Terrie Wheeler Full Res-008.jpg — Terrie Wheeler

PSM, LLC.

Terrie Wheeler is a legal marketing veteran, having served for 13 years as an in-house marketing director, then, in 1997 founding Professional Services Marketing, LLC. PSM delivers outsourced marketing and marketing coaching services to lawyers across the country. On August 15, 2018, Terrie launched CLE Connect| Ethical Marketing CLEs on Demand for lawyers in Minnesota. Terrie recently ended a six-year term as vice chair of the MN Lawyers Board of Professional Responsibility. She teaches marketing and client service at three midwestern law schools and is a syndicated columnist for the ABA’s Small Firm Solo Section, and Attorney at Law Magazine.

Background and Services Offered:

PSM has 35 employees who provide outsourced marketing department services to lawyers and law firms across the country. Terrie is also a personal marketing coach for lawyers who wish to expand their practices and drive new business.

CLE-Connect is a new venture focused on a niche within the CLE market – that of offering on-demand CLEs to lawyers in MN. What makes this unique? Each marketing course was approved for ethics credit!

What Compelled Terrie to Offer the Services She Does?

Lawyers don’t learn how to market in law school. Yet, they join the real world and quickly realize if they can’t develop business, they will not become a partner. Terrie has worked with lawyers her entire career, and loves helping them develop the individual and firm strategies (all as unique as each lawyers’ connections) that will drive new business into their firms.

She really enjoys having lawyers as clients and figured that if she could successfully serve lawyers as clients inside big law firms, she could also do so as a consultant on the outside.

For CLE-Connect, in Minnesota lawyers can earn 15 of the 45 CLE credits they earn through on-demand programming. There were absolutely NO marketing CLEs of any kind and Terrie was able to create 1-hour marketing CLEs that were also awarded ethics credits!

Three Things Clients Misunderstand – and Setting the Record Straight

1. “I have a marketing department, so I don’t need to market.” Not True! Lawyers need to understand that marketing is about messages (website, PR, events, social media) and sales is about asking questions. Lawyers need to learn to think and act like sales people if they want to develop business!

2. “If I leave my hectic law firm to start my own practice, I will achieve life balance.” Not True! Most lawyers have not read the E-Myth Attorney by Michael Gerber. Being an entrepreneur (E) takes a dedication to building an enterprise, not owning a crazy practice.

3. “Marketing is about where and how I advertise.” Not Ture! Advertising is really one of the least effective ways in which to develop clients. Building genuine relationships is the answer. Lawyers like to press the “easy” button and throw money at advertising – but generally, it doesn’t work.