{"id":114863,"date":"2023-08-04t11:24:45","date_gmt":"2023-08-04t15:24:45","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/?p=114863"},"modified":"2024-09-01t14:48:44","modified_gmt":"2024-09-01t18:48:44","slug":"everyone-in-your-firm-is-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/2023\/08\/04\/everyone-in-your-firm-is-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"everyone in your firm is marketing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"every activity performed in an accounting firm is visible and of concern to prospective clientele.<\/strong><\/p>\n

by bruce marcus<\/i>
\nprofessional services marketing 3.0<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

editor\u2019s note: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 was privileged to have a long relationship with bruce w. marcus, who was ahead of his time in his thinking and practice in marketing for accounting. we are publishing some of the late expert\u2019s evergreen work, which retains wisdom for the present. <\/i>the following article appeared in the september 1980 issue of the virginia accountant. it is probably the first \u2013 or at least one of the first \u2013 articles on post-<\/em>bates professional services marketing.<\/em><\/p>\n

when, a few years ago, the codes of ethics were changed to allow straightforward marketing by professionals, there came into play a new configuration of circumstances and activities that will reverberate throughout the accounting profession for years to come.<\/p>\n

more: <\/b>let\u2019s lose the word \u2018image\u2019<\/a> | marketing a fixed position in a moving world<\/a> | how to build a marketing culture<\/a> | have you planned how to service your new revenue?<\/a> | why is change so hard for firms?<\/a> | why value pricing works<\/a> | why competition matters most<\/a>
\n\"goprocpa.com\"exclusively for pro members. <\/span><\/strong>log in here<\/a> or 2022世界杯足球排名 today<\/a>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

for generations, concepts of probity have pervaded public accounting. accountants were to be not merely independent, but well beyond the fray of public quarrel or exposure. the sword of the cpa has always been independence and, it was long felt, independence is compromised by public debate. and now comes marketing, the crux of which is visibility.
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\nnow, after all these generations, public accountants may advertise, may compete for one another\u2019s clients, may sing their own praises and may discuss publicly differences that had once been solely family affairs. this is how marketing has come to public accounting.<\/p>\n

no longer do accountants compete solely on the strength of their capabilities. today, every accounting firm \u2013 and not just the big eight \u2013 competes with every other accounting firm in its market area for clients present and future, for attention, for exposure. accounting firms compete with one another \u2013 presentation for presentation, press release for press release, speech for speech, seminar for seminar, and ad for ad.<\/p>\n

marketing of sorts has always been inherent in building a professional practice in any profession. lawyers go into politics and always have. accountants have always joined organizations, given seminars, made speeches, distributed pamphlets and brochures. competition and exposure has existed, but discreetly; performed but not discussed.<\/p>\n

now, it is flagrant \u2013 for good, bad or indifferent.<\/p>\n

it poses an interesting problem. not only is total marketing a new concept for the accounting profession, but, in searching the annals of marketing literature, we find very little to guide us. the literature of marketing is heavy with tomes on marketing products<\/strong>, but virtually nothing on marketing services<\/strong>. and unfortunately, as many a professional is beginning to discover, there is a difference in the same thing. the proven techniques of marketing a product are not strictly applicable to marketing a service. what\u2019s the difference?<\/p>\n

in marketing a product, the product itself is the interface between the producer and the consumer. there may be a thousand people behind the production of a tube of toothpaste \u2013 but all the public sees, knows or cares about is the tube of toothpaste. in marketing a service, every individual who performs that service is the interface with its public; every individual who performs the service is, in effect, the product.<\/p>\n

this makes it possible, in marketing a product, to centralize and focus the marketing effort. once the product is perfected in terms of its potential market, the marketing people take over, to the exclusion of everyone else. the production people, the finance people and the people in the warehouse are not involved with marketing. it is a separate and distinct operation.<\/p>\n

in marketing a service, on the other hand, marketing is decentralized. every activity performed in an accounting firm, no matter how large or small, is visible and of concern to prospective clientele.<\/p>\n

this has its strengths and its weaknesses, as apart from product marketing. a tube of toothpaste has a consistent quality that its users can rely on. there is no consistency, however, in the human behavior inherent in performing a service. one junior accountant having a bad day can destroy the effectiveness of a vast array of advertising, public relations and other promotional efforts \u2013 an onerous burden placed on the professional. a new customer for a tube of toothpaste faces no personality conflict with the product; personal chemistry between an accountant and a prospective client can readily negate a great reputation.<\/p>\n

on the other hand, the accounting firm that recognizes this distinction faces the opportunity to prepare and train its people appropriately to meet and deal effectively with the prospective client, and to leverage the effects of a carefully built and nurtured reputation predicated on the tools of marketing.<\/p>\n

and here we must look at the term \u201cmarketing\u201d in a fresh context.<\/p>\n

every marketing specialist has his own definition, and each can quarrel with the other\u2019s choice of words. here again it\u2019s too easy to fall back on the structures of product marketing for a definition \u2013 \u201cto move the product to the consumer.\u201d but if, in marketing a service, those who perform the service are the product how, then, can this definition apply?<\/p>\n

perhaps the more appropriate definition of marketing, in this context, would be \u201cto define and project the service, in terms of its users, in ways that make more prospective users want to do more business with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

how can this be accomplished within the context of the accounting profession? the answer may lie in another and more functional definition of marketing. marketing may be perceived as:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. defining the market.<\/li>\n
  2. defining the product \u2013 the service \u2013 to meet the needs of the market.<\/li>\n
  3. defining the tools of marketing to be used to reach the market.<\/li>\n
  4. managing the tools of marketing.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    in terms of marketing accounting services, let\u2019s look briefly at how each of these elements apply.<\/p>\n

    defining the market<\/strong><\/p>\n

    there are two points of view to defining the market for a professional service. on the one hand, a market can be defined in terms of a prospective client universe that can be served by a firm\u2019s existing personnel, capabilities and services. on the other hand, a market can be defined in terms of the marketplace itself \u2013 its configurations and needs \u2013 within the framework of a firm\u2019s ability to adapt to those needs. the classic example might be the piano player in the cocktail lounge. some piano players will play anything you want to hear, so long as all you want to hear is \u201cmelancholy baby.\u201d others recognize the tastes and demands of the clientele, and use their piano playing skills to play the kind of music the patrons want. clearly, it\u2019s the second piano player who works more regularly.<\/p>\n

    so it is in defining a market. the professional firm has a choice of either scouting out the clientele for the services he has to offer, or, on the other hand, determining the kind of services potential clientele need within the framework of his capability, so that he can adapt accordingly. it is the latter who is more likely to succeed in the marketplace.<\/p>\n

    defining the product<\/strong><\/p>\n

    the diversity of accounting services offered by even the smallest firm is wide and flexible. if a major purpose of defining the market is to determine the needs of the market, adjusting the service to meet those needs is not only within the realm of possibility \u2013 it\u2019s an absolute necessity.<\/p>\n

    even a small accounting firm with capable partners has the ability to amend its services to meet the needs of a larger universe of potential clientele. the need to do this becomes more acute, in view of the fact that many of the big eight firms are now foraging in market areas, such as small business, that had previously been considered not cost-effective. what this means to the smaller firm is that it must focus in areas, and on services, that are most demanded, in which there is the least competition, and are probably not cost-effective for the local office of the big eight firms or other of its larger competitors.<\/p>\n

    the tools of marketing<\/strong><\/p>\n

    the tools of marketing are those disciplines that serve to project a firm\u2019s capabilities to its prospective clientele. normally, these tools include:<\/p>\n