{"id":26922,"date":"2013-03-26t22:44:41","date_gmt":"2013-03-27t02:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/48e130086c.nxcli.net\/?p=26922"},"modified":"2024-09-01t14:49:18","modified_gmt":"2024-09-01t18:49:18","slug":"the-client-service-team-as-competitive-weapon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/2013\/03\/26\/the-client-service-team-as-competitive-weapon\/","title":{"rendered":"the client-service team as competitive weapon"},"content":{"rendered":"

once anathema, firms are increasingly forming tight-knit cadres to service clients better and more profitably, according to bruce w. marcus, author of professional services marketing 3.0<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

it has long been the accepted tradition in accounting firms that what\u2019s yours is yours and what\u2019s mine is mine. in other words, \u201ci love you charlie. you\u2019re a great guy and a great partner. but keep your hands off my clients.\u201d<\/p>\n

and thus was the lie put to the myth of cross-selling.<\/p>\n

but things change. for example, frank competition, once anathema to the professions, is now well woven into the fabric of professional practice. the nature of the clientele has changed, somewhat drastically. today\u2019s client rarely uses just one accounting firm, rarely accepts advice unquestioningly, rarely accepts non-detailed bills (and so will go, eventually, the billable hour). the day of the na\u00efve client is now in its twilight.<\/p>\n

at one point in the dynamic motion of client service, it began to dawn on accountants that clients, particularly large ones, are best served by more than just a partner with a staff of lesser lights.<\/p>\n

for one thing, in today\u2019s economic and regulatory environment, the level of expertise, and the variety of skills demanded by clients, is greater than that available from the traditional partner and second team.<\/p>\n

for another, the needs of a larger client, particularly in accounting firms, may transcend the skills of just one practice group. the real problem here is that this kind of client need breeds invitation to second and third additional specialized firms, which can make serious inroads into the primary firm\u2019s client relationship.<\/p>\n

an earlier solution to this configuration of client needs and the attempts to meet those needs has been the practice group, a marvelous invention, superbly chronicled and shaped by patrick mckenna and david maister in their book, first among equals: how to manage a group of professionals<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n

what was remarkable about that book was that it was the first to set forth rules for managing accountants who, among other things, might otherwise tend to compete with one another within the same firm. without understanding that concept, it might well be extremely difficult to get accountants, each of whom has his or her own song, to sing one song in four part harmony. in other words, getting accountants, proud professionals and individualists all, to sing as one team. thus, the client service team.<\/p>\n

in a sense, groups of professionals functioning as teams are not really new. and certainly, the value of teamwork in all aspects of industry and commerce, if more praised than practiced, is no secret.<\/p>\n

rarely, in recent years, has any firm with more than a few partners, pitched a prospective client solo. while the implication is that the client will be served by the larger firm, and that there actually is a larger firm, that presentation of bodies is more often than not just a show. new business teams, however, are not client service teams.<\/p>\n

true client service teams go much farther than that, although the body of experience and expertise in developing and managing these teams, while growing, is still scarce and cherished. moreover, building a genuine client service team that combines the skills and talent of the individual team members into a powerful client serving phalanx is no casual or simple matter.<\/p>\n

once a novelty, a growing number of firms have discovered the benefits of using the client service team as an approach to dealing with larger clients, for both better service and better client relations.<\/p>\n

professional firms tend to be spare in accepting new ideas and concepts. but now, the time of the client service team has come. and as firms see other firms use them successfully, and begin to understand the value of the concept, they may seem willing to try it.<\/p>\n

they begin to understand that with client service teams,<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. clients benefit from the combined brainpower of the well-chosen and well-run team,<\/li>\n
  2. the firm benefits by both demonstrating the depth of its skills and by the extensive access to the client\u2019s business, and<\/li>\n
  3. the firm has a competitive advantage in its extended presence and greater ability to serve clients.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    with this access, the firm has greater rapport with the client, and more intensive access to the client\u2019s thinking and response to the firm\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n

    \"click<\/a>
    click to buy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    bruce w. marcus is a pioneer in professional services marketing and coauthor of “client at the core.” this is adapted from his new book, “professional services marketing 3.0,” available for purchase here<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    copyright. used by permission.<\/em><\/p>\n