myself.)
I still think it is a false construct, existing not so much in reality as in the minds of perpetually adolescent, commitment phobic men and Hollywood screenwriters.
HOWEVER, as I near the mid-century mark, I do understand that crushing, clammyfeeling of why am I here, what have I accomplished, have I made a difference? Every time I read my Wabash College alumni magazine, featuring tales of people my age (and younger) who have found cures for cancer while traversing the Congo as CEOs of major, multinational conglomerates with their beautiful, sartorially-gifted, well-read, blended families in tow, I think, “Why am I sitting here in my sweatpants eating a bowl of Froot Loops and reading comic books?”
Compound all of that with the immediacy of starting a (relatively) new job, leading marketing at an amazing firm in Detroit – a firm that never has had someone in a lead marketing role, a firm that, while open to learning and to change is also a firm (as they all are to some degree) residually agnostic about the long term impacts of marketing and of the voodoo that I do so well.
Things move slowly in that kind of environment. There are a lot of conversations. Every expenditure is scrutinized. You have to take as many victory laps as your colleagues can stand without falling past the tipping point of shameless showboating. You have to demonstrate results when there aren’t really any results yet to demonstrate. A seasoned marketer (or at least I think I am … some days) knows what their new organization needs, but, when said organization is unfamiliar with those needs and how costly they can be and that there is a good 12-to-18-month lead time to get the business development machinery settled and operational, said marketer finds him/herself in the tricky position of being internal salesperson, educator, executor, and judge. It’s exhilarating and exhausting to wear all of those hats simultaneously.
“We need to spend XXX on YYY. Trust me. We need it. What will be the return? Well. Why can’t I just do this myself with my laptop and some popsicle sticks? Um. Do we need additional outside support? Er. Isn’t that why I was hired? Yes …”
It’s very easy to lose your rudder. If you are a solo marketer (with apologies, I rather hate the term “unicorn,” but I get why people use it), you are a peculiar and intriguing presence. Attorneys need you, especially if you get them some ink or some love; attorneys want to understand what is it you do?; attorneys don’t speak your language and you don’t speak theirs; and, ultimately, you are an island with no one necessarily in your immediate reach who understands the context through which you think and approach the work. Consequently, you may feel perpetually defensive and isolated and alone.
Don’t succumb to the dark side of the Force: self-doubt and loathing.
That’s why, no matter the stage of your career or the self-confidence you possess, it is crucial to remember that, yes, in fact you do know what you are doing and that there are good reasons for the recommendations you are making. Furthermore, be patient. Education takes time, and trust the process. I live in fear (in any job I’ve had) that a few months or a year will go, and I will be summoned with a cold question of “what has actually been accomplished?” followed by “while we really like you, we are going to try something else.”
(As we know, statistically, the first marketer in any organization doesn’t always last, often immediately replaced by someone who tells the firm all the same things and suggests all the same steps, but now the firm is even further behind in their timeline as a result of the transition.)
How do you do stay vibrant? How do you stay true to yourself and not show up one day driving a Lamborghini and sporting an ascot? To quote The Beatles (of whom I’m one of the few who has never been that enamored), “I get by with a little help from my friends.”
• Build your internal constituency. Find your early adopters and turn them into marketing fanatics. Leverage any and all successes they have by celebrating them (not yourself). Encourage your attorneys to feel like these are their ideas, not yours.
• Hold your professional and personal consiglieres as tight as you can. But don’t drain their emotional well or try their patience by only talking about your issues. Find out what they are facing; support their wins; share their work; and learn from what they’ve experienced and accomplished.
• I don’t believe that you should never show weakness. I know that may be anathema in our industry, but your vulnerability connects you with others who are most assuredly feeling the same way. Be honest with yourself and others about what you do and don’t do well.
• Activate yourself in your professional association of choice. Mine is the Legal Marketing Association. Volunteering, mentoring, speaking, writing, attending – all keep my energy up, inform me, keep me smart(-ish), and make me feel like I have significance.
• Maintain a manageable clutch of go-to industry resources to keep you abreast of trends and concerns and issues. My list includes (but not limited to … forgive me if I left you out): Nancy Myrland; The Legal Watercooler/Heather Morse; Legal Marketers Extraordinaire; JD Supra; Jay Harrington; Darryl Cross; Samantha McKenna; Furia RubelCommunications/Gina Rubel; John Reed; Lindsay Griffiths; Jaffe PR; Mark T. Greene; Catherine MacDonagh and Tim Corcoran; Patrick Fuller; and Susan Freeman; among others.
• Find those external markers that help you remain validated. Is there a community or professional board of which you can be a part? Is there a volunteer activity where your intelligence and agency and autonomy are valued and appreciated?
• Remember what is actually important in your life. Our jobs define us and occupy far too much of our time. Our family and our friends are why we are here on this planet. Take care of the people who bring meaning to your life. Take time for the hobbies and shared activities that keep you sane. Otherwise, you are no good to yourself, your network, or your job.
That’s it. That’s what I’m thinking and feeling right now. I’m grateful to have a fabulous life that engages me, pushes me, stretches me too thin, but I need to be realistic about what can and can’t be accomplished in any given moment. I need to learn patience and to be more satisfied with the here and now. I am a work-in-progress. I suspect you are, too.
All the biographical bits you might care to know about me … third-person-style …
[Roy Sexton has led strategic planning and marketing efforts for nearly twenty years in a number of industries, including health care, legal services, and fund raising. He currently serves as Director of Marketing for Kerr Russell in Detroit. He serves as a regional board member for the Legal Marketing Association, sat on the state board of the Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association, and currently sits on the boards of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Ann Arbor, Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, Royal Starr Film Festival (Royal Oak, Michigan),and encoremichigan.com. He is a published author with two books of film and arts critique, compiled from his blog of the same name Reel Roy Reviews. He holds an M.A. in theatre history and criticism from the Ohio State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan.]
Thank you to the Detroit Legal News for reprinting the piece.
Reel Roy Reviews is now TWO books! You can purchase your copies by clicking here (print and digital).
My legal marketing buddy Nancy Myrland and I both love movies. Notably, we particularly love movies where kindness is prevalent and inclusive behaviors are modeled.
At least that’s how I rationalize the fact that two grown legal marketers both adore the Paddington films. That little bear from deepest, darkest Peru has a mantra: “If we are kind and polite, the world will be right.”
Lovely, isn’t it?
This concept couldn’t be more important in our tumultuous times. “Disruption” is the word of the day, and, man, are we ever disrupted.
Of course, we see this culturally and politically, but we also see it in our legal industry. Technology brings amazing advances, efficiencies, and “super powers” we never knew we could possess. Would I have imagined 20 years ago, I would have a device in my pocket and social networks therein that would allow me to access friends and experts around the globe in an instant? Nope.
[Image Source: Wikipedia]
However, this technology also brings great change. As the music industry, the print media industry, the photography industry, and many others have all witnessed, technology can cause customer migration, profit erosion, infrastructural change, and wholesale business model reinvention.
We in the legal space have known for years that this is coming for us – at what speed and in what fashion is still being determined. We are living in our own history right now, and we won’t see the forest for the trees for quite a while. However, we as marketing and communications and strategy and business development professionals must be on the forefront of these conversations, must embrace the new ideas, must socialize them within our organizations, and must be active participants in the writing of that history.
Fine, Roy. So where does Paddington come in?
Empathy and understanding and listening are crucial business skills that are too often dismissed as “soft.” Yet, having finely calibrated emotional antennae helps us predict the future and navigate the present. Culture eats strategy for lunch. A cliché but an apt one. Without accurately assessing the anxiety ridden waters in which we swim and finding ways to engage and allay our partners’ emotional pain points, we will never achieve the organizational focus required to create lasting, meaningful change.
[Image Source: Wikipedia]
The next time you are in a heated conversation with partners over an issue close to your heart, stay calm, stay empathetic, stay committed, and don’t meet their energy at a heightened level. Underplay it, keep the facts on your side, and use empathy: why are they arguing your idea? why are they pushing back? Trust me, it’s not to torture you. Don’t make it about you.
First, lawyers learn through argumentation. That’s how they burnish ideas. Also, the money you spend, at the end of the day, comes out of their pockets. Understand that business model and appreciate it. Further, change isn’t easy for any of us. Who has bought an exercise book somehow thinking it will magically transfer abs to them without actually following the prescribed routines? This guy for one. Knowing that none of us want to change but that we must change, take the time to understand your partners’ histories, training, experiences and how all of that will impact their willingness to adopt the very ideas they must adopt to survive.
And first and foremost, be kind and polite (even if others aren’t … and especially if others aren’t). The world will be right.
Postscript …
[Image Source: Wikipedia]
This is why I go to LMA’s annual conference: my energy and emotional “work reservoir” are replenished being around like-minded professionals.
I learn new skills and trends and issues facing us all, not just in the sessions but in the hallway chatter and the cocktail parties and the late night coffee runs.
In fact, do not flee the social interaction or run off to take a conference call in your downtime. Talk to people, learn from them, include them.
LMA can feel like the biggest clique in the world. It ain’t.
[Image Source: Wikipedia]
It’s just that we don’t get to see each other that often, and, for new people, it can seem like we don’t want you to play our reindeer games. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I was one of those new people (what feels like yesterday), but I tweeted and I facebook’d and I got out of my own head and I approached people.
And we old guard, in turn, need to be mindful and empathetic about what it was like to be “new.” Be kind. Be polite. Be supportive. Be inclusive. Those skills will serve you well at LMA, at your firms, and in life.
So says Paddington Bear.
Wow! Thank you, Blaine Fowler! He read this piece by Heather Morse at the Sterling Heights Chamber/Chemical Bank Sales & Marketing Conference. Thanks to Joan Giffels for capturing. And Heather for making me a hashtag. I feel pretty damn special this week. #bearoysexton#bearoysextonchallenge#lmamkt
Second version, captured by Brenda Meller of Meller Marketing and Social Media below …
________________________ [My street cred follows … ] _____________________
Roy Sexton is responsible for leading Kerr Russell’s marketing, business development, communications, and strategic planning efforts.
He has nearly 20 years of experience in marketing, communications, business development, and strategic planning, having worked at Deloitte Consulting, Oakwood Healthcare (now Beaumont), Trott Law (formerly Trott & Trott), and St. Joseph Mercy Health System. He has been heavily involved regionally and nationally in the Legal Marketing Association as a board member, content expert, and presenter. He is treasurer-elect currently for the Legal Marketing Association’s Midwest Regional Board of Directors.
He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Wabash College, and holds two masters degrees: an MA in theatre from The Ohio State University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. He is a graduate of Leadership Detroit and Leadership A2Y, was a governor-appointed member of the Michigan Council of Labor and Economic Growth, and was appointed to the Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association Board of Governors in 2012.
He served as an at-large member of LMA’s Midwest Regional Board, served on the advisory committee for Strategies Magazine, and was a member of the Social Media SIG steering group. He has been involved on the following nonprofit boards and committees: First Step, Michigan Quality Council, National MS Society, ASPCA, Wabash College Southeast Michigan Alumni Association, Penny Seats Theatre Company and the Spotlight Players. He currently sits on the boards of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Ann Arbor, Royal Starr Film Festival (Royal Oak, Michigan) and encoremichigan.com. He is a published author with two books Reel Roy Reviews, Volumes 1 & 2.
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Reel Roy Reviews is now TWO books! You can purchase your copies by clicking here (print and digital).
Shortly after Disneyland opened its magical gates to the public for the first time, panicked groundskeepers reportedly approached Walt Disney all in a dither. Their concern? Patrons without fail tromped through one particular flower bed on their giddy sojourn from Main Street to Tomorrowland. The gardeners’ solution? Erect a decorative-but-impenetrable fence to protect the landscaping and redirect the crowds.
Uncle Walt’s response? “We don’t need a fence there. We need a sidewalk.”
I suspect we’ve all worked alongside colleagues like these well-meaning but misguided caretakers. Heck, you may find yourself being one of these obstructionist types, thinking the silo you inhabit needs defending at all costs. And that is the genius in Walt Disney’s response. In one deftly pragmatic, folksy, customer-centric quip, he reminded his staff that the turf isn’t theirs to defend; it belongs squarely to the market forces they are there to serve.
“Use social media actively leading up to (and following) to get to know the attendees and any issues that are pressing/trending. Engage with them virtually – comment and reciprocate. When you arrive, make a point to connect with those whose experiences and views you have found interesting. Spend time between sessions in conversation with those folks, genuinely learning about their interests and their careers. And be sincere and humane. The worst feeling is when you’re talking to someone, and you get the vibe they are waiting for someone seemingly ‘more important’ to enter the frame. Your best (lifelong) business contacts will start from kinship, not opportunism.”
Thanks, Nancy! Appreciate you helping me represent … virtually. Have a marvelous time at #LMA17. I’m there in spirit! Love you and the whole #LMAMkt family .
Nancy writes: “#LMA17 Networking Tip #12 is from @roysexton – More: http://bit.ly/2nXm0A6 Thanks Roy! We miss you & wish you were here.” pic.twitter.com/TfXFrrAOBe
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Reel Roy Reviews is now TWO books! You can purchase your copies by clicking here (print and digital).
