Client at the Core: Marketing and Managing Today's Professional Services Firm

Book Description

"Clients At The Core is an essential blueprint to helping us all take the next steps. The authors, battle scarred by the evolution of professional firm management and marketing from then to now, have captured the changing needs of the firms in this turbulent new economic era. This is a well-written book that uses plain language to convey practical, well thought-out ideas."
- Patrick J. McKenna, a leading international consultant to professional service firms

"The authors have captured the changing role of professional services marketing and firm management. There is valuable insight [in this] down-to-earth guide to competing successfully in the new environment."
- David Maister, author and consultant

"The book is a masterpiece! Aquila and Marcus have produced the essential guide for managing a professional services firm. They've marshaled their considerable real-life experiences and far-reaching vision into a veritable operating manual for the successful firm."
- Rick Telberg, Editor at Large, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

"At its heart, this book is the running shoe for legal and accounting professionals who want to put the client first. Following the evolution of the industry over the past twenty-five years, this must-have for every professional services firm is the key to leading in the turbulent and highly competitive waters ahead."
- Richard S. Levick, Esq., President, Levick Strategic Communications, LLC coauthor, Stop the Presses: The Litigation PR Desk Reference

"Client selection and retention is one of the critical success factors for a professional services firm, and Aquila and Marcus do a masterful job at educating us on the necessary ingredients of each. The chapters on firm governance and paying for performance are thought provoking and certainly challenging to the conventional wisdom. If you want a better understanding of marketing and leading a professional firm in these turbulent times, this book is essential."
- Ronald J. Baker, author, Professional's Guide to Value Pricing and The Firm of the Future

"Client at the Core is a commonsense approach to keeping your professional services firm relevant in the twenty-first century's client-driven economy. Aquila and Marcus have hit a home run with their insightful analysis and poignant prose."
- Jeffrey S. Pawlow, Managing Shareholder, The Growth Partnership, Inc.

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"August Aquila and Bruce Marcus 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 and thorough."
-Gerry Riskin, Partner, Edge International
"The authors have captured the changing role of professional services marketing and firm management. There is valuable insight [in this] down-to-earth guide to competing successfully in the new environment."
-David Maister, author and consultant
"The book is a masterpiece! Aquila and Marcus have produced the essential guide for managing a professional services firm. They've marshaled their considerable real-life experiences and far-reaching vision into a veritable operating manual for the successful firm."
-Rick Telberg, Editor at Large, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
"At its heart, this book is the running shoe for legal and accounting professionals who want to put the client first. Following the evolution of the industry over the past twenty-five years, this must-have for every professional services firm is the key to leading in the turbulent and highly competitive waters ahead."
-Richard S. Levick, Esq., President, Levick Strategic Communications, LLC
coauthor, Stop the Presses: The Litigation PR Desk Reference
"Client selection and retention is one of the critical success factors for a professional services firm, and Aquila and Marcus do a masterful job at educating us on the necessary ingredients of each. The chapters on firm governance and paying for performance are thought provoking and certainly challenging to the conventional wisdom. If you want a better understanding of marketing and leading a professional firm in these turbulent times, this book is essential."
-Ronald J. Baker, author, Professional's Guide to Value Pricing and The Firm of the Future
"Client at the Core is a commonsense approach to keeping your professional services firm relevant in the twenty-first century's client-driven economy. Aquila and Marcus have hit a home run with their insightful analysis and poignant prose."
-Jeffrey S. Pawlow, Managing Shareholder, The Growth Partnership, Inc.

Customer Reviews:

Marketing 101, 201, & 301 for Professional Services.......2005-08-31

This book should burnish the authors' already high reputations for having cogent, jargon-free, and street-smart things to say about what it's really like to try to market professional services. An unusual blend of (clear and lucidly stated) theory about marketing, and real-world insights into obstacles clients can throw up--not to mention the high barrier of internal resistance that "professionals" instinctively erect when asked to be marketers--this should be your starting point if you're facing the complexities of marketing in this environment.

Think that "marketing is just common sense?" Think again; it's both a discipline and an art. Aquila and Marcus will guide your hand at both.

Gerry Riskin (co-author Herding Cats and Beyond Knowing.......2005-06-12

August Aquila and Bruce Marcus 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 and thorough.

Required reading for my marketing leaders.......2004-09-25

August Aquila and Bruce Marcus have written a clear and comprehensive view of what every accounting or law marketer needs to know about this new, unprecedented professional services environment. Their book not only explains the new environment, but it's also a rich primer of practical "how-to" advice on all the marketing tools available to the professional services marketer. Strategy is fine, but I find that few books get down to the step-by-step implementation tactics involved in winning new business like this book does - that's one of its best points of differentiation. After reading it, I bought copies for every one of my regional, industry, service line and national marketing leaders.

Aquila and Marcus Deliver Practice Advice for Success.......2004-09-07

In "Client at the Core: Marketing and Managing Today's Professional Services Firm," (Wiley, 2004) August J. Aquila, based in Minnetonka, Minn., and Bruce W. Marcus, in Easton, Conn., a pair of veteran consultants, combine their considerable experience, skill and insight into a veritable strategic planning operator's manual for today's consulting firm.

From the outset, they acknowledge "the professional world doesn't need another book on how to write a press release or write a brochure or run a seminar."

Instead, they provide a new perspective on the crucial subject of how to keep firms relevant to the needs of the marketplace -- mainly, creating clients and building a marketing culture.

They don't get tied up in ideas like "vision," or "mission."

Instead they talk about the new realities of the 21st Century and professions in turmoil: dot-coms gone bust, a stock market meltdown, and a rash of frauds, defalcations, misuse of corporate funds; and then a reformist reaction, still unfolding, that the authors term "a helter-skelter regulatory rush that was at least as punitive as it was appropriate. It would seem that the regulatory garment was cut to fit all, when all don't wear the same size."

"The time is past when just the presence of the professional was its own comfort factor. It's long been believed that the concept of the professional was so exalted, and so trusting, that people accepted advice unquestioningly. No more. The scandals of 2002 and 2003 seem to have bred a diminished - if unwarranted -- respect for professionals," they say.

"Traditionally, professional services have been a seller's market," according to Aquila and Marcus. But now the tables are turned. "It is now a buyer's market."

For today's professionals, here are six lessons you can take to the bank according to the authors:

1. Clients are more sophisticated. They no longer accept advice without questioning, challenging, demanding more reasoning and detail.

2. Because of the complexity of business today, clients demand that their professionals know more about the client's business and industry than ever before.

3. Professional services always function best when trust is at the heart of the relationship, but the corporate scandals of recent years have eroded that trust. That trust must now be regenerated. And the workings of trust are more important in the new economy than in the old.

4. Once the narrow structures of a profession were sufficient to serve clients. But clients now demand a broader spectrum of capabilities. The more broadly educated and well-rounded professional is the one with the greater advantage in meeting the needs of today's client. Clients demand that accountants know more than the basic skills of accounting.

5. Competition is now a fact of life. Clients know they have a choice.

Clients know the difference between marketing promises and professional services delivery. Today's client demands more real service and solutions -- not just a warm personal relationship.
To Aquila and Marcus, the new paradigm of professional services requires a new demand for partnership with the client and new participatory skills.

As they say: It's a buyers' market. Get used to it.

(...)

Focus on Application.......2004-08-22

"Meaty and rich with texture. The authors understand the application of marketing concepts to the CPA profession at a very deep level, and communicate clearly and concisely."

"Every page was another 'Yes!' when reading about the application of marketing principles to the CPA world. The authors nailed it."

Book Description

Federal Reserve monetary policy has a profound effect on the U.S. economy and consequently on investments. This unique book combines the institutional approach to monetary policy with the theories and principles involved in applying that knowledge to investing. Although there are many books on the Federal Reserve and a myriad of books on investing, this synthesis of institutional, theoretical, and practical applications is unique to the marketplace. In part I, Laura Nowak reviews the political origins of the Federal Reserve and follows its growth into the powerful arbiter of U.S. economic policy today. The actual conduct and effects of monetary policy are then explained with an eye toward identifying changes in policy that can be applied to the investment world. In part II, the effects of monetary policies on stock and bond markets and on particular industires are discussed, followed by a description of the investment instruments that will be impacted by different policies. In conclusion, Nowak offers a chapter of suggestions for hedging against changes in monetary policy and another chapter describing the tools that can be used for this purpose. The book will be useful to investment professionals who are intimately involved in their own specialty but who want and need to understand how the system works so they can improve their performance and advise their clients with more knowledge and authority.

Opportunities and Risks in Central European Finances (European Union Accession)

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Opportunities and Risks in Central European Finances (European Union Accession)

Manufacturer: World Bank Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

International | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Monetary Policy and Investment Opportunities. (book reviews): An article from: American Economist

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Monetary Policy and Investment Opportunities. (book reviews): An article from: American Economist
James R. Lothian
Manufacturer: Omicron Delta Epsilon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00093M38U
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from American Economist, published by Omicron Delta Epsilon on March 22, 1995. The length of the article is 1040 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Monetary Policy and Investment Opportunities. (book reviews)
Author: James R. Lothian
Publication: American Economist (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 1995
Publisher: Omicron Delta Epsilon
Volume: v39 Issue: n1 Page: p99(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Construction Lien Law in Texas
Eric M. Cohen , M. Gavin McGee , Allison J. Snyder , and William B. Ben Westcott
Manufacturer: Lorman Education Services
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000NIRSWM

Product Description

For anyone involved in the construction business, the ultimate goal is to be paid upon completion of the work or for providing necessary building materials. To assure that contractors and building suppliers obtain security for payment, the necessary bond claims or mechanics liens should be executed and filed. It is the goal of this manual to provide you and your clients who work in the fields of banking, real estate or construction with the law, forms, techniques and strategies applicable to the establishment and preservation of a mechanics lien/bond claim.

Construction Lien Law In Kansas And Missouri

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Construction Lien Law In Kansas And Missouri
Richard W. Byrum
Manufacturer: Lorman Education Services
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000L9C5WG

Product Description

Mechanics' liens are a powerful tool for the contractor, subcontractor and supplier in your constant struggle to get paid for the work which you successfully perform. By filing a mechanics' lien you avoid the problem of contractual privity, which allows you to sue only the party you contracted with, for breach of contract. With a mechanics' lien, you involve the owners and their lenders in your claim for payment, which may greatly increase your chances of being paid. This manual will provide the information which you need to understand and apply mechanics' lien procedures in both Kansas and Missouri. The two states have very different statutes relating to liens and the differences between the states will be explored.

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Construction Lien Law
George D. Calkins , Robert G. Campbell , Dennis M. Naish , and Timothy M. Truax
Manufacturer: Lorman Education Services
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000FTLDIO

Product Description

Doing a good job is not enough if you don't get paid. This manual will assist owners, contractors, developers, subcontractors, equipment and material suppliers, architects, engineers, lenders and accountants to receive the sums they have earned. The manual will cover construction liens in private construction projects, bond claims in public construction projects as well as Federal Miller Act claims.

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Construction Lien Law
Timothy C. Cook
Manufacturer: Lorman Education Services
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000LJ25IU

Product Description

The ultimate goal of everyone involved in the construction industry is to be paid promptly for all work, services and materials provided on a project. Lien rights are one important means of obtaining this goal. This manual will provide all those who work in the construction field in Minnesota with the law, forms, techniques and strategies to properly create and preserve lien rights, as well as several other areas of the law important to collections in the construction industry.

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Construction Lien Law
Bruce H. Schoumacher , Robert R. Benjamin , Nicholas Johnson , Thomas C. Kaufmann , Scott B. Krider , Anthony J. Madormo , Jennifer J. Sackett Pohlenz , and Timothy R. Rabel
Manufacturer: Lorman Education Services
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000HLTDQO

Product Description

For anyone involved in the construction business, the ultimate goal is to be paid upon completion of the work or of providing necessary building supplies or services. To assure that contractors and building suppliers obtain security for payment, the necessary mechanics liens should be executed and filed. It is the goal of this manual to provide all of those who work in the fields of banking, real estate or construction with the law, forms, techniques and strategies applicable to the establishment and preservation of a mechanics lien.

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Construction Lien Law
Darrel J. Bostwick , Christopher C. Hill , and Jeffery R. Price
Manufacturer: Lorman Education Services
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000KI4MGU

Product Description

When the work is complete, the primary goal of contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and design professionals is to get paid. On the other hand, lenders and owners do not want to pay more than once for the same labor and materials while maintaining an interest in keeping projects free of mechanics' liens. All of the parties involved in construction projects have interests that can only be protected when each party understands its rights under the mechanic's lien law in Utah.

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Construction Lien Law
Anna M. Burgett , Timothy J. Nolan , Tim L. Droel , Blake R. Nelson , and Patrick J. OConnor Jr
Manufacturer: Lorman Education Services
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000KEM0TA

Product Description

For anyone involved in the construction industry, the ultimate goal upon completion of providing services or the completion of providing necessary building supplies is to be paid. To assure that you are properly paid, the necessary construction liens or mechanics' liens must be recorded. It is the goal of this manual to provide all of those who work in the field of construction with the law, forms, techniques and strategies to properly create and preserve your lien rights.

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Construction Lien Law
MCP Steve Cattaneo , Junius Bracy J.B. Cross Jr. , Susan Keller Kendall , and John M. Scott
Manufacturer: Lorman Education Services
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000LNG406

Product Description

For anyone involved in the construction business, the ultimate goal upon completion of the work, providing services or the completion of providing necessary building supplies is to be paid. To assure that you are properly paid, the necessary construction liens or bond claims must be perfected.

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Construction Lien Law
Brent C. Bell , Richard A. Burt , John H. Dannecker , William L. Grant , Todd F. Kobrin , Kathleen M. Krak , and Paul L. SanGiovanni
Manufacturer: Lorman Education Services
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000KEPM0O

Product Description

This manual is intended to present the facts about the Florida construction lien law, which is the key to a company's economic survival. It will provide a practical overview of the construction lien process from knowing who can lien, the importance of timely notice, and understanding the types of lienors and their exemptions. The manual will also convey the importance of the construction lien law for those who provide types of labor, services or materials; from subdivision improvements, to commercial construction, to waivers and discharge of liens.

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Construction Lien Law
Susan Barilich , Ronald E. Holub , Bradley H. Rice , and Richard W. Wiseman
Manufacturer: Lorman Education Services
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000NOW8OO

Product Description

This manual will provide information regarding the latest changes to the Texas Lien laws for both private and public projects. It will also provide forms and timetables to perfect lien rights. You will get the benefit of understanding how your lien rights apply to the quirky situation, the exceptional but all too common case where the relationship, the ownership interest or the amount of lien are not crystal clear.

Product Description

Geochemical Thermodynamics (Second Edition), first published in 1994, takes the reader beyond the fundamental principles of thermodynamics to true geochemical applications. You will find the most complete coverage of the phase rule, chemography, solid solutions, ionic activities in the mixed aqueous electrolytes, and chemical potential diagrams for multiphase systems, plus other concepts central to geochemical theory. Throughout, there is an emphasis on environmentally relevant examples and applications. New sections include: thermobarometry applications for igneous and metamorphic rocks; expanding information on electrolytes at high temperature and pressure; a new chapter on geochemical modeling; and substantially updated and expanded references. a new appendix containing internally consistent enthalpies, entropies, heat capacities, and free energies, and equilibrium constants for a limited number of elements, ions, non-silicate minerals, and reactions at 298.15K and 1 atmosphere that are particularly useful for hydrogeochemical modeling.

Quality Assurance for Chemistry and Environmental Science: Metrology from pH Measurement to Nuclear Waste Disposal

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Quality Assurance for Chemistry and Environmental Science: Metrology from pH Measurement to Nuclear Waste Disposal
G. Meinrath , and P. Schneider
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Analytic | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Metrology and its applications e.g. in chemical or food analysis or in environmental monitoring are entering our daily life. This book provides a basic overview over the relevant metrological concepts like traceability, ISO uncertainties or cause-and-effect diagrams. The applications described in great detail range from progression-of-error type evaluation of the measurement uncertainty budget to complex applications like pH measurement or speciation calculations for aqueous solutions. The consequences of a measurement uncertainty concept for chemical data are outlined for geochemical modeling applied to transport in the subsurface and to nuclear waste disposal. Special sections deal with the deficits of existing thermodynamic data for these applications and with the current position of chemical metrology in respect to other quality assurance measures, e.g. ISO 900x, GLP, European and U.S.-American standards. The CD-ROM accompanying the book provides two demonstration programmes (uncertainty estimation with example data sets; IBM PCs and derivatives) and important official documents and guides in PDF format.

Reactivity of waste generated during lead recycling: An integrated study [An article from: Journal of Hazardous Materials]

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Reactivity of waste generated during lead recycling: An integrated study [An article from: Journal of Hazardous Materials]
A. Lassin , P. Piantone , A. Burnol , F. Bodenan , and Cha
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Journal of Hazardous Materials, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Lead consumption in Europe is 2.054Mtonnes/year, more than 70% of which is produced by recycling and, more specifically, the recycling of car batteries. This industry is jeopardised by the method employed so far, recycling by alkaline fusion, because the treatment produces 200,000tonnes of toxic and unstable slag. The study presented here attempts to clarify the approach and the combined tools employed (mineralogy, chemistry, leaching, thermodynamics), to construct a coherent physicochemical model of slag behaviour. The model was then used to carry out sensitivity analyses with various landfill scenarios, and to propose adjustments to the process to recover the residual heavy metals and to upgrade as secondary raw products the co-products generated by the inerting of the slag.

The fundamentals of geochemical equilibrium models with a listing of hydrochemical models that are documented and available (GWMI)

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The fundamentals of geochemical equilibrium models with a listing of hydrochemical models that are documented and available (GWMI)
Richard E Rice
Manufacturer: International Ground Water Modeling Center, Holcomb Research Institute, Butler University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Geochemistry | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00071DVLC

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GEOCHEMICAL THERMODYNAMICS
NORDSTROM
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7IHQE

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Geochemical Thermodynamics Workbook
Darrell Kirk Nordstrom
Manufacturer: Blackwell Science Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Geochemistry | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Book Description

The central theme of this volume is the contemporary mathematics of geometry and physics, but the work also discusses the problem of the secondary structure of proteins, and an overview of arc complexes with proposed applications to macromolecular folding is given. "Woods Hole has played such a vital role in both my mathematical and personal life that it is a great pleasure to see the mathematical tradition of the 1964 meeting resurrected forty years later and, as this volume shows, resurrected with new vigor and hopefully on a regular basis. I therefore consider it a signal honor to have been asked to introduce this volume with a few reminiscences of that meeting forty years ago." Introduction by R Bott (Wolf Prize Winner, 2000).

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