Latest posts
There Are No Shortcuts to Professional Services Growth
Managing partners and practice leaders dread hearing certain refrains: "Our biggest client just left for a competitor.," "Our top consultant is quitting," and the dreaded, "We won't hit our number." Among these admonitions, there's one less frequently voiced but...
6 Reasons Why Professional Services Brands Underperform
I have yet to meet a managing partner, practice leader, CMO, or sales guy in a professional services firm that has been satisfied with their firm’s brand performance. When I ask “Why do you think your brand is underperforming?” I’m frequently told that the firm is...
What Is Simpatico And Why Is It Important?
Why are viewers loyal to CNN, NPR, or Fox News? Why do our Facebook and YouTube feeds provide us with a consistent and reinforcing string of posts related to the ones we’ve watched before? Why are we affiliated with the political party we are? Why do we hang with the...
8 Ways to Strengthen Your Intellectual Capital Agenda to Drive Growth
In The Marketing Trend Devouring Your Core Business, I described how SaaS companies are using content marketing to aggressively commoditize traditional professional services firms. This week I offer some suggestions firms can put in place to immunize themselves...
What Do Clients Buy From Professional Services Firms
If you were to ask me what is the one common marketing error most professional services firms make, I would not hesitate to say, “They fall in love with their ‘solutions’.” By that I mean they make their internal P&L structure their market face and become...
7 Steps to Get the Most Out of Hiring a Fractional CMO
You're hiring a Fractional CMO. Now what? Congratulations on your bold decision to add the insightful strategy and marketing leadership of a Fractional CMO to your team of trusted advisors! You know that the right CMO can help catapult your firm to the next level of...
3 Steps to Align Sales and Marketing in Professional Services
Aligning Sales and Marketing in professional services–in any industry for that matter–is a perpetual challenge. If you spend time in either function, you know what I’m talking about. Marketing blames Sales for not following up on the leads they share. Sales says the...
How to Develop a Professional Services Marketing Strategy – Part 1
This post is the first in a series to share how professional services can develop and execute marketing strategy. Unfortunately, this series will not give you a template that you can simply fill in. Instead, it will give you a strategic framework to guide both the...
ESG’s Impact on Professional Services
Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) “marketing” is the season’s latest trend. If you haven’t noticed, it might be a good time to start paying strategic attention because it will be impacting your firm in a significant way shortly. Why is ESG important to...
From the Bike: The Best of R&P
Listening to past episodes of Rattle & Pedal really made me appreciate how blessed Jason and I are with phenomenal guests and listeners. Here are a few of my favorites.
Marketing Guidelines for Professional Services Firms During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Here are 6 immutable marketing guidelines for professional services firms during the COVID-19 pandemic that will build your reputation—or at least protect it until it’s over.
How Are You Spending Your Social-Distancing “Vacation”?
Yesterday my 17-year-old, over-achieving daughter shared her Spring break, social-distancing To-Do list. She put the list together on her own (no parental mandate) because her Spring break plans were canceled and social media just was getting old (there is hope for the world.). With her permission, here are a few items on her list:
LISTEN to the Only Podcast Addressing “The BS of PS”
Rattle and Pedal, hosted by Jeff McKay and Jason Mlicki, offers divergent thinking on growing professional services firms. Be prepared for an unorthodox exchange on life in professional services.
Your Co-hosts
Jeff McKay
Founder and CEO
Prudent Pedal
Jason Mlicki
Principal
Rattleback
Latest episodes
- Building a Leaner, Smarter Marketing Organization for the AI Era with Bri Jones
How do you build a marketing team for the AI era? Stitch VP of Marketing Bri Jones shares how a lean team, business context, generalists, and smart AI investments are reshaping marketing. The post Building a Leaner, Smarter Marketing Organization for the AI Era with Bri Jones appeared first on Rattle and Pedal.
- The Future of the Marketing Organization: What Should Firms Build Now?
What should the marketing organization of 2030 look like? Jeff and Jason launch a research series exploring how AI, talent, client experience, and strategy will reshape marketing. The post The Future of the Marketing Organization: What Should Firms Build Now? appeared first on Rattle and Pedal.
- Why Every Professional Services Firm Needs a Better Story with Stephen Steers
Why do some firms stand out while others blend into the crowd? Stephen Steers joins us to explore how storytelling builds trust, differentiates firms, and drives business growth. The post Why Every Professional Services Firm Needs a Better Story with Stephen Steers appeared first on Rattle and Pedal.
- Selling Belief with Mat Zucker from Prophet
In an AI-driven world, expertise alone isn’t enough. Jeff, Jason, and Mat Zucker explore why professional services firms must move beyond trust to build buyer belief and win more business. The post Selling Belief with Mat Zucker from Prophet appeared first on Rattle and Pedal.
- Demystifying Case Studies: Why Most Firms Get Them Wrong
Most professional services case studies fail to influence buyers. Jeff and Jason explore the biggest myths and explain how to create stories that build trust, reinforce positioning, and win business. The post Demystifying Case Studies: Why Most Firms Get Them Wrong appeared first on Rattle and Pedal.