Marketing professional services are literally marketing someone’s intellectual property, or, as I often say jokingly—I market our experts’ brains. But sometimes business owners misunderstand marketing to be simply brochures and advertising. It’s understandable that there is push-back to implement that type of program because the ROI just isn’t there. So then, what is marketing professional services and how does it help grow a company?
What Marketing Is Not
Marketing professional services is not a gimmick. It’s not trade shows, swag items, newspaper ads, billboards, golf club memberships or sponsorships. Although these tactics may sometimes be part of a campaign and right for some firms, the goal is to find the best combination of vehicles to get your message to the right people. If your firm is carrying out those tactics and not seeing a result, it’s probably either because the message is off or you’re reaching the wrong people.
So, what is your message? What do people think you do and how does that compare to what you think you do? If there’s an enormous gap between the two, how do you close it? How do you change the tactics to reach the right people? The answer to all those questions: Marketing.
Typical Objections to Marketing
I normally hear push-back about marketing at networking events while interfacing with bankers, attorneys or other CPAs. Usually, it’s because I’m one of the few non-billable folks in the room, so there’s a natural fascination. Here’s a partial list of objections I hear:
1. We get plenty of work through word-of-mouth.
2. We do marketing too, we advertise and sponsor lots of events!
3. We do marketing too, we have a website and brochures!
4. We all want to start marketing but we have two partners who just won’t greenlight it.
5. We don’t have time to do marketing, we’re busy with client work.
6. What do you do all day?
I can agree that marketing isn’t right for every company and I’m the first to agree that client work needs to come first. The disconnect comes down to goals. If a firm wants to grow, expand service offerings, or create a strong business development culture, you need marketing.
So just tell me already! What Is Marketing and Why Should I Be Doing It?
Ideally, we market so that the people you want as clients—the people you would die to bring on board—come to you when they’re ready to make a change. You want your company to always be #2 on prospects’ minds when they think of professional experts in your industry. The first expert on their list is their current CPA (or attorney or banker or consultant). When that person no longer meets their expectations, you want to be the first person they call—no research needed.
When they’re ready, they should know what to buy and how to buy it—that process shouldn’t be difficult. It can be quite complex to get there but, fortunately, professional service marketers have been testing and retesting strategies to make this happen for decades. We create systems, procedures, and measurements to find and connect with people at each stage of the sales funnel.
By the time prospects meet with your professionals, AKA “the brains”, they’re already familiar with the firm and the likelihood of closing that deal is much higher. High growth firms have mastered this process by thoroughly defining services, differentiators, target markets and they create specific goals for marketing to support. It’s much more strategic and yields much higher results.
What is your perception or view of professional services marketing? What does it look like for you? Are you more interested in implementing it now than before? Reach out to me directly via email (StephanieC@whhcpas.com) if you have questions!
By Stephanie Chapa, Director of Marketing
Stephanie has been with WHH since 2011 and has developed the marketing department, implemented technology and created a business development pipeline. She specializes in digital marketing and implementing high-level firm marketing strategy.