Write a Book to Grow Your Professional Services Firm: 5 Lessons Learned

By Lee W. Frederiksen, Ph.D.

“Our management team has read your book, and it really reflects what we would like to do… so obviously you are already at the top of our short list.”

This is pretty much verbatim the opening line of a phone call that I received from a well-qualified prospective client last week.  Now, the interesting part for me was that this was a firm we did not know, they weren’t in our database and, as far as I know, we had never contacted them before. Yet here they were.

In fact, this wasn’t the first time this has occurred. There have been many variations on this theme over the past few months. How did it happen?

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Government Contractors and Marketing: Bridging the Divide

By Peter Mirus

I have worked with government contractors in professional services throughout my career. During that time, I have heard many of these firms say that marketing is of little importance in addressing the challenges and priorities facing their businesses.

From one standpoint, this is understandable: government contractors typically acquire new contracts through RFP response. If this is the sole method for acquiring new business, what is the point of marketing?

The answer is that within the framework of government contracting, a good deal of brand strategy and marketing process (market research, opportunity identification, message development, etc.) is performed under the heading of Capture. The most successful government contractors actually undertake a very thorough Capture process.

But is there a role for branding and marketing outside of Capture? Absolutely. Market visibility and credibility is extremely helpful in maintaining competitive advantage. In this article, I will focus on four areas where this advantage can be realized:

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Coffee and Professional Services: 3 Lessons to Learn from Starbucks

By Sylvia Montgomery

For those of you that know me, you know that no day goes by without a visit to Starbucks. So, it was no surprise to my friends when I registered to attend a business event where Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, would be speaking on his new book Onward.

To be quite honest, prior to that event I had no idea who led Starbucks. My love affair with its stores began years ago thanks to a lifetime affinity for the magic elixir, otherwise known as coffee. I found their stores to be relevant to my lifestyle, and they created an experience that I wanted to be part of.

During the course of the morning, Schultz recalled the tumultuous recent years at the company, the impact a myriad unrelated decisions had on their brand and the extreme measures they undertook to begin a transformation. Interestingly enough, I found that there were many similarities between Starbucks’ recent history and many professional services firms I meet. Some of the similarities were so relevant, I thought I would share.

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How Professional Services Buyers Are Changing: 5 Trends That Will Shape Your Firm.

By Lee W. Frederiksen, Ph.D.

As I talk with professional services executives and look at the data, it’s becoming clear that professional services buyers are changing. And the changes are not small.

While it’s easy to ignore changes that happen over time, you do so at your own peril. Why? Because these changes are already having a profound impact on the entire industry, and the longer you wait the harder it will be to catch up.

Here are five trends that will likely shape the future of your firm.

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Six Marketing Metrics that Matter

By Sylvia Montgomery

In a matter of days, the year’s first quarter will be over. Do you know how your marketing fared?  This question can paralyze many executives. Even with all the changes in the economy, some professional service providers answer this question with: “our success is built on relationships — marketing is secondary.” But if you don’t know how well or how poorly your marketing performed, then how do you know where you need to go next? More important, how do you know you if your marketing spend is of any value?

As an executive, there are some obvious metrics you are probably already evaluating: number of leads, number of proposals, revenue dollars. However, there are other metrics that can be just as valuable for diagnosing the health of your firm’s marketing program. Here are a few key metrics you should be tracking and reviewing at least quarterly:

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10 Tips for Professional Services Content Marketing

By Lee W. Frederiksen, Ph.D.

Content marketing is fast becoming the way to market professional services. Create great content and you will attract prospective clients who are looking for exactly what you offer.

The next logical iteration of “thought leadership,” content marketing is more than a great concept. When implemented correctly it produces impressive results.

But how do you develop great content?

Here are ten practical tips to improve the readability and usefulness of your content. After all, if no one reads it, is it really content marketing?

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