Effective Client Management in Professional Services
Effective Client Management in Professional Services

Author: Jack Berkovi

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-04-29

Total Pages: 375

ISBN-13: 1317145631

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How do firms become Client-centric? Effective Client Management in Professional Services is about putting the Client first, everywhere, in the activities of professional services firms. The book introduces The Client Management Model to enable firms to assess their level of Client orientation and relationship development. It also features The Client Management Index which enables firms to benchmark their result against their peers. Many firms are still developing and improving their commercial structures and approaches to attract, develop and retain Clients. Characteristically, professional services firms tend to lag their consumer goods and service industry counterparts in overall commerciality. Only recently have they discovered the value of having a strong brand promise with the associated employee engagement. In many firms achievement of Client satisfaction is not a strategic objective; this may need to be reviewed. This book provides a comprehensive, pragmatic guide to the Client relationship journey, from identifying potential Clients to their engagement, care, retention, development, loyalty and beyond. The handbook format has exercises and tools which can help to establish which Clients are likely to be the most lucrative and thus provide the desired financial returns. The book also includes insights from top practitioners, anecdotes, case studies, charts and useful exercises and checklists. Readers can also determine their own level of effectiveness using the end of chapter reviews and a diagnostic tool to produce a Client Management Profile.

Effective Client Management in Professional Services
Effective Client Management in Professional Services

Author: Jack Berkovi

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-04-29

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 1317145623

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How do firms become Client-centric? Effective Client Management in Professional Services is about putting the Client first, everywhere, in the activities of professional services firms. The book introduces The Client Management Model to enable firms to assess their level of Client orientation and relationship development. It also features The Client Management Index which enables firms to benchmark their result against their peers. Many firms are still developing and improving their commercial structures and approaches to attract, develop and retain Clients. Characteristically, professional services firms tend to lag their consumer goods and service industry counterparts in overall commerciality. Only recently have they discovered the value of having a strong brand promise with the associated employee engagement. In many firms achievement of Client satisfaction is not a strategic objective; this may need to be reviewed. This book provides a comprehensive, pragmatic guide to the Client relationship journey, from identifying potential Clients to their engagement, care, retention, development, loyalty and beyond. The handbook format has exercises and tools which can help to establish which Clients are likely to be the most lucrative and thus provide the desired financial returns. The book also includes insights from top practitioners, anecdotes, case studies, charts and useful exercises and checklists. Readers can also determine their own level of effectiveness using the end of chapter reviews and a diagnostic tool to produce a Client Management Profile.

Managing The Professional Service Firm
Managing The Professional Service Firm

Author: David H. Maister

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2012-12-11

Total Pages: 479

ISBN-13: 1471109658

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Professional service firms differ from other business enterprises in two distinct ways: first they provide highly customised services thus cannot apply many of the management principles developed for product-based industries. Second, professional services are highly personalised, involving the skills of individuals. Such firms must therefore compete not only for clients but also for talented professionals. Drawing on more than ten years of research and consulting to these unique and creative companies, David Maister explores issues ranging from marketing and business development to multinational strategies, human resources policies to profit improvement, strategic planning to effective leadership. While these issues can be complex, Maister simplifies them by recognising that 'every professional service firm in the world, regardless of size, specific profession, or country of operation, has the same mission statement: outstanding service to clients, satisfying careers for its people and financial success for its owners.'

Client at the Core
Client at the Core

Author: August J. Aquila

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2004-07-29

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 0471681873

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"Clients At The Core is an essential blueprint to helping usall take the next steps. The authors, battle scarred by theevolution of professional firm management and marketing from thento now, have captured the changing needs of the firms in thisturbulent new economic era. This is a well-written book that usesplain language to convey practical, well thought-out ideas." -Patrick J. McKenna, a leading international consultant toprofessional service firms "The authors have captured the changing role of professionalservices marketing and firm management. There is valuable insight[in this] down-to-earth guide to competing successfully in the newenvironment." -David Maister, author and consultant "The book is a masterpiece! Aquila and Marcus have produced theessential guide for managing a professional services firm. They'vemarshaled their considerable real-life experiences and far-reachingvision into a veritable operating manual for the successfulfirm." -Rick Telberg, Editor at Large, American Institute ofCertified Public Accountants "At its heart, this book is the running shoe for legal andaccounting professionals who want to put the client first.Following the evolution of the industry over the past twenty-fiveyears, this must-have for every professional services firm is thekey to leading in the turbulent and highly competitive watersahead." -Richard S. Levick, Esq., President, Levick StrategicCommunications, LLC coauthor, Stop the Presses: The Litigation PRDesk Reference "Client selection and retention is one of the critical successfactors for a professional services firm, and Aquila and Marcus doa masterful job at educating us on the necessary ingredients ofeach. The chapters on firm governance and paying for performanceare thought provoking and certainly challenging to the conventionalwisdom. If you want a better understanding of marketing and leadinga professional firm in these turbulent times, this book isessential." -Ronald J. Baker, author, Professional's Guide to ValuePricing and The Firm of the Future "Client at the Core is a commonsense approach to keeping yourprofessional services firm relevant in the twenty-first century'sclient-driven economy. Aquila and Marcus have hit a home run withtheir insightful analysis and poignant prose." -Jeffrey S. Pawlow, Managing Shareholder, The GrowthPartnership, Inc.

The Oxford Handbook of Professional Service Firms
The Oxford Handbook of Professional Service Firms

Author: Laura Empson

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2015-08-13

Total Pages: 620

ISBN-13: 0191504947

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Over the past three decades the Professional Service Firm (PSF) sector has emerged as one of the most rapidly growing, profitable, and significant in the global economy. In 2013 the accountancy, management consulting, legal, and architectural sectors alone generated revenues of US$ 1.6 trillion and employed 14 million people. PSFs play an important role in developing human capital, creating innovative business services, reshaping government institutions, establishing and interpreting the rules of financial markets, and setting legal, accounting and other professional standards. The study of PSFs can offer insights into the contemporary challenges facing organizations within the knowledge economy, and deepen understanding of more conventional organizations. Despite their significance, however, PSFs have until recently remained very much in the shadows of organizational and management research. The Oxford Handbook of Professional Service Firms marks the coming of age of PSF scholarship with a comprehensive and integrative exploration of current research and thinking on PSFs, featuring contributions from internationally renowned scholars in the fields of organizational and management studies. It is divided into three distinct sections - the professions, the firms, and the professionals that work within them - and covers subjects from governance and leadership to regulation, entrepreneurship, and diversity. Bringing together a broad range of empirical and theoretical perspectives, the Handbook offers many potentially important insights into the contemporary challenges of organizations in the knowledge economy and suggests new lines of inquiry that may shed further light on the activities and performance of PSFs and the professionals who work within them.

Winning the Professional Services Sale
Winning the Professional Services Sale

Author: Michael W. McLaughlin

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2009-08-06

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 0470522011

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An innovative approach to winning more profitable sales in the growing professional services industry In recent years, professional services providers have had to rethink their sales methods and adapt to profound changes in the way clients buy services. In response, Winning the Professional Services Sale argues for fundamental changes in the seller's mindset and sales strategies. Rather than pressing the sale, salespeople must help clients buy--the way that works best for each client. This new approach gives buyers what they now want in a services seller: a consultative problem solver, change agent, and solution integrator, all rolled into one. Author Michael McLaughlin presents a strategy for winning new business with a holistic approach to each client relationship. Only by fully understanding a sale from every angle, including its impact on the client's business and career, can salespeople thrive in the new era of the service economy.

Client Relationship Management
Client Relationship Management

Author: David A. Po-Chedley

Publisher: Human Resource Development

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 9780874256376

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This book reveals how to truly excel at meeting client needs and lock in future business, client testimonials, increased referrals and client loyalty. Insightful and full of common sense, Client Relationship Management sheds new light on managing the six elements of successful client relationship management: The client relationship, relationship/project initiation, planning, implementation, closeout, and application/service plan. The book delivers a wealth of advice from the "real world"; how to define solutions based on the client's history, design a plan that secures ownership from stakeholders, promote strong communication, and orchestrate project closeout to acknowledge individual and team performance.

How Clients Buy
How Clients Buy

Author: Tom McMakin

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2018-03-13

Total Pages: 279

ISBN-13: 111943470X

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The real-world guide to selling your services and bringing in business How Clients Buy is the much-needed guide to selling your services. If you're one of the millions of people whose skills are the 'product,' you know that you cannot be successful unless you bring in clients. The problem is, you're trained to do your job—not sell it. No matter how great you may be at your actual role, you likely feel a bit lost, hesitant, or 'behind' when it comes to courting clients, an unfamiliar territory where you're never quite sure of the line between under- and over-selling. This book comes to the rescue with real, practical advice for selling what you do. You'll have to unlearn everything you know about sales, but then you'll learn new skills that will help you make connections, develop rapport, create interest, earn trust, and turn prospects into clients. Business development is critical to your personal success, and your skills in this area will dictate the course of your career. This invaluable guide gives you a set of real-world best practices that can help you become the rainmaker you want to be. Get the word out and make productive connections Drop the fear of self-promotion and advertise your accomplishments Earn potential clients' trust to build a lasting relationship Scrap the sales pitch in favor of honesty, positivity, and value Working in the consulting and professional services fields comes with difficulties not encountered by those who sell tangible products. Services are often under-valued, and become among the first things to go when budgets get tight. It is now harder than ever to sell professional services, so your game must be on-point if you hope to out-compete the field. How Clients Buy shows you how to level up and start winning the client list of your dreams.

The Effective Client
The Effective Client

Author: David Skuodas

Publisher:

Published: 2020

Total Pages: 139

ISBN-13: 9781706240396

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Have you ever wondered what designers and builders really think about their clients, or why it matters? David Skuodas spent the past several years asking vendors in the construction industry the following question: "Why does it matter to be a good client?" Skuodas interviewed over 50 consultants, contractors, and client project managers about this topic. He asked them what differentiates a good client from a bad client, and how the client affects the cost, schedule, and quality of a project. He also asked vendors what conditions allow them to do their best work, and conversely, what might an owner do that makes it difficult for vendors to do their jobs effectively? This book allows you to peek behind the curtain and find out how designers and builders really differentiate between good and bad clients. You will learn how client behavior affects the price and quality of work - and even how designers and builders choose their clients. That's right, just because you have a project to bid doesn't anybody has to bid it. This book offers practical advice on how you can improve your standing with designers and builders so you can become a client of choice. Make no mistake: owners are in competition with each other for a very limited pool of capable designers and builders. Being a desirable customer is smart business, this book will show you how.

The Art of Client Service
The Art of Client Service

Author: Robert Solomon

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2016-03-17

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 111922828X

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A practical guide for providing exceptional client service Most advertising and marketing people would claim great client service is an elusive, ephemeral pursuit, not easily characterized by a precise skill set or inventory of responsibilities; this book and its author argue otherwise, claiming there are definable, actionable methods to the role, and provide guidance designed to achieve more effective work. Written by one of the industry's most knowledgeable client services executives, the book begins with a definition, then follows a path from an initial new business win to beginning, building, losing, then regaining trust with clients. It is a powerful source of counsel for those new to the business, for industry veterans who want to refresh or validate what they know, and for anyone in the middle of the journey to get better at what they do.