here’s what you’re looking for: bruce w. marcus

r-i-s-k: it’s amazing that so simple a four-letter word can be so complicated.

by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0

there are risks with dire consequences and risks with negligible consequences. there is risk in every human enterprise; in every trade or endeavor. we take risks, in varying degrees (and sometimes unwittingly) every day or our lives. there is even risk inherent in getting out of bed in the morning. but what – on any level – does risk really mean? can risk be tamed?

more professional services marketing 3.0: • the four cornerstones to building a marketing culture • the nine hallmarks of 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 • what accounting firms need to understand to grapple with radical change • six reasonable goals for cpa firm marketing •

there are different degrees of risk, depending upon how great the opportunity to profit if you succeed, how dangerous if the risk you take portends the possibility of failure, how much is at stake if you fail. read more →

it’s more than just pleasing the client.

by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0

in the firm with a strong marketing culture, getting the client is only half the battle. the other half is keeping the client. it’s done with more than just doing good work. in fact, most clients, surveys tell us, don’t really know how good or how bad your work is. why should they? it’s not the business they’re in. they have to trust the accountant.

more professional services marketing 3.0: • the four cornerstones to building a marketing culture • the nine hallmarks of 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 • what accounting firms need to understand to grapple with radical change • six reasonable goals for cpa firm marketing •

independent studies also show that a large percentage of accounting firm clients are dissatisfied with the levels of service from their accountants. clients are given no foundation for understanding what’s being done for them, nor are reasonable expectations defined. what basis do clients have, then, for being satisfied? read more →

marching to the same drummer.

by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0

firms may have their rainmakers – the partner who could go into a revolving door alone and come out arm in arm with a new client. but in today’s competitive marketplace, one or two rainmakers are not enough – if only because the competitive firms have three or more rainmakers going after the same prospective clients that you want.

more on marketing strategy for large and mid-size firms:  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   |  what accounting firms need to understand to grapple with radical change   |   six reasonable goals for cpa firm marketing 

the firms that want to grow and thrive must be turned into marketing machines – to have a culture that understands and supports a marketing effort.

read more →

what it takes to win in a professional services marketing 3.0 world.

by bruce w. marcus

building a marketing culture is a process that requires….

1. top management support
2. good marketing professionals
3. marketing education of appropriate firm professionals
4. a sound and professional marketing structure within the firm

let’s look at each. read more →

but that doesn’t make you a rocket scientist.

by bruce w. marcus/ exclusive to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
professional services marketing 3.0

whatever the management style – command-and-control or consensus – it’s not the same thing as being able to understand and then explain why marketing activities are essential for the growth of the firm.

top management support means inculcating into the firm the concept that in all professional activities, the client is at the core. top management support means more than acceptance of marketing – it means leadership.

more on marketing strategy for large and mid-size firms: nine fundamentals for a healthy marketing culture in an accounting firm   |  what accounting firms need to understand to grapple with radical change   |   six reasonable goals for cpa firm marketing     |    the tools of marketing are not a program – they are simply tools     |    is your marketing program really a program?     |    six metrics for marketing roi     |    how to formulate the right marketing goals for your firm     |     get real: 15 questions for achievable growth     |     if you don’t know where you’re going, how do you know how to get there?     |     eight tips for staying one step ahead of the competition (and maybe the client, too)     |     nine things we know for sure about how to grow an accounting firm   |     the cpa’s castle is crumbling

someone once said that if you’re smart enough to be an accountant, you’re smart enough to do your own marketing. sure. and you’re probably smart enough to be a nuclear physicist – but that doesn’t make you one. read more →

and four key ingredients.

by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0

how does an accounting firm become part of professional services marketing 3.0?

part of the answer resides in building a marketing culture within a firm, which means that everyone in the firm understands that he or she has an active role in marketing and practice development and understand what that role entails.

more professional services marketing 3.0:    what accounting firms need to understand to grapple with radical change   |   six reasonable goals for cpa firm marketing     |    the tools of marketing are not a program – they are simply tools     |    is your marketing program really a program?     |    six metrics for marketing roi     |    how to formulate the right marketing goals for your firm     |     get real: 15 questions for achievable growth     |     if you don’t know where you’re going, how do you know how to get there?     |     eight tips for staying one step ahead of the competition (and maybe the client, too)     |     nine things we know for sure about how to grow an accounting firm   |     the cpa’s castle is crumbling

a firm may be said to have a marketing culture when it’s professional staff: read more →

the tools of marketing are not a program – they are simply tools.

by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0

a marketing program is not simply a catalog of tools. it’s a plan — a strategy and a tactical plan. it’s the sum total of all relevant activities, supporting one another, and not just random activities designed without objective, nor relevance to the needs of the prospective client.

it begins with a realistic understanding of the needs and opportunities of the markets you serve. it defines your abilities to meet those needs. it develops a strategy to persuade your market that you can serve its needs. and it formulates the tactics needed to make that strategy functional.

more on professional services marketing 3.0 by bruce w. marcus:

nine things we know for sure about how to grow an accounting firm
the cpa’s castle is crumbling
my address in space: the dynamics of change at accounting firms
six quick reasons why cpa firms will never be the same
14 steps to find the right “value price”
it’s not just accounting anymore. today, everyone’s in marketing

by defining the target audience first, you can devise the strategy to address that audience, by… read more →

what you should expect from an effective marketing campaign.

by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0

tactics are the most difficult part of a professional firm marketing program, because so much of what must be done depends upon the scarce, non-billable time of partners and professional staff.

if the firm’s management hasn’t made clear that participation by every professional in the firm is an integral part of recognition and growth within the firm, you can scrap the marketing program. it can be helpful if the non-billable hour was renamed the investment hour, because if those hours are spent on marketing, investment hours are exactly what they are.

more on professional services marketing 3.0: how to formulate the right marketing goals for your firm  | 15 questions for achievable growth | if you don’t know where you’re going, how do you know how to get there? | eight tips for staying one step ahead of the competition (and maybe the client, too)

the marketing professional can do a great deal. he or she may be able to write an article or a brochure, but needs the input of the practitioner. the marketing professional may be able to design and run a seminar, or arrange for a speech, but the practitioner must supply the content. the marketing professional may be able to place the story in the media, but the practitioner must supply the story.

read more →