by Jeff McKay | Brand Strategy, Marketing Strategy
When I was a kid, my dad used to take me to St. Louis Cardinal baseball and football games and to see Blues hockey. I can vividly recall learning at a very early age when and how you pulled the goalie, sent the runner (that cost me a dollar on a sucker bet with my... by Jeff McKay | Marketing ROI, Marketing Strategy
Most firm’s marketing plans are screeching to a halt about this time of year: The big tradeshow has sucked up more time and money than expected. The new product or service was launched and is now languishing. The big research study has not gotten a statistically valid... by Jeff McKay | Marketing Strategy
It seems like everyone is an “author” nowadays. Books are popping up everywhere as part of the content marketing fad. Most are nothing more that veiled sales pitches and .pdfs of Power Point decks. Repackage an idea, pick a word or phrase and market the... by Jeff McKay | Marketing Strategy
My son and I recently spent time at an Indian Guides campout at a YMCA camp in Michigan. We were exploring in the woods when we heard these funny sounds: “Tink!”, “clang!”, “bang!”, “Yes!”, “Aw, I just missed it!”, “Watch this!” and “Got it!” As we moved... by Jeff McKay | Marketing Strategy, Culture
Jeff here. Does your firm have an industry program? Most firms would answer affirmatively, but do they really have an effective and sustainable approach? I began my professional services marketing career at Arthur Andersen and led marketing for one of the firm’s... by Jeff McKay | Marketing Strategy
Next to cross-selling, “productization” (or the act of turning a successful engagement into a commercial product) is the holy grail of professional services firms. Productization allows firms to package repetitive processes, achieve scale, increase profitability, and... by Jeff McKay | Marketing Strategy
Content marketing and its supporting platforms represent a fundamental shift in professional services marketing from a traditional “branding” focus to a new priority: lead nurturing. Lead nurturing is the process of building relationships with qualified prospects... by Jeff McKay | Marketing Strategy, Business Development
Professional services firms spend tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars trying to understand WHY clients choose to work with the firms that they do. Let me give you a gift and save you the money. Every market research study I have seen (and I... by Jeff McKay | Culture, Marketing Strategy
Are you measuring marketing’s activities or its impact on growth? Recently, I had a meeting with a talented Chief Marketing Officer at a strategy-consulting firm. The subject of the discussion was the integration of marketing and business development. When I... by Jeff McKay | Marketing ROI, Marketing Strategy
Traditionally, marketing dollars are allocated by individual lines of business. More often than not, the largest lines of business command the biggest percent of the marketing budget. After all, they are the “cash cow.” But this way of thinking is outdated,... by Jeff McKay | Marketing Strategy
Last week, I spent time with some smart marketers from the worlds’ best management consulting firms, along with great people from Forbes and HBR. The event was hosted by the Association of Management Consulting Firms (AMCF). John Furth, the President and CEO of AMCF,...
