the painful journey to a new era.
by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0
in the years following bates, accounting firms began a long and difficult process of learning how to market.
accountants were still so steeped in the no-commercialization ethic that they tried to resist any form of marketing. they couldn’t, because other firms had started doing it, and were winning clients.
“the roi on social media is that you’ll still be in business in five years.”
but it depends on your taste for risk. by jean marie caragher capstone marketing there are at least four types of opportunities your firm can pursue in considering new niche growth, each with its own level of risk: 1. market penetration. … continued
and why it’s not product marketing.
by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0
the adjectives and comparisons and superlatives so common in product marketing have no place in professional services marketing.
the boast, even when there seems to be a foundation for it, rarely works. but professional services marketing can work when it’s designed to: read more →
for instance: can your firm deliver?
by jean marie caragher
capstone marketing
niche marketing is the decision to use a mix of marketing tools to address a specific target: a niche in the market.
using the information gathered in your marketing audit, answer the following questions prior to pursuing a particular industry or service specialization: read more →
three things to know before jumping in.
by jean marie caragher
capstone marketing
you can’t start thinking about selecting a niche until you have a firm grasp of your firm’s current situation. that’s why you need a marketing audit of your firm. a marketing audit might start with three key areas to focus on:
it’s not the product marketing they teach in college.
by bruce w. marcus
author of professional services marketing 3.0
accountants have historically not been concerned with the market. they are concerned with being good accountants, and meeting their own personal needs for professionalism. they are concerned with merely getting clients. that was sufficient pre-bates, but not now, because it’s not a competitive approach in a seriously competitive environment.
it’s competition, not technology, that’s driving change in the accounting profession. and it’s just as scary.
by bruce w. marcus
author of professional services marketing 3.0
there seems to be a general impression that the changes in accounting that created the modern firm resulted from the blast of technology that began to enter the professions in the early 1980s. not so.
…as competition redefines accounting firms.
by bruce w. marcus
author of professional services marketing 3.0 read more →
“…a must-read for those interested in what the future holds…”
competing today necessitates a client-driven, not practice-driven, firm.
by michelle golden
professional services marketing 3.0 by bruce w. marcus
bruce’s newest book documents an important evolution in professional firms and the way law and accounting firms interact with current and prospective buyers. these interactions include serving the client, but also—quite importantly—reflecting how people working in firms present themselves in terms of their ability to bring true value to those who hire them.
bruce’s approach is two-fold: understand the past, and be intentional about the future. as you read, and consider your firm’s present marketing in light of this broader, historic context, you have the opportunity to identify counter-productive attitudes and approaches and move to an advanced level of marketing sooner than you otherwise might. the author shares, through his rich observations and experiences, that the views a professional holds about the value of his or her offerings, and marketing in general, are more important than the specific marketing tactics he or she undertakes.
make no mistake: change is coming, whether the incumbents like it or not.
by bruce macewen
adam smith, esq.
from the foreword to professional services marketing 3.0 by bruce w. marcus
when i first heard the title of bruce w. marcus’ latest book, i thought “professional services marketing 3.0? well, forgive me, but i think i need to be clued in on what exactly were 1.0 and 2.0.” not only does bruce answer this question, he provides an expansive and ambitious vision of what he sees ahead for us as we cross the threshold.
now, if you need the same help i did in recognizing 1.0 and 2.0, the first was in the wake of the 1977 u. s. supreme court decision in bates v. state bar of arizona, which is commonly seen as a narrow decision striking down the prohibition on attorney advertising, but which bruce w. marcus insightfully identifies as something far more momentous: the beginning of open competition in professional services.
the second stage is where we are today, with a frank recognition of the necessity of marketing, but a time (the present) when it’s still tainted by the mild whiff of the promotional, the sales-y, and the unprofessional. bruce writes that “if there’s one thing that has inhibited innovation and growth in professional services marketing in the decades since bates, it’s the disconnect between marketers and the professionals they serve,” but i would say it goes even further. marketers are often treated as the obligatory but unwelcome guests at the dinner party.
reach for the low-hanging fruit.
by sandi smith
accountant’s accelerator
if business has slowed for you, it’s not just you. with people making the most of a disappearing summer, getting ready for school, and trying to keep from being too cranky from the heat wave in much of the country, it’s all most of us can do to stay on our routines.
as entrepreneurs, we still need to make payroll, meet our budget goals, and get enough cash in to keep our doors open. so how can we cash in on the low-hanging fruit?
we spend a lot of energy going after the fruit that is out of reach, and most of it spoils before we can get our act together. then we wonder why marketing is so expensive, we don’t close the deals, and we are left with a big expense.
so that’s why i want to share some tips about how to go after the low-hanging fruit. you won’t even need a ladder for these revenue-builders. read more →