first type (Brains), the client’s problem is at the forefront of professional or technical knowledge, or at…

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a consistent image in the marketplace is a valuable asset, which can be rapidly compromised if the firm attempts to serve too diverse a set of client needs. Few firms, in my experience, have a clear picture of their true positioning along the expertise, experience, efficiency spectrum.

marketing must be a seduction, not an assault. It must not scream “hire me!” but must gently suggest “Here is some concrete evidence as to why you may want to get to know me better.” Marketing is truly about attracting clients—doing something that causes them to want to take the next step (such as telling you about their problems).

Expertise-based practices, as a generalization, tend to be based in a single location relying on the development of a national or regional reputation to attract clients.

new clients are worth more to the firm than the value of the initial engagement, because they offer the potential for additional future revenues.

high level of expertise is still required, and efficiency is not irrelevant, but extensive experience with similar problems is worth more to the client than an extra degree of intellect or a few dollars of savings.

most common, and successful, approach to resolving these tensions is through the use of departments and divisions: in effect establishing “Chinese walls” between operating groups, allowing each to evolve its own management approaches, appropriate to the marketplace it serves. As potentially divisive as this may sound, it is frequently a more sensib

But if I invite the client to dinner or to my offices to talk, not about the current matter, but about what’s going on in his or her business, I can (and will) learn a great deal that will be useful to my future practice development efforts.

The weaker (or more neglectful) a firm is at developing new business from existing client relationships, the lower the value (and hence the “return on marketing investment”) of getting new clients.