84: Lee Grunnell

Fix up, Look Sharp* because this week we’ve lured Lincolnshire lad and the Rascal of professional services marketing, Lee Grunnell, for a chinwag.

A top marketing director and fellow Ritson fanboy, Lee is obsessed with applying the latest thinking from marketing leaders like Binet, Field, and Sharp to professional services.

He talks to us on picking brussels sprouts, the Grunnéll vs Grunnell debate, why advertising is like Voldemort, how marketing in law firms isn’t as different as you’d think, and tons more. Plus, he’s got practical pointers for adopting a two-speed strategy, getting buy-in from skeptical partners, and applying the work of Ritson, Sharp, and Wiemer Snijder's banana to professional services.

*A copy of How Brands Grow is compulsory



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Follow Lee on Twitter

See his smarts on Medium

Read his article On Bananas (or Why Professional Services isn’t as Different as You Think)

And check this out to see how we somehow got 30-odd partners in a law firm to agree on an advertising campaign

Timestamps

(01:55) - Quickfire questions

(03:52) - First-ever job

(11:16) - Getting into business development and marketing at EY

(18:00) - Do professional services have a problem with advertising?

(23:54) - Why marketing in professional services isn’t as different as you think

(38:38) - Applying the laws of How Brands Grow in his career

(45:31) - Tips for adopting a 2-speed strategy (Listen up Mini MBAers🔥)

(48:37) - How to get buy-in from skeptical partners in professional services

(56:13) - 4 pertinent posers



Lee’s book recommendations are:

That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph 

Wolf Hall Trilogy by Hilary Mantel 

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