Client at the Core
Marketing and management for professionals
By August J. Aquila and Bruce W. Marcus
Client at the Core is an essential blueprint to helping us all take the next steps. This is a well-written book that uses plain language to convey practical, well thought-out ideas.”
—Patrick McKenna, Partner, Edge International, From the Foreword
“In Client at the Core, the authors have captured the changing role of professional services marketing and firm management. There is valuable insight here, and a down-to-earth guide to competing successfully in the new environment.”
— David Maister, Author and Consultant
“I’m overwhelmed! The book is a masterpiece! August J. Aquila and Bruce W. Marcus have produced THE essential guide for managing a professional services firm. Aquila and Marcus have marshaled their considerable real-life experiences and far-reaching visions into a veritable operating manual for the successful firm. It is must-reading for any professional seeking to survive and thrive in today’s markets and will remain a classic reference for years to come. Simply: This book is the last word on the subject.”
—Rick Telberg, Editor/At Large,
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
“Bruce Marcus and August Aquila reward readers of Client at the Core with an imaginative map for the perilous journey through the twists and turns of marketing and managing today’s professional services firm. It is creative, thorough and a catalyst for your further thought.”
—Gerry Riskin, Partner, Edge International
“At its heart, this book is the running shoe for law and accounting professionals who want to put the client first, not only because it is the smartest thing to do, but because it is also the most profitable thing to do in an age of never ending competition. Following the evolution of professional services marketing over the past 25 years, this is a must read for any professional services firm.”
—Richard S. Levick, Esq., President of Levick Strategic Communications, LLC
and co-author of Stop the Presses: The Litigation PR Desk Reference
ORDER BYHONE CALL TOLL FREE 1-877-762-2974Use promo code W55F3 to receive a 20% M
In Client at the Core, internationally renowned practitioners August J. Aquila and Bruce W. Marcus delineate the new landscape of professional services marketing and management, and describe a new path to competing successfully for accountants, lawyers, consultants, and other professionals. They go beyond the traditional how-to details to rethink the marketing and firm management process—to reexamine the professional firm and how it can better relate to, and serve, its market. They explain, in detail, how to build a firm’s marketing culture, including the new tools for measuring marketing and firm performance, the new business models that meet the needs of the changing economy, and what really works in today’s competitive environment to help a firm compete successfully and grow, going beyond the traditional practices of standard marketing tools.
Client at the Core offers new approaches to marketing planning that are integrated with firm planning, with thoughtful consideration of fee and billing structures and ways to measure performance. Featured are a balanced scorecard approach to measuring a professional firm’s marketing performance, new concepts of internal communication, and a thoughtful discussion of incentives and partner compensation. Built on the authors’ extensive experience with both large and small accounting and law firms, Client at the Core is a handbook for the new professional firm, to help it survive and thrive in a new business climate.
About the Authors
AUGUST J. AQUILA is one of the country’s leading consultants in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, succession planning, and management issues for professional services firms. He was an early pioneer and leading force in the accounting profession’s consolidation movement. In 2003, he was inducted into the Accounting Marketing Association’s Hall of Fame.
BRUCE W. MARCUS is a widely published author and consultant to some of the nation’s largest corporations and professional services firms. The author of hundreds of articles and more than a dozen books on marketing and marketing-related subjects, he is the editor of The Marcus Letter on Professional Services Marketing (www.marcusletter.com), read internationally by more than 22,000 lawyers, accountants, consultants, and professional marketers.
Client at the Core by August J. Aquila and Bruce W. Marcus• 304 pages • $55.00
To order by phone, call toll free 1 877 762-2974 and receive a 20% discount. Use promo code 4-4143. To order from Amazon, click here.
? ISBN 0-471-45313-7, $55.00US