by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0
of all the emerging changes in the world of professional services marketing 3.0, few are as innovative as the accounting firm seiler llp in silicon valley’s redwood city.
gale crosley, a thoughtful and pioneering cpa firm growth consultant, reports that one of the leading and innovative accounting firms she has encountered is a 53-year-old firm that is on the leading edge of the profession — redwood city, calif.-based seiler llp.traditionally specializing in real estate-oriented, multigenerational family enterprises, when it was struck by the real estate bubble in the late 1980s, managing partner jim demartini responded by going after silicon valley high-tech companies, and restructuring the firm to streamline its competitive advantage. dimartini, crosley reports, is convinced that business development is a skill that can be learned, and demonstrated it by growing what is now a 15-partner $33 million firm. its growth is entirely internal, rather than by acquisition.
clients are served by carefully structured teams with technical expertise that includes tax and estate planning. clients prefer teams with a blend of appropriate knowledge and skills to serve them, rather than by a single individual, according to dimartini. says crosley, “members are assessed on their long-term value to the organization, and not for their most recent acquisition of a promising client. equity ownership is based on career performance as well.”
the rapidly growing firm has about 140 individuals in two locations – redwood city and san francisco. the firm functions with high levels of client satisfaction and very low rates of client and employee turnover. building from within, says crosley, helps ensure that the firm’s younger members will have a place to thrive.