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Two Secrets to Marketing Professional Services

(Others Are Doing It and Winning Customers)

The marketing director of a regional professional services firm called recently and asked for help defending a recommended investment in marketing and in creating a brand platform. It was a reasonable request on the part of senior managementóresults do matter in business and investments should have returns. This request made me think that you, too, could use ammunition to help your companies understand the business tools of marketing. Use this article with your leadership team as justification and encouragement to let you market.

"Does advertising work?" is an often-asked question. Professional services firms ask further, Does an investment in marketing diminish the perception of my company? They feel the need and have the instinct that it might be a good thing, but they are afraid of following that instinct. Are they dumb? No. What, then? The reaction probably has more to do with the poor practices of ìlow-endî professional services firms (such as ambulance-chasing lawyers) and the bad insights given by consumer ad agencies to business-to-business companies. This is a case of perception is reality.

I answer both questions out of my own recent practical and actual experiences. The first question, does advertising work for companies sporting a high image and polished public perception? Yes, is the answer! Here is proof. We have helped a four-year private liberal arts college that has the utmost of reputation and skill in graduating fine young men and women. But, they had a problem. The sales pipeline was not as full as it needed to be. Why? The previous executive team was not empowered to tell the story. They had a great secret. So, what did they do and how did advertising not tarnish their reputation?

Secret One: The trick was to spend enough money to ensure high production values and quality of the advertising. It was high enough to stand above the shyster. Also, the advertising message struck a chord of truth with the vieweróinspiring and speaking to the heart and idealism of targeted professions. In other words, they did it right. The results: their industry recognized them as having done the best advertising in the country. (I know this sounds like an agency thumping its chest, but it is true.) The most notable return was found in the number of inquiries (the beginning of any B2B sale is an inquiry). This collegeís inquiries are up 180 percent (good news for the sales force). Closed deals are numbering the most in the history of the institution. Itís not just that advertising brought in leads or brought value to the institution, itís that we told the story of the quality of the organization. We made people remember the value of the institution and got others to say, oh, yeah, those guys are great. No longer were they lost in the message shuffle of the day!

Secret Two: You do not have to ìadvertise.î What I am saying is just because you are doing an ad does not mean you have to put the full court press, bait and switch, used car sales tactics on! You have to lead. Professional service begs for leadership and implied testimonial. We havea professional service firm client that we have helped advertise with, or let's call it communicate with, its markets throughout the southeast. The way we did it was by telling stories. Not our clientís stories but our clientís clientís stories. The series ran for eight years and although it has ceased running, it still grows in reputation. I rarely have a meeting when someone does not see these ads and say, ìOh, you guys did these? I love these ads.î When a professional services firm markets itself, it must remember that it will not close a deal with its ad. It will position itself. It will associate itself with success. It will share and demonstrate expertise. If it tries to sell, it is doomed to become what it fears, the shyster. The rub comes in having the confidence to produce advertising that is not a direct sales tool. One client, not the successful one I am talking about, asked me to ìproduce an ad that says nothing.î We did and the ad did exactly what they wanted, I suppose. Looking back, I see that I was too young to realize that the best thing to have done would have been to stand up and say, letís just not spend money on saying nothing. Look at 5 professional service ads in the next business journal or trade rag... professional services firms often say nothing. It comes from a fear of positioning or not being attractive to everyone. The result is being attractive to none.

Letís return to the main story. Did this advertising work? Did it tarnish the professional services firm. No. The brand has risen above others in awareness, even those larger than they. Recruiting benefited from recognition and leadership. Most importantly, during the seasons the campaign ran, the firm grew an average 30 percent a year in gross billings. Yes. It worked.

Marketing professional services is a business-to-business sale. For most, the sales force is made of the individual professionals providing the services. This is not consumer marketing. It requires much less risk than is perceived and the benefits are more tangible than you might expect. Follow the two rules noted above and you will reap a fine ROI!

I would like to hear back from you please tell me about your observation and personal experiences. send me an email

Sean

P.S. In May, I wrote a tale of a local restaurant that had to make a choice between helping the customer with his (my) order or stick to its egocentric process. The title was ìThe Salad or the Sale. How Do You Make Your Customers Feel?î

I have an update. Today my friend and I went back and tried again for the burger and side of feta salad. Things have improved somewhat. We drove to the place wondering what would happen, if we would be rejected, again. Would I finally get to try the greatest burger combo ever, or would the cash register and its programming get in the way of this delicacy?

When my friend ordered his burger in the particular way and with the particular side item he wanted, the reply from the clerk was, ìSure.î

Yes! Finally a victory for the customer! We ordered. He served. Hurray!

Well, all is not yet well. The burger arrived with the tomato feta salad ON the burger, not on the side. Still, itís a step in the right direction. This time we were at least allowed to buy the two items together!

To read the whole tale and discover a few great tips on how to measure and improve YOUR customer service... check out the original article.