wishful thinking?
by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research has uncovered the startling fact of the wide disparity between how accounting firm management perceives their own performance and how their clients see their performance. (join the survey; get the results.)
related: your clients love you? what if you’re wrong? • the three degrees of risk • four essential habits for building client trust • the nine hallmarks of a marketing culture • the four cornerstones to building a marketing culture • getting the client is only half the battle • practice development: it’s not rocket science • nine fundamentals for a healthy marketing culture in an accounting firm •
another consideration of risk lies in a tendency to ignore or distort reality, which can lead to a vast expectations gap.
a sample of findings:
- asked why their organizations might change cpa firms, 80% of clients blamed poor client service; but only 34% of cpas thought that was the reason for losing a client. 38% of clients said they might change because they weren’t getting the cpa firm’s best people, but only 9% of cpas cited that as a possible reason.
- in marketing, 11% of clients thought they might be persuaded by a firm’s website; 37% of cpas planned to launch or increase a web site. this disparity exists in the full array of marketing activities.
in other words, there is great risk in client retention and management activities that are based upon guessing or inadequate information derived from poor surveys.
for example, in the case of the risk of losing a client, you can use professional skills and assiduous attention to the client to be sure that you understand not only the client’s needs, but the opportunities to improve relations inherent in understanding those industry factors that inform his business. you can make sure that you not only understand the client’s needs, but that you have the skills to serve those needs. you can arm yourself with data to afford yourself the opportunity to not only avoid danger points in your relations with the client, but, as well, to see opportunities to improve that relationship.
bruce w. marcus is a pioneer in professional services marketing and coauthor of “client at the core.” this is adapted from his new book, “professional services marketing 3.0,” available for purchase here.
copyright 2011. used by permission.