PA interviewed various managing partners, marketing personnel, and consultants for this wide ranging article. Here are the most important ideas:

• If you want to keep talented people, you had better provide them career tracks, and that means growth. (Bill Hogan of John R. Waters & Company, Chicago, which doubled in size three years after hiring a marketer).
• Create more importance for the marketing director by changing the title to director of practice growth, include him/her in all partner meetings, and ask him/her to write a job description, a set of goals, and a compensation plan (Gale Crosley, Crosley + Company, Atlanta).
• Average term of a marketing director is only 13 months.
• Marketing directors should help business development efforts of the partners and staff including follow-up on their networking contacts. Knowledge of CRM is helpful. He/she should report directly to the MP (Sally Glick, marketing officer, Sobel & Co. New Jersey)
• In searching for a marketing person, decide what involvement he/she will have in (Elizabeth Galambos, marketing coordinator, Brott, Mardis & Co., Akron Ohio):
  • Sales and/or calling on prospects.
  • Writing proposals.
  • Attendance at networking events.
  • Follow-up calls for direct mail programs.
  • Tracking firms in the pipeline.
  • Setting appointments for professionals.
  • Branding
• Three levels of marketing (Thalia Zetlin, CMO and principal, Berdon LLP, NYC):
  • Coordinator—involved primarily in executing initiatives developed by others.
  • Manager/director—creates programs consistent with the firm’s strategic vision and goals.
  • Chief marketing officer—helps develop the firm’s marketing strategies.
• Experience in the accounting profession is less important than talent, commitment, enthusiasm, and assertiveness (Kevin O’Connell, MP of Macias Gini & Company, Walnut Creek, CA).
• Distinguish between tactics and strategies (Larry Bildstein, CEO, The Whetstone Group, Inc.):
  • Strategy—identifying market segments and services for them, assigning resources, creating budgets.
  • Tactics—maintaining data bases, executing campaigns, arranging seminars, and supporting practice development efforts.
• Trial and error worked for one firm (Kenneth Guidry, president, PKF, Houston):
  • First, hired someone with political and social networks—wasn’t helpful as a liaison with businesses.
  • Next, hired a marketing person who helped with collateral material, but offered no more than that.
  • Next, used an outside public relations firm, with limited results.
  • When Karen Love was hired, both the firm and Karen made certain that each understood what the other expected. Then she was introduced to every partner to assure there was compatibility of personalities and culture.
• The characteristics of the right person (Nancy Damato and Joseph Tarasco, Accountants Advisory Group):
  • Energetic.
  • Extrovert.
  • Reasonable risk taker.
  • Not too pliable
  • Bases opinions on experience, which should include a degree in marketing, and work in a professional service firm.
• Spending on marketing should be:
  • Three to five percent of revenue (Damato and Tarasco)
  • Two percent of revenue (Donald Cowan, Cowan, Gunteski & Co., Toms River, NJ).
  • Budget should be divided into two parts (Cowan):
• One part controlled by marketing director.
• The other part not under the control of the marketing director (e.g., entertainment).
• Marketing director should research prospects and their industries before business developers call on them. This is to develop an agenda for the first meeting, and helps determine the best mix of personnel to assign (Cowan).
• Every partner must help the marketing person succeed. At the very least this means avoiding being an obstruction (Jean Caragher, Capstone Marketing, Chesapeake, VA).

From Practical Accountant, June 2006, 800-221-1809. For the complete article, click on the following link: http://www.webcpa.com/article.cfm?articleid=20337&;pg=pracacc.