When I opened my law firm focused on estate planning, I studied and created lots of marketing strategies. I bought kits and books and used my marketing knowledge from management consulting days. After a time, I realized that I needed consistent, experienced, and practical help to execute a solid marketing plan. To cull through my ideas, choose and executive the workable ones, discard the unworkable ones and identify new strategies I hadn’t considered, I wanted a marketing expert on my team — one who could create and execute a strategy that reflected my philosophy.
As a former McKinsey management consultant, I had marketing experience but also an appreciation for the value of teamwork. I knew I didn’t have the time to create and execute a comprehensive strategy alone. Nor did I want to work in a vacuum. I needed a partnership with someone who had current experience in marketing an Estate Planning practice.
After several very helpful conversations with Mark Merenda (each one providing insight and value even before I retained the firm), I chose Smart Marketing. It was obvious that Mark knew how to translate my marketing dreams into reality. He earned my respect through his insightful approaches during our conversations. And I was eager to have the support of his personally-trained staff in executing my plans.
I hired Smart Marketing in September of 2003. It has been a long and successful partnership. The first six months of my association with Smart Marketing brought tremendous value as we got up to speed on seminar marketing, a nut that we had yet to crack. There followed a period of adjustment, where I struggled to find how Smart Marketing could be most useful to my firm going forward. Now, Mark Merenda is a key counselor in continuing to improve, build and refine my practice. Smart Marketing continues to help move my now-successful firm into the future.
Diedre Dennis Wachbrit
Attorney at Law
Westlake Village, CA
(805) 778‑0600
www.wachbrit.com