It’s always more fun to travel with a friend, so you may want
to invite some other folks along for the ride. CRM is a team sport. Trying to go
it alone is not only incredibly painful – it’s impossible.
Get key people in the marketing department involved. During
the rollout you will want their help with things like planning,
communications and training. After the rollout you will need them to be involved
in ongoing meetings with the attorneys to answer questions and help them grasp
how CRM could actually be a business tool that can help to bring in Clients
– rather than just a glorified Rolodex.
And why not find a few lawyers who may have sense of
adventure. You may actually be pleasantly surprised to find some (but
start looking now because it may take a while). You can't pull this off without support
from firm leaders – and without most of the other attorneys in the firm participating,
it can all fall apart.
Most importantly, be aware that you may run into some hills
and valleys along the way, so it can be extremely beneficial to build a bridge
with your IT department. They can be great guides. They often know the
territory because they have been down similar paths in the past. But even with
all of this help, you are still going to need a good map …
