{"id":22859,"date":"2012-10-01t05:01:48","date_gmt":"2012-10-01t09:01:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/48e130086c.nxcli.net\/?p=22859"},"modified":"2024-09-01t14:49:24","modified_gmt":"2024-09-01t18:49:24","slug":"practice-development-its-not-rocket-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/2012\/10\/01\/practice-development-its-not-rocket-science\/","title":{"rendered":"practice development: it’s not rocket science"},"content":{"rendered":"
but that doesn’t make you a rocket scientist. <\/strong><\/p>\n by bruce w. marcus\/\u00a0<\/em>exclusive to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间<\/em> whatever the management style \u2013 command-and-control or consensus \u2013 it\u2019s not the same thing as being able to understand and then explain why marketing activities are essential for the growth of the firm.<\/p>\n 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 \u2013 it means leadership.<\/p>\n more on marketing strategy for large and mid-size firms:<\/strong> nine fundamentals for a healthy marketing culture in an accounting firm<\/a> \u00a0 |\u00a0 what accounting firms need to understand to grapple with radical change<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0 six reasonable goals for cpa firm marketing<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 | \u00a0\u00a0 the tools of marketing are not a program \u2013 they are simply tools<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 | \u00a0\u00a0 is your marketing program really a program?<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 | \u00a0\u00a0 six metrics for marketing roi<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 | \u00a0\u00a0 how to formulate the right marketing goals for your firm<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 | \u00a0 \u00a0 get real: 15 questions for achievable growth<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 | \u00a0 \u00a0 if you don\u2019t know where you\u2019re going, how do you know how to get there?<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 | \u00a0 \u00a0 eight tips for staying one step ahead of the competition (and maybe the client, too)<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 | \u00a0 \u00a0 nine things we know for sure about how to grow an accounting firm\u00a0\u00a0 | \u00a0 <\/a> \u00a0 the cpa\u2019s castle is crumbling<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n someone once said that if you\u2019re smart enough to be an accountant, you\u2019re smart enough to do your own marketing. sure. and you\u2019re probably smart enough to be a nuclear physicist \u2013 but that doesn\u2019t make you one.<\/p>\n marketing may not be nuclear physics, but it is a profession with its own practices, experiences, skills, and techniques. the good marketing professional is trained in the tools and mechanics of marketing, in its ideas and concepts, in its highly focused point of view. experience tells the marketing professional what may work and what may not work. if the marketer is imaginative and deft in using imagination, you get a program that\u2019s thoughtful and specifically relevant to your needs. and the good marketer understands your profession and its needs.<\/p>\n the good marketer understands the distinctive nature of accountants, and is capable of working well with them. he or she has more than a passing understanding of the legal or accounting profession — how it functions, how it serves clients, how the firm is structured, and the professional wishes of the partners and staff. and understands as well the character and personality of the accountant. as a professional, the good marketer belongs to, and is active in, the association of accounting marketing, benefiting from the experience of peers, and contributing as well.<\/p>\n the good marketing professional is also a teacher, who knows how to impart the meaning and techniques of marketing skills to accountants who are not themselves trained marketers. the good marketer is a leader, capable of leading professionals in marketing activities and concepts, and of managing marketing staff. as a communicator, the marketer must establish and maintain a good working relationship with the partners and staff, and keep them informed of marketing activities and aware of each professional\u2019s responsibilities in the marketing program.<\/p>\n remember, the tools of marketing are available to everyone. what counts, then, is the experience and imagination the marketer brings to those skills. its more than the sum of the skills and mechanics, it\u2019s the artistry with which they\u2019re used. when you\u2019re hiring a marketing professional, then, don\u2019t hire the mechanic \u2013 hire the artist.<\/p>\n the professional\u2019s role<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n the marketing professional can build the marketing program that enhances name recognition and reputation, and that can project the accountants\u2019 skills and special capabilities, but ultimately, the client has to meet the person or people who are going to perform the legal or accounting service. the bond between client and practitioner — the trust needed in a professional relationship — is a personal relationship that no salesperson can engender for a professional.<\/p>\n but the marketing activities that the accountant can do, particularly under the aegis of the marketing professional, are essential.<\/p>\n seven examples:<\/p>\n these are things that merely broaden individual intelligence and education for the\u00a0 accountant at no cost to professionalism.<\/p>\n when a firm\u2019s professionals participate in these activities, and each participant accepts responsibility for performance, you have three things \u2013 involvement, motivation \u2013 and a firm marketing culture.<\/p>\n the practice group<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n while there are many approaches to structuring a firm for marketing and improving client service, perhaps the most successful, as defined by patrick mckenna and david maister in their masterful book, first among equals<\/em>, is the practice group. for any firm with more than a few accountants, the practice group is proving to be the most effective way to manage a practice. it recognizes that each practice area has a different target audience. the practice group allows the professionals in that group to address the specific practice and marketing problems of the practice, and to manage them effectively.<\/p>\n six advantages of the practice group are:<\/p>\n if, on the other hand, the nature of your firm doesn\u2019t lend itself to practice groups, you might consider designating a partner as the marketing partner, with the responsibility to oversee the program, coordinate the efforts of marketing professionals with the partnership, and act as a monitor and motivator to oversee participation in the program by individuals in the firm.<\/p>\n
\nprofessional services marketing 3.0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n
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