The Business Partner Relations Committee is coming up on its 5^th Anniversary with the current format including six representatives from the business partner community.

Our mission is to facilitate communication, provide resources for feedback and to emphasize the interdependence that exists among business partners, ALA members, their employers and the Association at all levels. Easily stated, but not always easy to accomplish.

Our group met in Chicago in early December to review our progress, and to map out future tasks to support our mission. One area where we feel that we can do more is in direct outreach to the business partners and to ALA chapters and members. We discussed various activities such as chapter visits, focus group sessions with BPs at regional and specialty conferences, enhancing Legal Marketplace on the ALA website, and numerous other options. Our committee will be working with Headquarters staff to integrate our projects with those at the regional level. Stay tuned for updates. If you have your own ideas on outreach activities, or feedback of a general nature, please let us hear from you.

Thank you for your on-going support of ALA. Best wishes for wonderful holiday season, and a safe and prosperous 2012.
 

ALA would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the ALA conference exhibitors and sponsors for a very successful year. As one business partner commented, "ALA members are ready to do business again," and the 2011 overall attendance numbers support that observation! Below is a chart showing you just how engaged ALA members were in our educational offerings this year.

Have you already reserved your booth in Honolulu? If so, you are one of over 100 exhibiting companies committed to what promises to be a spectacular event. If you have not secured your booth, contact Jackie Stasch as soon as possible – space is going quickly.

Find a wealth of traffic building, highly visible, NEW sponsorship opportunities in the 2012 ALA Annual Conference Partnership Guide.
 

The Power of Partnership

Thoughts from an Industry Veteran…

ALA is an excellent organization for its members and business partners, bringing important "connections" that allow members to share information, ideas and resources. For business partners, ALA offers an avenue for truly "partnering" to build important relationships that help make us successful long term.

When I first started serving the legal community in 1993, my first client ever was Norma Lee from Much Shelist. Norma took me to lunch where she offered some great advice. She suggested that I make sure that everyone knows me and trusts me to help them out when needed. She suggested that I become a resource and educator, not a traditional "salesperson." She stressed that I needed to be a valued partner. She shared that to be truly successful serving ALA and the legal community, business partners need to appreciate the relationships for the relationships themselves. We need to truly like the members, and be willing to help, consult, counsel and support regardless of whether it means business to our respective organizations. We must focus on being professional, responsive and helpful; not just looking for new ways to sell business. After nineteen years serving the legal community, Norma's sage advice and lessons have served me very well. Furthermore, I have been blessed by the opportunity to share these beliefs with other members of my team as well as with the newer generation of business partners.

As a business partner, it became obvious early on that we are dealing with educated, smart and reasonable people. ALA members value their relationships with business partners when they feel they have met a broker of information who becomes an honest value to their Firm. I have heard again and again that the ALA provides excellent networking opportunities where idea sharing saves enormous time, energy and money. This is whether the networking is between the members themselves or with the business partners that actively support the ALA organization. Personally, the thing I like best about being a business partner to the legal market is that the professionals I have met often become friends for many years and far outside the scope of the legal community or our business relationship. These relationships and friendships mean a great deal to me.

It is likely important to point out that business partners do have a desire to grow their respective business. While it’s not all about business, it is hopefully sometimes about business. Understanding when business is appropriate is an important skill for a business partner. In the same way, being willing to meet with business partners to learn about their product or service offering is equally important. The good news is that the legal community places great value on reputation. If a business partner under promises and over delivers to ALA members, the word gets out.

From a business partner perspective, I have found that it is critical to be patient, professional and persistent. ALA members are busy people and running a law firm is a challenging assignment even on the easiest of days. One of the challenges in serving the legal community is that members are sometimes simply too busy to make time to build relationships or they feel the only reason they should meet with a business partner is if they have a specific and current need. ALA members recognize that the relationships and the information they provide bring value separate and apart from the actual purchase of goods or services. It would be great if the entire community, particularly ALA members, made it a goal to meet every long term business partner of the local chapter/community. Partnering and connections, by definition, work both ways.

When it comes to "connections" and "partners," I value every one that I have made over the years and thank all of the ALA members that have become my clients or my friends.

Doug Gerstner
Executive Vice President, Management Services
Document Technologies, Inc. (DTI)
End-to-End FM Outsourcing Solutions
 

It's here! As you prepare for 2012, the Marketing Guide has been updated to offer you, the ALA Business Partner, a comprehensive overview of marketing opportunities. You loved the 2011 customization features, so we are giving you more to choose from. You saw value in digital ads and enhancements, so we expanded your options. Finally, you asked for better budgeting tools, and we are prepared to meet your expectations.

Please take the time to review the 2012 Marketing Guide and contact Jane Mundell, Manager of Business Partner Relations, to find out how ALA can best assist with your strategic marketing plans in 2012. Customized proposals are available to help your company save money.
 

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