I was with one of my clients recently, discussing the firm’s digital marketing plans. She mentioned the possibility of a new website, and told me a few members of the firm had formed a Website Committee.
A Committee. The dreaded ‘C’ word!
My heart sank.
Your website is your shop front, it’s the first thing your prospective clients will see when they search for you in Google. The designing and building of your website takes time and effort, as there are so many elements to consider before it goes live. To even begin creating a new website you must fully understand where your current one is going wrong. It may look flashy and have gimmicks but no useful information. It may be too wordy and bore your prospect away. It’s make or break.
So, what’s my problem with the ‘C’ word?
Committees within law firms tend to be slow and sluggish, and while the term itself should mean “a group of committed individuals”, it seems it’s always the opposite. For a project that could completely change the image of your law firm, increase enquiries and potentially generate more business, forming a Committee doesn’t sound like nearly enough effort.
A Committee meets every fortnight or so and chats casually about possible plans which either get forgotten or put on the backburner to think about “another day.”
A ‘Team’, on the other hand, meets regularly and put ideas into action.
They didn’t name the TV show ‘The A-Committee’ for a reason.
(I’m now imagining Mr T, making himself a cuppa and mulling over some thoughts of how to clear their name but getting distracted by a Facebook notification. Not so dynamic, right?)
This isn’t to say my client is not concerned with their website, or even that their Committee won’t make decisions, but the term itself has such negative connotations that I had to write about it.