“What makes your brand unique is a combination of tangible and intangible things,” explains Gary Singer, Chief Strategy Officer at Kobre & Kim LLP, who joins The Future is Bright podcast. Gary shares the remarkable story of driving the Altoids brand, which was virtually unknown outside the United States, to astronomical sales. In today’s episode, he discusses his unique approach to branding, which he calls “meaningful differentiation,” and explains the “outside-in” approach that has contributed to his success.

Many entrepreneurs focus on themselves and the ‘what’ they offer consumers, but Gary emphasizes the importance of focusing on ‘who’—identifying a need and learning how to fill it. He shares how, during research for Altoids, they created a target customer named Dan and even had consumers write obituaries for the product to gauge emotional connections.

Gary brought his unique branding approach to the law firm Kobre & Kim LLP. Learn about the innovations happening there and why Gary believes the hardest choice is what to say no to.

Quotes

• “As the product management industry matured, agencies became more and more focused on the creative side and a little less focused on the strategy side. So that’s when I decided I didn’t feel like I continued to have a big enough seat at the table. So, made the switch to McKinsey as a partner, as a direct-to-life partner focused on financial service institutions. And there the idea was the intersection of the creative thinking that I had done at an agency with the linear analytic part of me that came from places like University of Chicago.” (3:59 | Gary Singer)

• “Brand is your unique collection of tangible and intangible benefits. In my mind, for a brand to matter, it needs to communicate meaningful differences versus the alternative. So, if Brand A and Brand B are identical, then the brand doesn’t matter, because I have the same tangible and emotional connections to both of them.” (13:24 | Gary Singer)

• “There’s a little bit of Dan in all of us. I’m a lot older than 26 right now, but I still would like to be a college kid with resources, and that’s what appealed to this broad group of people. As it’s become more and more of a mass brand, I think it’s losing Dan a little bit and it’s trying to appeal to everybody and maybe losing a little bit of its magic.” (16:52 | Gary Singer)

• “Strategy is making choices and the hardest choice to make is the choice of what you’re not going to do.” (26:32 | Gary Singer)

Links

Connect with Gary Singer:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garyisinger/

Law Firm web profile: https://kobrekim.com/people/gary-singer

Columbia Business School Professor website: https://business.columbia.edu/faculty/people/gary-i-singer

Connect with Chris Batz:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisbatz/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/columbus-street/

Columbus Street: https://www.columbus-street.com/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

As the legal profession evolves, the importance of C-suite executives in law firms is rising. Jennifer Johnson, CEO of Calibrate, shares her vision for a future where these executives are equal to managing partners and report to a board.

Calibrate is a management consulting and executive search firm that places top talent in essential C-suite roles within corporate law firms, freeing lawyers to focus on their practice. Jennifer sees these “revenue enablers” as vital for providing the business expertise needed to navigate the industry’s significant changes and challenges.

In this episode of The Future is Bright, Jennifer talks with host Chris Batz about the current state of leadership in the law firm industry, the recruiting process and more. She also shared a personal story of triumph sure to encourage anyone faced with life challenges.

Tune in to hear her inspiring story and several insights for Law Firm executives!

Quotes

• “The candidates we present to our clients understand a law firm's business and not just their subject matter expertise. They know how to apply that and then work across the business. And, that’s been a breath of fresh air for a lot of law firm leaders.” (4:18 | Jennifer Johnson)

• “They really do want to practice law, the lawyers, for the most part, that’s what they want to do. So, bringing in these business professionals to help them run the business with them and for them is the smartest thing any of them could do. The day of running law firms by committee and total consensus—I’m not sure you can do that anymore and survive at the rate and pace of change that’s happening.” (11:32 | Jennifer Johnson)

• “Just because somebody is really good at making rain, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to be the best leader.” (16:15 | Jennifer Johnson)

• “At the end of the day, your lawyers are your salesforce. You’ve got a salesforce that are not trained to be salespeople.” (19:58 | Jennifer Johnson)

Links

Connect with Jennifer Johnson:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferjohnsoncalibrate/

Website - https://calibrate-strategies.com/about-calibrate/calibrate-team/jennifer-johnson/

Connect with Chris Batz:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisbatz/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/columbus-street/

Columbus Street: https://www.columbus-street.com/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Built on a foundation of collaboration, relationship, and trust, Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, a top Dallas-based corporate law firm recognized as one of the city’s best places to work, has strategically served their clients since its founding in 1985. These core values have remained steadfast, even as the market has rapidly evolved, staying true to their Texas roots.

Phil Appenzeller, CEO of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, discusses what makes the firm special and a couple of reasons why it won Dallas’ award for Best Places to Work for nine out of ten years. He highlights how truly caring for employees at every level contributes to a sticky work culture, leading many to spend their entire careers at the firm.

Tune in to this episode of The Future is Bright to discover what's next for Phil as he concludes his tenure as CEO, including a return to litigation and writing a musical!

Quotes

• “Lawyers are so relational based, it’s not like you’re coming in and doing an audit on a company. You’re actually coming in, sitting down with a client—I’ve got an individual client right now who’s trying to sell oil and gas interests and—you develop those relationships. I think it’s just a little bit different than those accounting firms that are a little bit more institutionalized.” (8:12 | Phil Appenzeller)

• “I think clients want to know that if they hire Phil Appenzeller, they’re getting Phil Appenzeller. They’re not getting punted off to some other attorney that they don’t know. I go back to the relational—I just think the practice of law is still relational. I think clients want that relationship. I think the second thing they want is value. Everybody talks about rates. I’m not sure rates are as big an issue as it is ‘Did I get value for the work that was done?’” (8:41 | Phil Appenzeller)

• “You want to create a place where people are happy coming to work. I always tell people when they ask, ‘Why do you stay at ‘Munsch?’ I say, ‘My best friends are here.’” (22:58 | Phil Appenzeller)

Links

Connect with Phil Appenzeller:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-appenzeller-59895319/

Connect with Chris Batz:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisbatz/

Columbus Street LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/columbus-street

The Lion Group LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-lion-group-llc

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm