Generally mid level Accounting and consulting firms are averse to marketing or lack the skills or the mindset to market. Firms are normally not outward looking with very limited capabilities on marketing and branding. Firms may have 100 or more existing clients whom they are supporting actively and are quite happy of what they are doing and the Clients are also happy. One of the most challenging barriers to growth for midlevel Accounting and consulting firms is the lack of regular communication to the markets and clients about the firm. It limits the market reach and their expertise and capabilities are not known in the market.
It all boils down to the 5 powerful pointers on how to approach and target the market, how it is structured and budgeted and then the benefits will automatically overflow.
Employee Orientation – The firms need to inculcate the skill and interest among all the employees to communicate to clients about the services and capabilities. Every employee need to act as a spokesperson for the firm.
Visibility and Image – Visibility is required at all appropriate platforms. Along with visibility, the image of the firm projects to the market through their Office interior design, collaterals design and other PR communications.
Knowledge – Creating a knowledge base is as important as visibility. A wide spectrum of knowledge base with regional experience and with regular training and updates tuned to the changing business needs is a must.
Capable resources – Experienced resources with core domain knowledge to back up, what the firm say and project in the market.
Trust – All this will add up to create the trust factor – which is the backbone of any successful Professional Services firm.
Structuring the efforts to the 6 different verticals will add value to the brand
Publications and Collaterals – will boost up the image in the knowledge domain. A News Letter with articles on contemporary happenings in the market will be a value addition.
Academic – Partnering with the academia to compliment their activities like complimentary presentations, training interns, becoming an accredited training center will elevate the image as a responsible firm serving the student community and the younger generation.
Community Partnership – Complimentary services and support for outstanding institutions that serve the cause of humanity will bring in lot of emotional quotient to the brand.
Media Presence – Carefully selected interviews, bytes and comments on major initiatives happening in the country or region, well updated website, Social media presence and dedicated SEO activities will trigger the visibility in a different level.
Government entities – Proactive partnership with all Govt. entities, Diplomatic Missions, Trade Missions for local and international business events. Delivering complimentary Presentations for all visiting business delegations and Trade Missions will value the brand as a must for the business ecosystem.
Events and Networking – Attendance in all networking opportunities in the country is of prime attendance. Contacts need to be tracked and a database created for regular communication. A dedicated database manager can see that the communication reaches the right channels at the right time.
Benefits:
Mid-level firms must be willing to adjust and reposition when the business landscape changes. Positioning is how you differentiate yourself, your brand in the minds of others. Always remember the old saying which is highly relevant as of today – if you deprive yourself of visibility and your competition do not, then you are putting yourself out of business.
About the speaker – Sudhir Kumar is Partner and Head, Corporate Communications of Morison Menon Chartered Accountants Dubai. This talk was delivered by him at the Morison International and Morison International Asia Pacific Conference held at Singapore at Marina Bay Sands Hotel between 7th and 9th October 2011 with more than 250 Morison International Partners, invited Guests and renowned global speakers from 65 countries. The event is part of an annual congregation of members of the fraternity, for primarily focusing on exchange of ideas, knowledge and new marketing and branding initiatives for the next year. Renowned Speakers from the USA and the Govt. of Singapore spoke on varied topics. The third day of the event was started by a Speech and Presentation on the topic ‘Successful Marketing’ by Sudhir Kumar, Partner & Head-Corporate Communications, Morison Menon. He talked on the initiatives, approach, strategies and the way forward for mid level Accounting and Consulting firms to successfully brand and market their services. He equated that to – How Morison Menon in the last 10 years evolved as a 100% coherent brand, 100% valued brand, 100% trusted brand and a 100% community brand.
About Morison Menon:
Morison Menon is a leading Chartered Accountant Company in the Middle East with offices across UAE. The company provides entire gamut of services ranging from assistance in accounting & audit, business consulting, incorporate services, hr consulting and incorporation help in free zones of UAE.
Morison Menon provides professional advisory services for company set up and formations on the industrial areas of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Jebel Ali, JAFZA, DAFZA, Dubai Internet City, SAIF Zone, Sharjah, DIFC [Dubai International Finance Center],RAK Free Zone, RAKIA, Oman and Muscat.
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