July 2010-- Vol. 7, Ed. 1

Message from the President--Steven C. Perdziola

New members to our organization often ask me, "What can PSMA do for me?"  While the answer may sound cliché, it really is about "what you put into the organization."  By that I mean a few points.  First, PSMA is an excellent professional group of more than 80 very active members from a variety of industries.  Use this network as a base and contact your colleagues frequently.  Not only is it excellent for networking development, but members are usually more than willing to assist others and provide marketing information and ideas that help make our jobs a little easier and a lot less stressful.  We've all needed to bounce an idea off another, get advice on dealing with a delicate situation or use another to deal with the trials and tribulations of the marketing arena.  Simply, we need one another and we need one another to survive in today's market.  Yes, even if we are competitors.  For those marketers of the group, we often preach practice development among our professional service leaders, but sometimes we need to take our own advice.  Introducing yourself to others can open doors that may lead to a new marketing idea, a new employee to your company or even a new job for yourself. Another way to have a positive experience in the PSMA is to become involved in one of the committees.  Not only can it benefit the organization, but you can develop wonderful contacts from each of our member areas including accounting, advertising, hospitality, legal, media and printing to name a few.  Through these committees, strong professional ties can be created which can help your business or yourself - both personally and professionally.  So reach out.  Call a member.  Have coffee or lunch with them.  Join a committee.  You'll expand your network, receive some professional support and assist the growth of our organization all at once. Thanks. Steven C. Perdziola Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Recent Events-- New Member Breakfast, June 15, 2010

The annual PSMA New Member Breakfast was held on Tuesday, June 15, at the Rivers Club, hosted by the Membership Committee.  New members in attendance heard from board members and committee chairs about the benefits of PSMA and how they can become more involved with the organization.  Pictured are: Samantha Coyne, University of Pittsburgh Law School; Maria Brady, Robb Leonard Mulvihill; Serena Rajakumar, K&L Gates; Tricia Egry, Alpern Rosenthal; Marian Engel, Zimmer Kunz; Lauren Way, NexTier Bank; Julia Johnson, Thorp Reed & Armstrong; Tanya McKee, Doubletree Hotel & Suites; Eric Pursh, Gemini Media; Erin Marks, Precise Inc. Litigation Technologies; Patty Olosky, The Webb Law Firm photograph by:  David Barker, Macy's Framing & Portrait Services

Upcoming....The next PSMA Vendor Showcase will be held in the spring of 2011.  Our initial one in the fall of 2009 was such a success that we hope to do this event every 18 months.  As a special note, vendors who are Silver or Gold sponsors receive a complimentary table for this event.  Again, a special thanks to all of the vendors who support this event

Member Spotlight-- Sean Smith; Director of Marketing for Schneider Downs Sean Smith has been a member of PSMA since 2007, joining when he made a career transition from a PR/advertising background to professional services marketing.  For the past 6 months Sean has been a member of the PSMA Programming Committee. After earning a journalism degree from Bowling Green State University, Sean launched into a career in PR starting with the Carson Group and then spending the next 10 years at Gray, Baumgarten, Layport.  From there, he took on the role of Account Supervisor for MARC-USA and then Blattner Brunner – handling accounts like the Pittsburgh Pirates and Rite-Aid.  In 2007, Sean was VP of Client Services for Red House Communications when he decided to look for a new challenge.  He found it at Schneider Downs where he was named Director of Marketing in May of that year.  Supervising a 7 person staff split between Pittsburgh and Columbus, OH. Sean is the “message guy” behind Schneider Downs. What was the biggest challenge transitioning from a PR background into professional services marketing?  Wearing so many different hats.  I was used to dealing with many clients, so I thought; okay, now I can concentrate on one client.  Then I realized that I needed to wear 50 different hats and figure out how to do everything from planning events to marketing all of our niches.  I also needed to understand the language of accounting.  One thing that made the transition easier was my staff.  When I joined Schneider Downs, everyone on the marketing staff stayed and I was able to learn from their expertise. Now that you’re three years into a career in professional services marketing, what do you consider your greatest marketing challenge? With Schneider Downs, the challenge is to get the message across that we are much more than just an accounting firm.  Out of five practice areas, one is accounting. You started your career in professional services marketing just before the recession hit.  Did the recession create any special marketing challenges for you?  Competition got tighter.  Once the market tightened it became very important to get the message of value across to our clients – get them to understand the value of our service. What is the most enjoyable aspect of your job? I really enjoy the challenge of meeting everyone’s expectations.  Professional service marketers wear many different hats and I enjoy the challenge of juggling all of those different What is your personal life like? This September, I’ll be celebrating my 20th wedding anniversary with my wife, Trish – a manager at UPMC.  We live in Upper St. Clair with our two daughters – a ninth grader and a fourth grader.  Around the house, you’re likely to find me in the kitchen -- I love to cook.  In fact, I cook every meal in our house including my personal specialty, coq au vin. Tell us something interesting about yourself:  It’s safe to say that I’m an expert in pulled pork BBQ of the South.  I once hopped in a white Cadillac with my brother for a southern pulled pork BBQ tour.  On the road we ate 4 BBQ meals a day.  I’ve even driven 6 hours for pulled pork!   If that’s the case, give us a tip on the best pulled pork BBQ in the South: You’ll find it at Lexington Barbecue in Lexington, NC –it’s worth the trip!   Reported by: Beth Bershok, Herbein & Company

Event Wrap-Up April Breakfast Program: Mind Shift: Harnessing the Power of your Value Proposition

On April 21, 2010, our guest speaker was Pete Peterson, Regional Vice President, for the Program for Business Development Innovations, associated with the University of Pittsburgh Center for Executive Education. Pete presented his features of the program, focusing on how to make sure your Value Proposition is the best reflection on your company and its ability to do the job for the client. His company provides the professional guidance you will need to present your company in the best light during the critical process of client acquisition.  They provide a 4 week course that takes you through the process specific to your business allowing you to assess and value your company along the way. Help is available from Pete and his staff during this process to aid you in developing your plan. He presented tips on how to control value, quality, and price while positioning your company to succeed and differentiate itself in the client’s eye. We actually worked through a hypothetical problem coming up with answers to a “client’s” problem. The presentation was well received by those attending.     V= Q/P Remember, Value, (as perceived by the customer), is equal to the Quality, ( of your work), divided by the Price. With Pete you’ll learn to control all three variables for the best result.  If your company is seeking answers to the client acquisition puzzle, then a discussion with Pete and his staff would be very helpful in getting you on the right track. Reported by: Bill Findle, Edelstein Law

Member Articles/News

PSMA members enjoy some fun at MPI event: Anne Parys, Jen Kuban, Carolyn Hinson, Gloria Rayman, Sandra Fantini

Firmwide Marketing Roll-out Impacts Success    Like most firms, Rothman Gordon traditionally introduced its annual marketing plan to its attorneys, but this year, the firm took a new stance that is already proving fruitful – they rolled out their marketing plan to the entire firm. Anne Parys, Marketing Director of Rothman Gordon, said, “We wanted to show how everyone fit into the big picture, and how even a small amount of work on their part made for a big impact on our marketing efforts.” Rothman Gordon’s 2010 marketing roll-out was kicked off at the Rivers Club during a breakfast. “Having the event off-site rather than in a conference room in our office stressed the importance of marketing to the firm”, Anne adds. The event began with a look at the current state of the firm – including statistics such as revenue by department and the firm’s top 25 clients. Then, the details of this year’s initiatives - such as social media – were described. But probably the most beneficial discussion that resulted in immediate and substantial results was the subject of business development tracking and the client intake form. (Who among us marketing directors have not begged, pleaded and cajoled to get good data from which to create good market intelligence!) Rothman Gordon hoped that by demonstrating the impact that client and referral source tracking has and how the information is used would allow staff and attorneys alike to see that the client intake form was more than just “busy work”. Well, their strategy worked. For example, Anne reports that the intake forms are more complete than ever – that more than 90% of the referral source fields are filled in – nearly a 50% increase. Secretaries are taking greater notice of incomplete forms and working with the attorneys to fill in missing information. The information from client intake forms will help to make more educated marketing decisions, such as which professional groups to focus on. Rothman Gordon is so pleased by the feedback and the success of the firm-wide marketing roll-out that it plans to make it an annual event. As Lee Iacocca once said, “In the end, all business operations can be reduced to three words: people, product and profits. Unless you've got a good team, you can't do much with the other two.”   Reported by:  Anna Marks, Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir, P.C.

PSMA Committee Updates

Membership/University Mentoring Committee: Current PSMA membership stands at 83.  If you know someone who may be interested in joining the organization, we can offer them a reduced registration fee of $50 for the remainder of 2010, beginning in July.  Our next Members’ Lunch will be held on Wednesday, October 20, at the Rivers Club.  The topic will be Clutter Rescue.  Details to follow. In the fall, the committee will kick off an initiative to reach out to local colleges and universities to promote our student memberships.  If you are interested in helping with this project – or any Membership Committee project, please contact Cheryl Talerico at cltalerico@sisterson.com or 412-594-7003.  Our next committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 18. Reported by Taylor Abbett, Tailored Marketing Inc.

Programming Committee: The following events are planned for the remainder of 2010: July 23--SUMMER SOCIAL Easy Street (One Oxford Center) 4-6 pm Cost is $10 for members and $15 for non-members September 15--POWER ROUNDTABLES 1.  Business Development 2.  On-line newsletters and lead generation 3.  Doing more with sponsorships 4.  Alternative fees November--CLIENT INTERVIEWS Contact Program Chair, Allysn Hurley for more info at: ahurley@eckertseamans.com  Reported by:  Mala Mason, Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co., LPA

Public Relations Committee:       PR Committee met April 20, 2010--Attending:  Darci Saunders, Anna Marks, Taylor Abbett, Eric Pursh, Bill Findle, Erin Fallon Unable to attend:  Kristen Clark, Mala Mason, Beth Bershok, Dave Baker Items discussed:  Newsletter—assignments were made to committee members Media list used to publicize PSMA event has been distributed for review and additional suggestions Cooperative relationships with other marketing organizations such as AMA, BMA, PRSA, IABC, and PHRA discussed—members asked to consider contacts/relationships within other organizations to promote PSMA events Charity tie-in was discussed and group agreed would be a good activity, input from Board and membership to be pursued Other—there were a lot of good ideas discussed—direct contact with the appropriate committee chair was encouraged.  Reported by:  Darci Saunders, Direct Mail Service

Sponsorship Committee:  Call for 2011 Sponsors:  If your business targets professional service firms like those in the fields of accounting, law, insurance, engineering, and others, you'll reach the right, highly influential audience by becoming a sponsor of the PSMA. Call for Committee Members:  The Sponsorship Committee is looking for new members to join the committee.  The sponsorship committee administers the PSMA sponsorship program to seek the contributions of vendors; develops and maintains relationships with vendors; strives to improve the sponsorship opportunities and interest to vendors; and coordinates all vendor liaison activities with the other committee chairpersons and the board. Thank you to all of our 2010 Sponsors!  We succeed because of your generous support! Gold Sponsors: Pittsburgh Business Times and Rivers Club Silver Sponsors: ContactEase CRM Made Easy!, IKON Legal Document Services, Palate Partners, and The University of Pittsburgh Center for Executive Education - Business Development Innovations  If you are interested in learning more about sponsorship or to join the committee, please contact Jennifer Kuban, Pepper Hamilton LLP, 412-454-5823 or kubanj@pepperlaw.com<mailto:kubanj@pepperlaw.com.  Reported by:  Kristen Clark, Pepper Hamilton LLP

Website Committee: Reminder to all, upload a photo to your profile--it will make the member experience for members more robust and interactive. Feel free to ask questions about the site's usage or to make suggestions--it is a work in progress! Contact:  Erin May, 412-281-0587 or email:  emay@grblaw.com Reported by:  Erin May, Geohring, Rutter & Boehm

Topics of Interest

Medical-Legal website:  http://www.medical-legalnews.com/index.htm--"Where Law and Medicine Meet" The Medical-Legal News informs medical professionals of legal trends, and attorneys of medical trends, where these trends intertwine among the two professions. Have you read a great marketing article recently, wrote a marketing article or have any tips on the trade? The PR Committee would like to include them in the next issue of PSMA Connections and/or on the PSMA Web site. Send articles to Eric Pursh: epp365@gmail.com

Announcements & Awards

Do you have a recent promotion, award or significant accomplishment that you would like to share with the PSMA Membership? Please send information on awards and other relevant announcements to Anna Marks at amarks@bccz.com

PSMA Salutes Volunteer Efforts

Do you volunteer in the community? Are you a Board Member for a local organization? We encourage you to share this information with the PSMA Membership. Please send information on these matters to Mala Mason at mmason@weltman.com.

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