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

outlook & analysis

everything you need to know about your next brochure

despite the values inherent in well-done brochures, there are some pervasive misconceptions that substantially undermine their very real value to sound marketing.

by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0

there is a peculiar comfort in a brochure. it’s easy to feel that if you’ve got one, you’ve taken care of marketing. or most of it, at least.

brochures, then, are too often done “because everybody has one,” rather than as part of a thoughtful marketing plan.

more professional services marketing 3.0: being social in the new world of social media    |   there’s a leak in my firm    |   what ads, the web or social media still can’t do    |   advertising as a marketing tool that sometimes works    |   eight client retention strategies for the new competitive environment    |   why “niche marketing” should be superseded by “total context marketing”    |   ten strategies for the smaller firm facing competition from larger firms    |   the client service team in action    |   ten things every firm needs to make clear firm-wide   |

a brochure, in this context, is a pamphlet or booklet that describes a firm, a facility or a service. it may be used to explain all or a segment of the firm’s services, or how the firm functions in a particular industry, or to address a specific problem.

in this report:

  • the six right reasons to do a brochure and the four wrong ones.
  • how brochures work with a web site.
  • the six questions to ask before you even think about a brochure.
  • what works: 17 proven strategies read more →
outlook & analysis

being social in the new world of social media

talking to prospects when prospects can talk back.

by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0

there are four things to know about what we now call the social media.

first, it’s media – a means of communication, a medium, not of itself a magic carpet. which means that its value lies in its ability to convey ideas and facts to a vast world of viewers. which means, as well, that we’re back to the old computer nostrum of “garbage in-garbage out.” or to paraphrase another (if contrarian) view, it’s not the medium, it’s the message. read more →

outlook & analysis

there’s a leak in my firm

never mind who — why?

by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0

ok, somebody talked to the press, and leaked information that shouldn’t have been leaked. that’s three problems, not one.

primary, of course, is how do we control the damage caused by the leak? then we worry about who did it.

the second problem is that who did it is frequently not as important as why it was done. that may be the more urgent damage to control. the problem caused by the press leak will go away by itself, most often. it has to be treated like any bad story, and we’ve talked a lot about that in the marcus letter. but the reason for the leak can be more stubborn to deal with, as is the mechanics of preventing leaks. read more →

outlook & analysis

advertising as a marketing tool that sometimes works

and why it sometimes doesn’t.

with:

  • five generic reasons to advertise
  • the 15 basics of accounting advertising
  • the 18 benefits advertising can provide an accounting firm

by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0

advertising in cpa firms services has a strange history. more words and more dollars have been wasted on it, and less seems to have been learned from its mistakes than from any other marketing tool we currently use. read more →

outlook & analysis

eight client retention strategies for the new competitive environment

driving the client-driven practice.

by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0

the conventional wisdom is that it costs more to get a new client than to keep an old one. and for once, the conventional wisdom is correct.

yet, many professionals too readily take clients for granted. or don’t look for opportunities to increase revenues from perfectly satisfied clients.

then there’s the classic story of the client who went to another firm for a particular service. “why didn’t you come to me for that service?”

“because i didn’t know you did it.” it happens too often. read more →

growth strategies

why “niche marketing” should be superseded by “total context marketing”

a real-world approach for the smaller firm.

by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0

there is much ado, these days, about niche marketing and target marketing and using mailing lists and knowledge management.

how does it all come together to make sense for the smaller accounting firm, particularly when there’s a limited marketing budget, and a limited opportunity to reach out to the marketplace?

more for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 pro members: who’s better at marketing? • lawyers or cpas? • even a random disaster can be controlled with risk management • managing risk in client relations • 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 •

in this report:

  • the limited value of “niche” marketing.
  • six key variables to evaluate.
  • the role of target marketing.
  • the role of sales.
  • the fusion that creates total context marketing.
  • 15 steps to success in integrating and balancing marketing strategies.

read more →

outlook & analysis

ten strategies for the smaller firm facing competition from larger firms

when david meets goliath.

by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0

great turbulence in the accounting profession, as well as in the business world itself, make these difficult and unusual times.

public outcry against the misdeeds of a few accounting firms, corporations, investment bankers and others in government and the business community is tarring the innocent as well as the guilty. in the meantime, mergers and acquisitions are altering the competitive landscape for firms of every size.

it’s likely that the major cpa firms will accelerate a long-standing practice of reaching into the low end of the market – the very market of the smaller cpa firms. for the smaller firm, competition is coming from unaccustomed quarters.

can the smaller firm successfully compete against the bigger firm?

history says yes, if the firm follows at least some of the following 10 points: read more →

management

the client service team in action

by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0

while some firms have explored the idea of client service groups, and leading thinkers like patrick mckenna have been training firms in the concept for several years, few firms have developed the art and science of the team as successfully as the washington-based law firm, akin gump strauss hauer and feld.

more for mid-size and large cpa firms: what we’ve learned since accounting marketing was legalized • do accounting firms really want an ‘image’? • what accounting firms need to learn from personal financial planning specialists • the delicate art of positioning your firm in the mind of the prospect • even a random disaster can be controlled with risk management •

this report includes:

  • the lessons from an interview with creator and manager of the program.
  • three necessary elements for success.
  • ten accountable responsibilities for a client service team.
  • seven actions common to successful teams.
  • five questions every team should ask clients.
  • effect on fees.
  • departure from traditional practice.

read more →

management

the competition for talent: it’s all about motivation

at microsoft, they worry about motivation, says bruce w. marcus, author of professional services marketing 3.0. when everybody who holds any kind of a responsible job is making more money than any of them ever dreamed they would, and when they’re in an industry that would pay anything to hire them away, how do you motivate people? how do you get them to stay, and to produce at the high levels demanded by microsoft and other high tech companies? two ways.

in this report:

  • five mistakes firms make.
  • four strategies that can’t miss.

read more →

outlook & analysis

10 things you need to know before you hire a marketer [pro member exclusive]

and 12 questions a good marketing professional should be asking.

by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0

and now a word to accountants who think they know marketing. unless you’re that rare bird who’s had some successful experience because you have some kind of inborn talent for marketing – and there are some of you like that – you don’t know beans.

and you won’t know beans until they start teaching marketing in  accounting schools, which is long overdue. or until you’ve had long experience with a terrific marketer on your staff. but if you don’t have a natural affinity for it, there are things you should know that will result in your competing successfully in this wildly competitive market. or until you hire marketers who know their stuff, and can teach you what you should know. read more →