Laurie Young’s text on applying ‘the Principles and Science of Marketing to the Professions‘ was published in 2005. It is a well-rounded book about two professional marketing issues: the difference of marketing goods versus services and bridging the gap between academic theory and professional practice.
However, sometimes this book wanders the gaps between ‘how to’ and ‘theory’ too close to the edge. As a theorist, I don’t believe in SWAT analysis and certainly don’t need a template of it in the back of the book. As a practitioner, I am looking at the Boston Matrix and shrug my shoulders. But this is far as my critique goes on the detail of providing the reader with enough background. In detail, the book is thoughtfully written.
In service marketing, the actual experience is created by customer/client word-of-mouth (WOM). According to Young, the client is ‘able to feel a sense of relief’ (pg.26) through the service experience that fixed his/her needs and wants. Young argues that the professional firms are increasingly in need of in-house marketing staff, however, the classically trained ‘goods marketers’ skills belong to a different set of marketers. In short the author identifies that service firm marketers should have the stamina to cut through office politics by
- in-depth knowledge of service marketing
- partner level support from stakeholders in the firm to achieve process integration
Young goes on to identify strategies based on the size of the firm from sole traders to boutique and large organisations.
The chapter on segmentation focuses on what the differences really are between service and product marketing. It really means- honing in on the customer as individual. No more old school ‘industry’ and the ‘age, sex’ segmentation categories. It seems to me, the arrival of Generation ‘C’ is written all over professional service marketing.
Marketing the Professional Services Firm
Laurie Young’s text on applying ‘the Principles and Science of Marketing to the Professions‘ was published in 2005. It is a well-rounded book about two professional marketing issues: the difference of marketing goods versus services and bridging the gap between academic theory and professional practice.
However, sometimes this book wanders the gaps between ‘how to’ and ‘theory’ too close to the edge. As a theorist, I don’t believe in SWAT analysis and certainly don’t need a template of it in the back of the book. As a practitioner, I am looking at the Boston Matrix and shrug my shoulders. But this is far as my critique goes on the detail of providing the reader with enough background. In detail, the book is thoughtfully written.
In service marketing, the actual experience is created by customer/client word-of-mouth (WOM). According to Young, the client is ‘able to feel a sense of relief’ (pg.26) through the service experience that fixed his/her needs and wants. Young argues that the professional firms are increasingly in need of in-house marketing staff, however, the classically trained ‘goods marketers’ skills belong to a different set of marketers. In short the author identifies that service firm marketers should have the stamina to cut through office politics by
Young goes on to identify strategies based on the size of the firm from sole traders to boutique and large organisations.
The chapter on segmentation focuses on what the differences really are between service and product marketing. It really means- honing in on the customer as individual. No more old school ‘industry’ and the ‘age, sex’ segmentation categories. It seems to me, the arrival of Generation ‘C’ is written all over professional service marketing.