Solo Practice

The House on the Rock & Your Legal Services Business

By Peter Olson

I think I've read that it's the most popular tourist destination in Wisconsin. Against my will I visited it a couple summers ago (we were camping with friends and it was sort of "group" decision). Brutal!! My wife describes it as evil. I'd describe it as sort of a large haunted house filled with knick-knacks that some wealthy gentleman collected. Seriously, if you're ever in Spring Green, it's a nice town about 30 miles west of Madison on the Wisconsin River, go to Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin NOT House on the Rock. My wife and I just kick ourselves about our poor decision.

And how does this relate to the legal services business?? MARKETING!

I took a trip to Southeast Minnesota this weekend...I'll leave it at that or this is close to becoming my travel blog. So we're just shooting up I-90 from Chicago to Winona, MN, through Rockford, Madison, ect. And boy are you bombarded with House on the Rock advertisements. And if you didn't know any better the name sounds intriquing. It's sort of the Wisconsin equivalent of Wall Drug in South Dakota...although my recollection is that Wall Drug is far better.

All that to say, marketing trumps substance in business success. Whether we're talking Taliesin v. House on the Rock or Mac v. PC, I think I could argue pretty well that the less successful (based on income generated) location/product is superior.

Lawyers constantly miss this one. And what's sort of funny is that I hear so much criticism from the non-marketing lawyers of the lawyers who do market effectively. Lets be honest, I think it's jealousy. I think if I weren't a practicing attorney, the Law Offices of Jeffery Leving (father's rights) and Peter Francis Geraci are the two best known firms to the law public. Why? Marketing. I see those guys on television regularly and the Father's Rights billboards are throughout the Chicago area.

Full post as published by Solo In Chicago on February 25, 2008 (boomark / email).