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Spill The Ink

Spill The Ink

By: Michelle Calcote King
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 Welcome to Spill the Ink, a podcast by Reputation Ink featuring growth and visibility experts from professional services firms, including law firms and AEC firms. Career Success Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • How to Get Attorneys to Buy In on Legal Marketing Plans

    How to Get Attorneys to Buy In on Legal Marketing Plans
    Aug 21 2025
    Good marketing ideas alone won't get attorneys to follow through. In this "Spill the Ink" episode, Michelle Calcote King talks to Sheenika Gandhi, Chief Marketing Officer at Greenberg Glusker, who reveals her proven strategies for transforming attorney resistance into marketing commitment. Sheenika started her career wanting to be a lawyer, went to law school and took the bar exam before discovering legal marketing. Her law school credentials encourage attorneys to listen to her openly, as she gets their world and speaks their language. Bringing her unique perspective to the table, Sheenika shares her systematic approach to overcoming common resistance points with attorneys involved in marketing-related tasks. Through monthly coaching calls and carefully crafted marketing plans, she's built a framework that balances billable hour pressures with business development goals while advocating successfully for additional resources by tracking data and demonstrating measurable value. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn Why attorneys resist marketing and how to address their biggest fears. The steps to building internal credibility that gets attorneys excited to work with you. How Sheenika Gandhi structures her monthly coaching calls for optimal results. Tactics for working around billable hour pressures without compromising client work. Strategies to make marketing feel effortless for busy lawyers. How to collaborate while protecting your marketing team from becoming the firm catch-all. Key data to track when advocating for marketing resources. About our featured guest Sheenika S. Gandhi is the Chief Marketing Officer at Greenberg Glusker. She leads the firm’s marketing and business development strategy, lateral partner recruiting and corporate social responsibility initiatives. She serves as a trusted advisor to the firm and works seamlessly alongside the rest of the C-Suite to view the firm holistically, using this unique vantage point to pinpoint growth areas. She oversees a high-performing team responsible for sponsorships, events, communications, public relations, rankings and recognition, digital marketing, marketing technology, business development and client service. Sheenika maintains a strong network and vigilantly monitors trends and breakthroughs in legal marketing. In 2024, she joined the International Board of Directors for the Legal Marketing Association (LMA), the preeminent organization for legal marketing professionals, after previously serving as the Co-Chair of the Small Firm / Solo Team Shared Interest Group (SIG). She was a member of the LMA’s 2021 Annual Conference Advisory Committee and previously served as the Chair of the Southern California Chapter of LMA. She is a sought-after voice on marketing and leadership trends. She regularly speaks at conferences for organizations, including the LMA, California Lawyers Association and LegalWeek, and authors articles on strategy, professional development and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). She has also appeared as a guest on numerous podcasts, often describing her career journey and lessons learned. Resources mentioned in this episode Check out Greenberg Glusker Follow Greenberg Glusker on LinkedIn Connect with Sheenika Gandhi on LinkedIn Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by Reputation Ink. Founded by Michelle Calcote King, Reputation Ink is a marketing and public relations agency that serves B2B professional services firms of all shapes and sizes across the United States, including corporate law firms and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms. Reputation Ink understands how sophisticated corporate buyers find and select professional services firms. For more than a decade, they have helped firms grow through thought leadership-fueled strategies, including public relations, content marketing, video marketing, social media, podcasting, marketing strategy services, creative services and more. To learn more, visit www.rep-ink.com or email them at info@rep-ink.com today.
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    21 mins
  • Ending the Standoff: AEC Marketers vs. Technical Experts

    Ending the Standoff: AEC Marketers vs. Technical Experts
    Aug 7 2025

    In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Michelle Calcote King sits down with Gabe Lett, Chief Marketing Officer at Prairie Engineers, to explore what happens when technical experts dictate marketing decisions and marketing teams get buried in proposal work. According to Gabe, the results are ineffective communication, missed opportunities for business development and frustrated professionals on both sides.

    Gabe brings a unique perspective to AEC marketing, having grown up in the industry with a father who was a civil engineer and business owner. This background gives him deep insight into both the technical and business sides of engineering firms, which he leverages to bridge the gap between engineers and marketers to drive results for his firm.

    Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn

    • Who Gabe Lett is and his unique path into AEC marketing.

    • About Prairie Engineers and their multidisciplinary approach.

    • The biggest misconceptions between technical professionals and marketers.

    • Why engineers need to move from communicating "how" to "why."

    • How to push back on technical leaders' marketing ideas using genuine curiosity.

    • The difference between proposals and marketing (and why it matters).

    • Why marketing deserves a seat at the leadership table.

    • How to establish marketing as business-critical rather than a convenience function.

    About our featured guest

    Gabe Lett began marketing engineering services in 2003 for Tri-State Engineering, a family business in Joplin, MO. He had marketing and business development roles for two other engineering firms. He joined Prairie Engineers as Chief Marketing Officer in 2024. Gabe creates strategy for Prairie Engineers’ marketing and business development activities. In leading these teams, he provides inspiration and insight to help achieve growth and work satisfaction for employees.

    Gabe enjoys active community service. He is an Elder at his church and serves on several community non-profit boards. In 2021, Gabe published the book, “The AEC Professional’s Guidebook: 70 Lessons to a Stronger Career.” Gabe is an avid mountain lover and regularly hikes Colorado peaks every summer. Gabe and his wife, Jamie, have three daughters.

    Resources mentioned in this episode

    • Check out Prairie Engineers

    • Follow Prairie Engineers on LinkedIn and Facebook

    • Connect with Gabe Lett on LinkedIn

    • Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn

    • Find Gabe Lett’s book, “The AEC Professional's Guidebook: 70 Lessons to a Stronger Career,” on Amazon

    Sponsor for this episode

    This episode is brought to you by Reputation Ink.

    Founded by Michelle Calcote King, Reputation Ink is a marketing and public relations agency that serves B2B professional services firms of all shapes and sizes across the United States, including corporate law firms and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms.

    Reputation Ink understands how sophisticated corporate buyers find and select professional services firms. For more than a decade, they have helped firms grow through thought leadership-fueled strategies, including public relations, content marketing, video marketing, social media, podcasting, marketing strategy services, creative services and more.

    To learn more, visit www.rep-ink.com or email them at info@rep-ink.com today.
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    31 mins
  • The MIT Program: How Strong Habits Drove 82% New Business Growth at One Law Firm

    The MIT Program: How Strong Habits Drove 82% New Business Growth at One Law Firm
    Jul 17 2025
    Many law firms invest in excellent business development coaching, see fantastic initial results, then watch performance gradually decline. Anna Hedgepeth, Chief Strategy Officer at Cranfill Sumner, observed this cycle happening firsthand at her firm and set out to develop a psychology-based system that would produce lasting results. Anna joins Michelle Calcote King on this “Spill the Ink” episode to discuss the “Most Important Things” (MIT) program, which has increased attorney matter originations by 82% on average at Cranfill Sumner. The disciplined 15-minute biweekly meeting requires attorneys to commit to three specific business development actions and leverages peer accountability to ensure consistency. In this episode, Anna discusses the psychological principles behind lasting behavior change, shares real examples of effective MITs, explains her “no assumptions” rule for client development, and discusses the unexpected benefits of cross-office collaboration. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn Why business development coaching often fails after the initial year and how to spot when programs are losing effectiveness. The psychology behind limiting goals to three “Most Important Things” and why this creates sustainable habits. How 15-minute biweekly peer accountability calls outperform traditional solo coaching approaches. The “no assumptions” rule for business development and why questioning beats assuming client knowledge. Implementation advice for keeping programs simple, honoring time commitments and building attorney trust. The science behind written goals and peer accountability in professional settings. How the program creates unexpected cross-office collaboration and lateral integration benefits. Why forward-looking focus beats backward-looking performance reviews for habit formation. About our featured guest Anna Hedgepeth is a dynamic leader at the intersection of law, business development and strategic growth. With a strong foundation in public relations and legal education coupled with extensive experience in law firm marketing and strategy, she specializes in translating ideas into actionable business development plans that drive client engagement and organizational success. As Cranfill Sumner’s first Chief Strategy Officer, Anna plays a pivotal role in shaping the firm’s growth. She serves on the Management Committee, leads the business development and marketing team, and oversees firm-wide strategic initiatives. Anna is an active leader in the legal marketing and business development community. She serves on the Legal Marketing Association Southeast (LMASE) Regional Board of Directors and previously chaired the 2023 LMASE Regional Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Additionally, she has chaired the LMA Raleigh City Group and served on its advisory board. She regularly speaks on various topics including law firm business and development. Resources mentioned in this episode Check out Cranfill Sumner Follow Cranfill Sumner on LinkedIn and Facebook Connect with Anna Hedgepeth on LinkedIn Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by Reputation Ink. Founded by Michelle Calcote King, Reputation Ink is a marketing and public relations agency that serves B2B professional services firms of all shapes and sizes across the United States, including corporate law firms and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms. Reputation Ink understands how sophisticated corporate buyers find and select professional services firms. For more than a decade, they have helped firms grow through thought leadership-fueled strategies, including public relations, content marketing, video marketing, social media, podcasting, marketing strategy services, creative services and more. To learn more, visit www.rep-ink.com or email them at info@rep-ink.com today.
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    22 mins
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