spotlight: Vanessa Petrea | Senior Proposal Manager | Perkins Coie

stage guides lawyers behind the scenes and leverages our co-sourced model to support BD + marketing departments so they can SHINE.

today's stage spotlight is on Vanessa Vines Petrea (Senior Proposal Manager at Perkins Coie LLP), who leans on her gift of compelling storytelling to set her team and lawyers up for success.

we are ecstatic to share Vanessa's stage spotlight.

By Jennifer Ramsey and Megan Senese

podcast: a sector based approach: specificity drives strategy

Jennifer Ramsey was featured on Good2BeSocial’s Legal Marketing 2.0 Podcast episode 188.

In episode 188 of the Legal Marketing 2.0 Podcast, Guy Alvarez is joined by Jennifer Ramsey. Jennifer Ramsey is a former investment banker who discovered love of marketing / BD while preparing sales decks for road shows to pitch investors on funding startup/emerging growth companies. She left the world of high finance for marketing & BD where she developed and led enterprise-wide, sector-based programming and spearheaded a client relationship-building framework for an Am Law 100 firm. She and two colleagues recently launched Stage LLC, a women-owned business development & marketing venture focused on relationships, revenue, and growth for legal services.

Jennifer Ramsey featured on Good2BeSocial Podcast #188

By Jennifer Ramsey and Megan Senese

international be kind to lawyers day

April 11 is International Be Kind To Lawyers Day!

For lawyers and law firm BD/marketing pros out there, this is a great TRUSTPOINT opportunity to reach out to lawyer colleagues and friends, clients and prospects to let them know you are thinking of them by:

Giving the gift of a business or personal referral
Engaging with their social media channels - liking or commenting on their posts, or writing a review/recommendation
Sending an email or text to express gratitude for how they support and show up for you.
And for those of you who like to put pen to paper, check out the video for amazing lawyer-centric cards

However you celebrate, go out into the world and be kind to yourself, be kind to others and give a little extra bit of kindness to lawyers in your life.

By Jennifer Ramsey and Megan Senese

spotlight: Linda Sanders | Director of Client Experience |Troutman Pepper,

stage guides lawyers behind the scenes and uses our co-sourced model to help BD + marketing departments SHINE brighter.

today's stage spotlight is on Linda Sanders, JD (Director of Client Experience at Troutman Pepper), who supports lawyers to deepen relationships through meaningful touchpoints, active listening, and collaboration.

we are honored to share Linda’s stage spotlight.

Linda Sanders, JD

By Jennifer Ramsey and Megan Senese

spotlight: Roy Sexton | LMA President | Clark Hill Director of Marketing

stage supports lawyers behind the scenes and BD/marketing teams with our co-sourced model to help OTHERS to shine brighter.

today's stage spotlight is on THE Roy Sexton (Clark Hill Law and Legal Marketing Association), who embodies stage's ethos of leading with empathy. we are excited to share Roy's stage spotlight.

By Jennifer Ramsey and Megan Senese

a handwritten note is a powerful differentiator

Cost to send a handwritten thank you note ($.99 card + $.63 stamp) = $1.62. Gift of gratitude = priceless. Gratitude can enhance trust which is foundational to building business relationships for B2B professional services providers.

Acknowledgment and appreciation play an important role in building trust & business relationships. The art and act of thanking clients, prospects and colleagues for their time, support and attention conveys gratitude, increases trust and makes the journey all the more delightful. Plus, a handwritten note is a powerful differentiator.

It’s an opportunity to spread a little bit of joy, personalization and connection to the recipient of the written word. While this might seem obvious, not everybody does it. Think about the last time you received a handwritten note, or sent one.

This creates a huge opportunity to stand out. Everybody is busy … which is precisely the point of taking time out of a hectic day to put pen to paper.

Opportunities present themselves everyday to send a note of gratitude to someone who:

extends an invite to attend a social gathering/work function/charitable event
refers business
gives a recommendation
sends a gift
makes a donation
lends a helping hand
checks in just to see how you're doing

When was the last time you sent and/or received a handwritten note? Did it put a smile on your face?

By Jennifer Ramsey and Megan Senese

competitive advantage for law firms

Size and scale can be a competitive advantage for a law firm, but it can also probit collaboration. It can be difficult to truly collaborate if #lawyers don't know where to start or who to turn to for answers.

And why bother collaborating? Glad you asked.... "Smart Collaboration" by Heidi K. Gardner shows that firms earn higher profit margins (who doesn't like that?), inspire greater client loyalty (critical in today's market), attract and retain the best talent (talent wars are still ongoing), and gain a competitive edge when specialists collaborate across functional boundaries.

What does this mean for lawyers, their practice, and the firm?

Get to know your fellow lawyers and their skillset. Introduce yourself! Understand the kind of work they do, the work they like, and the clients they serve. Learn your colleagues' work styles and approaches and discuss how you can work together. A collaborative approach provides seamless service to your clients (win-win 🏆 for all).

By Jennifer Ramsey and Megan Senese

theRIPPLE[effect] - purposeful activation of relationships

theRIPPLE[effect] - purposeful activation of relationships  

ripple | American Dictionary

a small wave or a slight movement of a surface, esp. the surface of water: The stone hit the water and caused a ring of ripples to spread out. A ripple is also a sound or feeling that is slight but is noticed: A ripple of laughter ran through the crowd.

when you activate relationships you immediately kick off a wonderful ripple effect - leading to deeper authenticity, helping others to advance their objectives, activating referrals and super fans, and a myriad of other growth drivers.

hack - toss a wide net when fishing 🎣. when someone in your network asks “hey, do we know Sosie at Shake Shack, you may not know Sosie, but you may know Shake Shack’s general counsel or chief sustainability officer.  your kid or your kid’s friends may know someone who nannied for Danny Meyer’s kids.  your relationships may know people intersecting with Danny Meyer’s investment funds.  someone from your place of worship may know someone from Shake Shack’s board.

By Jennifer Ramsey and Megan Senese

introducing stage

Imagine working with a company that is doing the work they love 💜 and where they excel. Imagine working with a company that is woman-owned and focused on implementing a relationship-centered approach to growth. Imagine working with a venture that supports both lawyers and marketing/BD teams.

Imagine collaborating with a company that offers a free month (up to four sessions) of 1:1 marketing, branding, and business development support for parents returning from parental leave.

With co-founders, Jennifer Ramsey, and Megan Senese, the imaginary is now becoming a reality. We are thrilled to announce the launch of stage, a women-owned business development & marketing venture focused on relationships, revenue, and #growth for legal services.

By Jennifer Ramsey and Megan Senese