Features

Professional services firms are acutely aware of the importance of client and referrer relationships. Yet surprisingly few, if any, seek to directly quantify the value or worth of these relationships over time. It’s worth paying much closer attention.Read more »

Amid a host of new market pressures, many firms are looking to make their pricing systems more sophisticated, and some have taken the bold step of appointing pricing specialists. We met one of them, and sought his and other experts’ views on how you can capture value with a more progressive pricing strategy.Read more »

Like it or not, business development and professional services marketers may soon be forced to broach a subject that some firms have so far been reluctant to embrace – outsourcing. Mark Phillips reports on how outsourcing is rapidly transforming the legal sector and the implications it could have for all Asia-Pacific professional services firms.Read more »

In the United Kingdom it is not uncommon for a small and select group of clients to provide professional services firms with ongoing insight into what they want, need and expect, as well as to help develop overall strategy and direction. Could and should the same thing happen here? Mark Phillips asks Simon Rhind-Tutt...Read more »

Producing thought leadership material is one of the most important things a professional service firm can do to build business. But what is it, why do it and how should you write it? By Grant ButlerRead more »

Professional service providers are often protected from severe downturns, but have still had a tough few years. ROBERT BRYANT from IBISWorld predicts that 2010 holds better tidings.Read more »

The past six months have been extraordinary. Firms have gone from having surplus work to surplus staff; from coping with staff shortages to a shortage of ‘active’ clients; from investing in growth strategies to focusing on ‘weathering the storm’. By Joel Barolsky, Beaton Consulting The brand funnel concept The rapid downturn has inevitably lead...Read more »

Demonstrating the effectiveness of your marketing activities is the best way to shore up your budget in uncertain times, which means you need appropriate metrics in place. By Tami Dower Whether you’re trying to secure next year’s marketing budget or justify a one-off initiative, nothing speaks louder than a successful track record. However, many...Read more »

Choosing the right pricing structure can align the objectives of the client and the firm, and can contribute to the building of a harmonious relationship. Colin Jasper and Libby Maynard consider ways to strengthen client–firm relations through alternative pricing structures. The marketing director of a large law firm was recently bemoaning the lack of...Read more »