Vol. 18 • No. 1 • January/February 2006
Marketing Plans: The Key to Success
for You and Your Firm
By Ilene Schwartz, McCrory & McDowell LLC
A
s marketing professionals most of us have been
subjected to questions
regarding the value of
our work. How often have you been
asked, “Why do we need to advertise?”;
“What is the value of our print collateral?”; “How are we going to benefit
from a seminar or workshop? ”; etc.
More often than not, our responses are
weak, especially if there is no firm-wide
marketing plan in place to justify what
we do and why we do it.
include a marketing plan that is a
roadmap consisting of strategic and
tactical objectives that result in helping the firm overcome the obstacles
and evolve into its vision.
Marketing plans are strategic and require
the support, consent and commitment of
management at all levels. Some marketing plans include more data and narrative than others, but the basic elements
of any marketing plan should include
the following:
Goals tied to the strategic goals of
the firm
That said, a marketing plan alone is
ineffective unless it supports a strategic
business plan. A strategic plan of any
worth provides a practical vision (who
we want to be) and the obstacles that
are keeping us from being that today
(barriers to the vision). It must also
Target audience(s) defined via
internal and external research efforts
Strategies designed to execute the
marketing goals
Tactics required to move marketing
strategies forward (tangible and
measurable)
Save the Date!
Timeline for implementation
AAM Summit 2006:
Mile High Marketing
June 14-16, 2006
Hyatt Regency Denver
Denver, Colorado
More details at
www.accountingmarketing.org.
Budget necessary to carry out tactics
MarkeTrends asked AAM members
about the level of importance marketing plans have in their firms and in
their roles as accounting marketers.
Here is what they said:
Page 4
The Role of Due
Diligence and
Marketing Plans in
Niche Development
By Tracy Crevar Warren, The Crevar Group
and Sally L. Glick, Sobel & Co., LLC
T
here have been dozens
of articles published
over the last few years
regarding the trend in
our profession towards a niche focus
for public accounting firms. For many
of those firms that have always had a
generalist approach, there has been
a strong shift toward specialization.
In order to maximize the results of
embarking on such a significant transition, it is critical for firms to conduct
key research and planning prior to
moving forward in niche development.
Conducting Due Diligence
Prior to fully committing to the development of a niche practice in your
firm, it is important to conduct the
proper due diligence to help you
understand whether you are truly ready
for this change in strategy. Your due
diligence should include key questions
that help you to examine what tools
and resources are currently in place
and what will need to be obtained.
Page 2
Marketing Plans: A How-To
5
AAM Summit 2006:
Mile High Marketing
8
6
Why We Need Personal
Marketing Plans
11 AAM New Members
7
AAM Chapter News
8
Member Voices
The Partner’s Perspective…
10 Marketer Toolbox
12 AAM-MAA Winner Profile
Ilene Schwartz and Sally Glick — Issue Editors
MarkeTrends is designed by PDI Global, Inc. (www.pdiglobal.com)
www.accountingmarketing.org
MarkeTrends is published six times a year by
the Association for Accounting Marketing, Inc.
(AAM). It is a benefit of membership in AAM.
Association office:
14 West Third Street, Suite 200
Kansas City, MO 64105
Phone 816.221.1296/Fax 816.472.7765
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.accountingmarketing.org
Association membership for executive,
associate and affiliate members is $250
annually with a one-time $50 initiation fee.
Association membership for student
members is $150 annually with a one-time
$50 initiation fee.
Copyright ©2006 by Association for
Accounting Marketing, Inc. All rights
reserved. Please request permission to
reprint or copy any part of MarkeTrends.
AAM MarkeTrends Committee
Anne Angera, Co-Chair
Dunlap & Associates, P.C.
Phone 215.997.7219/Fax 215.997.7218
E-mail: [email protected]
Sally Glick, Co-Chair
Sobel & Co., LLC
Phone 973.994.9494 x159/
Fax 973.994.1571
E-mail: [email protected]
Granville Loar, Executive Director
AAM Headquarters
Julie Barnes
Smith & Howard, PC
Michelle Class
Barnes Dennig & Co.
Kim Cooley
Henderson, Hutcherson and McCullough, PLLC
Aimee Glass
Lane Gorman Trubitt, L.L.P.
Amanda Hopson-Walker
PDI Global, Inc.
Susan Lanfray
ERE LLP
The Role of Marketing Plans
and Due Diligence in Niche
Development
continued from page 1
Some key questions for you and your
leadership to consider include:
• How many current clients do we
presently have in this niche?
• Are these clients split among many
partners or are there one or two
partners who serve the majority of
these clients?
• Do any of the partners have specialized knowledge regarding the niche?
• Will the partners be willing to spend
the time to become more educated
regarding the niche, including reading journals and attending seminars?
• Is the niche large enough to provide
opportunities for increased growth?
• Is there an entrenched competitor(s)
already serving this niche?
• Are there any barriers to entry into
the niche?
• Are there established avenues
for communicating to businesses
in the niche (trade associations,
for example)?
• Is there a champion dedicated to
building a famous person status in
the marketplace?
• Does the firm have a sustainable
advantage that will be valuable to
businesses in the niche?
Marsha Leest
Practice Management Associates
• Will the firm devote all the necessary resources to develop the niche?
Maria Litrenta
Carbis Walker LLP
• Will the other partners support the
niche team?
Bette Luna
RSM McGladrey Network
Wendy Nemitz
Ingenuity Marketing Group
Lisa Rozycki
LR Marketing Group
Kayte Steinert-Threlkeld
Anchin, Block and Anchin LLP
Ilene Schwartz
McCrory & McDowell LLC
Kathy Stoudt
Ericksen, Krentel & LaPorte, LLP
• How might compensation be
impacted by adopting a niche focus?
At the end of this stage, it is important
for your firm’s leadership to take a hard
look at whether or not you are ready to
make this change. Are you willing to
commit the needed resources? Since it
takes years of work to fully develop a
niche approach, it is important to ask
yourself these tough questions before
you go too far down the road.
The Niche Plan
Once you have made a commitment to
developing a new niche within your
2
firm, it is important to turn your attention to developing a marketing plan that
will help you reach your desired destination. As Steven Covey says, “begin with
the end in mind.” This is where a written strategy will be most useful. When
the firm takes the time to put together a
formal documented plan, it is making a
serious commitment to the success of
the niche. The niche plan will be based
on the answers to the research and situational analysis and will include the tactics that are going to be used to attract
and retain clients in the niche.
The niche plan begins with a definition
of the overall goals for the niche. This
will focus your team and your initiatives in the same direction. From there
it is important to identify size and scope
of the niche itself, a complete description of the services being offered to the
businesses in the niche, the identification of others who influence the niche
and the names of the team members
who have agreed to serve the niche
practice. It is also important to identify
the role that each person on the team
plays in developing the niche.
As important, a section of the plan
must be devoted to a description of the
tactics that will be launched to attract
new clients and raise the retention
of existing clients. A range of tactics
can be utilized to create an integrated
marketing communications approach
to the niche. These may include the
following: (1) creating guidelines for
industry-specific proposals and agendas
for meetings with prospects; (2) sharing niche information — through
newsletters and e-alerts; (3) developing
a niche section on the firm’s Web site
(with links to key industry sites);
(4) providing niche education through
webinars, roundtables and seminars;
(5) offering support to the industry by
publishing articles in niche journals;
(6) demonstrating value to the niche
through participation in industry trade
organizations and by joining organizational committees; (7) exhibiting at
trade shows; and (8) developing a public relations campaign that encourages
working closely with the media journalists who cover the industry “beat.”
Page 3
The Role of Marketing Plans
and Due Diligence in Niche
Development
continued from page 2
Having a diversity of tactics makes it
possible for the firm to select those
that are most reasonable, easiest to
implement and applicable to the niche.
No firm needs to use every initiative
listed, but rather to choose those that
fall within the firm’s strategy and also
reflect the firm’s available resources.
You will also want to identify your target prospects and your referral sources.
Do you know them? Do others in your
firm know them? What strategy will
you use to reach each on the list? How
will you structure your calls? What will
be your objectives once you are in
front of the prospect?
It is also important to select tools that
you will need to develop your niche.
Consider items such as collateral pieces,
research sources, newsletters and mailing lists. Will you develop these inhouse or will you outsource them?
A Niche Budget
The final piece of the niche plan is the
budget, which is especially important
because it reinforces the legitimacy of
the niche activities and builds a process
for implementation. Without a budget
the team members will have to ask for
permission for each expenditure, which
will be less effective and efficient and
encourage a more reactive approach.
The budget also enables the firm to
measure the return on their investment.
Tracking Results
In order to measure success in the development of your niche, the firm needs
to execute a system that tracks results.
These results can include activities such
as referrals to new business within the
niche, proposals submitted, new business
won and lost, associations joined, articles
written, Web site visitors, press coverage
and other similar benchmarks that indicate the firm’s growing brand in the
niche. Since niche goals vary widely
across firms, it is important to have metrics that reflect the goals that you have
identified in your plan. As you track
About the Authors:
A pioneer in the field of professional services marketing and
business development, Tracy Crevar Warren brings proven
experience to firms focused on growth. For over a decade she
served as the Chief Marketing and Business Development
Officer for Dixon Hughes, helping the firm to grow from
$10M to over $120M in revenue. As the Chief Executive
Officer of The Crevar Group, she advises clients striving to
achieve growth and maximize performance. Tracy has held
numerous industry leadership positions including President of
the Association for Accounting Marketing, and was named one
of Accounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People in
Accounting. Tracy can be reached at 336.210.5130 or [email protected].
Sally Glick is the Chief Marketing Officer and Director
of Marketing Consulting Services at Sobel & Co, LLC.
She has spent her career working as a marketing consultant
directly with CPA firms across the country. Glick was named
Accounting Marketer of the Year for 2003 and is currently
serving as the Immediate Past President of the Board of
Directors of the Association for Accounting Marketing. She
has also been named one of Accounting Today’s Top 100
Most Influential People in Accounting for 2004 and 2005,
and as a Women of Influence for 2005 in New Jersey. She
had the honor of being the first non-CPA woman to appear
on the cover of Practical Accountant in August 2002. Sally can be reached at
973.994.9494 ext. 159 or [email protected].
results you will be able to understand the
effectiveness of your efforts and over
time understand the patterns that will
develop. For example if you participate
in a tradeshow you will generally obtain
X number of leads, from that you will set
X number of appointments and you will
obtain X new clients.
Regular Evaluation of the Plan
It is important to keep in mind that
your marketing plan is not something
that you develop and then put in a
drawer so that all your effort is lost.
Marketing plans should be prepared so
that they become easy to use reference
tools to help your niche team reach
their desired destination as we discussed earlier in the article. Your team
should visit the plan throughout the
year to make sure you are on track with
your initiatives. At the end of the year,
you and your team will want to evaluate the success of the plan by examining the metrics you have identified and
comparing your results to your original
goals. Other keys to your evaluation
include identifying what went well and
what needs to be modified as you move
toward the new year.
3
Once you have completed your evaluation process, then the team can revise
the plan for the next year. It is still
important that your team have a plan
each year because it helps to focus your
effort and keep you on track in the
process. Following the inaugural year of
niche kickoff, it will not take as long to
develop and modify your plans.
Impact of the Niche Plan
As you develop niche practices in your
firm, keep in mind that the proper due
diligence and marketing planning hold
the keys to your success. Take the necessary time now to identify how you
want to proceed. A well designed plan
provides a blueprint for the firm that
includes everything from conducting
research through budgeting. The plan
contains a platform for ensuring
accountability, with assignments such
as tasks and deadlines for each team
member carefully outlined. Let the
plan be your guide to helping you
reach your desired destination in niche
development.
Marketing Plans: The Key to
Success for You and Your Firm
continued from page 1
“The marketing plan is the foundation
for success. You can’t have a strategy
without it,” says Debra Skolnick,
Director of Marketing &
Communications for Goldenberg
Rosenthal, LLP (19 partners, 220 staff)
in Jenkintown, Pa. “We have a strategic
plan for the firm, which includes our
marketing plan. In many ways, however, the written marketing plan of the
firm has less impact than the process
through which we develop the plan.
The process forces us to reflect about
our resources and capabilities that
match the needs of our target markets,
what expertise and services need to be
enhanced to generate additional revenues, and the best ways to successfully
differentiate the firm in the marketplace to gain recognition as the go-to
firm for middle market companies.”
Debra finds that “the strategic marketing plan of each partner and each
industry niche, which is tied to the
global plan, are critical to success.
Anyone in our firm who is involved in
marketing has their own marketing
plan, and they are accountable to
meeting its goals. Our individual plans
are adjusted to the strengths and
potential of each person with action
strategies tailored to their marketing
capabilities. When used properly individual and niche marketing plans
enable us to measure results and make
decisions about what is working and
what is not working.”
Wendy Herman, Marketing Director,
Bond Beebe in Bethesda, Md., agrees
with Debra, that the marketing plan is
“essential” to business success. “We are a
firm of 80 employees, including 13 partners, and our marketing plan is based on
the business strategy of the firm,” she
says. “Our marketing plan keeps all of us
on the same page. Everyone here knows
what our marketing goals are and their
individual roles in meeting those goals.
Marketing plans are
strategic and require
the support, consent
and commitment of
management at all levels.
The plan is also instrumental in shaping
the marketing budget and showing our
management team the value of our marketing efforts. Overall, it serves as a
guide; it is not an absolute because
change is constant. It is designed to be
flexible in order to reflect those changes
that are inevitable.”
Tom Luhn, CPA, Principal, Bond
Beebe, adds, “About four years ago we
developed a marketing plan that basically stood alone. It was not tied into a
strategic business plan. Recently, we
developed a marketing plan the right
way. We started with a strategic plan
that included the operating plan of the
business and the marketing plan. The
marketing plan incorporates the strategic plan’s goals and supports the tactical operational plan. Therefore, the
About the Author:
Ilene Schwartz is Director of Marketing for McCrory
&McDowell LLC in Pittsburgh, Pa. She has over 25 years of
experience in the marketing/communications field. Ilene earned
a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Chatham College. In
addition, she holds a Master of Arts degree in corporate communications from Duquesne University, and completed her Master
of Public Management from the H. John Heinz III School of
Public Policy and Management, Carnegie Mellon University.
Ilene has been involved at the board and committee levels of several local nonprofit
entities. She can be reached at 412.281.9690 or at [email protected].
marketing plan is split into two pieces:
the strategy and the tactical, both of
which dovetail into what the strategic
plan says we are going to do. Our
strategic plan covers a four-year period,
but the tactical elements of the marketing plan are implemented annually
and include budgets. A marketing plan
without a strategic plan is useless. In
fact, I don’t know how anyone can do
anything regarding marketing without
it. It provides a more targeted approach
that enables us to measure the overall
effect our marketing efforts have on
our business.”
Laura Buford is the Marketing
Director for Dulin, Ward & DeWald,
Inc., a firm of 50 employees, eight
directors, and three offices in northeastern Indiana. Laura says, “Here at
DWD we have both a firm-wide marketing plan as well as individual plans
for every professional, from the managing director to junior level staff. The
firm-wide plan serves as a roadmap or
guideline of where we want to focus
our time and resources as a whole. The
individual plans support the overall
goals by allowing each individual to
participate in marketing activities that
fit their personality and professional
area of expertise. I have noticed a significant increase in the acceptance of
marketing as an integral part of each
professional’s career here at DWD in
the two years since we first implemented that practice.”
Laura goes on to say, “The firm-wide
marketing plan also serves as my
annual marketing budget. That allows
me to tie specific events and expenses
directly to the plan, as well as provide
a clear explanation as to why we
choose which marketing opportunities
we do. Without that connection, I
have found that it is difficult to stay on
target and not get pulled in many different directions.”
According to Jim Doty, CPA,
Managing Director, Dulin, Ward &
DeWald, Inc., “As both the Managing
Director and the director-in-charge of
marketing, I view DWD’s marketing
plan as a vital part of the firm’s success.
Page 5
4
Marketing Plans: The Key to
Success for You and Your Firm
continued from page 4
We realized when we instituted personal marketing plans that we would
also have to step up our level of marketing training and education. By giving our staff the necessary tools to
effectively carry out their marketing
plans, we not only have better marketers, but also more confident, wellrounded business professionals. That is
a win for us as well as our clients.”
“Our marketing plan reflects the firm’s
decisions to increase revenue, grow
niche areas and deepen existing market
presence,” says Buster Kennedy,
Marketing Manager, Elliott Davis,
LLC, Greenville, S.C. “The word “strategy” is the buzzword whose meaning gets
lost at times. Strategy defines how a
company plans to deliver on its promises
to its clients. Tactical decisions define
the activities pursuant to that plan, and
both involve unique processes that execute the marketing plan. For instance,
central to the marketing plan is the
identification of opportunities that will
effectively deliver the firm’s brand identity to the appropriate target audiences.
Properly leveraging advertising dollars is
an important component of this process.
We cannot afford to advertise for the
sake of advertising; rather our media
plan was born out of an extensive analysis of how those dollars can be best
invested to meet our well defined goals.”
AAM Summit 2006: Mile High Marketing
An Apprenticeship in Success
A
AM Summit 2006:
Mile High Marketing is
heading to new heights!
Designed to put you
side-by-side with people who share
your challenges, the Summit will benefit those breaking new, innovative
ground, as well as those just beginning
to explore the possibilities ahead of
them. You will not want to miss our
outstanding keynote lineup to help you
broaden your horizons.
Amy Henry of
The Apprentice
Business & Life
Lessons Learned
from The
Apprentice –
Wednesday,
June 14, 2006
An estimated 27
Amy Henry
million viewers
watched Amy in action as the “last
woman standing” on NBC’s hit business
reality show, The Apprentice, with business tycoon Donald Trump. Amy now
uses her experiences and “lessons
learned” to help professionals learn how
to “move up” in today’s competitive
business environment. Amy is a formidable businesswoman who has spent the
past 10 years working for leading technology companies across the United
States. She is the author of the highly
praised book, What It Takes: Speak Up,
Step Up, Move Up, where she shares her
secrets and advice for success in the
modern business environment.
Amy’s corporate clients have included
IBM, JPMorganChase, Merrill Lynch,
McKinsey & Company, Eastman
Chemical, Schlumberger, and Blue
Cross Blue Shield, to name a few. Amy
has also spoken at dozens of universities and leadership conferences across
the country. She received her undergraduate business degree, with honors,
from Texas A&M University, and an
MBA from Texas Christian University.
Powerhouse Marketing –
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Do you wonder how other marketers
are succeeding in the ever-evolving
business landscape? This keynote session will showcase marketing professionals from large Colorado-based businesses. A panel made up of representatives from these companies will share
their marketing challenges and successes from their perspective as high
level marketers at non-professional services companies with annual sales in
excess of $500 million. Session participants will hear that these professionals
face many of the same budget and buyin challenges as professional services
marketers. Ways to adapt marketing
efforts in the constantly changing business landscape, trends that impact their
5
initiatives and client relationships will
also be addressed. Join us in this notto-be-missed session to see what these
large organizations are doing that can
translate into your own marketing
efforts and firm growth!
And don’t forget about the great breakout sessions that put you right in the
middle of some of the leading authorities
in the accounting marketing industry.
This year will feature 25 concurrent sessions, a pre-conference event designed
with both the beginning marketer and
seasoned professional in mind, and networking events that give you the opportunity to meet new contacts and friends
that could last a lifetime!
Be sure to mark your calendars now for
AAM Summit 2006: Mile High Marketing!
We are constantly adding information
and sessions to our Web site, so visit
often www.accountingmarketing.org.
Why We Need Personal Marketing Plans
An interview with Michael Brewster, Director of Marketing, J.H. Cohn, Eatontown, New Jersey Office
Marketers across
the country agree
that for any firm to
be successful there
needs to be a formal
marketing plan.
The purpose of a
written document is
Michael Brewster that it provides
focus and direction
and also promotes accountability. The
plan becomes a blueprint for the firm
and a process for executing the marketing strategy as well as for assigning roles
and tracking results.
But exactly how does the firm ensure
that the plan for growth is executed?
This question was posed to Michael
Brewster, Director of Marketing for
J.H. Cohn’s Eatontown office, in
a recent interview on the value of
individual marketing plans.
“It is at the grass roots level that much
of the most effective marketing is
accomplished,” noted Brewster. “While
the firm may be involved with an ad
campaign, sponsorships, public relations
or Web content, it is the people within
the firm who are really responsible for
building relationships. This is how any
firm is consistently able to attract and
retain clients.”
With this in mind, Michael answered
some critical questions about his own
experience with crafting and implementing personal marketing plans.
MarkeTrends (MT): What components
have you found are most important in an
individual plan?
Michael Brewster (MB): These are the
four key activities that I believe are necessary in a personal marketing plan.
1. The first action is to conduct systematic accountant planning. During this
phase the CPA carefully selects key
accounts that are going to comprise his
or her target audience. This is done to
identify a limited number of special
accounts so that they will get the appro-
priate attention. This list will most likely
include clients, prospects, association
leaders or other influential individuals.
Once the list is pared down to a reasonable size, the partner or manager can
identify business issues of greatest concern to these accounts. This enables the
CPAs to truly behave as a service
provider. By spending time on fewer
select accounts, they will be more effective at offering advice, contributing to
solutions and helping with ideas on
newly emerging issues or how to address
repeating challenges.
expanded to include industry Centers of
Influence (COIs). This means that the
partner who is active in the construction
niche will be seeking out bonding
agents, architects, engineers and others
who interact with this core audience.
Thus, by limiting the scope of targets,
the partners can drill down much more
deeply. Instead of using the less effective approach of conducting mass marketing to cross-selling a new service,
they can concentrate on developing
solutions to specific problems. The
cross-selling of additional services ultimately takes care of itself.
4. The last component is to include a
commitment to make time for personal
development. Any plan is destined to
fail if the individual does not have the
necessary skills to carry it out. Everyone
who is actively engaged in business
development should be exposed to a
variety of training programs from sales
training to learning how to effectively
network. Accounting marketers can
assist with this, helping the CPAs to
create a meaningful “30 second pitch”
as well as practicing the techniques
they need to be comfortable when
working a room.
2. The second key activity is to select an
industry focus and align the individual’s
activities with the niche plan. This
means that an individual needs to incorporate education into his or her plan. If,
for example, the partners are going to
play a role in the firm’s construction services practice group, they need to learn
all they can about the world of a contractor. The intellectual capital they
gain will pay off when they achieve a
“famous person” status that brands them
and the firm and generates quality leads.
The plan should also include a way to
leverage this industry expertise, such
as writing articles, speaking at conferences and playing a leading role in
trade associations.
3. The third component that is essential
in a personal plan is the investment in
relationships. Part of the plan, therefore,
should include steps for focusing on
building and developing a referral network with others who also have a stake
in the same marketplace. This may
include the traditional connections with
bankers and attorneys, but should be
Partners cannot be asked to
simply write a plan. They
must be asked to live it.
MT: The four components you mention
are all critical, but is there any ranking
or order of importance?
MB: The attention to personal development is frequently the missing piece in
most personal marketing plans that I
have seen. The individuals need to
spend time up front preparing a strong
foundation for a personal marketing
campaign. Without an emphasis on
training, they may come up against
obstacles and find themselves giving up
before they begin. There is always a good
reason to avoid doing things that make
you uncomfortable. If stepping into a
room of people you don’t know, or
speaking on a panel before a large crowd
scares you, then you will find ways to
stay away from these types of situations.
Good training removes the fear factor
and opens up new opportunities for
Page 7
6
Why We Need Personal
Marketing Plans
continued from page 6
building strong relationships. That is
why I would start with this component
and proceed from there when working
with individuals on their plans.
MT: When should someone put a
plan together?
MB: That is a great question! Actually
I think most firms wait too long to
encourage CPAs to work on their own
plans. I have often been asked to work
with partners and managers on their
personal plans, but this process should
really begin at the supervisor level and
occasionally should include young
staff as well. Providing an organized
approach, with training, will help staff
and supervisors grow into seasoned
managers who are effective at business
development. If a firm is committed to
building a marketing culture, management needs to create an environment
that encourages everyone to accept a
practice development role.
MT: What are the most common challenges you and your partners/managers
face when executing their personal
marketing plans?
MB: The greatest issue I have encountered is lack of time. In every firm,
the priority is, as it should be, client
service. Unfortunately that often translates into lack of enough time for
partners to execute a plan properly
and it also means I don’t always have
enough time to aggressively support
every partner’s plan.
MT: What advice do you have for firms
that want their people to develop and
implement personal plans?
MB: The marketing culture of the firm
must be strong. If the management
team does not value individual practice
development efforts, and does not hold
the individuals accountable, then few
will succeed.
Partners cannot be asked to simply
write a plan. They must be asked to live
it. If their actions are tied to compensation, or some other means of measurement, they will respond. Management
can talk about personal marketing commitments, but if they do not measure,
track and reward activities and results,
little will get done.
MT: Finally, does anyone really need a
personal marketing plan?
MB: This is a relationship business. This
statement underscores the critical importance of personal relationships. Having
a plan helps to formalize the process —
designing a strategy and a budget — that
will build these relationships.
Without a plan, the individuals will
have only haphazard success. With a
plan the individual is forced to embrace
an intense, focused approach that, over
time, will consistently lead to quality,
lasting relationships.
Michael E. Brewster, MBA, joined
J.H. Cohn in 2004 as the Marketing
Director for the firm’s Eatontown, New
Jersey office. Mike’s marketing expertise
includes brand development, strategic and
market planning, business development,
account management, CRM, public
relations, and creative development. At
J.H. Cohn, Mike has primary responsibility for driving market awareness across
Monmouth, Middlesex, and Ocean
counties in New Jersey. He further
directs the firm-wide marketing efforts
for the company’s Construction Services
and Manufacturing Services Groups.
Mike can be reached at 732.380.8649
or [email protected].
AAM Chapter News
AAM has several local chapters in
operation across the U.S. For additional information regarding AAM’s
chapters, visit the AAM Web site at
www.accountingmarketing.org, or
contact the individuals listed below.
Atlanta Chapter
Erinn Keserica
404.253.7500 /
[email protected]
Chicago Chapter
Mary Doherty
312.602.8274 / [email protected]
Houston Chapter
Raissa Evans
713.860.1464 / [email protected]
Los Angeles Chapter
Samantha Deeder
310.477.0450 /
[email protected]
Maryland Chapter
Suzanne Bouhia
301.280.3634 /
[email protected]
Minnesota Chapter
Dawn Wagenaar
651.690.3358 /
[email protected]
New York Metro Chapter
Susan Lanfray
212.931.9270 /
[email protected]
7
Alisa Morris
212.303.1880 /
[email protected]
Philadelphia Chapter
Erin McClafferty
215.567.7770, Ext. 6062 /
[email protected]
Jack Kolmansberger
215.241.8963 /
[email protected]
Wisconsin Chapter
Beth Frickenstein
920.996.1290 /
[email protected]
Member Voices
An interview with Kathleen Sidney, Director of Marketing, Rothstein Kass
By Julie Barnes, Marketing Director, Smith & Howard
W
hen Kathleen Sidney,
Director of Marketing at
Rothstein Kass joined
the firm over nine years
ago, they had one office and fewer than
150 professionals. Today, they have 600
professionals and eight offices. The
firm’s growth brought a change in
Kathleen’s position; initially a human
resource and marketing professional,
Kathleen’s time is now completely
devoted to the marketing effort.
Kathleen believes that her time spent
in human resources helps her view
marketing in a broader light: “My HR
background has drilled into my head
that there are two audiences for every
communication — the internal and the
external. Sometimes marketers focus
so much on the external audience
(clients, prospects and referral sources)
they forget about the internal audience
(the employees). Everything we do
affects employees — and I keep this in
the back of my mind with respect to
everything that I do.”
With this in mind, Kathleen spearheaded the development of an Alumni
Network, a Web project that had been
discussed since 1997. Once there was
agreement to move forward, the firm
instituted an aggressive timeframe for
launch. Over the summer, Kathleen
worked with a company that specializes
in building Web-based alumni networks
to build a network for Rothstein Kass.
The site (www.rothsteinkassalumni.com)
has an extensive alumni directory, job
opportunities, news, alumni spotlights
and more.
At the same time, Kathleen was involved
in what she believes is her biggest accomplishment: the launch of the new corporate identity for Rothstein Kass. With a
logo that was over 20 years old, Kathleen
knew the time was right to develop a corporate identity that reflected the firm
Rothstein Kass had become. The corporate identity initiative also included a
new brand architecture that pulled the
affiliated companies together into one
cohesive brand. It took three years to sell
the project, but once she did, Kathleen
and her team led the firm to a successful
launch on November 1.
Even under the best of circumstances,
pulling major projects off (on time)
requires help from others. Kathleen has
been able to create a talented marketing
department, including a marketing coordinator, marketing assistant, marketing
technology specialist, public relations
specialist and an administrative assistant.
For those of us grappling with how to
justify adding staff, Kathleen offers the
following advice.
• Do your research in terms of the
value an additional person would
bring, including a clear outline of
projects that cannot be done due to
lack of resources.
• Present supporting information: job
descriptions, an analysis of the positions at comparable size firms, and a
title and salary for the position.
• Consider adding administrative support first. Administrative tasks are
critical to marketing, but delegating
these tasks to the marketing professional diminishes the value he or
she can bring to the firm.
• Be prepared: put thought into what
you need and have plenty of backup
information available.
Kathleen gives credit to AAM’s top
notch members and the Discussion List.
In her words, “One of the very first
things I learned from AAM was that I
was not alone. Now that I’ve been in
the industry for almost 10 years, I like
to share my advice and experiences
with ‘newbies’ to help them through
the challenges and see the great opportunities within their firms.”
The Partner’s Perspective
An interview with Simpson H. Gardyn, CPA, Managing Director, Gorfine, Schiller & Gardyn, P.A.
By Aimee Jones Glass, Director of Marketing and Client Development, Lane Gorman Trubitt, LLP
Accounting marketing. For many
of us in the profession, it’s a labor
of love. It would
have to be for
those of us who
work with individSimpson H. Gardyn uals who lack a
basic understanding
of just what it is that we do. So, if you
have not had the privilege of meeting
him in person, it is with great pleasure
that I introduce you to Simpson H.
Gardyn, CPA, Managing Director of
Gorfine, Schiller & Gardyn, P.A.
(GSG). A true marketing advocate,
Simpson has taken the time to learn
about, and appreciate, the hard work
and results brought about by AAM
members everywhere.
Simpson Gardyn has been in public
accounting for close to 30 years and
while establishing himself as a provider
of tax and business advisory services,
he had the opportunity to witness the
evolution of accounting marketing.
Once a self-professed novice on the
subject of marketing, Gardyn feels he
has come full circle — from needs
recognition all the way to a profound
appreciation for the results it delivers to
GSG, which has two offices and more
than 50 staff members in Maryland.
Page 9
8
The Partner’s Perspective
continued from page 8
When it comes to marketing, GSG definitely took the road less traveled. In the
beginning, the firm employed a telemarketer prior to hiring its first marketing
director eight years ago. Not understanding the need for both marketing and
sales, and not fully recognizing the success the firm had experienced through
telemarketing, GSG eventually succumbed to the traditional approach of
marketing without any dedicated sales
professionals. According to Simpson,
“this was the biggest mistake I have
made, to date, in my accounting career.”
Mentored on the subject by Sally Glick,
former Polaris Marketing Director and
current Chief Marketing Officer of Sobel
& Co., LLC, Simpson began to learn the
difference between sales and marketing.
Today, GSG continues to employ a sole
marketing director, Beth Finglass. As
the traditional model goes, she markets
the firm and supports the sales efforts of
the GSG directors and staff. “Beth has
developed a comprehensive marketing
plan” said Simpson. “The biggest challenge is finding the time to implement
more than 15 to 20% of it, which is
rooted in the firm’s strategic plan.”
According to Simpson, “the growth of
GSG heavily depends on the marketing
function. The plan guides us as we
brand ourselves in the community,
which in turn, allows us to focus our
efforts on our specific growth goals.”
For Simpson and Beth, the AAM
Summit in Orlando was a first. The two
found themselves returning to Maryland
with a Niche Building Campaign AAMMAA award. According to Simpson,
“the campaign for our not-for-profit
niche was fantastic and the award was a
well-deserved accolade for our marketing
director.” In addition, Simpson went on
to say, “The conference sessions were
very informative and the speakers were
Issue Sponsor
9
great. Because of the incredible networking opportunities, I was able to learn
about the issues marketing directors face
every day. This will allow me to better
support our own marketing efforts.”
Should you have the opportunity to
speak with Simpson Gardyn, don’t let
the moment pass you by. His enthusiasm and insight into accounting firm
marketing might just help you educate
members of your team about the vital
role marketing plays!
Simpson Gardyn can be reached at [email protected] or 410.356.5900.
Aimee Jones Glass is the Director of
Marketing and Client Development for
Lane Gorman Trubitt, L.L.P., a regional
firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
Aimee has more than 13 years of experience marketing professional accounting
services for international, regional and
local CPA firms. She can be reached at
[email protected] or 214.461.1402.
Marketer Toolbox
Guide to What CEOs Want From Their CPA Firm
By Michael T. Platt, MBA
A
funny thing happened
to me on the way to last
year’s AAM summit. I
normally speak with
many CPAs throughout the year, but I
had the opportunity earlier this year to
speak with a number of CEOs about
their CPA firm performance — or lack
thereof — and lo and behold they had
A LOT to say. So I invited a few of
them to Orlando for a panel discussion
to get “Inside The Mind of ‘A-Level’
Clients” and they were more than
ready to speak their minds!
CEO panelists included Ron Kaplan of
Action Products International Inc. in
Florida, Karen Hough of ImprovEdge
in Ohio, Dorthea Wynn of the
Orlando Heart Center, and Tony
Wood of The Leadership Coalition in
Florida (the company I work with).
The CEOs shared their opinions on service standards, billing procedures, satisfaction surveys, communication, and
relationship management. Marketing
professionals take heed — and consider
asking your own clients about these
sensitive areas of client relations!
The top 10 “pearls of wisdom” include:
1. Understand basic business development skills. Be responsive to my
needs, and teach your staff simple
business development skills (like
returning calls in a timely manner).
2. Customize your approach to me.
Ask me how I want to be communicated to, how I would like to
learn more about you. Understand
that my needs, tastes and quirks are
different than everyone else’s, so
find out what they are, make a
note of them, and address them in
a customized manner.
3. Be proactive. Put me in touch with
other clients that have similar
problems. Help me see the problems I will encounter and help me
avoid those problems.
a stance — don’t straddle the
fence. Put yourself in my shoes,
apply your intimate knowledge
of my situation, and help me
make a decision!
CEO panelists: Ron Kaplan, Karen Hough,
Dorthea Wynn, and Tony Wood.
4. Be a team. Introduce me to others
in your firm, including the marketing professional who is part of your
team. But be sure you have the
communications infrastructure in
place to support a team approach.
5. Add value. We want to know that
we are getting a competitive price,
but also want to make sure we are
getting value. Sometimes we don’t
know the value you bring, so you
need to tell us. And please don’t
nickel and dime me, or surprise me
with unexpected bills.
6. Understand that time is valuable
to all of us. You may charge by the
hour, and I may not, but time is
valuable to all of us. Oh, and when
you lament about having to work
70 hours a week during busy season, keep it to yourself — I work
70 hours a week all year long.
7. Intimately understand me and
my business. Understand my
challenges, where my company
is going, and target your communications to me appropriately.
When you provide advice, take
8. Streamline your communications.
I’m a busy CEO and don’t need to
know everything that is going on
in the accounting world. Tell me
what I do need to know, be sure
the communication is applicable to
my situation, and tell me how it
affects my business. Don’t clutter
my desk with unnecessary emails,
newsletters or communications
that are not relevant to me.
9. Educate me on additional services.
I am responsive to a face-to-face
meeting where you present additional services that can help me.
Yes, you may have told me about
those services years ago when I
hired you, but if a service is appropriate for my situation now, by all
means let me know!
10. Make my life easy. I will be
thrilled with you as my CPA firm if
you understand that your job is to
be one step ahead of me, helping
me navigate my way through the
choppy waters of running a business. Know me, how I think, how
I act, what keeps me up at night,
what I’m working on, and help me
get through all of those issues as
smoothly as possible. If you can do
that, we’ll be happy together for a
long time…
About the Author:
Michael Platt is a practice management and marketing consultant who has worked with CPA firms for over twenty years,
and is a frequent speaker at national conferences. He was the
executive director of two national associations of CPA firms,
and was the founder of AccountingWEB, a leading online
resource for the profession. Mike is a founding partner of The
Leadership Coalition, an organization dedicated to working with
the accounting, legal and financial services professions to better
serve their high net worth clients. Mike resides in Indianapolis with his wife Kelly and
can be reached at 317.616.2446 or via e-mail at [email protected].
10
AAM New Members
Tina Anderson
Windham Brannon
Atlanta, Ga.
[email protected] /
404.898.2000
Roger Ferrante
The Dolan Group
Sharon, Pa.
[email protected] /
877.342.0160
Laura Montoya
REDW Business &
Financial Resources, LLC
Albuquerque, N.M.
[email protected] / 505.998.3200
Kathleen Bach
Hill, Barth and King LLC
Boardman, Ohio
[email protected]
Susan Freiberg
PROforma ABF Direct
Turnersville, N.J.
[email protected] /
856.256.1900
Alice O’Brien
Haefele, Flanagan & Co., P.C.
Moorestown, N.J.
[email protected] / 856.533.3088
Elizabeth Bell
Kerkering, Barberio & Co.
Sarasota, Fla.
[email protected]
Michael Betros
D’Arcangelo & Co., LLP
Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
[email protected]
Kevin Betz
RGL-Forensic Accountants
and Consultants
Englewood, Colo.
[email protected] / 303.721.2970
Betty Geers
Pittard Perry & Crone, Inc.
Goldsboro, N.C.
[email protected] / 919.751.8297
Andrew Gilmore
Brown & Brown LLP
Boston, Mass.
[email protected] / 617.227.4645
Kate Paterson
Gallina LLP
Sacramento, Calif.
[email protected] / 516.383.4020
Ren Patterson
Suby, Von Haden & Assoc.
Madison, Wis.
[email protected]
Edwin Gray
H. Edwin Gray, CPA, P.A.
Greenville, N.C.
[email protected] / 252.758.7300
Michelle Perron
Carlson Advisors, Ltd.
Minneapolis, Minn.
[email protected] /
763.971.4830
Kenneth Bloom
Friedman, Suvalle & Salomon
Newton, Mass.
[email protected] / 617.641.0040
Lindsay Kershner
Smart & Associates, LLP
Devon, Pa.
[email protected]
Jeffrey Rosen
M.J. Rosen Associates
Beverly, Mass.
[email protected] / 617.901.2949
Sheila Brandsema
KPMG
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
[email protected]
Ron Krieg
Jackson, Rolfes, Spurgeon & Co.
Cincinnati, Ohio
[email protected] / 513.595.8800
Jennifer SentiwaN.Y.
BKR International
New York, N.Y.
[email protected] / 212.964.2115
Melissa Bustos
Malone & Bailey, PC
Houston, Texas
[email protected] / 713.266.0503
Nancy Laundy
RGL-Forensic Accountants
and Consultants
Englewood, Colo.
[email protected] / 303.721.2970
Ray Sheeler
Hill Schwartz Spilker Keller LLC
Dallas, Texas
[email protected] / 214.741.5360
Gary DeHaven
BKD, LLP
Springfield, Mo.
[email protected] / 417.865.8701
Kristin Ehrhardt
Grant Thornton LLP
Chicago, Ill.
[email protected]
Kristy Emory
Weaver and Tidwell, LLP
Fort Worth, Texas
[email protected]
Blain Mathieson
Horwath International
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
[email protected]
Jim Sterrett
James M. Sterrett, CPA
Honolulu, Hawaii
[email protected] / 808.591.6686
Tammy Mescobi
NSBN, LLP
Beverly Hills. Calif.
[email protected] / 310.288.4283
Angela Miller
Grant Thornton LLP
Chicago, Ill.
[email protected]
11
www.accountingmarketing.org
AAM-MAA Winner Profile:
KFMR’s New Brochure Earns Accolades
I
n early 2004, discussions
began regarding designing a firm brochure that
would enhance the
knowledge of KFMR – Katz Ferraro
McMurtry P.C., (five partners, 30 total
staff, one office, Pittsburgh, Pa.) in the
eyes of referral sources and prospective
clients. What Anna Marks, the Director
of Public and Client Relations, created
was a product that not only enhances
knowledge of the firm, but can also be
utilized for recruiting, proposals and
other marketing requests. It also netted
the firm a 2005 AAM-MAA Award for
Firm Brochure in the “Firm Size: Less
Than 75” category.
While planning the new brochure,
Anna and the marketing committee
realized that the following objectives
were of the utmost importance:
1. “Clean up” the previous firm
brochure.
2. Improve consistency in the look
and design. Never before had the
firm developed “graphics standards.”
(The new process provides a “template” for all users when creating
current as well as future materials.)
3. Maximize flexibility and allow for
customization in an effort to hit the
target audience, make changes on
demand, and incorporate client or
prospective client research or personal information as applicable.
Once the objectives were clearly understood by all, the primary strategy was
developed: to create a firm brochure that
combined the professional image of commercially designed and printed materials, with
the ability to print in-house, on-demand.
A clean, simple design able to stand
the test of time was developed by a
graphic designer. However, by managing the design process, Anna was able
to ensure a design that would easily
carry through to other marketing and
firm materials.
The new brochure contained tabs,
which were created to separate groups
of information, thus organizing sections
for Services, Industries, Associates,
Proposal, DFK International (independent association of CPA firms) and
Additional Information (which is
utilized for articles pertinent to the
reader, research information or other
customizable information.) The section
tabs not only enhance accessibility to
information by the user, but also makes
it easy for the KFMR staff to follow
and assemble.
14 West Third Street, Suite 200
Kansas City, MO 64105
12
Additionally, an easy-to-use template
was designed for the “guts” of the
brochure — to cut down on costs by
printing in-house, but most importantly to have the flexibility to update
/ evolve the brochure as needed. With
multiple colored plastic coil binding
options, a nice flat-folding look and a
more durable product, enhancing the
image of KFMR in the eyes of referral
sources and prospective clients was easily attained.
The “build-a-brochure” system has
allowed KFMR to have greater control
over the firm materials. The clean,
professional look has one partner
remarking, “our financial statements
now have the wow factor!”