Marketing professional services

Professional service industries are faced with marketing themselves in a similar fashion to other businesses. The major difference is that services are more difficult to market due to the lack of specific goods. These individuals must distinguish their identities from other established companies in order to maintain a reputable name and overall image. When a service is considered inadequate, the industry may suffer, but not as drastically as the business itself. Common styles include minimalism, hard-selling, and professionalism; the most beneficial style for marketing professional services would be from a professional approach. It is designed to incorporate the company’s ethical standards into any project. It doesn’t oversimply the marketing process compared to a minimalistic style or develop a sales-oriented monster such as hard-selling techniques. Marketing strategies are an entirely client-based segment and “many professional firms see the key to growth to lie in expanding their services to existing clients” (Kotler & Connor, 1977, p. 73). All customers want to believe they’re receiving the best quality for what they pay for. The next major step would be to identify and cultivate potential clients. This would range from legitimate advertising strategies by the company to phone calls from prospective clients about any available services. Many other marketing strategies can be correlated to previous mentioned in some way.

Companies need to consider any vital procedures that are required in order to achieve success in marketing their professional services. Companies should rely on the expertise of a marketing team to conduct a formal and proper analysis. They would create a specialized marketing team, or department that would conduct research, present the findings, and advise companies of further action. Overall, company procedures are intended to offset customer-based strategies.

References:

Kotler, P., & Connor,Richard A.,,Jr. (1977). Marketing professional services. Journal of Marketing (Pre-1986), 41(000001), 71.