Latest posts
2. What Are Our Goals?: 10 Questions Prudent Firms Ask Themselves
In my last post, I began a series on the 10 Questions Prudent Firms Ask Themselves. Question 1: Who do we want to become? asks us to order our lives because our lives are shaped by what we live for. Question 2 now asks us What are our goals? in order to declare and...
1. Who Do We Want to Become?: 10 Questions Prudent Firms and Leaders Ask Themselves
Who do we want to become? This is the first question prudent firms and leaders ask themselves. They ask this profound question to order their lives. Answering the question provides clarity about the legacy a firm will leave behind, including how the firm, its people,...
PODCAST: Responding to the Threat of Content Marketing
In Episode 3, Responding to the Threat of Content Marketing, Jason and I tackle the approaches professional services firms can use—must use—to defend themselves from the SaaS onslaught and the commodification of "proprietary" intellectual capital. Most firms think of...
Introducing the Rattle and Pedal podcast
Does the world really need another podcast? It does if it confronts the “BS of Professional Services.” That’s exactly what Jason Mlicki of Rattleback and I are doing with our new podcast, Rattle & Pedal™, conceived last year and launching today Jason and I...
How to Identify Your Ideal Client
Identifying an ideal client is the fundamental building block of a profitable, growing business. The ideal client can be hard to find as a start-up when you are just trying to keep the doors open and make a sale—any sale. It can be just as hard for established firms...
10 Reasons Why Partners Don’t Understand Marketing
One of my more popular and controversial blog posts is “Why Your Marketer Doesn’t Understand Your Firm’s Business.” The title alienates professional services marketers before they get to the first sentence. It satisfies partners because it recognizes what they might...
Are Your Efforts Delivering the Results You Want?
This week two disparate events converged in my mind to provide some useful advice to professional services firms wanting to grow. The first event was the release of a professional services “high growth” benchmarking study. I’m not a fan of this report because I think...
Choose Your Value Proposition Words Carefully
Professional services attract some of the best and brightest people in business. We matriculate to top schools and graduate at the top of our classes. We are star athletes, cheerleaders, debaters, musicians, student council members, and more. We are competitive,...
Where Do You Hire the Best Professional Services Marketers?
Planning on hiring a marketer? Finding the right person for the job can be a challenge any time you hire, so I’m going to make this easier for you. If you’re a firm that belongs to the Growth Marketing School of Thought, then don’t look for a great marketer at another...
The Purpose of a Leader
In my 20 years working with some of the world’s top professional services firms, I have seen firms fly high and I have watched firms crash and burn. All the firms had highly educated people, great client relationships, and money coming in the door, but so many of them...
Are You Building the Reputation You Really Want?
I advise my coaching clients to ask others a peculiar and uncomfortable question for feedback:
How Much Should a Professional Services Firm Spend on Marketing?
This is one of the most popular questions asked among practice leaders and marketers in professional services. An agency colleague told me recently that the correct answer from most marketers is always “more.” Yet, most partners and busines…
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.